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K-State Today

July 15, 2015

Stanford receives award at international conference

Submitted by Keith Rutlin

John Stanford, doctoral student in chemical engineering and National Science Foundation integrative graduate education and research trainee, or IGERT, in biorefining at Kansas State University, was awarded the Best Contribution Linking Research and Industrial Innovation award for his presentation at the 12th International Conference on Catalysis in Membrane Reactors.

The conference was June 22-25 in Szczecin, Poland. Twenty-five students were invited to make oral presentations at the conference, and in recognition of his success, Stanford received a 500 euro cash prize and a one-year membership to the European Membrane Society.

Stanford's research is on developing and utilizing polymeric membranes for three-phase hydrogenation reactions where the membrane serves as a selective deliverer of hydrogen to the catalytic sites integrated onto the membrane surface. He is advised by Mary Rezac, the Tim Taylor professor of chemical engineering. Stanford received bachelor's degrees in biomedical engineering and music performance at the University of Iowa. He started his doctoral studies at K-State in 2011.

Matthew Young and Mike Wales, National Science Foundation integrative graduate education and research trainees from the chemical engineering department, also participated in the conference. Young's faculty mentor is Peter Pfromm, and Wales' faculty mentor is Mary Rezac. Funding for this international travel experience and the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Trainees program is provided by the National Science Foundation. The research reported by these students is supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute for Food and Agriculture, and Phillips 66.