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Dr. Shirley TsaiProfessor |
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Shirley C. Tsai, Professor of Chemical Engineering, received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from National Taiwan University in 1963 (Summa cum laude) and her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from California Institute of Technology in 1969. She was with industrial research centers (Gulf R & D Company in Pittsburgh, PA and Occidental Research Center in Irvine, CA) for ten years prior to joining California State University at Long Beach (CSULB) as Professor in 1983. She has conducted basic research on atomization and rheology for the past 24 years through the sponsorships of National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Energy (DOE), National Institute of Health (NIH), National Science Council and Academia Sinica, Taiwan. She has published one single-authored topical volume on "Fundamentals of Coal Beneficiation and Utilization," Coal Science and Technology Series, Vol. 2, 375 pp, the Elsevier Scientific Publishing (1982), and 75 research papers in the areas of ultrasonic atomization, Taylor-mode jet breakup, two-fluid atomization of coal water slurries, rheology of concentrated dispersions, radiation chemistry, and molecular spectroscopy. She holds 12 U.S. Patents on atomization, coal liquefaction, coal gasification, and shale oil recovery.
Professor Tsai's current research focuses on novel Silicon-Based Megahertz (MHz) Ultrasonic Atomizers (Nozzles) for production of monodisperse droplets and particles. Monodisperse particles/droplets 1 to 6 µm in diameter are ideal to efficiently target medicines to different locations within the respiratory system depending on the site of disease, or to the alveolar capillary bed to maximize systemic absorption. The silicon-based 3-Fourier horn 1.0 MHz ultrasonic nozzles, being pursued under an NIH Grant and shown capable of producing 4.1 - 4.5 µm-diameter monodisperse droplets, could be used to produce droplets or particles of advanced medicines such as proteins and peptides. Thus, the nozzles will allow efficient, targeted delivery of reproducible doses to the respiratory system for local effect. Such targeted delivery can facilitate rapid drug absorption into the blood stream and alleviate adverse side effects resulting from excess dosage associated with undesirable droplet or particle sizes. Since heat and mass transfer can be better controlled in such monodisperse droplets, these MHz ultrasonic nozzles could also be used to produce monodisperse micro- and nano-sized particles for drug preparation applications including micro encapsulation. The research also contributes significantly to the scientific advancement and technical development of high-frequency ultrasonic atomization.
Dr. Tsai is a member of American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), American Institute of Physics Society of Rheology, Materials Research Society (MRS), and International Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems (ILASS). She received 1987-88 CSULB Distinguished Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity Award and TRW Excellence in Teaching Award, 1993 and 1997 CSULB Associated Engineering Students Body Outstanding Faculty Award, and 2007 UCI-ISIS Best Poster Paper Award. She was a visiting scholar of Academia Sinica, Taiwan (1999 – 2003) and an honorary consulting professor of Hua-Chung University of Science and Technology, China (1996 -).
