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Voting for next year's AIChE Board of Directors is under way as of September 6th at http://www.aiche.org/election. Have your say and help direct the future of AIChE by voting!
The Young Professionals Committee (YPC) asked potential members of AIChE's board four questions about Young Professionals and AIChE. They were asked to answer two main questions, and were given the option of choosing to respond to additional questions, so you may not see responses from every candidate for every question. Answers are shown in alphabetical order by position and the candidate's last name.
In addition to learning about the candidates here, you can also learn more about candidates and the election process on the AIChE election page. You can also hear from candidates for president-elect in this debate.
Q: Share something about yourself that people in AIChE may not know about you (personal interests, achievements outside of professional life).
For President-Elect
Liese Dallbauman
In 2014, I had the opportunity to visit community water projects in India. I attended water treatment installation celebrations in two villages near Hyderabad, toured newly installed hygiene facilities made possible through microfinance, and participated in several meetings of community help groups. These groups are a key component of the sustainable water resource development model, which combines community interventions for water resource development with livelihood enhancement. An NGO provides technical expertise on hydrology and the community decides what training programs to embark upon. I met farmers who learned advanced cropping techniques, sewing and tailoring groups, and a woman who installed a cookie baking operation in her home.
It’s difficult to imagine not having water on demand, and to understand the step change that occurs when simply getting water is no longer the focal point of the day. Seeing this firsthand made the trip incredibly humbling and inspiring.
Christine Seymour
My daughter Samantha is 17 and going to be a senior in high school — and I’m trying to talk her into studying chemical engineering without success, yet… The husband is also a chemical engineer and the daughter thinks we are old and boring… maybe some YPs would be able to convince her that being a chemical engineer is cool :)
The son is 12 and studied the Physics of Engineering this summer at a Johns Hopkins camp/course and I think we have a good hope of Gavin studying engineering!
Both Samantha and Gavin study ballet and are at the studio every day. Samantha is simply amazing and I forget to breathe when she is on stage. Gavin has figured out that studying ballet is a good gig as he is the only boy in the ballet school and he Snapchats way too many girls…
Also, as we are engineers, almost every room in our house is under construction – we demo’d and re-built the kitchen during the past year and a half and it is almost done, demo’d and rebuilt the hallway and Sam’s bathroom, installed new windows in Sam’s room and next month we are pulling down several of the popcorn ceilings. We have been in the house 12 years and are not close to being done – next on the to-do list are the 1980’s purple and orange bathrooms.
That is all about me – kids, husband, house projects, work, and AIChE — oh, that and I have a little shoe fetish/collection… somehow I seem to always find more shoes that I need :)
For Treasurer
Dennis Griffith
I am a “consummate” volunteer! I enjoy interacting with different groups of people. As previously mentioned, I have served on City Council, and I also have served on various local boards and committees where I could put my chemical engineering and leadership skills to work. These positions included serving on my church’s vestry, as a Planning and Zoning Commissioner, as a member of a fine particulate task force for Houston, and as Vice-Chair of the Regional Air Quality Planning Committee of the Houston-Galveston Area Council. In arts organizations, I have served as the concession sales manager for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society of Houston, and I am active in the Longhorn Alumni Band of The University of Texas at Austin.
Rosemarie Wesson
Something that people in AIChE may not know of me is that one of my favorite TV shows is "The Big Bang Theory." The show resonates with my experiences as both an undergraduate and graduate engineering student. I also enjoy looking at the set in the background of the various scenes. On several occasions I have observed one of my old Physics textbooks (Halliday and Resnick, 1977). It's very recognizable because the cover has a green background with yellow swirls.
For Director
Billy B. Bardin
I am an avid traveler and enjoy experiencing new locations, new cultures, and the history each new place has to offer. I have had the opportunity to live internationally as well visit around 30 different countries with more to go on my bucket list. I have a goal to see all 50 states and I am currently at 49 with only Alaska remaining and I have been fortunate to have visited over half of the U.S. National Parks. The diversity of experiences one can have in our world is nearly limitless compared with the time-scale of our existence.
L. S. Fan
I am very passionate about promoting the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) curriculum in K-12 education. I believe that it is absolutely essential to incorporate a STEM background into early-on educational programs so that more can be stimulated toward the future science and engineering career. Being active in promoting STEM and STEM-related activities has been a focus point of mine throughout my entire educational career. For over two decades, I have participated as a judge for junior high and senior high school, district, regional and state science fairs sponsored by both the state of Ohio and industry. I have mentored several high-school students where they conduct research in my laboratory and compete at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fairs. I was also a writing team leader for the high-school chemistry textbook “Active Chemistry.”
Kate Gawel
I am what they call nowadays a major “foodie.” I love trying new foods, learning about the latest and greatest food trends, baking delicious treats, or throwing a great dinner party. I am also probably one of the most organized and well-read travelers you’ll ever meet which has earned me the nick name of cruise director from my friends. I try to take advantage of any travel opportunity so I can see as much of the world as possible. Last year my sister and I decided to start a lifestyle blog as a way to share my passion for food and entertaining, my sister’s love of fashion, and our shared love of travel. And it’s been an amazing way to use our creativity and push us both to go out of our comfort zone and try new things so that we can share them with our readers!
Zenaida Otero Gephardt
I have served on several boards in my community including the YWCA in Delaware and Girls Inc. of Delaware where I served as Board Chair and started its Delaware Latina Initiative. Helping girls and young women, especially those from less advantaged communities, is an important way to help develop and strengthen our communities and our country. I have focused on helping girls and young women develop through STEM educational activities and opportunities. I received the 2013 YWCA (DE) professional recognition and service to women award and was recognized by Girls Inc. of Delaware with a scholarship in my name awarded to women high school seniors planning to major in a STEM field.
I am most fortunate to be the mother of two young professionals who are people of substance, fun, and strong contributors to their professions and their communities. I enjoy yoga, experimenting with cooking, reading biographies, social commentary and historical fiction, and Latin ballroom dancing (My Salsa is especially good).
Mary Kathryn (Kathy) Lee
I have many, many outside interests. I am a big reader of mysteries, histories, science fiction and poetry. You will never, ever find me with at least one book on my Kindle. My teenagers turned my onto the growing field of graphic novels so I am interested in their story-telling ability.
The last two years, I have given presentations at a humanities conference on Afro-futurism and Post-Modern Noir in Urban Humanities. I think that scientists can give unique perspectives to literature.
My husband plays guitar and I sing at church. I used to do musical theatre in high school and college and I love living next to NYC so I can indulge my love of theatre. And my love of museums. And my love of urban gardens.
I have a 20 year old daughter who, a couple of years ago, was looking for a women's college strong in science so I toured several impressive women's colleges and I feel really good about the strong support that these colleges are giving women in STEM education.
My rising senior son is looking for an engineering college so I am touring a whole different set of colleges and I am very interested in how engineering has changed since my time.
I am in serious competition with my daughter in PokemonGo play (but never while driving). I'll let you know how that goes.
Al Sacco, Jr.
What people may not know about me is I am an avid scuba diver with over 3000 dives around the world. I very good Italian food cook, and I keep my house, my apartment, and my cars immaculate.