Neal Russell Amundson (January 10, 1916February 16, 2011)
["Father of Chemical Engineering" Neal Amundson Passes Away](_blank)
University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering, February 17, 2011: "passed away yesterday". was an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
chemical engineer
In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is a professional, equipped with the knowledge of chemical engineering, who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products and deals with the ...
and
applied mathematician
A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems.
Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change.
History
One ...
. He was the Chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
for over 25 years. Later, he was the Cullen Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering and Mathematics at the
University of Houston
The University of Houston (UH) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1927, UH is a member of the University of Houston System and the List of universities in Texas by enrollment, university in Texas ...
. Amundson was considered one of the most prominent chemical engineering educators and researchers in the United States. The Chemical Engineering and Materials Science building at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities bears his name.
Early life and education
Neal Amundson was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, as the only child of a pipefitter and a housewife who struggled to survive the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. As a young child of 9, Neal became a scratch golfer with golf clubs provided by his father, Oscar Amundson. Neal graduated from St. Paul Central High School in 1933 and was sixth in his class of 658 students. Neal was awarded a
bachelor's
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...
degree in chemical engineering in 1937 and was first in his class of 52 students that year from the University of Minnesota. He was employed as a process engineer with Standard Oil of New Jersey at a plant in Louisiana. He then returned to Minnesota where he met his wife, Shirley Dimond in 1941, and had three children. He entered graduate school at the University of Minnesota and earned his
master's
A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice. degree in chemical engineering in 1941; and his
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
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in mathematics in 1945.
Career
He taught in the mathematics department until 1947 and joined the University of Minnesota's Chemical Engineering Department, where he served as Chair from 1949 until 1977. During his 25 years as department chair, Amundson helped the department to achieve a high national ranking among chemical engineering departments, which it still retains.
Amundson joined the University of Houston (UH) in 1977 as a Cullen Professor and a faculty member of the Chemical Engineering & Mathematics departments. He served as UH Provost from 1987 to 1989. Amundson is known internationally for his pioneering work applying mathematical modeling and analysis to the solution of chemical engineering problems. His technical contributions are in the areas of mathematical modeling and analysis of chemical reactors, separation systems, polymerization units, and coal gasification units. Amundson was one of the main architects of the analytical methodology practiced by chemical engineers today.
Amundson wrote more than 200 technical articles as well as several books. He chaired the U.S. National Research Council committee that wrote the influential "Frontiers in Chemical Engineering" report. He was the U.S. editor of ''Chemical Engineering Science'' from 1955 to 1972. Amundson was elected a member of
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...
in 1970
and the
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
in 1992.
He was elected a Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
in 1992.
The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) bestowed on Amundson the prestigious NAE Founders' Award in 1990.
[Amundson bio](_blank)
University of Houston. Retrieved 2011-01-04.
In 1996, Amundson was the first recipient of the International Symposia on Chemical Reaction Engineering (ISCRE) award for excellence, an award that is also named for him. The chemical engineering building at his alma mater
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
is named in his honor. He received numerous professional awards from the
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is a professional organization for chemical engineers. AIChE was actually established in 1908 to distinguish chemical engineers as a profession independent of chemists and mechanical engineer ...
(AIChE),
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...
(ACS), International Symposium on
Chemical Reaction Engineering
Chemical reaction engineering (reaction engineering or reactor engineering) is a specialty in chemical engineering or industrial chemistry dealing with chemical reactors. Frequently the term relates specifically to catalytic reaction systems wh ...
(ISCRE), and
American Society for Engineering Education
The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) is a non-profit member association, founded in 1893, dedicated to promoting and improving engineering and engineering technology education. The purpose of ASEE is the advancement of education ...
(ASEE).
He received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Minnesota, Notre Dame, Pennsylvania, Guadalajara, and Northwestern University.
He received the highest faculty honors given by the Universities of Minnesota and Houston.
