Meet Mentor Chestermiller — Chemical Engineering Profile

Meet a Mentor is a fun series to help you get to know your wonderful Mentors better.

Constructive questions and comments are welcome!

Today we meet: @Chestermiller

Give us a brief history of Chestermiller

• Born January 1942 in Brooklyn, NY.
• Samuel J. Tilden High School, graduated June 1959 (Captain, Math Team).
• Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, BChE, June 1963 (Freshman Math Award).
• University of Michigan, MChE, 1964.
• University of Michigan, PhD ChE, 1967 (Advisor: Joe D. Goddard).
• Married 1965; four children and ten grandchildren.
• E. I. DuPont de Nemours, Inc., 1967–2002 (retired 2002).
• Collaboration in biomechanics with V. C. Mow, Columbia University, 2003–2004.
• Consulting, 2003–2008.
• Animal advocate and sports fan; supports humane organizations and has done volunteer work.
• Favorite teams: Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Eagles, and the University of Michigan — Go Blue!

Have you always lived in Delaware?

• Brooklyn, NY — 1942–1963.
• Silver Spring, MD — summer 1963.
• Ann Arbor, MI — 1963–1967.
• Wilmington, DE — 1967–present.

What do you find interesting about Delaware?

• Family living nearby.
• Nice, variable climate year-round.
• Cultural and sports opportunities in Philadelphia, New York, and Baltimore.

Why did you choose chemical engineering as your field of study?

It was mostly lucky circumstances. I was primarily interested in math in high school and engineering was a distant second choice. During my senior year I applied to colleges for both math and engineering. After taking the entrance exam to Cooper Union (very competitive) and being accepted, I decided to go with engineering. I have never regretted this choice — the science side of engineering has been fascinating and enjoyable, and I probably would have hated being a professional mathematician.

What were some of your biggest challenges in school and how did you overcome them?

I don’t remember any major challenges with science and math courses (although I hated high school chemistry and had to cram at the end to get the highest grade on the final).

Humanities and English courses were always a weak area for me. In high school I memorized a book of master plots and a composition (I guessed the topic of the composition) to pass the English final and otherwise did the minimum necessary. Later, my writing skills improved during my professional career as I gained experience communicating with regulators on environmental issues.

Tell us about your career in engineering

During my career at DuPont I specialized in developing mathematical models for physical systems to improve processes and products and to protect company interests on environmental issues. Colleagues called me “the guy who could model anything.”

Modeling projects

• 1D and 2D models of atmospheric chemistry and transport related to fluorocarbons/ozone and global warming.
• Modeling flow, transport, and chemistry in porous subsurface geological formations for deepwell disposal of hazardous wastes; poroelastic modeling to evaluate potential for triggering seismicity in injection operations.
• Structural mechanics modeling of radial tires in support of nylon and Kevlar tire cord sales.
• Modeling cyclohexane oxidation to produce adipic acid for nylon manufacture.
• Modeling the ammonia synthesis loop.
• Nylon and Dacron process modeling, including polymerization reactors and transfer lines.
• Modeling man-made fiber spinning operations: melt spinning (Nylon, Dacron), dry spinning (Lycra), and wet spinning (Kevlar).
• Modeling unsteady-state melt spinning of paint brush bristles.

One of the things I enjoyed most about my career was personal interaction with colleagues (inside and outside the company) and interactions with regulators.

What music do you play and what instrument?

I took piano lessons from age 8 to 16 and even played piano two summers as a member of the house band at two Catskill Mountains resort hotels. I stopped lessons at 16 because it was taking too much time and interfering with high school studies.

Between ages 16 and 55 I hardly played, but I took it up again after a friend loaned an instructional video on blues piano. I had always liked the blues and found I could learn it fairly easily — everything I learned as a teenager came back. Since then I’ve played blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and pop, and I take blues/jazz lessons to improve my musicianship. I’m also in a ballroom dance band, which is lots of fun.

What are some of your favorite movies, books and musicians?

Movies: Cousin Vinnie; Little Shop of Horrors; The Right Stuff; All the President’s Men; Manhunter; School of Rock; JFK; GoodFellas; A Few Good Men; Jaws.

Musicians: B. B. King; Muddy Waters; Professor Longhair; Elmore James; Dr. John; Otis Spann; Oscar Peterson; Katie Webster; John Lee Hooker; Johnny Johnson; Beach Boys; Stevie Ray Vaughan; Susan Tedeschi; Daryl Davis; Little Richard; Chuck Berry.

If you could have lunch with a living person, who would it be and why?

B. B. King. I think his music is great, he’s one of the original blues greats still alive, and he led an interesting life with personal contact with many other blues legends.

How did you happen upon Physics Forums and why is it important to you?

I had seen many interesting TV shows on relativity and decided to learn it on my own during retirement. I was looking for a place to get questions answered. Browsing the site, I saw other forums where I could help people struggling with physics, chemistry, and engineering concepts. I wanted to give something back to my profession — now I’m addicted to it.

Thanks for participating, Chestermiller!