Economy named ACS Fellow

James Economy, emeritus professor of materials science and engineering, has been named a 2012 American Chemical Society Fellow (ACS).

Known world-wide for his research, teaching and service, Economy spent nearly 30 years working in industry—first at Carborundum Co., and later, at IBM’s polymer Science and Technology Department in the Research Division—before joining the Illinois faculty as a professor and head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MatSE) in 1989.

During the past 40 years, Economy and his research teams have played a major role in the design and development of a number of polymer systems, including liquid crystalline materials for structural uses, novel thermosetting resins that can be recycled, and activated fibers for filtering environmental contaminants. Most recently he and his group have developed a new composite based on carbon fibers in a boron nitride matrix, which shows a 10x improvement in wear for aircraft brakes as compared to the currently used carbon/carbon composites.

A Founder Professor of Engineering at Illinois, Economy led the effort to create the Center on Advanced Materials for Water Purification (WaterCAMPWS), a National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center, at the Urbana campus. In addition to his many awards, Economy is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of PMSE, and a Fellow of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences.

This year, the American Chemical Society recognized 96 members as ACS Fellows. The new fellows will be honored at the society’s fall national meeting in Philadelphia this month. The Fellows program began in 2009 as a way to recognize and honor ACS members for outstanding achievements in and contributions to science, the profession, and ACS.
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Contact: James Economy, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 217/333-9260.

If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Rick Kubetz, writer/editor, Engineering Communications Office, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 217/244-7716.