1996
William J. Ward
1961 B.S. Chemical Engineering

At General Electric, Dr. William Ward has worked primarily on understanding and imporving the performance of polyurethane foam insulation and developing a thermal insulation which does not use chlorofluorocarbons as foam blowing agents.

In his early work a G.E., Bill developed a class of membranes for separtation processes known as immobolized liquid membranes as well as a process for making the ultrathin polymeric membranes used in the manufacture of a medical oxygen enrichemnt appliance.

Bill received th Alan P. Colburn Award of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 1974 for excellence in publications in the area of membrane transport. The Colburn Award is the most prestigious research award for academic and industrial chemical engineerings under the age of thirty-five.

In 1984, for finding a much improved catalyst for a classic chemical reaction - one which is at the heart of the silicone polymer industry - Bill received G.E.'s Dushman Award for outstanding catalyst development work.

The National Academy of Engneering elected Dr. Ward to membership in 1987. Receiving this prestigious honor represents the culmination of years of dedication to the field of engineering. His list of accomplishments includes 26 publications in refereed journals and 36 patents.

Bill is a member of Penn State's Industrial & Professional Advisory Council and the Penn State Alumni Association. He credits his sucess to his excellent undergraduate training at Penn State.

Current as of 1996

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