*Click name for biography
SpeakersDr. Robert J. Calcaterra |
Chem-E-Car Competition JudgesPaul T. Brandt |
PanelistsJan Bostelman |
Paper Competition JudgesJan Bostelman
|
Program Manager, Alion Science and Technology
Paul T. Brandt
Burns & McDonnell
Paul T. Brandt is a Nebraska native and received his degree in chemical engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is currently employed in the consulting engineering field with Burns & McDonnell Engineering in Kansas City, Missouri. His primary focus there is the design and implementation of air quality control systems and technology for coal fired power plants.
return to list
Dr. Robert J. CalcaterraPresident/CEO, Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise
Dr. Robert J. Calcaterra brings 19 years of experience in incubator management to his position as president and chief executive officer of Nidus Center for Scientific Enterprise. At Nidus Center, Dr. Calcaterra leads efforts to commercialize technologies in the plant and life sciences by recruiting and nurturing young entrepreneurs with promising ideas and relevant business expertise. To date the Nidus Center has nurtured 20 start-up companies; nine have graduated, seven are active clients and four have failed. The Nidus Center won two consecutive national awards (2005-06) for Incubator Client of the Year. The Nidus Center hosted the National Business Incubation Association International Annual meeting in 2006.
During Dr. Calcaterra's tenure at the three incubators he has been involved in the creation of over 50 companies, has risen well over $200M in equity financing and served on the boards of at least 40 of those companies. He was also primarily responsible for the creation in St. Louis of the BioGenerator(a proof of concept venture fund) and the Arch Angel Network where he currently is President.
He most recently was president, founder and chief executive officer of the Arizona Technology Incubator (ATI). A public/private partnership, ATI provides technical and business support services to early-stage, technology-based entrepreneurial companies. Under Dr. Calcaterra's leadership, ATI won three consecutive awards (1996-98) in the categories of Incubator Company of the Year, Incubator Innovation of the Year and Incubator Graduate Company. ATI hosted the NBIA International Annual meeting in 1998.
The Arizona Technology Incubator is Dr. Calcaterra's second successful technology incubator. He established the Boulder Technology Incubator (BTI) in 1989. Much like the Arizona Technology Incubator, BTI served as a mentor to technology-based entrepreneurial companies providing them with technical and business support. BTI won the National Incubator of the Year award in 1998.
Previously, Dr. Calcaterra worked for numerous Fortune 500 companies. While with the Adolph Coors Company, he was Director of Research & Development, Licensing, and Quality Assurance where he managed as many as 325 people. He also formed eight technically-based businesses for Adolph Coors Company. Prior to his work at Adolph Coors, Dr. Calcaterra worked as Senior Research Engineer for long-range strategic planning and technology forecasting and assessments for Amoco Corporation. He was also a research engineer for Alcoa Corporation and Monsanto Company, where he began his career in 1965.
Dr. Calcaterra is well known for his civic work involving small-business related issues. In 1995 he was appointed by President Bill Clinton as a delegate to the White House Conference on Small Business. He has served on the board of directors of the National Business Incubation Association. He is active with the State of Missouri serving on the Missouri Technology Corporation, heading the innovation center, investment and SBIR committees. In St. Louis he is on the board of the Coalition for Plant and Life Sciences, St. Louis Capital Alliance and the Missouri Venture Forum. He serves on the Advisory Board to the Advisory Board to the Bio-Molecular and Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Nebraska.
Dr. Calcaterra did his graduate and undergraduate work in chemical engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He received his D.Sc. in chemical engineering from Washington University of St. Louis and later completed Harvard University's Industrial Research Institute Executive Management Seminar.
return to list
Timothy CarmannProcess Research Engineer, ExxonMobil
Tim Carmann received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in 2006. While enrolled at UNL, Tim was heavily involved with student organizations and activities. He served as President of UNL's AIChE Student chapter during his junior and senior years, and also as President of the College of Engineering Student Advisory Board during his senior year. He also chaired UNL's E-Week event during the spring of 2005, where he led a committee of other engineering students in planning an entire week of activities and events promoting the field of engineering to students and the general public. Tim also studied abroad in Brazil during the summer of 2004, and participated in several undergraduate research opportunities with his professors, focusing on the areas of vaccine development and nanotechnology.
Tim is currently employed with ExxonMobil Research & Engineering Company in Fairfax, Virginia as a Process Research Engineer. His previous assignments in this position have included working on pilot plant units that utilize the Fischer-Tropsch process, and he is currently doing research on new fluidization applications for FCC (fluid catalyst cracking) units. Tim is also taking distance courses through North Carolina State University to obtain his M.S. in Chemical Engineering. In his spare time, he enjoys kayaking, improv classes, and exploring Washington, D.C.
return to list
Retired
Robert C. Hastert graduated from Shelby High School in Shelby, Nebraska and chose to study chemical engineering at the University of Nebraska because his favorite uncle was an alumnus of the program. Other than his social fraternity, his only non-engineering involvement during college was minor participation in a few activities in drama and speech where he was an unknown contemporary of Johnny Carson. Hastert received his B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 1946. He describes his education as a chemist with an engineering background.
