Archived Events

Cape Wind Project

Renewable Energy - Cape Wind
Date/Time   Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 5:30pm
Place   Knights of Columbus  (Directions)
17 Willow St.
Westborough MA
Topic Info  

Come Be Blown Away By the Power of Cape Wind

You have probably have heard of Cape Wind, but did you know that this project will be America’s first ever offshore wind farm? Producing over three-quarters of the electricity for the Cape and surrounding islands, this green-friendly energy project claims that it will not only lead the nation in energy independence, but will bring cleaner air, lower energy costs, and jobs to Massachusetts.

732,000      tons of greenhouse gas emissions eliminated each year
420             megawatts of clean, renewable energy
258             feet from the base of the water to the center of the blades
130             offshore wind turbines
80               foot deep foundation into the sand
13.8            miles offshore from the town of Nantucket

and…

1 night of facts, education and insight on Cape Wind presented by AICHE

Speaker   Mr. Craig Olmsted
Vice President for Project Development, Cape Wind

Mr. Olmsted is a registered Professional Engineer holding advanced degrees in Management and Structural Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Boston University. He has thirty years of experience in all aspects of the power industry and is responsible for project development from conception through commercial operation. Responsibilities range from oversight of site selection, fatal flaw analysis, financial modeling, environmental permitting, liaison with lenders, design and construction contracting through production engineering, procurement, construction and start up.
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Developing Realistic Solutions to Today's Energy Problems

Clean Energy Dinner - Use Internet Explorer to register
Date/Time   Thursday, April 3, 2008 at 5:30pm
Place   Holiday Inn Boxboro  (Directions)
242 Adams Place (I-495 exit 28)
Boxboro, MA
Phone: 978-263-8701
Topic Info   EVENT IS SOLD OUT!

Registration is closed - 150 have registered!

Participate in a results-oriented round table dinner discussion focused on developing solutions to current energy problems.

Who should attend: Chemical Engineers, Scientists, Entrepreneurs, Investors, Government Energy policy makers

5:30 PM – 6:15 PM Registration and Networking
6:15 PM – 6:30 PM AIChE Announcements
6:30 PM – 7:30 PM Dinner / table by table breakout discussions (see topics below)
7:30 PM – 9:00 PM Roundtable discussion – all present will develop realistic energy solutions.
9:00 PM – End of Meeting

Potential Dinner Topics
Hydrogen / Fuel Cells
Biomass: Biodiesel & Ethanol
Biomass Gasification
Clean Coal Combustion
Coal Gasification
Fuels from waste products
Solar/Wind/ Tidal – Wave Power
Nuclear Solutions
Conservation, increasing efficiency
K-12 Energy & Environmental programs
Environmental Sustainability
Speakers  

Dr. Jay Agarwal

Dr. Jay Agarwal, Vice President / co-founder of CRA International and Managing Director, New England Equity Group, LLC, will lay the groundwork for the round-table discussion.

Dr. Agarwal has more than 40 years of experience as a senior technical executive with CRA. He has saved Fortune 500 companies millions of dollars by identifying potential problems and determining ways to avoid them when commercializing new technologies. (click here for complete bio... http://www.newenglandequity.com/principals.php)


Rob Reintjes

Rob Reintjes, Managing Director, New England Equity Group, LLC will serve as meeting facilitator. Mr. Reintjes is well known to AIChE members for his leadership ability. Over the past several years, Rob has played a key role in revitalizing the AIChE Boston Section.

Rob and his partner, Dr. Agarwal, have more than 80 years of combined experience in the management and marketing of technological innovation. Their company, New England Equity Group, is an equity investment firm that focuses on companies that utilize chemical engineering technology, including Energy related companies. (For more information about New England Equity go to: http://www.newenglandequity.com Click here for Rob’s complete bio... http://www.newenglandequity.com/principals.php) (Scroll down)


All Participants

Since virtually all of our Chemical Engineering members are well qualified to address Energy technology questions – at this meeting, we will waive the usual format of an after dinner speaker and instead, draw on the powerful resources of our members!


Industry Experts

To stimulate discussion, a number of industry experts will be invited to attend the meeting – not as speakers, but as participants in the group discussion. Their names will be added to the AIChE Boston website as they register. Some of these experts will facilitate the table discussions on various Energy topics.


