Charles Noelke Elected to U.S. National Academy of Engineers
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| Charlie Noelke (right) in a Fluoromonomer Laboratory Unit at the DuPont Experimental Station in Wilmington, Del., with Steve Swearingen (left) and Malli Rao. |
DuPont Fellow and Lavoisier medalist Charles Noelke was elected to the U.S.
National Academy of Engineers (NAE) this month for his distinguished work as part of a team that led the company’s efforts to develop and commercialize the replacement process technology for chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) in refrigerants.
Election to the National Academy of Engineering is among the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant contributions to the engineering literature,” and to the “pioneering of new and developing fields of technology, making major advancements in traditional fields of engineering, or developing/implementing innovative approaches to engineering education.” Others from DuPont who are members of the NAE: DuPont Chairman Chad Holliday, elected in 2004, and DuPont Senior Vice President and Chief Science & Technology Officer Uma Chowdhry, elected in 1996.
“The contributions that Charlie has made to DuPont and to the development of sustainable engineering solutions over his 30-year career are outstanding,” Uma said. “He is both a leader and an engineering role model who has had a significant impact on DuPont and the world through his technical contributions.”
“My career has been focused on commercializing new and more sustainable products and technologies,” Charlie said. “I have had the good fortune to work with outstanding people in DuPont on meaningful programs that impact society. I am honored that this work has been recognized with election to the NAE.”
Charlie, a chemical engineer at the DuPont Fayetteville, N.C., site, led the team that developed HFC-134a, a replacement for ozone-depleting CFC refrigerants. His team proceeded from computer-generated process modeling to commercialization of new HFC-134a process technology in less than three years. This pioneering work was recognized along with other DuPont efforts with the prestigious National Medal of Technology in 2002 “for policy and technology leadership in the phaseout and replacement of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs).”
Charlie also played a significant role in the development of the commercial process for producing DuPont™ Tedlar® films, a key material in the production of photovoltaic systems. During his career with DuPont, over 30 processes at sites around the world have been impacted by Charlie’s process technology advances.
Today, Charlie is developing a range of environmentally smart alternative processes for making fluorochemicals, fluoromonomers and fluoropolymers. In 2006, he received the prestigious Collaboration of the Year Award from the Chemical Council for Research for his collaborative efforts on carbon dioxide based polymerization in conjunction with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was recognized a year later with the DuPont Lavoisier Medal, the highest scientific achievement awarded by the company.
