Texas Tech University

Distinguished Engineer Citations

                 
Distinguished Engineer Photo: William W. Akers, Ph.D.
William W. Akers, Ph.D.

William W. Akers, Ph.D.

Distinguished Engineer

1967

Degree

Chemical Engineering – 1943

 

Citation

At Time of Nomination in 1967

William W. Akers, a 1943 graduate of Texas Tech with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering, has become widely known and respected for his outstanding achievement as an engineer, educator, and scientist.

The thirst for knowledge which has characterized his career progression took him, immediately after his Texas Tech days, to the University of Texas where, in 1944, he was awarded a Master of Science degree. Later, in 1950, he received his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Michigan. His career has carried him to such distant places as Kabul, Afghanistan, and to such nearby places as a sister university within the state of Texas. Dr. Akers is presently a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering and is director of the Biomedical Laboratory at Rice University in Houston.

Dr. Akers’ research interests and activities are wide ranging, covering such areas as cryogenics, chemistry, metallurgy, water pollution and heat transfer. Some of his most outstanding work has been in the application of fluid flow and transport phenomena to the human body’s complex blood system, particularly to the heart. He has also made especially noteworthy scientific contributions as a member of the Board of Directors of the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies. He has announced the findings of his research to the professionals through a list of scholarly scientific publications which number in excess of thirty–five.

Dr. Akers has also been generous in the sharing of his experience and his knowledge by serving in the membership or as chairman of a large number of professional committees and organizations. In addition to this, he has membership in Sigma Xi and Tau Beta Pi.

It is a privilege and a pleasure for Texas Tech University’s College of Engineering to select this outstanding alumnus for honor and recognition. William W. Akers is declared to be a DISTINGUISHED ENGINEER.

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