John R. Dorgan, one of the newest endowed chair holders on campus, is an expert in polymeric materials and a nationally recognized leader in developing composite materials for manufacturing.
Thanks to a 2014 gift, Dorgan is the first David L. and Denise M. Lamp Endowed Chair in Chemical Engineering at MSU.
Dorgan came from the Colorado School of Mines, where he guided a successful effort to organize C2B2—an industry-sponsored research center involving four institutions. He also served as a technical lead for the federal Institute for Advanced Composite Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), developing composite materials for wind turbines.
MSU is a key partner in IACMI with an emphasis on lightweighting to improve performance and reduce costs.
“In my project, we are trying to drive down costs by reducing the time it takes to mold a turbine blade; at the same time, we are developing new resin systems that make the wind turbines easier to recycle,” says Dorgan. He has received more than $10 million in research funding from federal sources and is a past president of the Bioenvironmental Polymer Society.
President Lou Anna K. Simon notes that endowed chairs are helping MSU to accelerate its impact on campus and beyond. “Endowed chairs enable us to build a base of highly regarded faculty who are considered leaders in research and teaching,” she says. “There is a ripple effect as these stellar faculty members help us to attract the brightest students. We are profoundly thankful to Dave and Denise Lamp for investing in our students and for advancing our college in such significant ways.”
Dorgan will be celebrated at MSU’s 2017 faculty investiture ceremony with a cohort of endowed faculty recruited to MSU this year.
Read another story about Empower Extraordinary impact