William S Hammack
- Grainger Distinguished Chair in Engineering and Professor
(217) 244-4146
109 Roger Adams Laboratory
Develops pioneering new media to explain engineering to the public—his “EngineerGuy” videos on YouTube have been viewed nearly seventy million times.
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Biography
Bill Hammack is a Professor of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois, where he has pioneered new and novel approaches to engineering outreach. He is the creator and host of the popular YouTube channel engineerguyvideo. From 1999 to 2006 he created a groundbreaking series of over 200 pieces for public radio that described what engineers do, why they do it and how. His outreach work has been recognized by The National Association of Science Writer’s Science in Society Award; the American Chemical Society’s Grady-Stack Medal, and the American Institute of Physics’ Science Writing Award. His books include Michael Faraday’s The Chemical History of a Candle with Lectures, Teaching Guides and Student Activities (2016), Why Engineers Need to Grow a Long Tail (2011), How Engineers Create the World (2012), Eight Amazing Engineering Stories (2012), and Albert Michelson’s Harmonic Analyzer (2014).
Education
- Ph.D, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1988
- M.S., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, 1986
- B.S., Michigan Technological University, 1984
Research Interests
- Public Outreach and Engineering Literacy
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Books Authored or Co-Authored (Original Editions)
- Why Engineers Need to Grow a Long Tail: A primer on using new media to inform the public and create the next generation of innovative engineers (2010)
- How Engineers Create the World: The Public Radio Commentaries of Bill Hammack (2011)
- Michael Faraday’s The Chemical History of a Candle with Lectures, Teaching Guides and Student Activities. The companion book to the YouTube video series by Bill Hammack and Don DeCoste.
Honors
- Hoover Medal, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 2020
- Ralph Coats Roe Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), 2020
- Carl Sagan Award for the Public Appreciation of Science, Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP), 2019
- First Prize Video Science Online 2011
- Fellow, American Physical Society, 2009
- Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2008
- Jefferson Fellow, United States Department of State, 2005-2006
- Science Writing Award in Broadcast Media, American Institute of Physics, 2004
- Award for Distinguished Literary Contributions Furthering the Public Understanding of the Profession, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers , 2004
- James T. Grady - James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public, American Chemical Society, 2004
- Silver Reel for National News & Commentary, The National Federation of Community Broadcasters, 2003
- The President's Award, American Society for Engineering Education, 2003
- Science in Society Award, National Association of Science Writers, 2002
- Service to Society Award, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, 2002
- Edwin F. Church Medal, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 2002
- Excellence in Teaching Award, School of Chemical Sciences, University of Illinois, UC, 2001
- The Advisor's List - top 10% of advisors in the College of Engineering, University of Illinois, UC, 1999
- Teacher/Scholar Award, The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, 1993
- ACS/Exxon Fellowship in Solid State Chemistry, American Chemical Society, 1992