UC Santa Barbara honored two Department of Chemical Engineering professors during inaugural lectures and a ceremony for their appointments to the Founder's Chair in Chemical Engineering in Honor of Dr. John E. Myers conferred upon Professor Scott Shell, and Founder's Chair in Chemical Engineering in Honor of Dr. Robert G. Rinker conferred upon Professor Michael Gordon, on April 22, 2019, at Loma Pelona on the UC Santa Barbara campus. 

The afternoon began with a program and presentations by Professor Shell, “Molecular Simulations to Understand and Design Complex Materials”, and Professor Gordon, "Manipulating Light with Nanostructures", followed by a reception on the Loma Pelona Patio. 

Professor Shell’s honors and awards include the 2017 AIChE CoMSEF Impact Award, 2015 Saville Lectureship, Princeton University, 2014 Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award, 2013 Named among 80 seminal papers in the J. of Chemical Physics' 80th Anniversary Collection, 2012 Sloan Research Fellowship, 2009 NSF CAREER Award, 2007 Camille and Henry Dreyfus New Faculty Award, 2004 Porter Ogbus Jacobus Honorific Fellowship (Princeton), 2000 Wu Fellowship (Princeton), and 2000 Hertz Foundation Graduate Fellowship. 

Professor Gordon’s honors and awards include the 2013 Academic Senate Distinguished Teaching Award, 2013 Robert W. Vaughan Lectureship, California Institute of Technology, 2012 Frontiers of Engineering Education Conference, 2012 Outstanding Chemical Engineering Faculty, 2011 Outstanding Chemical Engineering Faculty, 2010 David and Lucile Packard Fellowship, 2010 NSF CAREER Award, 2010 Outstanding Chemical Engineering Faculty, 2009 Northrop Grumman Excellence in Teaching Award, 2000-2003 Intel Fellow, and 1997 Constantin G. Economou Prize. 

Guests in attendance included donors Professor Robert G. Rinker, Professor Duncan Mellichamp, Chancellor Henry T. Yang, College of Engineering Dean Rod C. Alferness, Department of Chemical Engineering Chair Professor Rachel A. Segalman, and faculty, staff, and students of engineering and other departments. 

The appointments were made possible by the generosity of Professor Duncan and Suzanne Mellichamp H’09/MA’70, Michael R. Costello ‘88, Bob Deshotels ‘72, Darryl T. McCall and Miren Letemendia ‘78, Dr. John A. Myers and Dr. Rachel Wheeler, William J and JoEllen Myers, Dr. Edward and Cynthia Rinker ‘97, and Michael F. Saucier ‘83,’84. ChE

– Melissa Walker is the Communications Coordinator for the Department of Chemical Engineering. Photography by Melissa Walker.