 Chemical
Engineering at The Ohio State University can trace
its roots back over 100 years. Offered initially as a "B.S. in Chemistry
from the College of Engineering," the first
degree
was awarded to Samuel Vernon
Peppel in 1899. Beginning with the 1902–1903
bulletin, The
Outline of the Course in Chemical
Engineering was listed for the first time. In 1904
the name of
the degree changed to
"Bachelor of Science in Chemical
Engineering." Its first two recipients
were the late Arno Fieldner and
Lewis
Benjamin Case. The first M.Sc. was
issued in
1910 to Orlando Sweeney, the first Ph.D.'s in
1918 to Drs. Herbert Spencer Coith
and
James Howard Young.
From 1902 to 1924, chemical
engineering
was a division of the chemistry
department, a
common practice among universities
at that
time. (The beginning of chemical
engineering
education is usually attributed to
M.I.T. where
the first course in chemical
engineering was
started in 1888.) The first
chairman of the
Department of Chemical Engineering
was Dr.
James Withrow, who served from
1924–
1948. In 1925, it became one of
the first 10
schools to be accredited by the
American
Institute of Chemical Engineers.
Groundbreaking for the current
building
took place in 1958; it was later
named to
honor Dr. Joseph Koffolt, the
department’s
chair from 1948–1968. Plans are
currently under way to initiate the construction
of a new facility
within the next 10 years, as the
department enters its second century of service to
the
university.
The department is celebrated its 100th
anniversary during 2003.
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