The Daily Gamecock

USC professor awarded highest honor in engineering field

The top of Capstone glowed a vibrant garnet Feb. 13 not in the spirit of Valentine's Day but in recognition of Professor John Monnier of the Chemical Engineering Department here at USC. Monnier is the first USC professor to be awarded the highest honor in the field of engineering, election to the National Academy of Engineering, for his work with heterogeneous catalysis. He is one of 84 engineers nominated and chosen by current NAE members this year and will be inducted to the group in Washington, D.C., this October. 

Monnier retired from his work at Eastman Chemical in 2004 and soon after accepted a job at USC with the goal of educating students about working in the industrial side of engineering.

"I really thought the field of catalysis in particular needed students with a little bit different background," Monnier said.

His goal was to help students prepare for working outside of a classroom setting. He entered into university life as a retired research fellow with years of experience in his line of work. However, he approached the new chapter of his life with caution.

"I had no idea what to expect because I was in industry. I had no idea whether I would be welcome in an academic setting," Monnier said on his decision to begin teaching. "I thought, 'well, if I don't like this in two or three years, I'll just leave.' You know, nothing festive."

That was 13 years ago, and Monnier still expresses enthusiasm for his job here.

"It's been marvelous, you know, it's invigorating. I'm 69 and I'm more excited about what I do now than I was yesterday and the day before that," he said.

When asked about his prestigious award, he admitted that it came as a total surprise.

"I got this thing from the national academy of engineering and I thought this is a joke or it's fake," he said. "I was very surprised and I think maybe that makes it even better." 

Despite earning such an impressive award, Monnier asserted that he doesn't want to slow down now. The Illinois-born professor attributed his desire to continue working hard to his upbringing, saying, "That's maybe my Midwestern farmboy mentality."

He recalled a conversation with a colleague from Iowa about people from the Midwest.

"We automatically have the feeling that somebody gives us a dollar, we should give them back a dollar fifty in effort," Monnier said.

Among other pieces of wisdom which he wishes to impart on his students — including being open to working in industry and not choosing a job based on initial salary — he emphasized the value of hard work.

"You need to work smarter, longer and harder than those around you if you really want to be successful; whether it's in industry or in academia, don't have the illusion that it's going to become easy," hsaid. "In fact, it's probably going to be harder but you're going to find that you enjoy it more."


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