Dave Minnick

Major: M.S., Chemical Engineering

Hello! My name is Dave Minnick and I am currently a first year graduate student in chemical engineering at the University of Kansas. The past year was exciting as I made the transition into engineering from a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. After completing my undergraduate degree at Creighton University, I realized that the engineering field was a much better fit for my macro scale problem solving mentality. I applied to the University of Kansas as a provisional graduate student and spent the last year completing courses in mass transfer, heat transfer, fluid mechanics, kinetics, and process thermodynamics. The experience has been both rewarding and enlightening, and I am excited to begin my core graduate chemical engineering courses in the fall. The provisional acceptance program presents a fantastic opportunity for students with non-engineering undergraduate degrees to make the transition into a graduate engineering degree at KU!

This summer, I began my research work under the direction of Professor Aaron Scurto in the Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis (CEBC). My research focuses on the design and production of ionic liquids. Ionic liquids are typically used as a solvent phase in liquid-liquid extraction processes. Liquid-liquid extractions are highly desired in industry to separate mixtures that would otherwise require a large amount of energy to separate by distillation. Beyond their separation capabilities, ionic liquids are also desirable due to their low environmental impact. The future of engineering revolves around both economic and environmental sustainability. The research conducted at the CEBC at the University of Kansas is committed to these goals.

Outside of academics and research, I have found that there is always something going on at KU. In my free time, I enjoy working out at the recreation center, playing tennis on campus, and getting in a few rounds of golf! Also, I have found that attending KU sporting events is a must. Football games are a lot of fun; and, I think most KU students would agree that there isn’t a better place to watch college basketball than Allen Fieldhouse!

Prospective students may contact me at kuengr@ku.edu.