 As a teacher,
Dr. Lu-Kwang Ju, professor of Chemical Engineering, believes
the importance of teaching lies within inspiring students
to learn. Therefore, he strives to find an effective, logical,
and inspiring approach to facilitate this learning.
“As I teach the freshman and sophomore-level
courses, I show them how the different courses in the curriculum
relate,
why they are put together in the particular sequence, and,
most importantly, how the things they learn and will learn
prepare them for the career as chemical engineers,” he
said.
“In addition to the course materials, I believe it’s
also important for teachers to inspire the students. This
is a lot harder to do. I try my best to encourage them to
reach for their highest potential, while also realizing the
required commitment.”
Dr. Ju teaches Chemical Engineering Computations, Materials,
and Energy Balances, Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Bioseparations,
Biochemical Engineering, and Bioreactor Design. On the graduate
level, he teachers Biochemical Engineering, Bioseparations,
and more advanced bioengineering-related special-topics courses.
Dr. Ju’s convictions are no different inside the lab.
“My basic philosophy of teaching students to do research
is not much different,” he added. The only difference
is that they need to use more of their analytical and creative
ability, because the problems encountered in research don’t
always have clear definition. They have to learn to recognize
the significance of their observations/ findings, identify
the scope of study, and make reasonable assumptions/hypothesis.”
Dr. Ju says the quality of students at the University play
a vital role in his research success.
“Students are the number one assets to my research,” he
said. “Professors may have the initial ides. They are
often not well defined and full of holes in details. Only
through the students’ effort, self-motivation, and
close interactions with me that the ideas my eventually take
shape.
“The students are really the determinant factor to
make or break a project. I have also found that the more
time I spend with my students discussing the research, the
more motivated and dedicate the students become. I have been
blessed with many good students during my 13 years at UA.”
Dr. Ju’s research interests lie within biochemical/bioprocess
engineering and environmental bioengineering.
In his biochemical/bioprocess engineering research, among
his studies are the production of cyanobacterial gas vesicle
for O2/CO2 transfer in cell cultivation and other medical
applications, organic-phase enzymatic synthesis and cellulose
production, and surfactant-enhanced saccharification of cellulosic
materials.
His environmental bioengineering studies have examined on-line
fluorescence including monitoring/control of biological wastewater
treatment and digestion processes and the study of bacteria
dissimilative nitrate/nitrite reduction. In addition, Dr.
Ju studies the biodegradation of petroleum contaminants,
including the biosurfacant production of fermentations of
oily substrates, and the hydrocarbon biodegradation under
microaerobic nitrite-respiring conditions.
Dr. Ju’s research has generated about $2 million for
the University. Among his primary supporters are the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, NSF, and Enviroquip and a few
other private companies.
He holds a patent in the method of removing gas from a site
using gas vesicles of cells (2002) and compositions and methods
relating to the production, isolation, and modification of
gas vesicles (2000). He also has two patents pending in the
production of biological materials by anaerobic respiration
and in the method to maximize production of biological products
by active non-growing cells.
Dr. Ju’s earned his Bachelor of Science degree in
Chemical Engineering from the National Taiwan University
in 1980 and his Master of Science and doctorate degrees in
Chemical Engineering from State University of New York at
Buffalo in 1985 and 1988, respectively.
He joined the University of Akron in 1990 as an assistant
professor. He was promoted to associate professor in 1995
and professor in 2000. Prior to the University, Dr. Ju worked
as a senior research engineer at BioChem Technology, Inc.
Dr. Ju said the people with whom he works, especially within
the Department of Chemical Engineering, makes his work more
enjoyable.
“We have similar professional vision and mission,
work well together, and have good relationship,” he
said. “These make a pleasant and more productive working
environment.”
In addition to the University, Dr. Ju works with Syngenta
Crop Protection, Inc., Enviroquip, Inc. and BioChem Technology,
Inc. as a consultant. Other clients have made 41 conference
presentations.
Dr. Ju is a member of the Executive Committee for Ohio Bioprocess
Research Consortium as well as the American Institute of
Chemical Engineers, the American Society for Microbiology,
and the Water Environment Federation.
In 2001, he was named Outstanding Researcher by the College
of Engineering, and in 1997, he received a NASA-ASEE Summer
Faculty Fellowship. Dr. Ju was named Favorite Faculty Member
by the Omicron Delta Kappa and Mortar Board in 1996, and
received the NASA Tech Brief Award in 1989.
Dr. Ju and his wife, Fiona, have two daughters.
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