Preface: in memoriam

Abstract

When Dr. Milton Mori, the chief editor of this journal, asked me to write a few lines aboutour colleague and friend Dr. Rahoma Sadeg Mohamed, I was touched and yet happy. I wastouched because not enough time had passed for us to resign ourselves to the loss of ourcolleague, and happy because, as a former associate editor of this journal, and a former head and the current vice-head of the Thermal and Fluid Dynamics Department of the School ofChemical Engineering at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP), I would have theopportunity to write about the great contribution of our friend Dr. Mohamed to the ChemicalEngineering community as the professor and the scientist. I've had opportunity to share withhim important moments during his life here in Brazil. Dr. Mohamed came to UNICAMP during my first term as head of the Department in 1991 and last December I presided over thecommittee, which granted him the position of full professor.I would like to make some brief comments about his career. Dr. Mohamed finished highschool in Libya and, at 19, received a government scholarship to study in the U.S. In 1971 hebegan an undergraduate course in chemical engineering at the University of Kansas, which hefinished in the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Working for Exxon in Libya for a few years,he returned to the U.S. to attend a graduate course at Northwestern University, where heremained until 1980. Afterwards he took another graduate course in chemical engineering and petroleum engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, which he finished in 1982. In 1983 hestarted his doctorate at Princeton University, finishing in 1989. In April 1989 he came to Brazil as a visiting professor at the State University of Maringa.Since 1991, Dr. Mohamed has been very active in teaching and research in the Thermal and Fluid Dynamics Department of the School of Chemical Engineering as well as in the Petroleum Engineering Department of the School of Mechanical Engineering at UNICAMP. LastDecember he became a full professor at UNICAMP. He had done much more in many areasthan the minimum required by UNICAMP to attain the highest position in an academic career, such as number of publications in international journals; coordination of research laboratories;management of research projects, supported by both government agencies and industry; andorganization of research groups, seminars and scientific meetings. Of his manyaccomplishments, the following are worthy of mention: supervision of 16 master´s thesis