Rose-Hulman Appoints Department Heads
Kimberly Henthorn and James Hanson
Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowRose-Hulman Institute of Technology has appointed Kimberly Henthorn head of the Department of Chemical Engineering and James Hanson head of the Department of Civil and Environment Engineering, starting on July 1.
Henthorn is an associate professor of chemical engineering and earned her bachelor’s degree in 1999 as a member of the institute’s first coed freshman class. She will be replacing Adam Nolte, who will remain on the department’s faculty. Henthorn, a member of the Rose-Hulman faculty since 2010, specializes in particle technology and two-phase microfluidic systems. She is currently conducting research with students on the science and engineering of chocolate production and has worked with fellow faculty members to introduce new experiments into the chemical engineering laboratory.
The Coatesville, Indiana native has gained industry experience by working for Dow Chemical, Reilly Industries and Pfizer, and serving as a consultant for Mo-Sci Corp., Brewer Science and DuPont. Henthorn earned a doctorate in chemical engineering from Purdue University and taught at the Missouri University of Science and Technology before joining the faculty at her alma mater.
Also, James Hanson is a professor of civil and environmental engineering, a department he has taught structural engineering courses since 2002. He will succeed Kevin Sutterer, who will remain as a full-time professor in the department.
Hanson has earned the Dean’s Outstanding Teacher Award, been a former Roland E. Hutchins Endowed Rose-Hulman Faculty Chair of Civil Engineering and been named a Fellow of the American Concrete Institute, one of the highest distinctions for structural engineers. A specialist in structural design of reinforced concrete, pre-stressed concrete and steel, Hanson has conducted research in numerical simulation of crack propagation in concrete structures, use of fracture mechanics in analysis and design of concrete structures, and fracture toughness testing. He wrote a first-of-its-kind civil engineering textbook, “Structural Analysis: Skills for Practice,” after interviewing 25 structural engineers from 10 design firms throughout America.
Hanson is a former U.S. Army Engineer officer who designed and built pipelines, organized operations for combat engineering units, and conducted the repair and rehabilitation of small structures. He earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees from Cornell University, and formerly taught at Bucknell University.