ASU alum Jim Lommen nurtures future engineers

Jim Lommen, ’75 BS in chemical engineering, poses for a photo in a lab. Lommen gives back to Arizona State University via various programs. Notably, he established the James M. Lommen Chemical Engineering Scholarship endowment to support Arizona high school students interested in pursuing chemical engineering. Photographer: Hayley Hilborn/ASU

Alum Jim Lommen’s interest in engineering blossomed when his fifth-grade teacher invited him to a ham radio club. That experience eventually led him to pursue a chemical engineering degree in the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University, then called the College of Engineering Sciences, in the 1970s — a journey that was anything but conventional.

Coming from a single-parent family, financial assistance, such as scholarships, was not as readily available at the time. To pay for his education, Lommen worked tirelessly to balance earning his degree with maintaining a job throughout his time at ASU.

Nonetheless, Lommen says he had a dynamic academic experience in the Fulton Schools, graduating with a degree in chemical engineering in 1975. He participated in four different National Science Foundation work-study projects, where he focused on the chemical extraction of mercury from cinnabar ore. He also used lasers to develop a doppler flow meter, a technology commonly used in chemical processing, water treatment and oil production.

Lommen recalls using an old Universal Automatic Computer, or UNIVAC, to write programs on punch tape, a rare opportunity for students at the time. His geochemistry and geology elective courses allowed him to explore his interest in mining, which became the bedrock for his career.

While his financial circumstances extended his time on campus, Lommen considers his time at ASU especially formative in his life and refers to the university as a home away from home. He went on to have a successful career in mining, working for several companies and later as an independent consultant.

Lommen’s struggles led to a deep passion for enabling younger generations to focus on their education in a way he could not. Inspired by how transformational the hands-on experiences he had at ASU were to him, he wanted to empower current students in the Fulton Schools through similar opportunities.

In 2018, he established the James M. Lommen Chemical Engineering Scholarship endowment to support Arizona high school students interested in pursuing chemical engineering. He also played a key role in starting the general donation fund for the School for Engineering of Matter, Transport and Energy, part of the Fulton Schools.

In September 2022, Lommen started the James M. Lommen Chemical Engineering Endowment to support the chemical engineering program at ASU. Led by David Nielsen, a Fulton Schools professor of chemical engineering, the program hosted the James M. Lommen Chemical Engineering New Alumni Reception in May 2025. The event wouldn’t have been possible without funds from the endowment.

Lommen has had a lasting impact on the chemical engineering program at ASU. His generosity is paving the way for many future chemical engineers to follow in his footsteps in their own distinct ways.

“I want my support to go where it will truly make a difference,” Lommen says. “For instance, in my small town, I see a lot of scholarships going to the top two or three students — not that they don’t deserve them, but there are more students who need a little assistance.”

Through his generosity, Lommen is doing his part to inspire tomorrow’s gamechangers, breaking down barriers and creating opportunities for learners in Arizona and beyond — one of the key pillars of ASU’s Changing Futures campaign, managed by the ASU Foundation for a New American University.

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