Monthly Archives: May 2011

June 1, 4-5 pm: CEM Industry Seminar features Dr. Hemant Dandekar of Porcelain Industries Inc.

Posted on

Please join us as we welcome Dr. Hemant Dandekar, President of Porcelain Industries, Inc., for a candid conversation on research, entrepreneurship, and career paths in science.

June 1, 4-5 pm in the Smith Seminar Room of the Physics Research Building (191 West Woodruff Ave)
light reception before the seminar

————————————————————————–

Dr. Hemant Dandekar is the President/CEO of Porcelain Industries, a mid size manufacturer of engineered enamel coated components for appliance and energy industries.  Dr. Dandekar was hired by the owners to repurpose the business on a sustainable track. He has driven implementation of modern infrastructure and business processes to make it competitive and deliver service levels required by a JIT industrial environment.  Simultaneously, the business has invested significant resources in developing competencies in sol-gel based environmentally friendly non-stick coatings serving as a critical technology platform to drive future growth.

Previously Dr. Dandekar held positions as a Global Integration Leader for Mergers and Acquisitions, and VP/GM of the Americas Inks business for Hexion Specialty Chemicals- an Apollo Management Company. He has published extensively in research journals, chaired conferences, lectured worldwide and holds 15 patents. He has served as the Chair of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers – Chicago area between 1997-1998. He is active in his temple in Nashville, teaching youth as well as adult study groups and a representative of the community and interfaith outreach programs.

Dr. Dandekar received his B.Tech. from IIT-Bombay in Chemical Engineering and  his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1991. He received his MBA in Finance and Strategy at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business graduating with High Honors in 2000 as part of the Weekend Program.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowships awarded to CEM Students

Posted on

CEM-supported students Li-Wei Hung, Tyler Merz, Michael Roe and Richelle Teeling have been awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited US institutions. It provides three years of support including an annual stipend and cost of education allowance as well as international research and professional development opportunities.

Li-Wei is a winter 2011 graduate from both the Physics and Astronomy programs at OSU. Li-Wei plans to begin graduate study in Astrophysics at Harvard University in the fall of 2011. During her time at OSU, Li-Wei participated in the CEM Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program (with Prof. Thomas Lemberger in Physics).  Tyler Merz is a current Engineering Physics major with a focus on materials science, and a CEM REU student.  Tyler also recently won a Churchill Scholarship and plans to pursue an MPhil in Physics at the University of Cambridge in UK where he will conduct research on organic optical materials under Dr. Jacqui Cole. Michael is a 2010 graduate from both the Physics and Electrical Engineering programs. As CEM REU student, Michael performed research in Prof. Jay Gupta’s lab (Physics). Michael is currently a graduate student at the University of California-Berkeley and is studying Electrical Engineering. Richelle Teeling is currently a CEM Graduate Fellow in Physics at OSU, working on her Ph.D. with Prof. Chris Hammel. Dominic Labanowski, an Electrical and Computer Engineering major as well as a CEM REU student working with Profs. Chris Hammel and David Stroud received the Goldwater Scholarship, a national scholarship established by Barry Goldwater to help promote excellence in science and math.

CEM Team Science Award at State Science Day on May 7, 2011

Posted on

The CEM presented the first Team Science Award for the Outstanding Project in interdisciplinary science related to physics, engineering, materials science and electronics to Mr. David Mehrle and Mr. Michael Huntley from Upper Arlington High School.  The award, a $250 Amazon gift card and plaque to each team member, was presented to these two 12th graders, for their work on the project titled “Hydrogen Gas Production in Response to Varying Incident Power of Light Using GaN Nanowires as a Working Electrode.”.  Their faculty advisor is Prof. Roberto Myers.