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December 20, 2003

Purdue trustees OK professorship, IUPUI degree program

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue University's Board of Trustees today (Saturday, 12/20) confirmed the appointment of one named professorship, approved a bachelor's degree program in interior design technology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis and awarded one posthumous degree.

G.V. "Rex" Reklaitis

The board ratified the appointment of G.V. "Rex" Reklaitis, head of Purdue's School of Chemical Engineering, as the Edward W. Comings professor of chemical engineering. Purdue currently has 57 distinguished and 35 named professors.

"Professor Reklaitis is leading the School of Chemical Engineering in an exciting time of growth and expanded research," said Purdue Provost Sally Mason. "The fruits of his labor are partially evident in the project underway to build an addition to the chemical engineering building."

Reklaitis, who was named head of the school in 1987, has been at Purdue since 1970. From February to August of 1980, he was senior Fulbright lecturer at Vilnius State University and Lithuanian Academy of Science. From 1985 to 1988, he served Purdue as assistant dean of engineering, graduate education and research. From 1992 to 1999, he also served as director of the Computer Integrated Process Operations Center. For the past 10 years he has been editor-in-chief of the journal Computers & Chemical Engineering.

Reklaitis' research involves the application of computing and systems technology to support the design and operation of processing systems. His focus has been on issues arising in batch operations, which are heavily used in food, specialty chemicals and pharmaceuticals manufacturing. In this domain, he has co-authored four books, edited three others and has published more than 150 papers. A fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), he has been recognized with several national awards, including the Computing in Chemical Engineering Award of the AIChE.

Comings, the fourth head of Purdue's School of Chemical Engineering, wrote more than 80 publications and the book "High Pressure Technology." In 1956, he received the William H. Walker Award, the highest AIChE honor.

Reklaitis holds a bachelor's degree (with highest distinction) in chemical engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology and a master's degree and doctorate in chemical engineering from Stanford University.

The board also approved a new bachelor's degree program in interior design technology at IUPUI. The four-year degree program was recommended to augment the two-year associate's degree program in interior design.

The board also ratified the award of a posthumous bachelor's degree from the School of Technology for Kevin G. Fouts, of Delphi, Ind., who died Nov. 26. Fouts had, at the time of his death, completed 87 percent of the bachelor's degree requirements and most of the requirements for a major in computer technology.

Writer: Reni Winter, (765) 496-3133, rwinter@purdue.edu

Sources: G.V. Reklaitis, (765) 494-4075, reklaiti@purdue.edu

Sally Mason, (765) 494-9709, sfmason@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

 

Related Web site:
IUPUI Interior Design Program


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