Modeling, design, and controls expert B. Wayne Bequette,
professor of chemical and biological engineering at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, was recently elected a fellow
of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).
"Professor Bequette is an outstanding professor and
researcher, and being named a fellow of the AIChE is an
important recognition of his hard work and dedication," said
Rensselaer Provost Robert Palazzo. "His research into process
control systems for cutting-edge biomedical devices and green
energy infrastructure is paving the way for exciting new
innovations that will improve our way of life. These are
trying, highly complex challenges, and this new honor bestowed
upon Professor Bequette is well deserved."
The AIChE will honor Bequette at the group’s annual
conference this November in Philadelphia.
Bequette's research spans a wide range of topics, from
biomedicine and health care to energy and sustainability. He is
currently working to develop a closed-loop artificial pancreas
for diabetics, with a built-in glucose monitoring system to
alert individuals if their blood sugar level is too low. In
related work, he is developing algorithms for the closed-loop
control of blood glucose in intensive care units.
In the areas of energy and sustainability, Bequette is
investigating the modeling and control of both high-temperature
and low-temperature fuel cells, including energy integration to
improve overall system efficiency. He is also developing a
dynamic model as a basis to improve the design and control of
next-generation integrated coal gasification combined cycle
(IGCC) power plants.
Bequette received his bachelor's degree from the University
of Arkansas at Fayetteville, and went on to earn his master's
degree and doctorate in chemical engineering from the
University of Texas in Austin. Prior to joining the Rensselaer
faculty in 1988, he worked for three years as a process
engineer for American Petrofina and was a visiting lecturer at
the University of California at Davis. Bequette became a full
professor at Rensselaer in 2000.
The author of two textbooks, Process Control: Modeling,
Design and Simulation (2003) and Process Dynamics: Modeling,
Analysis and Simulation (1998), Bequette is a frequent
contributor to several journals. He has served as the guest
editor of Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics and has edited
special issues on process control for the IEEE Control Systems
Magazine. He is also a founding member of the editorial board
of the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, and has
chaired several process control conferences.
Bequette received the Rensselaer School of Engineering
Research Excellence Award in 2008, and was inducted into the
Arkansas Academy of Chemical Engineers in 2007. He currently
serves as president of the American Automatic Control Council,
an association of eight engineering and computer science
societies that is responsible for the organization of the
annual series of American Control Conferences.
Visit http://www.rpi.edu/dept/chem-eng/WWW/faculty/bequette/bwbres.html
for more information on Bequette's research.
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