Vol. 17, No. 7	Oct. 16, 1997

Eric Kaler named 1998 recipient of ACS Award

Eric Kaler, chemical engineering, has been selected as the 1998 recipient of the American Chemical Society (ACS) Award in Colloid or Surface Chemistry, sponsored by Proctor & Gamble Co. The prestigious award recognizes originality and independence of thought and the technological impact of the nominee's contribution.

Established in 1954, the award consists of $3,000 and a certificate, plus travel expenses to the presentation ceremony, at the ACS national meeting in March in Dallas.

Also during the national meeting, recently appointed UD trustee Joseph A. Miller of the DuPont Co., will receive the Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management, sponsored by the Dow Chemical Co.

Kaler investigates complex fluids characterized by unique structures that can vary markedly in composition and density-even over molecular-scale distances. These complex fluids include, for example, certain polymer-based solutions and surfactants, or "surface-active agents" such as detergent. "Almost all engineering processes," Kaler noted, "involve the transfer of material or energy across an interface."

By understanding the reactions that take place at surface interfaces and by examining the relationship between a fluid's structure and its properties, it may be possible to develop more versatile substances for a variety of science and engineering applications, including templates for new materials and novel coatings.

"These fluids also are important in biology and medicine," Kaler added, "because surfactant structures carry cholesterol in the body." His studies of complex fluids may shed new light on how surfactant and polymer molecules self-assemble, based on their underlying thermodynamic features.

Honored by the National Science Foundation as one of the first Presidential Young Investigators in 1984, Kaler also received the 1995 Curtis W. McGraw Research Award from the American Society of Engineering Education. He chaired the 1994 "Chemistry at Interfaces" Gordon Conference and is co-chairperson-elect of the 1999 "Supramolecular Chemistry" Gordon Conference.

A graduate of the California Institute of Technology with a doctorate from the University of Minnesota, Kaler has published more than 120 articles on complex fluid science and technology and holds five patents, plus three pending patent applications. He is founding co-editor-in-chief of the international journal, Current Opinions in Colloid and Interface Science, and serves on the editorial board of Colloids and Surfaces, Langmuir and the Journal of Colloid and Interface Science.