12/2/05 Sharla Wright, 334/844-9159 (wrighsr@auburn.edu)
David Granger, 334/844-9999 (grangdm@auburn.edu)
TWO AU ENGINEERING STUDENTS HONORED WITH NATIONAL AICHE AWARDS
Auburn-Two Auburn University students brought home top honors from a national engineering conference for their respective research projects on converting fuels to hydrogen and on polymers. Rose Marie Cummings and Parker Sizemore, seniors in Auburn University’s Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, each received first-place honors at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers recent annual meeting in Cincinnati.
This national meeting included 16 topical conferences and more than 600
sessions, covering topics ranging from advances in fundamentals, to the
newest developments in emerging technologies including bioengineering,
nanotechnology and sustainability. More than 4,000 engineers and scientists
attended.
Cummings, a chemical engineering senior from Deatsville, took first place
in the fuels and petrochemicals category for her research on converting
fuels into hydrogen titled “Comparing Minimum Utility Requirements
of Multiple Fuel Sources and Various Reforming Techniques for Hydrogen."
“Rose was named the outstanding junior in chemical engineering this
spring and last week was named the outstanding student from the department
of chemical engineering,” says Mario Eden, assistant professor and
advisor on the project. “She is an exceptional student which is
evident from her 4.0 GPA.Cummings is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Omega Chi
Epsilon, the AU Honors College and the Cupola Engineering Society, where
she serves as an ambassador for the College of Engineering.
Sizemore, a chemical engineering senior from Cumming, Ga., took first
place for his research on polymers that may someday be used in contact
lenses to deliver anti-allergy drugs titled “Polymerization Reaction
Analysis to Enhance Loading of Hydrogels for Ocular Drug Delivery”
in the food, pharmaceutical and biotechnology category.
“This is the second major award Parker has won presenting at national
meetings this year. He is a strong researcher who has the innate ability
to present information easily to a wide variety of audiences,” says
Mark Byrne, assistant professor of chemical engineering who advised Sizemore
on the project. “This is well deserved.”
Sizemore has worked with Science Olympiad and has been a religious studies
leader and an assistant soccer coach. He is also involved in the international
communities in Auburn and Tuskegee.
Auburn University is a preeminent land-grant and comprehensive research
institution with more than 23,000 students and 6,500 faculty and staff.
Ranked among the top 50 public universities nationally, Auburn is Alabama’s
largest educational institution, offering more than 230 undergraduate,
graduate and doctoral degree programs.
(Contributed by Sharla Wright.)
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