AIChE

Adler Banquet

The Adler banquet is held annually each spring in memory of Chemical Engineering Professor Robert J. Adler.

Robert Adler, the son of immigrants who had left their homeland of Eastern Europe to make a new life in the United States, was born in Staten Island, New York, in 1931.  Adler joined the Case faculty in 1959 as Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering in the combined department of chemistry and chemical engineering.  In 1963, the chemical engineering department was joined with the new school of engineering.  Adler, still an untenured assistant professor, became Chairman of the Chemical Engineering faculty and its three other members.

By 1971, his leadership produced a department of three full professors, including Adler, two associate professors and three assistant professors. In 1973, he handed over the Chairmanship of a strong department to the faculty he so skillfully developed, and it has since rotated among them.  He received the John S. Diekhoff Graduate Teaching Award from Case Western Reserve in 1978 for his enthusiasm towards students and teaching.

Not only was Robert Adler an inspiration and a role model to his students, he was a mentor to many of his colleagues. Adler had great expectations, and set only the highest standards for himself, for the faculty, and for his students. His adherence to these standards motivated those around him to follow his example. Adler was an active supporter of the Minority Engineers Programs and the National Science Foundation Training Fellowships.

A member of AIChE, Adler was awarded the status of Fellow of the Institute in 1989. He was also a member of the American Chemical Society and of the American Society for Engineering Education.  Robert Adler was one of the nation's leading experts in advanced separations and mixing and in 1972 founded the Helipump Corporation, a research and development company that gained many patents.

Recognizing Robert Adler’s many contributions to his field and to the department of Chemical Engineering at Case Western Reserve University, his family and friends have established a memorial fund in Adler’s memory as a living tribute to a man who will be greatly missed.  This fund sponsors an annual lectureship in chemical engineering and an award distinguishing the outstanding achievements of an undergraduate engineering student.

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The 2007 Adler Banquet, held at Dively Conference Center on the Case campus deatured Nelson Gardner as the honored lecturer. Dr. Gardner received his B.S. in Chemistry and M.S. in Analytical Chemistry from Wichita State University in 1959 and 1961.  He earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Iowa State University in 1966.  Nelson Gardner came to the Chemical Engineering Department at Case in 1967 as a new member of the faculty, working under the then department chair, Robert Adler. He served as a faculty member in the department for thirty-six years, taking over as Department Chair from 1994 until 2000.  He has also spent time working with the Beijing University of Chemical Technology and was awarded the China Friendship Award in 1998—the highest award given to a non-Chinese person by the People’s Republic of China.  Nelson Gardner helped to co-found Enhanced Process Technology with Professor Harris in 2003 and remained there until 2005. Dr. Gardner spoke about the paths of ideas.

2007 Adler Banquet Information

2007 Adler Banquet Program