After a stint with the Farm Crops Processing Corp., a manufacturer of ethanol from corn located in Omaha, Nebraska, he was employed by Wilson & Co. as a meat packer in their South Omaha plant. After 2 years, Wilson transferred Hastert to their Oklahoma City facility as Assistant Chief Chemist and, after 7 more years, to Chattanooga, Tenn. as Technical Director of their edible fats and oils refinery.
Two years later Hastert resigned to take a technical sales position with the Harshaw Chemical Co. in Cleveland, Ohio. At Harshaw, he was able to use his background in edible oil manufacturing and his innate ability to write and speak quite well to assist them in the worldwide marketing of their newly invented nickel catalyst for use in hydrogenation of triglyceride oils and fats. This marketing function included the writing of numerous technical papers based on laboratory and pilot plant data obtained in their facilities. He published in technical journals and presented at national and international meetings and conferences. He made many personal visits to refineries in the United States and worldwide.
During his 31 years of employment by Harshaw, they became Kewanee Oil, Gulf Oil & Chemical, Harshaw/Filtrol Partnership, Kaiser Aluminum & Chemical and the Engelhard Corp. Today they are owned by BASF.
Hastert's activities were often in conjunction with the American Oil Chemists' Society, an international organization devoted to fats and oils. Over the years, he was elected to their Governing Board, served as Secretary and Vice-President, and in 1986 as President. Since retirement, AOCS presented him the Bailey Award and the Baldwin Award, their two highest honors.
After retirement in 1991, Hastert founded his own company, the HASTECH Corporation, an employment search firm engaged in connection professionals within the fats and oils industry. HASTECH was a successful enterprise which taught him much about human nature as well as the nuts and bolts of industry and government management. return to list
Business Development Manager, Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate
Paul Horky joined Cargill full-time in the spring of 2002 as a production engineer at Cargill's Eddyville, IA Vitamin E facility immediately after receiving his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln . After working as both a production/project engineer, Horky transferred to the company headquarters in the Fall of 2004 to pursue his MBA at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management part-time MBA program. While attending night classes, Horky worked as a supply chain coordinator and financial analyst. After completing his MBA in the winter of 2006, Paul was asked to transfer to a business development position within Cargill's Cocoa & Chocolate division.
Horky currently works on developing new product lines and leading a few strategic initiatives for Cargill's North American chocolate business. This role allows him to work with a wide range of functional groups inside of Cargill (finance, operations, product development, sales, etc.) while maintaining regular contact with external customers. Horky's current responsibilities also include the training and implementation of systematic project management methods within Cargill Cocoa & Chocolate.
return to list
Dr. Ravi SarafProfessor, Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
After working at IBM's premier research organization, the Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Ravi Saraf entered academia about eight years ago. After spending about four years at Virginia Tech, Saraf joined the University of Nebraska-Lincoln faculty in the fall of 2004. At UNL, his focus was to initiate a research program on nanodevices for applications in biology and medicine. His research group developed a functional thin film device composed of nanoparticles to sense texture by touch at resolution at par with a human finger. Currently, his group is attempting to make a "living nanodevice" by coupling a physical device to a microorganism; a microscope to probe and image living cell in action; and extend the touch sensor technology for cancer detection and screening. Saraf has published over 70 research papers and has been awarded 47 US Patents. In recent years he has been keenly interested in K-12 education, especially teaching students the methodology (not magic) of science.
return to list
Hydrogenation Supervisor, Cargill Health & Nutrition
Dr. William H. VelanderDonald R. Voelte, Jr. and Nancy A. Keegan Endowed Chair in Engineering, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Fellow, American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering
When the University of Nebraska set a goal of recruiting senior, distinguished and highly productive faculty members through nationally competitive searches, Dr. William Velander, then at Virginia Tech, saw an opportunity to further his research and make a difference in the world. Among the factors that convinced him to move was the professorship he was awarded, established by Donald Voelte and Nancy Keegan in the College of Engineering.
Now Nebraska engineering students study with Dr. Velander, Chair of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and a national expert in engineering blood products. He is working to create an abundant supply of a blood coagulation protein that may do nothing less than affordably treat every person with hemophilia B in the world. This project has drawn $10 million in support from the National Institutes of Health, one of the largest grants awarded by that agency.
At the same time, Dr. Velander is working to develop an inexpensive bandage that will instantly stop bleeding from a major wound, using human fibrinogen produced in the milk of genetically engineered cows. The U.S. Army has provided more than $6 million for this project since Dr. Velander's arrival at UNL.
Bill Velander is a fellow of the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering. He is frequently invited to speak nationally and internationally, including recently at the Patel Pharmaceutical Development Center in Ahmedabad, India, at Novo Nordisk in Malov, Denmark and at the international Hemophilia Conference in Foggia, Italy.
He is widely published in his field and holds numerous patents in the production of blood proteins in genetically engineered livestock.
Dr. Velander received his Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from The Pennsylvania State University; his Masters in Chemical Engineering from the llinois Institute of Technology in Chicago; and his Bachelors degree in biochemistry from Illinois Benediction College in Lisle, Illinois.
return to list
