The Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering has named Lisa Weber the first recipient of a newly endowed graduate fellowship named after Emeritus Professor Jim Linden.
An anonymous donor created the James C. Linden Fellowship to honor Linden, who served 30 years on the CSU faculty before retiring in 2008. His research interests focused on biomass refining to produce ethanol and/or single-cell protein; cultivation of fungi and bacteria for enzyme production; and elicitation of disease responses by plants and plant cell cultures.
Among those attending the ceremony with Linden and his wife, Susan, were emeritus professors in Chemical and Biological Engineering Vince Murphy, Dave McWhorter, Jud Harper; Ralph Smith (emeritus professor in Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology), Bob Braddy (emeritus professor in Theatre) and Linden’s close friend Dick Husted.
“Jim is a revered member of the faculty and has been an inspiration for many, many students over the years,” said David Dandy, head of Chemical and Biological Engineering. “We are honored to present this fellowship in his honor thanks to the generosity of this donor.”
At the ceremony in early December, Linden credited Murphy for on-the-job training teaching fluid dynamics, and heat and mass transfer. Linden worked at the university from 1977 to 2008.
“Vince was a mentor of mine in bringing me into new disciplines, which opened wide avenues to study fermentation,” said Linden, who held a joint appointment in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology. In presenting the award to Weber, Linden said, “I’m glad this fellowship is going to you to further your accomplishments and goals.”
Weber is a Ph.D. student working with Assistant Professor Brian Munsky. Her research involves computational modeling of DNA interactions and their effects on transcription dynamics. She was a Graduate Teaching Fellow for the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 academic years, and is currently an instructor for the CBE Matlab course. She also works with Associate Professor Becki Atadero in Civil and Environmental Engineering to incorporate diversity and inclusion in undergraduate engineering education.
“I’m so grateful,” Weber said at the December 5 ceremony. “I am getting an exceptional education and I could not have been at a better university.”
