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Dr. Kenneth J. Klabunde
Kenneth J. Klabunde currently serves as University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. Born in Madison, Wisconsin, Dr. Klabunde received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Chemistry from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois, his Doctorate of Philosophy in Chemistry from the University of Iowa, and pursued postdoctoral studies at Pennsylvania State University.
Appointed University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, a designation he has held since 1988, Dr. Klabunde has received numerous honors including the American Chemical Society Midwest Award (1998), the Huck Boyd Award as Kansan of the Year in Technology (2002), Kansas State University Provost Lecturer (2003), Women in Engineering and Science Award for “Making a Difference” (2005), and the Kansas State Entrepreneurial Award (2005).
Most recently, Dr. Klabunde, a pioneer in the study of microscopic nanoparticles, received the prestigious Popular Mechanics Magazine 2005 Breakthrough Invention Award as an innovator who will help shape the world’s future through science, technology, and new products that represent benchmarks of engineering. |
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Recognition for this award is based on his creative innovations in nanotechnology research at the University of Kansas which laid the foundation for development of FAST-ACT®, a chemical containment and neutralization system for immediate response to unexpected toxic chemical releases, including industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents. FAST-ACT® is produced by NanoScale, a spin-off company founded by Dr. Klabunde in 1995 that is a leader in innovative high performance specialty chemicals, products, services, and technologies.
Through his nanotechnology research, Dr. Klabunde has established international collaborations with colleagues at Boreskov Catalysis Institute, Novosibirsk, Russia, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Moscow State University. By invitation, he has presented more than one hundred lectures throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and South America. As a Presidential Lecturer he regularly speaks to high school and college students on such topics as “Chemistry in Outer Space, the “Green House Effect,” the “Ozone Problem,” and “Nanotechnology and the Environment.” A prolific writer, Dr. Klabunde has authored more than 400 professional publications.
The topic of Dr. Klabunde‘s afternoon seminar, “Nanotechnology: A New Science; A New Business; A New Environmental Concern,” is designed primarily for an academic audience including both faculty and students. He will introduce the foundation of nanotechnology including the unique properties of nanostructures, and the businesses of the present and future that will be affected. He will also present a realistic picture of environmental concerns, including possible problems and possible advantages.
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