Don Baird, Virginia Tech professor of chemical engineering, is the 2008 recipient of the Jack Breslin Life Achievement Award from the Michigan State University (MSU) Alumni Varsity Club.
This award is presented annually to the Spartan varsity alumnus whose post college career “has brought great honor to himself and by reflection to MSU and its intercollegiate athletic programs,” according to the MSU website.
Baird, an alumnus of MSU, held Academic All American, Academic All Big Ten, and All Big Ten Honors while he was a member of the football team.
Baird was a member of the MSU team when it took the national championship in 1966. He played offensive guard, primarily, but was also a linebacker.
At Virginia Tech he received the Alumni Research Award in 1991 and the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 1998. The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) International Award for Education was presented to Baird in 2002 and SPE’s Research Award in 2003. He also received Virginia Tech's Dean's Award for Excellence in Research in 2002.
Baird who holds the Harry C. Wyatt Professorship of Chemical Engineering, holds research interests in polymer processing and rheology, composite materials and processing and polymeric materials and properties. He is a member of the Virginia Tech Macromolecules and Interfaces Institute.
Baird received his B.S. in chemical and materials engineering from Michigan State University in 1969 and his M.S. in materials and mechanics in 1971. In 1974, Baird received his Ph.D. in engineering science and mechanics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.