The YPC Publication Committee has put together a highlight of the YPC members who contributed to the 2015 AIChE Annual Meeting events. The Meeting gathered thousands of chemical engineers from academia and industry to provide an excellent platform for knowledge transfer. Below, we hear from Dr. Anju Gupta about her contributions to the 2015 AIChE Annual Meeting.
Please tell us about your level of involvement in organizing YPC sponsored events at 2015 AIChE Meeting.
I was the programming chair for YPC for the 2015 Annual conference. I gave a presentation titled “Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) of Zinc Nitrate-Doped Polyvinylidene Fluoride Substrate for Sensor Applications” at the Inhomogeneous session. Additionally I was also the co-chair for the Young Faculty Forum sponsored by the Chemical Engineering Education Division and co-chair for the Molecular Modeling in Solid Form Design session.
Did you organize a session? What was the aim of the session? How well do you think the session’s goal was accomplished?
Yes I co-organized the Young Faculty Forum. The aim was to have a list of speakers – young successful faculty, department heads, deans, and NSF program officers – to share tips to succeed as a young beginning faculty member.
How many people attended your session? How would you describe the attendees? Did they ask good and thought-provoking questions?
Twenty. The attendees were assistant professors. There was a lot of question/answer, group break up activity time.
Do you recommend organizing this session in the next meeting? Is there anything that you would add/change to improve the session?
Yes I recommend this session for next year. I would like to change the day and move it earlier in the conference week.
What do you think about your overall experience organizing this event as far as its effect on your professional skills?
It was a good experience. I enjoyed the process of inviting people, lining up the talks, working with them on their presentations. I also made a lot of connections.
Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
These opportunities are a great way to make new connections to propel your career and get noticed if you are looking for positions. AIChE staff is wonderful and supportive.
Dr. Anju Gupta is an assistant professor of chemical engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology