Matthew Liberatore, Ph.D., chair of Trine University’s McKetta Department of Chemical
and Bioprocess Engineering, receives the 2025 David Himmelblau Award for Innovations
in Computer-Based Chemical Engineering Education from Ashlee Ford Versypt, representing
the Computing and Systems Technology (CAST) Division of the American Institute of
Chemical Engineers.
Matthew Liberatore, Ph.D., chair of Trine University’s McKetta Department of Chemical
and Bioprocess Engineering, received a national award and gave several presentations
during the annual meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE),
held Nov. 1-4 in Boston.
Dr. Liberatore received the 2025 David Himmelblau Award for Innovations in Computer-Based
Chemical Engineering Education. The award recognizes an individual or group for making
new and novel contributions to computer aids for chemical engineering education. The
award citation reads: For his innovative, fully-interactive, web-based chemical engineering
textbooks with auto-graded, randomized problems as well as quantifying student engagement
and success.
He also gave an invited presentation based on his 2024 award for Award For Excellence
in Engineering Education Research. His presentation was titled, “Beyond the Textbook:
Data-Driven Research, Interactive Learning, and Creating Creative Problems.”
“I tried to mix gratitude for my students and colleagues co-authoring the engineering
education research papers over the last decade as well as overcoming failure,” he
said.
Dr. Liberatore also presented talks or posters on video-inspired problems written
by students, generative AI or both; high reading participation in a first engineering
thermodynamics course; chemical engineering summer school; and chemical engineering
faculty development.
Alexandra Davidson, a current Trine MBA student and 2024 chemical engineering graduate,
co-authored one of these presentations.
The AIChE annual meeting invites chemical engineering professionals and educators
from around the world to share their findings, research, innovations and advancements
in their field.
At the 2024 AIChE annual meeting, in addition to receiving the Award for Excellence
in Engineering Education Research, Dr. Liberatore was named an AIChE Fellow, recognizing
superior attainments, valuable contributions, and service toward chemical engineering.
The Trine University Choir will partner with the First Wayne Street Sanctuary Choir in Fort Wayne to perform “Songs to Soothe the Soul,” a celebration of choral music by noted female composers, on Sunday, March 22.
Sport management majors from Trine University’s Ketner School of Business recorded their best team finish and equaled their best individual placement at the National Collegiate Sports Sales Championship.