Mark Holtzapple
Mark Holtzapple is a chemical engineering professor at Texas A&M University. His research focuses on technologies that improve sustainability. Life. Childhood. In 1956, Mark Holtzapple was born to Joan Carol and Arthur Robert Holtzapple in Enid, Oklahoma. In his early years, Mark's father was an Air Force pilot, so the family moved frequently. After Enid, his family moved to Dover, Delaware, and then to Japan. In 1961, his father left the Air Force to become an architect and his family returned to the United States to live in York, Pennsylvania. In 1972, the family moved to Bloomington , Minnesota where he graduated from Bloomington Lincoln High School in 1974. Education. In 1978, Mark Holtzapple earned his B.S. in chemical engineering at Cornell University. In 1981, he earned his Ph.D. in chemical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Career. From 1981 to 1985, Mark Holtzapple served in the U.S. Army, mostly stationed at the United States Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, where he rose to the rank of captain. There, he researched water desalination and microclimate cooling, a method to prevent heat stress in soldiers encapsulated in chemical protective clothing. In 1986, he joined the Department  of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. Dr. Holtzapple's research interests include the following: fuels and chemicals from biomass, food and feed processing, water desalination, high-efficiency air conditioning, high-efficiency engines, jet ejectors, compressors, expanders, conversion of waste heat to electricity, high-torque electric motors, and vertical-lift aircraft. Teaching. Dr. Holtzapple currently teaches thermodynamics, unit operations laboratory, foundations of engineering, bioprocess engineering, and seminar. Previously, he has taught introduction to chemical engineering, reaction kinetics, and bioprocess engineering. He co-authored "Foundations of Engineering" and "Concepts in Engineering". Commercialization Activities. Dr. Holtzapple's research has resulted in two  spin-off companies. Earth Energy Renewables. Earth Energy Renewables was founded to commercialize the following technologies: StarRotor Corporation. StarRotor Corporation was founded to commercialize the following technologies: