Chemical Engineering director receives two appointments
November 7, 2013
A Mississippi State University engineering director has been selected to serve two new appointments beginning this fall.
Jason Keith, professor and director of the Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering, begins a two-year term as the education division chair of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in November. He has also been selected to serve on the Tennessee Valley Authority’s first Regional Energy Resource Council.
Since its creation four years ago, Keith has severed the AIChE education division as the second vice chair, then as the first vice chair. While in these roles he was in charge of organizing the presentations for the organization’s two annual meetings. He joined the AIChE 17 years ago as a graduate student at the University of Notre Dame.
Keith said he and the other members see the division as playing an important role in promoting the education of chemical engineers.
“One thing we would like to do is increase membership. AIChE has thousands of members and we feel they would benefit from the education division,” Keith said. “The other objective is to provide leadership in engineering education research.”
Keith joined 18 others on the TVA Regional Energy Resource Council for a two year term that began this October. The group is meant to serve as an advisory board for the company. Council members were chosen from a variety of fields including government, academics and industry to express a wide range of viewpoints and ideas while remaining impartial.
“I’m excited to take part in the council. It will be interesting to see how all the stakeholders interact within this forum,” Keith said.
Keith said he is excited to join the council due to the importance of energy.
“We all need energy and it is very important to the research focus of Mississippi State,” Keith said.
Keith received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Akron before earning a doctoral degree in the same field from the University of Notre Dame. He was an associate professor in the department of chemical engineering at Michigan Technological University before obtaining his current position at MSU in 2011. However, he said he had held Mississippi State in high esteem even before officially joining the Bulldog family because of a visit to the university in 2004.
“I was impressed with the quality of faculty and students, and the physical infrastructure of both research and teaching. It was something I always remembered about MSU,” Keith said. “Mississippi State has a strong reputation in engineering. I also like being at the big university in the state in terms of engineering.”
The Education Division of AIChE strives to promote the education of chemical engineers as it pertains to educational research, scholarly teaching, and applications within the field. For more information, visit www.aiche.org/community/sites/divisions-forums/education-division.
The TVA Regional Energy Resource Council provides the company with advice about the development and management of energy resources in the Tennessee Valley. TVA operates the largest public power system in the United States, providing electricity to more than 9 million people in seven Southeastern states. For more information about the council, visit www.tva.com/About-TVA/Our-Public-Advisory-Councils/rerc
By: Emily McConnell