Engineering professor, author, and now editor: Don Visco to lead scholarly journal into the future

12/05/2019

Engr_Dr.Visco

Dr. Donald Visco, UA chemical engineering professor, was recently named editor of Chemical Engineering Education, the premier journal targeting educators in chemical engineering.

“After a national search, Don Visco was selected because of his experience as a well-respected and engaged leader in the chemical engineering education community,” says Dr. Milo Koretsky, Chemical Engineering Education Publications Board Chair and Professor at Oregon State University. “I look forward to Don’s leadership and passion as the journal adapts to the opportunities and challenges of publishing in the internet era.”

Dr. Visco has previously published articles in the journal as well as held junior editorial roles. He will continue with his professiorial duties at UA while providing this service as editor.   

Chemical Engineering Education is quarterly journal serving the needs of the international community since 1962. More recently, a digital version to complement the print version has been made available. The publication is subscriber based and has readers in 30 countries around the globe.

“In the short term, I would like to increase access to the journal,” says Dr. Visco. “Getting this information in the hands of chemical engineering faculty across the world can help them in how they teach and in the assignments they provide, which can help improve the preparation of both undergraduate and graduate students for their careers in the long run.”

Dr. Visco remembers reading articles from Chemical Engineering Education nearly twenty years ago and the impact they had on his career. “Whether they were ‘teaching tips’ I could use right away in the classroom or more provocative, long form articles about the future of our discipline, Chemical Engineering Education was the ‘go to’ source for this information,” comments Dr. Visco. “It is truly an honor to be selected to lead such a journal into the future.”

As the editor, Dr. Visco’s role ranges from increasing the subscriber base and managing finances, to overseeing the editorial team and making final acceptance decisions on submitted papers, along with other duties. The journal follows the traditional formula where researchers submit articles and, after peer-review, the editorial team makes a decision on whether an article will be published.

Dr. Visco has been with The University of Akron since 2011. His research interests include computer-aided molecular design, virtual high-throughput database screening, thermodynamics, and education. Among other honors, he  is a Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education and recently won the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Award for Service to Chemical Engineering Education. Dr. Visco has co-authored a textbook for undergraduates called Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics.

The new position began this November and will last three years with opportunities to serve additional terms.


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