Kyle Zelley
President, Wachusett Biofuels http://wachusettbiomass.com
Lise Laurin
Founder of EarthShift, http://www.earthshift.com/about04.htm (scroll down for bio)
Jay Fiske
Partner, Massachusetts Green Energy Fund, which invests in renewable energy companies based in or doing significant business in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. http://www.massgreenenergy.com/it_fiske.htm
Jefferson W. Tester
MIT Energy Initiative Education task force Co-chair, , H. P. Meissner Professor of Chemical Engineering, environmental remediation and control technology, chemical processes in supercritical fluids, renewable and geothermal energy systems, gas hydrates in natural environments http://web.mit.edu/cheme/people/faculty/tester.html , http://web.mit.edu/tester
Scott Fraser
Senior VP of Engineering, Ze-gen, a leading developer and integrator of waste gasification technology. Mr. Fraser has been in the power generation and energy fields for 30 years. His background includes biomass gasification and combustion related technologies including fluidized bed combustion. He co-authored the textbook “The Design and Operation of CFB Boilers” . Other areas of expertise include energy infrastructure/economics within India, the Caribbean, and the former Soviet Union and other emerging markets all of which represent future market areas for Ze-Gen. http://www.ze-gen.com/
Wm. Curtis Conner
Prof. Chemical Engineering, Univ. Massachusetts, Amherst. Dr. Conner has been conducting research in catalysis related to energy for some 35 years. He is author of over a hundred papers and has lectured in over a dozen countries. His current research focuses on the conversion of cellulosic biomass to fuels by novel routes. http://www.ecs.umass.edu/index.pl?id=4550
Marsha Gorden
Principal , The Resource Technologies Group, a company that delivers the latest sustainable tools and strategies to optimize their clients’ use of material, energy and water resources. Marsha has more than 35 years of conservation work both internationally with development banks and private companies, and locally with businesses and organizations in Massachusetts. She is presently organizing a state-wide energy efficiency program based on a new CHP (combined heat and power) and GIS (geographic information systems) approach at Suffolk University. http://www.sustainableresources.com/
Lisa Frantzis
Managing Director, Renewable and Distributed Energy, Navigant Consulting, Inc. Ms. Frantzis is on the Board of Directors for the American Council on Renewable Energy, was recently a Vice President of the Solar Energy Business Association of New England, and is a member of the American Wind Energy Association. http://www.navigantconsulting.com/industries/energy/
Kannan Vembu, PhD
Director, Technology Assessment, ENVIRON. Dr. Vembu's expertise in environmental technologies inludes biomass conversion and waste to energy technologies, water, wastewater, hazardous wastes, and membrane systems.
Richard Parnas
Associate Professor and Director, Chemical Engineering , Univ. of Connecticut. Winner, Environmental Leadership Award given by the UConn Environmental Policy Advisory Council. Under Dr. Parnas' leadership, the Biofuels Consortium has begun regular biodiesel production at a campus pilot facility. http://biodiesel.engr.uconn.edu
Dammon M. Frecker
Vice President, Energy & Industrial Services, ESS Group, Inc., an environmental engineering and consulting firm that has led the comprehensive permitting of over 10,000 MW of energy generating facilities. These projects have included facilities using harvested wood and waste derived biomass materials, and a variety of technologies including fluidized bed combustion and gasification. http://www.essgroup.com
Stephen W. Fitzpatrick, Ph.D
President and Founder of Biometics. Dr. Fitzpatrick is an internationally recognized leader in the development and implementation of economically sustainable industrial biofuels processes.http://www.biometicsma.com
Hemant P. Pendse
Professor and Chair, Chemical and Biological Engineering Department, University of Maine, Managing Director, Forest Bioproducts Research Initiative (FBRI) http://www.umche.maine.edu/chb/ http://www.forestbioproducts.umaine.edu/
J. Andrew Irwin, PE
President and Founder of IRWIN Engineers, Inc. a chemical and environmental engineering consulting frim working with industry on environmental compliance and sustainable business practices for manufacturing and risk management with handling of hazardous materials.http://www.irwinengineers.com/
G. Peter van Walsum, Ph.D., P.E.
Associate Professor, Forest Bioproducts Research Initiative, Depart. of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Univ. Maine Peter's expertise includes renewable energy, fuels and chemicals, bioprocessing and process engineering http://www.umche.maine.edu/chb/faculty/pvanwalsum.htm/ forest bioproducts/
