Engineering professor wins prestigious award

Stuart Churchill, though he has been formally retired from teaching Chemical Engineering for 12 years, was recently recognized by the National Academy of Engineering, which granted him the 2002 Founders Award.

The award is given to a member of the NAE who has made contributions not only to the field of engineering, but to the country as well. Churchill, 82, was selected as this year's recipient because of his "outstanding leadership in research, education and professional service, and for continuing contributions in combustion, heat transfer and fluid dynamics for over half a century," according to the NAE.

Churchill said that he was awestruck upon learning that he would be this year's winner.

"I think that I received the award for a lot of small things over a long career," he said.

Churchill's past accomplishments are anything but small. In fact, they have affected the lives of people across the country.

Churchill's achievements include the conception and development of the thermally-stabilized burner, which provides quieter and cleaner combustion and has led to the production of smaller heaters and furnaces.

He is also credited with the invention of the heat-exchanger/catalytic reactor, which is capable of incinerating cigarette smoke, toxic compounds and micro-organisms in living and working spaces.

Churchill has been recognized as a leader in the engineering community through his use of digital computers to solve engineering problems. He has made prominent contributions to nuclear safety and the safe handling of liquefied natural gas as well as to the space program and national defense.

Engineering School Dean Eduardo Glandt has known Churchill since 1973, when he was one of Churchill's students.

"I use many of his techniques in my own teaching," said Glandt. "He is a role model for me, one of the great names in engineering."

Glandt described Churchill's area of expertise, which is combustion, as "one of the most complex problems in technology."

Churchill, who grew up in an agricultural community in Michigan, recalled that he "knew almost nothing about engineering" following high school. However, his interests in math and chemistry led him to pursue degrees in chemical engineering and mathematics at the University of Michigan.

After graduating in 1942, Churchill worked for Shell Oil Co., contributing to the World War II war effort through his work with the production of aviation gasoline. At the end of the war, Churchill moved on to a smaller company, Frontier Chemical, developing new production processes for important industrial chemicals.

In 1947, Churchill returned to the University of Michigan to receive his Ph.D. and to join the faculty there.

Churchill arrived at Penn to join the SEAS faculty in 1967. Since then he has produced over 280 journal publications and published six books.

Although Churchill is formally retired, he continues to be very active on campus, teaching courses and performing research.

Glandt describes Churchill as being as "vibrant as ever" and praises him for his strength and energy.

During his acceptance speech, Churchill discussed the benefits of an education in engineering.

"On the mean [engineering students] are brighter, better prepared, more analytical, more motivated, more self-disciplined and have a higher order of integrity than their counterparts in other fields," he said in the speech.

Churchill thanked his colleagues and collaborators who have helped him throughout his career and expressed his appreciation of what he described as a "great and unexpected honor."

"I am very proud to be an engineer, to be a member of the National Academy of Engineering and to receive its Founders Award," he said in the speech.

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