Hall of Fame Member Biographies

Kenneth E. Starling

The purposes of the institutions of higher education in Oklahoma are to be of service to the citizens of the state, to educate and prepare youth for advances in all fields of human endeavor, and to push beyond the limits of existing knowledge and set new standards. Few individuals in Oklahoma have done more of the research mission than Kenneth E. Starling. Earning degrees in chemical engineering from Texas A&I and the Illinois Institute of Technology, Professor Starling came to the University of Oklahoma in 1966 and taught there for nearly three decades. He has been active both in academic areas as well as in the gas industry, being the founder of his own company, Starling Associates, Inc. He has authored more than 100 articles and a book. Among the many honors bestowed upon him are the George Lynn Cross Research Professorship, the Cedomir Sliepcevich Professor of Chemical Engineering, the 2003 Gas Processors Association’s Don Katz Award for outstanding accomplishments, the Mid-America State Universities Association (MASUA ) Honor Lectureship in 1977-78, and the OU College of Engineering Award for Outstanding Faculty Achievement in Research (1981); he was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in 1996. In research, his eminence was made international by having two equations bear his name: the Carnahan-Starling equation of state and the Benedict-Webb-Rubin-Starling equation of state. As a measure of their importance, they have been cited in the technical literature 3,300 times. For this magnificent performance, the Society is proud to induct Kenneth E. Starling into the Higher Education Hall of Fame.