Marian A. Mailloux
Chair, AIChE-Boston Energy & Environment K-12 program. Marian studied Human Development and Education at Univ. of Massachusetts Amherst, with a focus on Early Childhood Education and Gerontology. She has extensive experience in the field of education. She was owner and Director of a child care program serving 100 children, infant through grade 6. More recently, she worked as a facilitator involved with corporate re-engineering. Currently, Marian is developing a company which will help corporations achieve better environmental responsibility and sustainability.
Paul Nace
Managing Director of Maine BioProducts, LLC, a company pursuing the development of a forest biomass biorefinery in Maine. He also serves as Chairman and CEO of Econox Technologies, LLC, a Georgia based company specializing in combustion efficiency technology. Prior to his involvement in the energy sector over the last 5 plus years, Paul was a commercial real estate developer specializing in medical and biotech related development throughout New England. http://www.mainebioproducts.com
Ian H. Hutchinson
Professor and Department Head, MIT Nuclear Science and Engineering. His primary research interest is the magnetic confinement of plasmas: seeking to enable fusion reactions to be used for practical energy production. He and his MIT team designed, built and operate the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, an experiment whose magnetically confined plasmas, with temperatures reaching beyond 50 million degrees Celsius, are prototypical of a future fusion reactor. http://www.psfc.mit.edu/people/hutch/ http://web.mit.edu/nse/
Charles Forsberg
Executive Director MIT Nuclear Fuel Cycle Study,Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (Previously with Oak Ridge National Labs) He is a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society, and recipient of the 2005 Robert E. Wilson Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers for outstanding chemical engineering contributions to nuclear energy, including his work in hydrogen production and nuclear-renewable energy futures. He has degrees in both nuclear and chemical engineering . News release http://web.mit.edu/nse/pdfs/07_ansannualmtg/ANS_07%20(Forsberg).pdf
Andrew C. Kadak
Professor of the Practice, MIT Nuclear Science and Engineering.His teaching interests are Reactor Physics, Reactor Engineering, Safety Analysis, Economics, Waste Disposal, and Non-Proliferation. Currently, research is being conducted on a modular high temperature gas cooled pebble bed reactor. This research includes core neutronics design, thermal hydraulics, fuel performance, economics, non-proliferation, and waste disposal. http://web.mit.edu/nse/people/faculty/kadak.html http://web.mit.edu/pebble-bed/
Dr. Charles W. Krueger
VP, Product Development for Hy9 Corporation, a leading manufacturer of metal membrane hydrogen purifiers and Hydrogen Reformers/Generators. He has been active in the hydrogen energy field since 1994. At Hy9, he has worked on addressing the technical and economic challenges in commercializing hydrogen membrane technology in hydrogen production and fuel cell power systems. Dr. Krueger has a BS in ChE from U Penn, and M.S., (CEP) and Ph.D. (ChE) from M.I.T. http://hy9.com
Susan Leschine
Professor of Microbiology, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Dr. Leschine is a Founder and Chief Scientist at SunEthanol, a biofuels technology company headquartered in Amherst. She also serves as Co-director of The Institute for Massachusetts Biofuels Research (TIMBR) at UMass Amherst, established by an interdisciplinary team of scientists and engineers to develop cost-effective technologies for producing biofuels and other value-added materials from plant biomass. Dr. Leschine's research has formed the basis for SunEthanol's Consolidated Bio-Processing innovation. http://sunethanol.com/site/
Dwight L. Williams
MIT Martin Luther King Visiting Professor, holds a dual appointment in the Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering (NSE) and the Department of Political Science's Security Studies Program (SSP). He has served in the Department of Defense as both a Principal Nuclear Physicist and Chief Engineer. His expertise includes nuclear security and environmental impacts of nuclear power generation. He spent four years working with the White House on a national nuclear research strategy. In addition, as a federal employee, he regularly briefed members of Congress on nuclear matters. http://web.mit.edu/nse/people/faculty/williams.html
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March Dinner Meeting

