Distinguished Engineering Alumnus
Award Recipient
James K. Ferrell — 1992
This outstanding alumnus has contributed significantly to shaping the course of engineering technology at this university through his energetic teaching, research, extension, and administrative duties. He received his doctorate in Chemical Engineering in 1954. He earned his B.S. and M.S., 1948 and 1949, respectively, in Chemical Engineering from the University of Missouri.
He joined the NCSU faculty upon graduation and left in 1956 to work in industry. Returning in 1961 as a full professor, he served as Chemical Engineering Department Head from 1966-80. In 1967 he was appointed Alcoa Professor of Chemical Engineering. Between 1980 and 1991, he served as Director of Energy and Environmental Research Programs in Engineering, Interim Head of Chemical Engineering, Associate Dean for Research, and Interim Dean of Engineering.
A pioneer in computer systems development, he helped initiate the Triangle Universities Computation Center, a system linking NCSU, Duke University, and UNC-Chapel Hill. More recently he provided leadership for development of Eos, the College's state-of-the-art distributed computing system. He has made important contributions to energy conservation and pollution control, focusing his research on heat transfer, transport processes in porous media, coal gasification and gas cleaning, process control, and hazardous waste treatment and disposal.
James K. Ferrell