The Power of Lifelong Learning

Lifelong learning is a valuable tool. It allows us to enhance our understanding of the world around us, it fuels creativity and innovation, it provides opportunities for personal and professional development, and ultimately, it helps us power the POTENTIAL of those around us. Here at Albemarle, a few of our employees have initiated their journey to lifelong learning by serving as adjunct professors at Southern Arkansas University (SAU).

R&T Advisor, Dr. Ali Dadgar, and Engineer, Dr. Avery Rose both serve as adjunct engineering professors in SAU's Department of Engineering and Physics. Dadgar began teaching Mass Transfer, Industrial Safety, and Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering in Fall of 2017. Rose joined in Spring of 2019, to teach Properties of Materials and Fluid Dynamics. “I am tremendously proud of the SAU Engineering program and the impact SAU Engineering has had on the students, industry, and southwest Arkansas community. The students and faculty at SAU are top notch. I am proud to teach at SAU and look forward to a long and prosperous adventure together," said Dr. Dadgar.

Developing the Southwest Arkansas science and engineering workforce is crucial to the community. That is one reason the school relies heavily on employing high-quality, experienced teachers. "Math, science, and engineering can be learned from textbooks, yet for most people classroom instruction is much more effective. The concepts are difficult, meaning lots of motivation and technical explanation is required. The students want to know their education will be practical beyond the classroom and because we are practicing engineers, we can show them," said Dr. Rose.

2019 was a milestone year for SAU and a proud moment for contributing Albemarle personnel as the SAU bachelor's degree program in engineering received accreditation from the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. The recent, successful, accreditation review positively cited increased industry involvement, and recognized the retention of two, local-industry, adjunct professors.

Pictured above:
Front Row: Left to Right: Trey Berry, SAU President; Jason Bevan, Albemarle Magnolia Plant Manager; Avery Rose, Albemarle Magnolia R&T Engineer and SAU Adjunct Professor
Back Row: Left to Right: Josh Kee, SAU Vice President for Advancement; Lionel Hewavitharana, SAU Associate Professor of Engineering; Mahbub Ahmed, SAU Associate Professor of Engineering; David Lanoue, SAU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor of Political Science; John Harden, Albemarle Magnolia R&T Sr. Manager; Sam Heintz, SAU Chair, Department of Engineering & Physics, Associate Professor of Engineering; Alireza Dadgar, Albemarle Magnolia R&T Advisor and Adjunct Professor; Abdel Bachri, Dean, College of Science and Engineering, Professor of Physics