Biology

WKU’s Institute for Combustion Science & Environmental Technology (ICSET) held a ribbon cutting ceremony for its fourth laboratory, the Thermophysical Properties of Materials Laboratory, on Monday (Aug. 5) at the Center for Research & Development. WKU President Gary Ransdell and Dr. Wei-Ping Pan, ICSET’s founder and first director, were among the speakers. The Thermophysical Properties of Materials Laboratory is designed to measure the physical properties of materials’ changes as a function of temperature. The grand opening and tours included members of the North American Thermal Analysis Society, who are meeting in Bowling Green this week; Dr. Pan is serving as the 2013 Conference Chair. Read more about the new ICSET lab. A retirement dinner for Dr. Pan followed Monday night at the National Corvette Museum. Under Dr. Pan’s leadership, ICSET has received more than $17 million as project director for more than 70 projects supported by agencies, including National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Department of Energy, NASA, Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Clean Coal Institute, and several other private industries. During his tenure at WKU, he has published more than 170 peer-reviewed articles related to coal combustion, emission and thermal analysis. He has mentored more than 100 undergraduate students, 55 graduate students, and more than 150 visiting scholars over the past 27 years. (WKU photos by Clinton Lewis; video by Amy Bingham DeCesare) Contact: Terrill Martin, (270) 745-2220.