The Reality of Nanomaterial Risks
Date/Time   Thursday, March 13, 2008 at 5:30pm
Place   Olde Irish Alehouse  (Directions)
2 Bridge Street
Dedham, MA
Phone: 781-329-6034
Topic Info  

The Reality of Nanomaterial Risks

Nanotechnology is revolutionizing the manufacture of many products, including clothing, paints and coatings, medicines and diagnostic systems, cosmetics, electronics.... and even food. In 2007 the United Nations estimated that nanotechnology could grow to 14% of the global manufacturing economy - representing $2.6 trillion - by 2014.

All this growth could translate into as many as 2,000,000 workers being employed by nanotech industries, and three times as many supporting the industry. Happily for us, New England is a center of nanotechnology development.

While the huge potential market brings much excitement to the investor and job seeker, many have strong concerns about handling and safety and environmental impact of these new materials. Some have described doomsday scenarios involving "grey goo" (self-replicating machines) and “green goo” (artificial life forms), and public surveys have shown distrust in the ability of government and corporations to manage nanotechnology wisely.

The discussion will focus on the "nanotechnology revolution" and what it means for chemical engineers, including:

  • Terminology, basic principles, and manufacturing processes
  • Applications: hype versus hope, and prospects for growth
  • Myth versus reality: risks to workers and the environment
  • Regulatory protections
Speaker   Kathleen Sellers, P.E.
Ms. Sellers is a senior environmental engineer with AMEC Earth & Environmental, Inc. During her 20 years of experience, Ms. Sellers has worked on solutions to a variety of environmental problems. She is particularly intrigued in exploring and solving emerging environmental issues, most recently those associated with nanotechnology. An environmental engineer and chemist, Ms Sellers’ work has ranged from analysis and bioassay of environmental samples to comprehensive field characterizations, and extends as well to treatment process development, permitting, and negotiation of regulatory solutions. Ms. Sellers is author of an engineering textbook entitled "Fundamentals of Hazardous Waste Site Remediation" (CRC Press/Lewis Publishers 1999); an editor and co-author of "Technical Brief: Endocrine Disrupting Compounds and Implications for Wastewater Treatment" (Water Environment Research Foundation, 2005); a co-author of "Perchlorate: Environmental Problems and Solutions" (Taylor & Francis /CRC Press 2006); and most recently has edited and co-written a book entitled "Nanotechnology and the Environment" (Taylor & Francis, 2008).
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Opportunities in Biotech Processing

February meeting at Tufts University
Date/Time   Friday, February 8, 2008 at 5:30pm
Place   Tufts University, Cabot Auditorium  (Directions)
170 Packard Ave.
Medford, MA
Topic Info   Opportunities in Biotech Processing.

As cell culture operations improve and manufacturing cost pressures rise, the challenges facing modern vaccines, small protein therapeutics, and monoclonal antibodies will increase. Those challenges will open the door to innovative solutions to help overcome bottlenecks and improve process efficiency. The discussion will focus on high priority areas in biotech processing, including cell harvest and chromatographic and viral clearance unit operations. Examples of novel solutions will be presented.

The Boston area is one of the premier locations in the United States for biotechnology. The biotech processing sector is gaining momentum and will continue to be an important component of the local economy in the future.

Speaker   Mr. Jonathan Royce
A Senior Application Scientist at GE Healthcare, Jonathan Royce has nearly 10 years of experience supporting and implementing separation technologies in biotech processes. He has worked closely with such companies as Wyeth, Abbott, Amgen, Genentech, Biogen, and Lonza. Jonathan holds a Masters Degree in Chemical Engineering from Northeastern University, and dual degrees in Chemical Engineering and French from the University of New Hampshire.
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Biofuels in New England: A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

January 2008 Dinner Meeting
Date/Time   Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 6:00pm
Place   Hilton Garden Inn - Burlington
5 Wheeler Road
Burlington, MA 01803
Phone: 781-272-8800
Topic Info   Biofuels in New England: A Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

Fact: A natural resources survey for Connecticut estimates that Connecticut can grow enough biomass to displace 20%-30% of imported petroleum, which equals the imports from the volatile Mideast!

New England is at the end of the energy pipeline. Furthermore, in New England agricultural production of bio-energy crops will not conflict with human and animal food production (as many assume), since such biomass production could occur on marginal and underutilized land.

We will discuss the types of crops that are best suited for biofuel with respect to sustainability, environmental soundness, profitability, and ability to reduce our petroleum use and greenhouse gas emissions. If time permits, additional examples of the activities of the UConn Biofuels Consortium will be discussed, especially educational activities designed for the general public.

