Reflections on the department from the late Bob Bird

Nestled in the vibrant city of Madison, Wisconsin, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Chemical and Biological Engineering (CBE) Department has always been a special place. Five years after his passing in November 2020, the enduring insights of Professor Robert “Bob” Byron Bird continue to shed light on what made this department, and his time within it, so extraordinary. Through his reflections, we gain a glimpse into a legacy built on innovation, collaboration, and a pioneering spirit. His words, even now, offer a warm and deeply personal perspective on a department that shaped the chemical engineering field and nurtured countless minds.

Madison’s natural environment

Growing up in a small Iowa town, Professor Bird preferred smaller and intimate communities, avoiding the big-city life. But Madison, even as a state capital and home to a major university, has always felt like a “small town” to him. It’s complimented by the abundance of natural beauty within and around the city. In less than an hour, you can find peace and quiet in state parks like Devil’s Lake, Governor Dodge, Blue Mound, and Tower Hill. If you’re willing to go a little further, the scenic state parks along the Mississippi River, like Wyalusing State Park, offer stunning views. The Madison area also has many county parks, such as Indian Lake Park, and plenty of places for swimming or canoeing. Bird fondly remembers the relaxing experience of canoeing down the Wisconsin River and camping on its islands, though he playfully warns about poison ivy and suggests getting special training for tackling rapids on rivers like the Namekogan in northern Wisconsin.

In remembrance of his enduring love of the outdoors, the department goes on an annual hike in the fall at Devil’s lake to connect with each other and nature as well as welcome new graduate students.

These natural perks, though, are just a bonus when it comes to the university itself. Bird emphasized a core strength of UW-Madison—the friendly and collaborative relationships between professors and students, both undergraduate and graduate. This creates an environment where the joy of learning and the fun of exploring truly thrive. Additionally, it’s just as important to facilitate collaboration across different departments, a quality that has profoundly shaped CBE and its contributions to various fields.

Exploring different interests and collaboration

Professor Bird’s own career perfectly shows this spirit of exploration beyond traditional boundaries. Even with his PhD in chemistry, he was hired by Professor Olaf A. Hougen to teach chemical engineering. This highlights Hougen’s foresight and recognition of overlapping expertise. Bird’s admiration for Hougen as an exceptional teacher and book author stemmed from his own experience as a graduate student taking Hougen’s advanced thermodynamics course.

As a faculty member, Bird actively worked with colleagues in Engineering Mechanics on research, which led to the creation of the Rheology Research Center. This was a truly interdisciplinary effort, bringing together people from Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, and Chemical Engineering. Perhaps even more surprisingly, Bird collaborated with a professor in the German Department to write a textbook about Dutch literature. Later, he teamed up with Ed Daub on several books, translating technical Japanese.

This kind of wandering outside one’s usual field is not always allowed in academic settings. The current Dean of the College of Engineering, Bob Marshall, not only encouraged his work but even offered to publish some of it through the Engineering Experiment Station. This kind of support from the Dean pleased Bird when he ventured beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries.

This supportive culture also extended to the creation of what would become a cornerstone in chemical engineering: the Transport Phenomena textbook. In 1957, when Bird, along with Warren Stewart and Edwin “Ed” Lightfoot, began working on the first edition of this groundbreaking textbook, they received the full support and encouragement of their department. Bird points out how remarkable it was that he and Lightfoot had only joined the department in 1953, and Stewart in 1955. They were still early in their academic career, yet these three “youngsters” were empowered to make a major change in the curriculum with the department’s full approval. “This level of trust and freedom would be rare in many other departments,” recalls Bird.

A department of innovation and leadership

The CBE department has a long-standing history of being “unusual,” as Bird says. “We are the only chemical engineering department to grow out of the Electrical Engineering department.” CBE’s first chairman, Charles Burgess—who later founded the Burgess Battery Co.—came from electrical engineering and recognized the critical role of chemistry in battery production. This historical connection is reflected in the department’s curriculum, which, until relatively recently, included a required course in electrochemistry.

The department was also a trailblazer in integrating the biosciences into chemical engineering, notably when Hougen hired Ed Lightfoot for that purpose, tasking him with developing a biochemical research and education program. Bird also states the department was among the first to offer courses in kinetics and process control, further solidifying its reputation for innovation.

Beyond its own advancements, CBE has been a breeding ground for leaders who went on to establish and shape other prominent chemical engineering departments across the country. UW-Madison alumni Charles Mann and Alan Colburn founded Chemical Engineering Departments at the University of Minnesota and University of Delaware, respectively. Another alum, Charles Wilke became the first chemical engineering professor at the University of California-Berkeley, among others. These significant contributions are explored in more detail in the department’s Centennial History, a book that Hougen and Bird wrote together themselves.

Global impact and enduring traditions

The impact of CBE extends beyond national borders. The department has produced many industrial leaders, whose achievements are highlighted in the book, 100 Years of Chemical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin. Furthermore, the department has actively promoted the idea of foreign travel and teaching abroad, building strong connections with universities in other countries and encouraging exchanges of faculty and students. A great example is Fernando Garcia Roël, who earned his MS at UW-Madison and later became president of the Tecnológico de Monterrey in Mexico. In 1979, he received an honorary doctorate from UW-Madison. For many years, a successful exchange program flourished between UW-Madison and Monterey, showing the department’s commitment to global engagement.

Throughout the years, CBE has also participated in many international sessions of CBE 424: Operations and Process Laboratory, familiarly known as Summer Lab. Currently, international sessions are offered in Limerick, Ireland and Oviedo, Spain. In previous years, sessions have been held in Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Vienna, and London.

Bob Bird’s reflections paint a vivid picture of a department that has not only shaped the field of chemical engineering but also provided a unique and supportive academic home for its faculty and students. Thinking back on his long and rewarding time at UW-Madison, Professor Bird expressed deep satisfaction before he passed. His hope for the future was that the department continues to uphold its traditions of innovation, collaboration, interdisciplinary thinking, and a supportive environment that truly fosters the joy of learning.

What aspect of UW-Madison Chemical and Biological Engineering Department history or current initiatives are you most interested in learning more about? Feel free to send your thoughts to che@che.wisc.edu.

---