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Kofke receives 2007 Schoellkopf Award
KOFKE
David A. Kofke, UB Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, has received the 2007 Jacob F. Schoellkopf Award.
The award, which honors an individual in the Niagara Frontier for outstanding work and service in the fields of chemistry or chemical engineering, is given each year by the Western New York section of the American Chemical Society. The society has been presenting the medal annually since 1931, making it the oldest of its kind nationally. UB scientists also won the award in 1996, 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2005.
In selecting Kofke, the jury cited his significant and lasting contributions to the field of applied thermodynamics. He was cited for his creative insight and advancement of applied thermodynamic theory through the development and application of molecular simulation methods that yield both qualitative and quantitative understanding of complex behaviors.
Kofke's innovative and important pedagogical contributions to the undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum, especially in the field of thermodynamics, also were recognized, as were his accomplishments as an outstanding teacher and mentor to undergraduate and graduate students alike.
Kofke conducts research in which he uses molecular simulation to evaluate the physical behaviors exhibited by model materials.
One of his goals is to develop knowledge and methods that enable others to conduct thermodynamic free-energy calculations efficiently and reliably, which is critical to the rational design of better, more sophisticated materials and processes, as well as to improving our understanding of the basic mechanisms of nature, life and disease.
Kofke also coordinates a multi-institution software-engineering project aimed at developing a cyberinfrastructure that can synthesize the efforts of a broad range of molecular simulation developers.
SOM to offer new MBA concentration
Training managers to lead in the information-based global economy is the goal of the School of Management's new MBA concentration in Global Services and Supply Management (GSSM).
Drawing on the school's international focus and academic strengths, the GSSM curriculum will address rapidly emerging service, supply and information technology issues that are the result of an increasingly worldwide business model.
"While many of our peer schools have initiated similar programs, ours is unique because it combines information systems with supply chain management within a global perspective," said John M. Thomas, SOM dean.
In addition to the MBA core curriculum, students in the GSSM option will take classes in several interrelated areas, including management of globally distributed services, technology management and e-business, manufacturing planning and control, and supply chains and global operations.
Nallan Suresh, professor and chair of the Department of Operations Management and Strategy, and Rajiv Kishore, associate professor of management science and systems, are co-directors of the GSSM option.
According to Suresh and Kishore, BusinessWeek has estimated that companies outsourced approximately $546 billion in 2005 in various functional areas, including manufacturing, IT services and IT-enabled services, such as logistics and procurement, human resources and customer care.
In recognition of this growing trend, the integrated and focused GSSM curriculum will help students develop leading-edge skills for managing globally dispersed IT-enabled services and supply chains in an increasingly flattening world.
Students choosing the GSSM option will be prepared to take management positions in the rapidly growing international fields of worldwide IT services, business process outsourcing and manufacturing.
For more information on the Global Services and Supply Management MBA option, click here.