Opportunities for Chemical Engineers

Newly designed biodiesel reactors and cellulosic alcohol processes present an opportunity for developing new biofuel technologies. New biodiesel reactor technology will be illustrated and briefly discussed to provide an example of the engineering work occurring in the new biofuels industry.

Biodiesel is a direct replacement for both diesel transportation fuel and home heating oil. The home heating oil market in the Northeast makes biodiesel particularly attractive, and a local industry is developing. Industry also has the opportunity to export technology to the international market.
Speaker  
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Microbial Fuel Cells-Electricigens and their nano-Wires

Alternative Energy
Date/Time   Wednesday, January 9, 2008 at 5:30pm
Place   DoubleTree Westborough
5400 Computer Drive
Westborough, MA 01581
Phone: 508-366-5511
Topic Info   New Life for Microbial Fuel Cells: Self Sustaining Systems Powered by Electricigens and Their Nanowires Although it has been known for almost a century that electricity can be harvested from microbial cultures, it is only with the recent discovery of microorganisms known as electricigens that it has been recognized that efficient, self sustaining microbial fuel cells capable of harvesting electricity from a variety of wastes are feasible. Electricigens have the novel capability of completely oxidizing organic compounds to carbon dioxide with quantitative electron transfer to the surface of electrodes. The electricigens conserve energy to support their growth and maintenance from this unique form of respiration. Optimization of electricigen-based microbial fuel cells requires a better understanding or how electrons derived from organic matter oxidation are transferred outside the cell and onto electrodes. Come see how electricigens and nanowires have the potential to be in your future.
Speaker   Dr. Derek R. Lovley
Derek Lovley is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Dr. Lovley received his Ph.D. in Microbiology from Michigan State University and was a postdoctoral researcher at the Anaerobe Laboratory at Virginia Tech prior to joining the U. S. Geological Survey as a Project Chief in their National Basic Research Program in 1984. He moved his laboratory to the Department of Microbiology at the University of Massachusetts in 1995 where he served as department head from 1997-2004 and now serves as Director of Environmental Biotechnology and as an Associate Dean for the College of Natural Resources and the Environment. Dr. Lovley has received many awards including Popular Science’s ‘Best of What’s New in Environmental Technology’, as well as the Proctor and Gamble Award in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and was recently featured in Time magazine’s profile of top innovators in environmental science. He has more than 250 publications, with more than 25 in the journals of Nature and Science. His research focuses on genomic approaches to microbe-mineral interactions; novel environmental biotechnologies for environmental restoration; and harvesting electricity from waste organic matter and renewable biomass. This research is supported by the Department of Energy, the Office of Naval Research, the National Science Foundation, and Toyota.
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“Lessons Learned” - Chemical Accidents in New England

December dinner meeting
Date/Time   Thursday, December 6, 2007 at 5:30pm
Place   Crowne Plaza  (Directions)
1360 Worcester Street
Natick, MA 01760
Phone: 508-653-8800
Topic Info   “Lessons Learned” - Chemical Accidents in New England – December 6th Dinner meeting

Headline news: November 22, 2006: Explosion at Danversport, MA ink and paint factory causes worst community damage of any U.S. chemical accident since 1998. More than 250 buildings were damaged and several people were injured.

• What effect would an event like this have on your career?

• Can you - and your company - survive a catastrophic event?

On Thursday, December 6th, Mr. Robert Golden of the U.S. EPA Region I Team responsible for investigating chemical accidents will present real stories of real accidents.

• Can you prevent catastrophes at your company?

• What are some of the warning signs?

• What importance should be given to "near miss" events?

Many facility managers learn too little too late about the hazards they are working with. Our speaker will share dramatic photos of the aftermath of several events including Danversport, and will discuss “lessons learned” through the investigation process.

