The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) is the discipline’s premiere scholarly society; beyond organizing academic work, it also helps set the standard of professional ethics and responsibility for the country’s chemical engineers. The society’s IDEAL commitment — standing for inclusion, diversity, equity, anti-racism, and learning — epitomizes the latter part of its mission.
Each year, AIChE honors an individual or team that has excelled in creating and promoting successful programming under the IDEAL banner.
This year’s “IDEAL Star” award winner is Tony Butterfield, Associate Chair and Professor (Lecturer) in the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering’s Department of Chemical Engineering.
Administered by AIChE’s Societal Impact Operating Council, the IDEAL Star award comes with complimentary registration to an upcoming AIChE conference, an award plaque, and a monetary stipend.
As an AIChE member, Butterfield served as chair of its Societal Impact Operating Counsel in 2022 and is the inaugural chair of AIChE’s LGBTQ+ & Allies Community.
On campus, Butterfield has long served as the advisor to the Department of Chemical Engineering’s Outreach Teams, an undergraduate program that sees students conduct K-12 school visits, create teaching modules, run summer camps, and travel to reach rural communities.