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Preface to the John P. O’Connell Festschrift John O’Connell is the compleat chemical-engineering professor. His research has channeled theoretical concepts of statistical mechanics into practical correlations that are used for engineering design. His scholarly papers have simplified and clarified fundamental concepts in thermodynamics. He has taught several generations of chemical engineers to understand (and sometimes even enjoy!) the elusive subject of thermodynamics. He has generously served the profession by guiding excellent AIChE student chapters, organizing many conferences, presenting educational workshops, and serving on professional-society and government panels. He has mentored many young researchers and professors, many of whom he did not have a formal relationship with. John is best characterized as having a passion for learning and passing it on to his students, his family, his peers, and just about everyone he interacts with. His wife of 49 years, Verna, told us: “The one thing that he has always possessed as long as I haVe known him (which goes back to high school more than fifty years ago) is his excitement about learning. The excellent teachers and professors that haVe been a part of his life influenced him immensely, and he deVeloped an excitement for
teaching as well as learning that are what characterize him best - eVen today.” John received bachelor’s degrees from Pomona College and MIT, a Master’s Degree from MIT, and his Ph.D. Degree from Berkeley. He began his academic career at the University of Florida (UF) in 1966, where he quickly rose to the level of full professor and also served as chair from 1981 to 1984. John moved to the University of Virginia (UVa) as the Department Chair in 1988. He served as chair during the periods of 1988-1993 and 2001-2002. He was awarded the Harry Douglas Forsyth Professorship of Chemical Engineering in 1992, and he currently holds that position at UVa. John’s research has focused on theoretical thermodynamics, where he and his students have applied fundamental concepts in statistical mechanics;and especially fluctuation theory;and molecular dynamics to electrolyte and nonelectrolyte systems, reactive systems, and surfactant systems that form micelles. He has demonstrated a special ability to nurture research collaborations outside the traditional professor-graduate student team. His presentations and publications include collaborations with colleagues from UF and UVa, and also several universities in America and Europe. John’s broader research covers a wide swath of chemical-engineering thermodynamics, from practical
10.1021/ie800916z CCC: $40.75 2008 American Chemical Society Published on Web 07/30/2008
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correlations to theoretical statistical mechanics, and from the framework of thermodynamics to molecular modeling, with applications to solids and fluids; nonelectrolytes and electrolytes; and simple fluids, micelles, and bioprocessing. The ubiquitous use of physical-property correlations and related computational methods in chemical process technology is so mature and standard today that most chemical engineers think of it like turning on a switch to get electricity, and they may not appreciate that these techniques were in their infancy 50 years ago. John O’Connell was a key player in a pioneering group of molecular thermodynamicists (led by Professor John Prausnitz) who developed the seminal advances that enabled this technology. Their coauthored books provide an excellent historical account of these developments even as they remain relevant today. Computer Calculations for Multicomponent Vapor-Liquid Equilibria,1 and the later publication, which includes liquid-liquid equilibrium,2 provide detailed discussions of correlations of phase equilibria and iterative techniques for equilibrium calculations. The Properties of Gases and Liquids3 is the physical-property reference book for many chemical engineers, because it enables quick insight into the physical property of interest and provides a wealth of correlations for estimating properties. John’s newest book, with James Haile,4 a graduate-level text on chemical-engineering thermodynamics that provides a foundation for graduate research. John has generously given varied and important services to professional societies and government organizations. His services to AIChE (Meeting Program Chair, 1989), ACS (National Program Committee, 1982-1984) and the American Society for Engineering Education (Summer School for Chemical Engineering Faculty) are too numerous to mention in detail. He has organized technical conferences, most notably, the triennial International Conferences on Fluid Properties and Phase Equilibria for Chemical Process Design (1983-2007). He has served on the advisory board of this journal (1986-1989), chairs the publications board of Chemical Engineering Education, and is currently an editor of Fluid Phase Equilibria (2004-present). John has also served on the advisory panels of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute and Standards and Technology (NIST), and the advisory boards of chemicalengineering departments (University of Maryland, from 1996 to 2006, and North Carolina A&T University, in 1992 and 1997). Professor O’Connell has provided consultancy to many chemical companies, including Union Carbide Corporation, Tennessee Eastman Corporation, Linde AG, Shell Development Company, Exxon Research and Engineering, and Fluor Corporation. He has also presented lectures and training to over 20 companies.
John has made many contributions as a professional, but his foremost legacy may well be as an educator. As Verna O’Connell noted, “Working with students and young faculty giVe him so much joy. I am sure anyone who has worked with him is aware of that. If you ask him he will tell you that he ‘loVes his job,’ and that definitely shows.” We have met several UF and UVa graduates who stated that John O’Connell’s thermo class was the hardest course they took, but it was worth it. John lists “teaching and learning thermodynamics” as one of his research interests, and he has many papers and presentations on this subject. John’s 70th birthday is on September 19, 2008. As we initiated the John O’Connell Festschrift issue of I&EC Research and the special John O’Connell sessions that will be held at the 2008 AIChE Annual Meeting to mark this milestone, it was striking to us how enthusiastically and warmly John’s students, colleagues, peers, mentors, and friends responded. Professor John P. O’Connell truly is well-liked, well-appreciated, and wellrespected in the worldwide chemical-engineering community. Happy birthday John! Literature Cited (1) Prausnitz, J. M.; Eckert, C. A.; Orye, R. V.; O’Connell, J. P. Computer Calculations for Multicomponent Vapor-Liquid Equilibria; Prentice-Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1967. (2) Prausnitz, J. M.; Anderson, T. F.; Grens, E. A.; Eckert, C. A.; Hsei, R.; O’Connell, J. P. Computer Calculations for Multicomponent VaporLiquid and Liquid-Liquid Equilibria; Prentice-Hall: Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1980. (3) Poling, B.; Prausnitz, J. M.; O’Connell, J. P. The Properties of Gases and Liquids; McGraw-Hill Book Company: New York, 2001. (4) O’Connell, J. P.; Haile, J. M. Thermodynamics: Fundamentals for Applications; Cambridge University Press: Oxford, U.K., 2005.
Paul M. Mathias Fluor Corporation, Aliso Viejo, California 92698
Rafiqul Gani The Technical UniVersity of Denmark, 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
Matthew Neurock UniVersity of Virginia, CharlottesVille, Virginia 22904 ReceiVed for reView June 10, 2008 Accepted June 10, 2008 IE800916Z