Opportunities for Chemical Engineers
Engineering principles are critical to the safe design, installation, operation and maintenance of chemical process operations. Hazard assessment is the key planning tool to make reasoned decisions for emergency prevention
Speaker   Robert Golden
Robert Golden, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - New England EPCRA (Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act) Team. The EPA-NE EPCRA Team works with private and public entities to help plan, prevent and respond to chemical spills and releases. The Team assists industries in reporting chemical storage activity and releases; assists state and local governments in developing and implementing preparedness and emergency response plans; and provides individuals with "“right-to-know" information about toxic chemicals in their communities. The office also brings enforcement actions for violations of chemical safety requirements of the Clean Air Act and the Emergency Planning and Community Right-To-Know Act. For more information go to: http://www.epa.gov/Region1/enforcementandassistance/reports/epcra2006/highlights.html
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Engineering at the Cellular Scale

Dinner meeting
Date/Time   Thursday, November 15, 2007 at 5:30pm
Place   Crowne Plaza  (Directions)
1360 Worcester Street
Natick, MA 01760
Phone: 508-653-8800
Topic Info   Engineering at the Cellular Scale - November 15th Dinner meeting American Institute of Chemical Engineers – Boston Section Date: Thursday, November 15, 2007 Time: 5:30-9 PM Location: Crowne Plaza, Natick, MA From Biofuels to Designer Drugs to Global Vaccination - molecular tools are used to alter, optimize or redirect microbial metabolism to achieve a variety of applied outcomes. These specialized tools are typically used to produce a process or product. Some examples are cellular/bacterial vaccines (used to vaccinate third world countries) and small molecule drugs which may include anything from anticancer agents to antibiotics. Where traditional Chemical Engineering intersects with Biology Cellular engineering has many aspects in common with more traditional engineering. On Thursday, November 15th, Dr. Blaine Pfeiffer of Tufts University will explain how a chemical engineering mindset and approach are fundamental to engineering at the cellular scale. Engineering principles are applied towards a biological system with consideration given to process design at the molecular, cellular, and macroscopic scales. However, the biological system introduces new constraints and freedoms that uniquely shape this brand of engineering design and application. Opportunities for Chemical Engineers These nuances and other features of cellular engineering will be explored. Blaine will also highlight the opportunities available to chemical and biological engineers in this emerging field
Speaker   Dr. Blaine Pfeifer
Dr. Blaine Pfeifer is an Assistant Professor at the Tufts University Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. His areas of specialization include Molecular, Cellular, and Process Engineering. Dr. Pfeifer holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from Colorado State University and a PhD from Stanford University, also in chemical engineering. His graduate research focused on metabolic engineering for the production of complex therapeutic natural compounds. The experience was augmented by a short internship in a local biotech company interested in licensing patents resulting from his doctoral research. Blaine obtained his PhD in 2002 and headed east for a postdoctoral position in the laboratory of Professor Robert Langer at MIT. While there, his research focused on targeted delivery of small molecules and genes to various mammalian cells for therapeutic applications that ranged from fighting infectious diseases to cancer. See http://ase.tufts.edu/chemical/facPfeifer.htm for additional information about Dr. Pfeifer.
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October 12, 2007 Meeting

The Energy Horizon
Date/Time   Friday, October 12, 2007 at 5:30pm
Place   Holiday Inn Select  (Directions)
15 Middlesex Canal Park Road
Woburn, MA
Phone: 781-935-8760
Topic Info   The issues of energy availability, energy security, and environmental impacts are at the center of many local, national and international concerns. The topic for this October meeting will be The Energy Horizon. We will have a panel of experts from several different energy sectors to talk about what is happening in the energy field today, as well as opportunities for Chemical Engineers in their sectors. Discussions will include an overview of the near future of energy production, as well as innovative technologies such as stationary fuel cells and advanced energy materials. The session will include a moderated panel discussion followed by an extended Q&A period. This topic was the highest-rated choice on this year's survey. It even scored higher than the very popular wine tasting and beer events! We will also take time out to honor our outstanding student sections from local universities. We expect a big turnout and hope to see you there!!
Speakers   Dr. John Ross
Director of Engineering, Design & Analysis Cabot Corporation. Dr. Ross is a chemical engineer with 33 years of industrial experience. He has spent his entire career with one company, Cabot Corporation, a manufacturer of specialty powders and materials. John has worked in R&D, engineering, new business development, manufacturing and technology transfer. His interest in energy derives in part from that last experience, but also from his current role in Cabot, that of Director of Process Development. Cabot has a number of new materials that may be important to improved energy use, and Dr. Ross is responsible that each of them can be produced by a viable chemical process.
Mr. Joel D. Doyon
Vice President, Gov't Programs Administration FuelCell Energy, Inc. Mr. Doyon has been involved in high temperature Fuel Cell development for stationary power applications for over 30 years at FuelCell Energy Inc. (FCE), formerly Energy Research Corporation. His experience includes core technology cell and stack component research, manufacturing technology development, engineering management and government R&D. Mr. Doyon spent 10 years as Vice President of Engineering where he was responsible for the engineering and design of FCE’s current commercial fuel cell products. In his current position as Vice President of Government Programs, Mr. Doyon is responsible for overseeing FCE’s Coal-Based Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) program, a 10-year, DOE sponsored program to engineer, design, construct and operate a multi-MW fuel cell power plant operating off coal syngas with near zero emissions.
Mr. Kevin F. Fitzgerald, PE CMRP
EVENT MODERATOR. Senior Program Director in the New Ventures group of Invensys Process Systems. Mr.Fitzgerald has had numerous technical management, engineering development and service delivery positions at Invensys, and has considerable experience in the chemical, oil and gas, as well as pharmaceutical and food industry, segments. Currently Mr Fitzgerald is a senior member of a corporate strategic initiative focusing on asset performance and collaborative production management solutions for industrial process operations. He has also served on the executive board of the MIMOSA standards organization and is heavily involved in the OpenO&MTM initiative. He holds a BA degree in Physics from Holy Cross College and a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer (Chemical) in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is a Certified Maintenance and Reliability Professional.
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Carbon Capture and Sequestration

