Mark Holtzapple

Mark Holtzapple is a chemical engineering professor at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on technologies that improve sustainability.

Life Childhood In 1956, Mark Holtzapple was born to Joan Carol and Arthur Robert Holtzapple in Enid, Oklahoma. In his early years, Mark's father was an Air Force pilot, so the family moved frequently. After Enid, his family moved to Dover, Delaware, and then to Japan. In 1961, his father left the Air Force to become an architect and his family returned to the United States to live in York, Pennsylvania. In 1972, the family moved to Bloomington, Minnesota where he graduated from Bloomington Lincoln High School in 1974.

Education In 1978, Mark Holtzapple earned his B.S. in chemical engineering at Cornell University. In 1981, he earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Career From 1981 to 1985, Mark Holtzapple served in the U.S. Army, mostly stationed at the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, where he rose to the rank of captain. There, he researched water desalination and microclimate cooling, a method to prevent heat stress in soldiers encapsulated in chemical protective clothing.

In 1986, he joined the Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. Dr. Holtzapple's research interests include the following: fuels and chemicals from biomass, food and feed processing, water desalination, high-efficiency air conditioning, high-efficiency engines, jet ejectors, compressors, expanders, conversion of waste heat to electricity, high-torque electric motors, and vertical-lift aircraft.

Awards and honors Teaching Fluor Distinguished Teaching Award, 2012 Professor of the Year, AIChE Student Chapter, 2008 Corps of Cadets Teaching Award, 2002 Tenneco Meritorious Teaching Award, 2001 AIChE Student Chapter Award of Excellence, 1992 Tenneco Meritorious Teaching Award, 1991 Texas A&M Association of Former Students Distinguished Teaching Award for Texas A&M, 1991 Dow Excellence in Teaching Award (Tenured Faculty), 1991 Texas A&M Association of Former Students Distinguished Teaching Award for the College of Engineering, 1990 General Dynamics Excellence in Teaching Award, 1990 AIChE Student Chapter Award of Excellence, 1989 AIChE Student Chapter Award of Excellence, 1988 Dow Excellence in Teaching Award (Untenured Faculty), 1988

Research Dean of Engineering Excellence Awards, 2016 Odebrecht Award for Sustainable Development, 2014 William Keeler Memorial Award for Contribution, 2014 College of Engineering Faculty Fellow (sponsored by George Armistead, Jr.), 2014 USAA (United Services Automobile Association) Distinguished Lecture, 2010 Commercialization Rising Star Award, Research Valley Partnership, 2008 Chevron Faculty Fellow, 2008 Halliburton Professorship Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research, 2008 Excellence in Innovation Award, Texas A&M University, 2007 Walston Chubb Award for Innovation, Sigma Xi, 2006 Top 100 Energy Technology, New Energy Congress, 2006 Texas A&M University Distinguished Lecture, 2006 Texas A&M Ingenuity Award, 2003 Testified at field hearing before U.S. House of Representatives, 2003 Halliburton Professorship, 2002–03 Ford Fellowship, 2001 Brockett Professor, 2000 TEES Senior Fellow, 1999 TEES Faculty Fellow, 1998 McGraw-Hill Environmental Champion Award, 1997 TEES Fellow, 1996 Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, 1996 TEES Fellow, 1995 Who's Who in Science and Engineering, 2nd Edition

Military First Prize, Army Science Symposium, 1986 U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal, 1985 Petroleum Basic Course Distinguished Military Graduate, 1982 Officer Basic Course Distinguished Military Graduate, 1981 ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate, 1978 American Society of Military Engineers National Citation, 1977 American Society of Military Engineers Scholarship, 1977 Four-year Army ROTC Scholarship, 1974

Academic Texas A&M Commencement Keynote Speaker, 2009 McGraw-Hill Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Group's First Edition of the Year Award, 2006 Who's Who Among America's Teachers, 1996 Cornell Graduate with Distinction, 1978

Public Service Bush Excellence Award for Faculty in Public Service, 2013

Teaching Dr. Holtzapple currently teaches thermodynamics, unit operations laboratory, foundations of engineering, bioprocess engineering, and seminar. Previously, he has taught introduction to chemical engineering, reaction kinetics, and bioprocess engineering. He co-authored Foundations of Engineering and Concepts in Engineering.

Commercialization Activities Dr. Holtzapple's research has resulted in two spin-off companies.

Earth Energy Renewables Earth Energy Renewables was founded to commercialize the following technologies:

MixAlco process — involves the bioconversion of biomass to mixed alcohol fuels, industrial chemicals, and hydrocarbon fuels such as gasoline and jet fuel. SoluPro — involves the conversion of proteins, such as chicken feathers, into a soluble syrup

StarRotor Corporation StarRotor Corporation was founded to commercialize the following technologies:

Compressors — these high-efficiency devices employ gerotor geometries to compress gases and vapors Expanders — these high-efficiency devices employ gerotor geometries to expand gases and vapors Engines — a gerotor compressor and expander are combined in a recuperated Brayton cycle that is 2 to 3 times more efficient than traditional piston engines