On April 16, Dr. James Holste, senior professor and professor emeritus in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, was presented the prestigious Donald L. Katz Award by the GPA Midstream Association (formerly the Gas Processors Association).
The Donald L. Katz Award recognizes outstanding work in industry science and educational excellence in the classroom. Holste was presented the award during the GPA Midstream Association’s 97th annual convention in Austin, Texas.
Holste, who retired from full-time teaching in 2017, has more than 42 years of service at Texas A&M. He was the first associate department head in the chemical engineering department and the first associate director of the Office of Graduate Studies at Texas A&M. He also served as assistant dean and assistant agency director for research in the engineering program, and later as associate dean for graduate studies and international programs in the Texas A&M College of Science. He spent seven years in Doha, Qatar, during the start-up of Texas A&M University at Qatar, serving initially as the first associate dean for academic affairs, and later as the first associate dean for research and graduate studies.
Holste previously received the Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Research, and he was a member of the inaugural group of TEES Senior Fellows. He also received an Outstanding Alumnus Award from Concordia University–Nebraska. He served for three decades on the American Society of Mechanical Engineers/ American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Joint Committee on Thermophysical Properties, for nine years on the board of directors of the Concordia University System, and nine years as a member of the working group on Thermophysical Properties of Refrigerants of the International Energy Agency.