Carbon Dioxide Air Capture Technology!
Date/Time   Thursday, September 6, 2007 at 5:30pm
Place   Hilton Garden Inn - Burlington
5 Wheeler Road
Burlington, MA 01803
Phone: 781-272-8800
Topic Info   First Successful Demonstration of Carbon Dioxide Air Capture Technology Achieved !”- The Earth Institute at Columbia University

A recent report on global warming states that the world will need to reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by a whopping 11 billion tons by 2025 to maintain a concentration of the gas in the atmosphere at twice pre-industrial levels. Technologies now under development promise to make a start on this Herculean task.

Global Research Technology’s demonstration plant could have far-reaching consequences in the battle to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. For the first time, carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles on the streets of Bangkok can be removed from the atmosphere by capture devices located anywhere in the world.

GRT’s technique, called “air extraction”, removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere regardless of where it was generated. Extraction devices can be deployed in a distributed fashion and do not need to be retrofitted into existing facilities, eliminating the current need to match sources with sinks.

• How does it work?
• What could it accomplish?
• How will such a system be implemented on a larger scale?

On September 6th our evening’s presenter Allen Wright, President of GRT, will provide the answers to some of these key questions.

There will be an introduction and general discussion on carbon capture and sequestration led by Dr. Steve Fitzpatrick.

Directions: I-95 Exit 32B left at exit Left on Wheeler Road
Speakers   Allen Wright
President of Global Research Technology. For more on GRT, go to http://www.grestech.com/who.php

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Winery / Distillery Tour

Winery / Distillery Tour
Date/Time   Saturday, June 16, 2007 at 2:00pm
Place   Nashoba Valley Winery  (Directions)
100 Wattaquadoc Road
Bolton, MA 01740
Phone: 978-779-5521
Topic Info  
Speakers   Unspecified

Unspecified
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Leadership Development Conference

2007 LDC Hosted by Boston Local Section
Date/Time   Friday, June 8, 2007 at 5:30pm
Place   Courtyard Boston Tremont
Topic Info   The 2007 LDC will be held June 8-10 at the Courtyard Tremont hotel in downtown Boston. PLEASE REGISTER AT: http://www.aiche.org/leadershipconference.aspx
Speaker   LDC Program
Speakers from AIChE National Board of Directors Workshop Facilitators Visioning Session Facilitators Select Volunteer Leaders from Sections/Divs/Forums
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Pharmaceutical Production and Evaluation - Integration of Microfabrication and Cell Culture

