126 of 158 students from 1995-1998 were asked what language(s) they speak other than their native English. Most of the polled students not only speak these languages fluently, but a majority of them spent over a year in a foreign country further studying the language and culture. This is a reflection of the high percentage of returned missionaries in the Chemical Engineering Department. Many ChemE graduates benefit their employers because they easily adapt to foreign cultures and languages.

"Other" includes: Albanian, Hebrew, Fijian, Tagalog, Danish, Swedish, Serbian, Croation, Greek, Dutch, Laotian, and Thai.

Dr. Beckstead is busy with his two research projects. He has a joint contract with the University of Utah to study the effect of accidental fires on explosive devices. The overall objective of the contract is to develop computer codes to perform virtual testing (i.e., using computer simulations only). The simulations will focus on accidental fires and resulting explosions from containers filled with propellant or explosives, simulating accidents with missiles or bombs. His other research project is in its fourth year (five years total). It involves 13 other universities, and keeps him busy coordinating efforts. His work on that project, developing models for the combustion of propellant ingredients based on fundamental chemical kinetics is going well.

This summer he was supposed to visit China, but due to the flap about a Chinese scientist supposedly stealing atomic bomb secrets from Los Alamos, his symposium and trip were cancelled. Disappointing! Even with all of this research activity, he was still able to get in his usual backpacking/fishing trip into the primitive areas of the Uinta mountains with his family. He always comes back with some really good "fish stories." This time he claims that his seventeen year-old son caught almost 400 fish during their week long trip!

Dr. Hugh Hales continues to head BYU as International Reservoir Simulation Research Institute. IRSRI is a petroleum industry sponsored research consortium investigating mathematical methods of simulating flows in petroleum reservoirs. The computer programs being developed are known as reservoir simulators. They allow petroleum company engineers to simulate the production of oil and gas from their oil fields and to vary many production alternatives, e.g. well locations, completion intervals, pressures, and rates, and to even vary the properties of their reservoirs to determine what they really looks like. Many such simulations of each reservoir are made so that oil and gas recovery can be optimized when the field is actually produced.

The emerging science of geo-statistics results in many, very detailed descriptions of petroleum reservoirs, each with some probability of being accurate. Simulation of these realizations can then be combined, resulting in probable ranges of hydrocarbon production as a function of time. However, the size and number of simulations required for this analysis taxes the most sophisticated computer software and hardware. IRSRI research is making it possible. Mathematical advances in several areas are being combined to create a prototype simulator capable of incorporating reservoir descriptions consisting of millions of points (or cells) and which can be run on a personal computer.

Dr. Bill Pitt is teaching fluid dynamics again this fall, and he says things are flowing smoothly in the class. His research in acoustic-enhanced drug delivery sounds pretty interesting. He and two graduate students presented papers at the Society for Biomaterials meeting in Providence, RI last May, and he and another students will present papers at the AIChE meeting in Dallas in November. Dr Pitt has also been busy as chair of the Alumni committee, and hopes to see you all at our coming alumni activities: The Alumni Dinner at BYU on October 8th, and the Alumni FHE/social at the AIChE meeting in Dallas on November 1.

Professor Calvin H. Bartholomew and his group of seven students continue to work on cobalt and iron catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch synthesis of hydrocarbons from syngas. They are presently collaborating with scientists in the U.S. and Europe in the investigation of reaction kinetics and development of more active, selective bimetallic catalysis. During the summer of '99, Professor Bartholomew attended the North American Catalysis Society Meeting in Boston, lectured in Milan, Italy, and traveled with his family to Brazil to pick up his youngest son David (who finished his mission in Curitiba). He is presently preparing an invited review on the topic of Catalyst Deactivation for the Encyclopedia of Catalysis.

Dr. Ronald E. Terry has returned from a year-long sabbatical. He spent part of his time working with Novations, Inc. and the other part working on a book in engineering ethics and on undergraduate education issues. Novations is a consulting firm which conducts career development workshops for professionals. Dr. Terry worked on some education products for them, including a faculty development workshop. He is teaching three courses this fall, as well as continuing his scholarship on undergraduate teaching and on engineering ethics. The courses are ChEn 263, our sophomore computer tools course, a section of ChEn 491, senior seminar, and a section of Rel 491/492, the engineering ethics class.

Dr. Fletcher is currently teaching Process Dynamics and Control (ChE 436), which is something new for him. He was revently named as one of the six faculty appointees to the newly-formed BYU Council for Research and Creative Works, where he will help make policy recommendations to the Vice-President for Research. Dr. Fletcher's current research work includes (a) developing a new mechanism for pyrolysis of nitrogen from aromatic compounds in coal based on free-radical attack; (b) high pressure polyurethane foam pyrolysis; (c) high-pressure char oxidation modeling; and (d) secondary pyrolysis and soot formation during high-temperature coal devolatilization. He went to China in September to attend the International Conference on Coal Science, and to visit a Chinese professor who is a member of the Church. He has also recently been made the scoutmaster in his ward, and is buys with campouts and merit badges.

Following are some excerpts from thank you letters written in appreciation of money we were able to give our students because of your contributions:

"I would just like to express my appreciation for your support in the Chemical Engineering program at Brigham Young University, and specifically for your support in my behalf. It is such a blessing to have assistance in financing my education. The Chemical Engineering program is very demanding, and any awards that help me to solely concentrate on school, without worrying about a job, is greatly appreciated."

I feel so blessed that you care enough about education to contribute to this [Chemical Engineering] scholarship fund. I think that often in life we wonder if our actions have a positive impact on other. I want you to know that you have made a difference in the life of my husband and me...in our future. I'm thankful for you sacrifices and willingness to help another.