The University of Iowa (UI) Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering (CBE) will mark the conclusion of its year-long centennial celebration with a reception at the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Meeting on Nov. 10 in Minneapolis.  

While the event serves as a final gathering for alumni, faculty, students, and friends of the department, the milestone offers an opportunity to reflect on more than 100 years of chemical engineering education and discovery at Iowa.

"Over the past century, our department has evolved alongside the chemical engineering profession while remaining committed to excellence in education, research, and service," said Jun Wang, departmental executive officer and Lichtenberger Family Chair in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering. "As we celebrate this milestone, we honor the generations of students, faculty, and alumni whose contributions have shaped our history and continue to advance engineering solutions that benefit society around the world." 

Wang is also associate director of the Iowa Technology Institute. 

CBE faculty, staff, students, and alumni are encouraged to attend the centennial reception. For questions, email chemical-engineering@uiowa.edu. 

To commemorate the centennial, the Lichtenberger Engineering Library created a historical timeline that chronicles the department’s evolution through photographs, stories, and milestones.

Explore the historical timeline and learn more about the people and discoveries that have defined CBE's legacy. 

The online resource highlights influential faculty members, transformative research accomplishments, student achievements, and the department’s growth from a small, applied chemistry program into a globally connected engineering discipline. 

Over the decades, the program established a number of notable firsts and milestones.