Remembering Janet deGrazia: her unexpected journey to chemical engineering

Janet deGrazia teaching chemical and biological engineering students in 2015.

Janet deGrazia once hiked a steep trail in a dress and heels, proving wrong a professor who doubted she could keep up.

The story, told by Professor Ted Randolph, who served as deGrazia’s PhD advisor, offers a glimpse into the personality of the longtime CU Boulder chemical and biological engineering educator and teaching professor emerita, who died June 12.

During a bioengineering retreat in Estes Park, deGrazia, then a graduate student, had dressed professionally to present her research, not realizing a hike would immediately follow. When a visiting professor remarked that “that girl in heels” wouldn’t be able to keep up, the athlete in deGrazia emerged.

She invited him to hike with her, then stayed just ahead as the trail grew steeper, cheerfully asking questions while he became too winded to answer. He eventually dropped out; deGrazia finished the hike.

That same determination, wit and humor would characterize a career devoted to teaching and mentoring generations of chemical engineering students.

Atypical path

Janet deGrazia, New York City’s first female auxiliary firefighter, pictured in a 1974 Sun-Times article.

 

Long before becoming a teaching professor in chemical and biological engineering, deGrazia pursued several extraordinary paths, said her husband, Hans Funke, who now holds a retiree appointment with Randolph. At 19, while still in college, she became certified as the first auxiliary female firefighter in New York City. After graduating, she started her career as a researcher for the BBC, an opportunity that arose after successfully participating in two TV game shows. She eventually joined HBO where she worked for 10 years as a program manager. 

A significant turning point in her life came when she moved to Boulder in the 1980s to compete for a spot in the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials.

Although she did not achieve that dream, her work with the CU Boulder track team led her to Klaus Timmerhaus, then a professor of chemical engineering. That encounter would ultimately shape the next chapter of her career, said Distinguished Professor Rob Davis, who bonded with deGrazia over their shared love of running.

Although deGrazia’s undergraduate degree was in art history, Timmerhaus encouraged her to enroll in his undergraduate chemical engineering course. The experience inspired her to pursue graduate studies in chemical engineering, earning a master’s degree in polymer science with Distinguished Professor Christopher Bowman as her advisor, followed by a PhD in applied thermodynamics with Randolph. 

“I had doubts whether she had the background to succeed,” Bowman said. “But Janet committed herself to learning the material at a high level and proved she could excel. That’s how she was about everything — once she set her mind to something, she made it happen.”

In 1991, deGrazia met her future husband. At the time, she was taking graduate classes, while Funke was a postdoc at CU Boulder working with Professor Rich Noble. They married in 1992, and their daughter, Isabella, was later born in Germany while Funke was working in the chemical industry.

DeGrazia joined Randolph’s research group in 1994 and earned her PhD in 1998, studying the behavior of surfactants in supercritical carbon dioxide, a fluid widely used in industrial and environmental applications. Her research demonstrated new ways to create stable water-carbon dioxide mixtures, advancing the understanding of environmentally friendly chemical processes, Randolph said.

“Pursuing a PhD in chemical engineering despite having an undergraduate degree in art history spoke to her fearlessness,” he said. “To complete her doctorate, Janet not only conducted her PhD research but also took undergraduate chemical engineering courses to fill gaps in her engineering background missed as a fine arts major.”

Demanding and devoted

Janet deGrazia competing in a triathlon in this undated photo.

DeGrazia joined the CU Boulder’s Integrated Teaching and Learning Program as an instructor before becoming a teaching professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering.

She served as an instructor in the department from 2002 to 2019, often teaching large foundational classes with enrollments of up to 400 students, including freshman chemistry. 

Throughout her time in the department, she consistently received overwhelmingly positive feedback from students, earned numerous teaching and mentoring awards and published articles in educational journals and conference proceedings.

“Janet was considered a very tough professor but she always looked for ways to help her students succeed,” Davis said. “For example, she frequently taught the junior-level core course in heat transfer. Typically, at least 20 percent of the students did not achieve the passing grade needed to move to the next courses in the curriculum. Rather than see those students delay graduation by a year, Janet created the concept of a ‘second-chance course,’ giving them the opportunity to retake the class over the semester break.”

Bowman said that deGrazia’s most memorable aspect was her commitment to excellence.  

“She would move heaven and earth to help her students,” he said.

Along with Professor John Falconer, deGrazia helped found the LearnChemE online instructional website, for which she recorded hundreds of instructional videos (screencasts). The website has become one of chemical engineering’s most widely used educational resources, with more than 50 million video views and 1 million annual page views. When the two began creating screencasts, there were no instructional videos available for chemical engineering, Falconer said.

With her husband, Hans Funke, after receiving her PhD in
1998.
 

“The screencasts were popular with students because Janet could clearly explain concepts and problem solutions,” Falconer said. “She was enthusiastic about making them and assigning them to her students.”

DeGrazia was especially known for the detailed letters of recommendation she wrote. She spent hours crafting personal letters that highlighted each student's strengths, character and aspirations, Randolph said. 

“Whether a student was applying to law, medical or graduate school or pursuing a career in the chemical industry, her letters explained why that individual was uniquely qualified to succeed,” he said. “Janet's own nontraditional path to engineering shaped how she taught and mentored students. Having learned chemical engineering in ‘catch-up’ mode while pursuing her PhD, she understood the challenges students faced and looked for ways to help them succeed.”

Lasting legacy

In 2019, shortly before she was diagnosed with cancer, deGrazia traveled to Tanzania with her husband and daughter, where they spent eight days hiking Mount Kilimanjaro. DeGrazia became close friends with one of the head guides and stayed in touch after the trip. She later became involved with a foundation to help fund education and career opportunities for the porters.

“She always came up with ideas,” Funke said. “She had a knack for seeing what could be done and finding the right way to do it.”

For several years after her diagnosis, deGrazia volunteered as a telephone advisor for the Pancreatic Cancer Network, providing support and guidance to newly diagnosed patients while undergoing treatment herself.

During the years she taught at CU Boulder, she also gave freely to her colleagues, said Associate Teaching Professor Carolyn Kohlmeier, who called deGrazia an “extraordinary mentor.”

Janet deGrazia at the 19,341-foot summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2019, shortly before her cancer diagnosis.

“She was generous with her time, ideas and encouragement,” Kohlmeier said. “I learned so much from watching how she approached both teaching and mentoring. She cared deeply about helping students become not only good engineers, but thoughtful, responsible and curious people.”

Kohlmeier said deGrazia’s high expectations came from a genuine belief in her students’ abilities, and many continued to reach out years after graduating to share news of their careers and thank her for the impact she had on their lives.

“I hope people remember her not only for her excellence in the classroom, but for the lasting impact she had on so many people,” Kohlmeier said. “Her influence will continue to be felt through the countless students and colleagues whose lives she touched.

“I feel incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from her. Janet meant so much to me.”

Janet deGrazia’s celebration of life will be held at the Koenig Alumni Center on the CU Boulder campus on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 1-4 p.m. Her full obituary can be found on Ever Loved.