Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2008, 47, 3289-3290
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Preface to the Professor E. Bruce Nauman Special Issue This special issue of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (IECR) celebrates the 70th birthday of Prof. E. Bruce Nauman. Bruce has made an indelible mark on the field of chemical engineering with his unique combination of abilities as a creative researcher, a passionate teacher, a brilliant industrial consultant, and a visionary leader of the profession. The hallmark of Bruce’s work is his ability to bring together physical insight, mathematical analysis, and molecular level investigation to interpret macroscopic phenomena of interest to practicing engineers. After receiving a Ph.D. from the University of Leeds in England in 1963, Bruce began his career as an independent researcher at Union Carbide, where he quickly rose to the position of Technology Manager. His responsibilities included the development of R&D and business plans for the polystyrene business. In 1977, he moved to Xerox, where he assumed the position of R&D Manager, supervising a team of over 100 scientists working in such diverse areas as materials development and process engineering. In 1981, after completing 17 successful years in industrial R&D, Bruce returned to academia as a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). This move was clearly motivated by his desire to work with and inspire young students, thereby shaping the minds of future generations of researchers. He has published
over 150 research articles in peer reviewed journals, 5 books, 16 book chapters, and 6 U.S. patents. In his 26 years in academia, he has graduated 31 Ph.D. students. At RPI, he was the President of the Faculty Senate, served as Chairman of the Chemical Engineering Department, and has been the Director of Industrial Liaison for over 25 years. He founded a consulting firm, E. B. Nauman & Associates, in 1982, which he used to strengthen the relationship between his academic research and industrial developments. The firm has more than 100 clients worldwide. Working as a student in the Nauman laboratory was a unique experience, due in large part to the confluence of academic and industrial influences. But it was Bruce, himself, who served as the greatest inspiration, inculcating in his students an enduring spirit of curiosity and passion for the practice of chemical engineering. One of us was lucky enough to be given the privilege of having Bruce as his Ph.D. advisor. He was a leader who treated his students as intellectual equals. One-on-one meetings with Bruce were always challenging, as he would question every assumption that was made. Looking back, we realize that this was an essential part of our learning experience, because having the ability to convince Bruce that you were right made convincing the rest of the world easy. Bruce was also an advisor who got actively involved in the research that his students was conducting. He would often spend nights writing
10.1021/ie800419j CCC: $40.75 © 2008 American Chemical Society Published on Web 04/05/2008
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computer programs to find solutions to the very problems that his students could not resolve. He inspired his students, not only by what he taught them to do, but by what he did. One of his students, Ashish Nigam (the son of one of us), readily concedes that Bruce has had a larger influence on him than his own parents. Bruce has made many contributions to the chemical engineering profession, but his leadership role as one of the founding fathers of the North American Mixing Forum (NAMF) is an enduring one. Starting in 1965, the mixing community held biannual meetings but a formal organization was needed. Bruce hosted a seminal meeting at RPI in 1990, which led to the formation of NAMF, which is a society that now includes over 450 international members from industry and academia and continues to hold conferences across North America. Bruce, who served as president of the Forum, has been an active visionary leader on the Board of Directors since that initial RPI meeting and received the NAMF Award in 2000 for his numerous contributions to the field. It has been a privilege to recognize the many contributions of Professor E. Bruce Nauman and reflect on the ways that he genuinely touched our lives. The greater tribute, however, is in the scholarly work of his many friends and colleagues who have
contributed to this special issue of IECR. We note our appreciation to all of them and, above all, to Bruce, whose qualities, as both a scientist and gentleman, inspired this special occasion. K. D. P. Nigam Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi 110016, India N. P. Balsara Department of Chemical Engineering, UniVersity of California, Berkeley, California 94720 L. L. Tavlarides Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Syracuse UniVersity, Syracuse, New York 13244 ReceiVed for reView March 13, 2008 ReVised manuscript receiVed March 27, 2008 Accepted March 27, 2008 IE800419J
