Congratulations to University of Utah chemical engineering professor John McLennan, who was honored with the American Rock Mechanics Association’s (ARMA) Distinguished Service Award, given to those members who have volunteered their time and expertise to further the services provided by ARMA.
McLennan was honored during the group’s annual Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium in June, which was held online due to the pandemic.
McLennan received his bachelor’s degree in geological engineering and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in civil engineering, all from the University of Toronto. Since then, he has worked in both academia and industry for more than 40 years, including as an engineer at TTI Geotechnical Resources Ltd and Dowell Schlumberger Inc. He was Executive Vice President at both TerraTek, Inc. and Advantek International Corporation. He was also technical director for ASRC Energy Services E & P Technology in Anchorage, Alaska. During that time in industry, he worked on projects concerned with coalbed methane recovery, rock mechanical properties determinations, produced water and drill cuttings reinjection, as well as casing design issues related to compaction.
He became a senior research scientist for the University of Utah’s Energy & Geoscience Institute in 2008 and joined the U as an associate professor in chemical engineering a year later. He also has an appointment in the U’s Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. His research focuses on optimized gas production from shales and unconsolidated formations, fluid-rock interactions, geothermal energy recovery, in-situ microbial generation of natural gas and high temperature rock testing.
He is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Society of Professional Well Log Analysts and served on ARMA’s Board of Directors, of which he is a past president.
The American Rock Mechanics Association is a professional engineering and scientific society of specialists, practitioners, scholars, and educators in rock mechanics and geomechanics.