Hall of Fame Member Biographies

Edgar A.O'Rear III

A native of Jasper, Alabama, Edgar O’Rear received degrees from MIT and Rice University in chemistry and chemical (biomedical) engineering before joining the faculty of the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering at The University of Oklahoma (OU) in Norman. Professor O’Rear has held a number of administrative positions during his career including Associate Dean for Research, Director of the Biomedical Engineering Program, and Chair of the OU Faculty Senate. He led the effort to obtain and implement a Whitaker Foundation Special Opportunity grant which formed the basis for a new School of Biomedical Engineering at Oklahoma. At the National and state levels, his service activities have included temporary assignment at the National Science Foundation in Washington, DC, and a member of the Faculty Advisory Council to the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. His research focuses on the areas of transport in biomedical systems and surfactants with projects related to blood damage in heart pumps, drug delivery for heart attack and stroke, and advanced textiles. Dr. O’Rear and his students have produced over 150 archival publications and patents. Among a number of international activities, he has taught many times at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and spent summers doing research in Japan at Hitachi Chuken and the national laboratory Riken. His honors include Sigma Xi Research Award, Inventor of the Year, and Regents’ Awards both for Superior Teaching and for Superior Research. He is a fellow of AIChE and AIMBE.