Faculty Q+A: Jeffrey Catchmark, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Name: Jeffrey Catchmark 

Position: Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering.

Education: Lehigh University (Ph.D Electrical Engineering, 1995), The Pennsylvania State University (B.S. Electrical Engineering, 1990) 

Web sites: 

http://www.abe.psu.edu/facstaff/catchmark.htm

http://www.mri.psu.edu/directory/displayrecord/1102.asp

http://live.psu.edu/tag/Catchmark

Where are you from?
I was born in Anaheim, Calif., but lived most of my life in Minersville, Pa., in Schuylkill County. 

What exactly do you teach at Penn State?
I teach BE 303: Structural Systems in Agriculture, will teach BE 489: Biological Engineering Design starting in the spring, and am working on a graduate course in biologically derived nanomaterials. 

How did you find yourself at Penn State?
I worked in industry for ~9 years before joining PSU. I accepted a position as associate director of the Penn State Nanofabrication Facility in 2000 and became the head of the facility in 2003. Given my interest in agriculturally derived materials, I applied for a tenure-track position in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering in 2007 and have been an associate professor there since.  

What is your role with the agricultural college? 
I have a 75 percent research / 25 percent teaching appointment. I conduct research on cellulose synthesis, microbial cellulose production, cellulose nanocomposites and proteins which bind cellulose. Applications of my research include paper and packaging materials, but I also work with microbial cellulose for wound care and tissue engineering applications. I discussed my teaching above. 

How/why did you get involved? 
This is a good question and a bit of a story. My Ph.D. and work in industry focused on semiconductor optoelectronics. I designed, fabricated and tested multiple quantum well AlGaAs semiconductor lasers, laser arrays and detectors.

When I came to Penn State I was in charge of a nanofabrication facility which under funding from the National Science Foundation was responsible for not only supporting nationally nanoscale research, but also identifying disciplines which could benefit from new and emerging nanotechnologies. After a bit of searching, I became familiar with the forest products industry and the scope of their materials usage, which is derived entirely from wood.

I discovered the use of nanotechnologies was practically nonexistent in this industry, even though its wood feedstock is one of the most interesting and certainly most abundant nanomaterial made on earth. I also learned about the beautiful and yet not understood process for cellulose synthesis, and its importance to our society as not only a material but as a feedstock for biofuels. I was struck by the enormous impact advancement in this field could have on our environment. For example, if one could take 1/2 the cellulose fiber out of paper (without changing its mechanical and printing properties), we could save each year the harvesting of ~2 billion trees, 250 billion gallons of water, half of all the chemicals used in processing wood into paper, and ~1.2 percent of all energy used in the United States.

Motivated by such challenges, I began learning a new discipline: biological engineering, with a focus on cellulose. I found myself having a unique perspective into this area, having not a biology background but a background in nanofabrication processing and device design. I have never enjoyed my work more and am hopeful my efforts can have some positive influence in this field, both in research and education. 

What other projects/research have you been involved in throughout your career?
I have had the benefit of working on many different projects both in industry and here at Penn State. While working at the Penn State Nanofabrication Facility, the laboratory supported more than 2,000 unique users involved in over 700 projects from 180 institutions external to Penn State, including 90 companies.

I was involved in many of these projects helping students, faculty and company researchers use nanofabrication processing techniques to produce a wide array of structures and devices. I have worked on projects ranging from biochips to photonic crystals to piezoelectric transducers to imaging enzymes to fabricating optical filters for identifying planets orbiting distant stars. It has been really exciting!

Where is the best spot to see the trees changing color?
Happy Valley, of course!

What\’s your secret downtown office?
I like Panera Bread and the Green Bowl, but more often if I need to read away from my office I will go to the Diamond Deli in Bellefonte. It’s a great place and a bit historic also!

What is your favorite sport at Penn State? 
Hockey. My son and I are hockey fans. We love the Penguins and the Icers!

What do you do for fun?
I like spending time with my family most. It doesn’t matter what we are doing. I also like architecture. I have designed several homes (none has been built) and am very interested in sustainable architecture. In terms of style, I like modern minimalism best.