BioProcessing-on-a-Chip
Date/Time   Thursday, May 17, 2007 at 5:30pm
Place   Crowne Plaza  (Directions)
1360 Worcester Street
Natick, MA 01760
Phone: 508-653-8800
Topic Info   Pharmaceutical Production and Evaluation - Integration of Microfabrication and Cell Culture American Institute of Chemical Engineers – Boston Section Date: Thursday, May 17, 2007 Time: 5:30-9 PM Location: Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Natick, MA Of the roughly $800 million average cost of developing a new drug, the consequences of improved predictive accuracy may be on the order of $100 million for each drug that ultimately wins FDA marketing approval. The integration of microfabrication, microfluidics, and cell culture provides a large array of applications relevant to pharmaceutical discovery, evaluation, and production. Dr. Michael Shuler will discuss his work, which encompasses systems such as “Body-on-a-Chip”, “Animal-on-a-Chip” and “Bioprocess-on-a-Chip”. The “Body-on-a-Chip” and “Animal-on-a-Chip” systems can be used to evaluate preclinical pharmaceuticals or mixtures of pharmaceuticals for potential safety and efficacy. The “Bioprocess-on-a-Chip” technology should facilitate the early optimization of biomanufacturing parameters for production of therapeutic proteins from animal cell cultures in suspension. The “Body-on-the-Chip” system is being developed commercially by HµRel, Inc. for use by pharmaceutical and cosmetic firms. Directions: Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza Natick From Boston Tnpk (I-90) West take Exit 13. Follow Shoppers World signs, left at light, left at next light to Rte. 9 East. From I-90 Eastbound, Exit 12 to Rte. 9 Eastbound.
Speaker   Dr. Michael L. Shuler
Professor Michael L. Shuler was the first scientist to envision the possibility, and pioneer the practice, of quantitatively simulating molecular and cellular biological systems with in vitro devices such as bioreactors and dynamic cell culture analog systems. The patented HµREL® technology, co-invented by Dr. Shuler embodies his research at the micro-device scale. Dr. Shuler is the Samuel B. Eckert Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and the McCormick Chair of Biomedical engineering at Cornell University. Michael has been the director of both the Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering programs at Cornell. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Academy of the Arts and Sciences, and a Fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. He holds a BS in Chemical engineering from Notre Dame University and a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. Michael is also the co-author of the book BioProcess Engineering: Basic Concepts – (Prentice Hall) as well as more than 25 published articles
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January 12, 2006 Meeting

Genzyme - Chemical Engineers in BioPharma Development
Date/Time   Thursday, January 12, 2006 at 5:30pm
Place   DoubleTree Guest Suites Hotel
550 Winter Street
Waltham, MA 02451
Phone: 781-890-6767
Topic Info   Genzyme is one of the world's leading biotechnology companies, with annual revenues exceeding $2 billion and nearly 7,000 employees. W. Blair Okita, Senior VP Therapeutics Manufacturing and Development, will discuss the Role of Chemical Engineering in Biopharmaceutical Development. Genzyme is dedicated to making a major positive impact on the lives of people with serious disease. The translation of ideas into products requires the integration of the talents and experience of individuals with diverse backgrounds. Chemical engineers play a vital part in the development, design, analysis and manufacture of these products. Following a brief description of Genzyme, he will explore the areas in which chemical engineers make a difference in the lives of patients served.
Speaker   Dr. Blair Okita
Dr. Blair Okita is Senior Vice President, Therapeutics Manufacturing and Development, at Genzyme Corporation. In this role, he is responsible for the development, scale-up and manufacturing of biologicals, polymers and small molecules, at sites in the U.S.A. and Europe. Prior to joining Genzyme, Mr. Okita spent five years at Merck & Co., Inc. where his last position was Director of Vaccine Technology. In this role, he led a group that provided technical support to Biological Manufacturing. Before Merck, Mr. Okita was Assistant Director in the Department of Biological Process Sciences at SmithKline Beecham, plc where he led a Bioreactor Scale-up group responsible for the development and scale-up of microbial as well as cell culture based processes. Dr. Okita received his M.S. and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in Biology from the Johns Hopkins University.
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December 1, 2005 Meeting

Chemical Engineering: The Next Twenty Years
Date/Time   Thursday, December 1, 2005 at 5:30pm
Place   Sheraton Lexington Hotel  (Directions)
Lexington, MA
Topic Info   What will tomorrow bring for New England's Chemical Engineering Careers? Across New England, major changes are taking place that will dramatically impact your career. Chemical Engineers from a variety of job categories, such as R&D, Process Engineers, Plant Engineers, Managers, Consultants, and Academia will be affected.
Speaker   Dr. Albert J. Sacco
Dr. Albert J. Sacco is the Director of the Center for Microgravity Materials Processing (CAMMP), a NASA Space Partnership Development Center at Northeastern University, Boston, MA and George A. Snell Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering Department Chair at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He earned his B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering at Northeastern and his Ph.D at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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