Key publications
Neal Amundson has authored numerous journal articles describing significant advances in
chemical reaction engineering
Chemical reaction engineering (reaction engineering or reactor engineering) is a specialty in chemical engineering or industrial chemistry dealing with chemical reactors. Frequently the term relates specifically to catalytic reaction systems wh ...
and
chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...
which includes but is not limited to:
*A. Acrivos, Neal Amundson, "Applications of matrix mathematics to chemical engineering problems", Industrial & Engineering Chemistry 47, 1533 (1955).
*L. Lapidus, Neal Amundson, "Mathematics of adsorption in beds - VI: The effect of longitudinal diffusion in ion exchange and chromatographic columns", Journal of Physical Chemistry 56, 984 (1952).
*L. Lapidus, Neal Amundson, "Chemical reactor stability and sensitivity", AIChE Journal 1, 513 (1955).
*O. Bilous, Neal Amundson, "Chemical reactor stability and sensitivity - II: Effect of parameters on sensitivity of empty tubular reactors", AIChE Journal 2, 117-126 (1956).
*R. Aris, Neal Amundson, "An analysis of chemical reactor stability and control - I: The possibility of local control, with perfect or imperfect control mechanisms", Chemical Engineering Science 7, 121 (1958).
*K.Valentas, O. Bilous, Neal Amundson, "Analysis of breakage in dispersed phase systems", Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Fundamentals 5, 271 (1966).
*Dan Luss, Neal Amundson, "Uniqueness of the steady state solutions for chemical reaction occurring in a catalyst particle or in a tubular reactor with axial diffusion", Chemical Engineering Science 22, 253-266 (1967).
*F.R. Newbold, Neal R. Amundson, "A model for evaporation of a multicomponent droplet", AIChE Journal 19, 22-30 (1973).
*Hugo S. Caram, Neal R. Amundson, "Diffusion and reaction in a stagnant boundary layer about a carbon particle", Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Fundamentals 16, 171-181 (1977).
Legacy and impact on chemical engineering
Neal's vision was to combine modern advances in science together with elegant yet practical mathematical methods. In his first two decades as department head of chemical engineering at the University of Minnesota, Amundson hired several chemists, mathematicians, and chemical engineers. He encouraged young faculty to explore new topics in chemical engineering such as biological systems and focused on broadening the discipline to include materials science and engineering. Neal acknowledged the importance of emerging fields and had a goal of attracting young faculty in topics such as microbiology and polymers. In two decades, he hired several faculty that would become leaders of chemical engineering and materials science; these diverse individuals were then combined into a coherent program bound by his philosophy for team teaching and collaborative research. Neal was famous for stating, "I never hired anybody if I thought I was smarter than they are."
Amundson promoted the idea of teaching courses in groups, with young faculty teaching and lecturing alongside senior professors; his legacy continues at the University of Minnesota.
Neal Amundson has been called the "father of modern chemical engineering" to recognize his invigoration of chemical engineering with mathematics and emerging research fields. His work has impacted multiple generations of students, including his mentoring of 52 PhD students throughout his career. As of 2006, Neal Amundson's academic family tree contains more than 3,000 individuals. His work on reaction engineering, transport phenomena, and complex reacting systems remains the foundation of modern reaction engineering and chemical engineering. As stated by Profssors Andreas Acrivos and Dan Luss, "Seldom has an individual exerted such a major influence in the development of an important field as was done by Neal Amundson to chemical engineering."
Death
Amundson died on February 16, 2011, at the age of 95.
Notes
External links
Andreas Acrivos and Dan Luss, "Neal Russell Amundson", Biographical Memoirs of the National Academy of Sciences (2013)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amundson, Neal
1916 births
2011 deaths
Engineering academics
American chemical engineers
Applied mathematicians
University of Houston faculty
University of Minnesota faculty
University of Minnesota College of Science and Engineering alumni
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering
Fellows of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Minnesota CEMS