OSU ChE History Update
In 1972, Bob Maddox, then School Head, commissioned
Robert Smith to write a history of the chemical engineering program from
its inception in 1917. The booklet was published in 1973. A
lot has happened in the past 35 years, and it is time record it.
 Today
Jim Mischler, shown surrounded by files, is reviewing records,
newsletters, publications, and reports to write a history update. Jim
is a PhD candidate in English at OSU.
What are some of the changes in the past 35 years?
We stopped using slide rules; now students carry sophisticated
engineering software in their laptop computers. Research moved from
pilot scale to small scale, or often simply computer simulations. The
nuclear reactor was dismantled, and biomedical and biochemical
applications have evolved as the prime interest area for students and
research. Billy Crynes replaced Bob Maddox as Head, then Rob Robinson,
now Russ Rhinehart. The program is now about 40% female, and we have 11
faculty members. Faculty members do their own typing; and the staff,
formerly in secretarial roles, run programs. On the fashion side,
neckties have substantially disappeared, and no one smokes indoors.
What has not changed? Our students continue to win
national honors and awards at an exceptional rate. We reside at 423
Engineering North. Thermodynamics expertise remains a strength of the
School. Faculty and staff are dedicated to the students. There is
never enough time or money to do what we want. The motion to adjourn a
faculty meeting always results in a unanimous “Aye” vote, an event
which, on occasion, has been joyously and humorously reported as an
unexpected relief in the meeting minutes.
Do you have a story that would be good to include?
For example: How would you tell the story if you were one of the
innocents who experimentally investigated the impact of water demand on
water pressure in the unit operations lab, by forming a conspiracy of
classmates to simultaneously flush all of the building toilets, which
resulted in a waste-water rate that exceeded the drain system capacity,
which back-flowed from the first floor toilets, which flooded restrooms
and crept across the hallway to flood the carpeted Dean’s offices? What
was your reaction to Dr. AJs demonstration in the Fluid Dynamics class
of the “no-slip at the wall” phenomenon? We want to be sure that we
include endearing and entertaining stories like these that capture the
human side of the facts and events. If you have a story or observation,
send your contact information to me (rrr@okstate.edu)
and I’ll have Jim place you on the interview list.
Russ
Rhinehart .
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