The 2008 J. C. Smith Lecture series was given on April 21st and 22nd by Carol K. Hall, Camille Dreyfus Professor at North Carolina State The subjects of her two talks were: "Thermodynamic and Kinetic Origins of Alzheimer's and Related Diseases: A Chemical Engineers Perspective" and "Self Assembly of Dipolar Particles: Designing Smart Materials Using Computer Simulation."
Hall received her B.A. in physics from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in physics from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. A member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the American Physical Society, Hall was one of the first women to be appointed to a chemical engineering faculty (Princeton University, 1977) and has been an inspiration and mentor for many women faculty in the United States. She joined the Chemical Engineering Department at North Carolina State University in 1985.
Hall’s research focuses on applying statistical thermodynamics and molecular-level computer simulation to topics of chemical, biological or engineering interest involving macromolecules or complex fluids. Current research activities include modeling of: polymer adsorption on heterogeneous surfaces, self assembly of dipolar colloidal particles, self assembly of nanoparticles for the delivery of cancer drugs, solid-fluid phase equilibria, hybridization of DNA on microarrays, and the formation of fibrils and other molecular aggregates of peptides and proteins.
The 2009 Smith Lecture was suspended due to the Olin Hall renovation project.