By: Simin Mehrabani
Every year, the AIChE Annual Meeting gathers thousands of Chemical Engineers from all around the globe and provides an excellent platform for knowledge transfer. The attendees are from both academia and industry ranging from undergraduate students and post-doctoral scholars to professors and professional engineers. The effort of Young Professionals (YPs) is an integral part of the meeting; through sponsoring and co-sponsoring different sessions as well as giving talks at other sessions. Let’s hear from four of the AIChE YPs about their contributions to the 2015 AIChE Annual Meeting.
I am Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology. My soft nanomaterials lab focuses on drug delivery and bioremediation of organic waste contaminants from the aquatic ecosystems. I plan to teach at RIT, develop new courses and recruit undergraduate researchers in my research and have them present at AIChE meetings
2. What is your level of involvement at the 2015 AIChE Annual Meeting and why you choose this conference to present your work at?
I am the programming chair for YPC for the 2015 Annual conference. I am giving a presentation titled “Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA) of Zinc Nitrate-Doped Polyvinylidene Fluoride Substrate for Sensor Applications” at Inhomogeneous session. Additionally I am also the co-chair for the Young faculty forum sponsored by Chemical Engineering Education Division and co-chair for the Molecular Modeling in Solid Form Design session.
3. What are the aims that you think you will achieve after attending the 2015 AIChE Annual meeting?
I am looking forward to attend research talks related to my interest, meet new people and explore opportunity of collaborations. The most important thing that I look for at the annual meetings is to catch up with my research advisors, former lab mates and faculty. I also have great time hanging out with other YPs at the YPS socials.
4. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
Yes, I want to share the benefits of volunteering for the YPC. I have been actively involved with YPC since Sep 2012 and have been volunteering for many positions at regional and annual meetings. I made great connections, met a lot of people, became visible and all that helped me when I was on the job market.
Victoria Sun
1. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself.
I am currently a fifth year PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering at USC. I work in Andrea Armani’s lab, where my thesis research is focused on developing optical biosensors.
2. What is your level of involvement at the 2015 AIChE Annual Meeting and why did you choose this conference to present your work at?
This year, my abstract, Real-Time Detection of Lipid Bilayer Assembly and Detergent-Initiated Solubilization, was accepted for an oral presentation at the 2015 AIChE Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT. I am looking forward to learning about diverse areas of research and meeting scientists and engineers with whom I might share future collaborations. As someone who works in the area of detection and device fabrication, the technology in my lab can be integrated with technologies in healthcare, such as disease diagnostics and advanced therapeutics. I am also interested in meeting young professionals to gain insight on early careers in industry.
3. What are the aims that you think you will achieve after attending the 2015 AIChE Annual meeting?
I hope that participating in the AIChE annual meeting will enable me to make connections with fellow chemical engineers, and engage in diverse topics of discussion. I am particularly interested in the topical conference, Chemical Engineers in Medicine, and look forward to learning about how chemical engineers can use their training and expertise in healthcare to improve the lives of patients, whether it is through developing medical devices or improving diagnostic tools.
4. Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?
I am also looking forward to the Women’s Initiative Committee luncheon. As a recipient of a WIC Travel Grant, I am very grateful for the organization’s support, and look forward to thanking the members of the WIC and engaging in conversations about how we can encourage STEM education in K-12 grade girls. It will be a great networking opportunity to meet some incredible women and hopefully future mentors!
Kayla Pate
1. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself
My name is Kayla Pate and I am finishing up my last year as a Ph.D. student at the University of South Carolina. I received my B.S. in Chemical Engineering in 2011 from Auburn University where my undergraduate research focused on the development of therapeutic contact lenses with the aim of having tunable controlled release of pharmacologically active chemicals that were embedded within the lenses. I really enjoyed applying chemical engineering to a medical problem. Continuing with that theme, my Ph.D. research has been focused on the amyloid-β protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease. I have identified several dietary compounds that are able to inhibit or alter the aggregation process of amyloid-β, which is central to Alzheimer’s pathogenesis. I am now finishing a study that will determine which of these compounds are most effective at reducing the toxic effect of amyloid-β aggregates in cell culture model. I hope this work will lead to the development of natural therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease. Upon graduation in May, I plan to find a job in industry where I can continue to put my chemical engineering knowledge to work towards making advances in the biomedical and pharmaceutical sector.
2. What is your level of involvement at the 2015 AIChE Annual Meeting and why did you choose this conference to present your work at?
I have always had a great experience at the AIChE conferences. The first national conference I attended was during my senior year as an undergraduate and was also at Salt Lake City. It seems fitting that as I prepare to graduate with my Ph.D., My last conference presentation also be with AIChE at Salt Lake City. I chose to attend this conference because of the variety of research areas within chemical engineering that it showcases. You can also be certain that the leaders in each given research area will be there; offering a chance to both hear what advances they have been making and share your work with them. I also like the networking and career search opportunities that the conference offers. The hospitality suites are great too and not just for the free food, but for the chance to catch up with colleagues from universities from around the world. For this year’s conference, I have been involved with the Young Professional’s Committee with helping to select this year’s recipients of the YPC Travel Grant. I have found this particularly rewarding as someone who is also receiving aid in the form of the AIChE WIC Travel Grant to attend this year’s conference.
3. What are the aims that you think you will achieve after attending the 2015 AIChE Annual meeting?
My aims are probably very similar to most people attending the conference. I would like to share my work with others in the field and get feedback from them. I also enjoy getting to see what others are doing within my area and in completely unrelated areas. In many cases, people are presenting data that has not yet been published, so it is kind of like a behind the scenes sneak peek. Of course, with prospects of graduating in May, I also hope to do a good bit of networking during this conference that will hopefully lead me to some great opportunities down the line.
Colleen Lawlor
1. Tell our readers a little bit about yourself
I am currently a 5th year chemical engineering student at Rochester Institute of Technology in New York. During my undergraduate career, I have completed co-ops doing research for a professor, at a research and technology transfer center for New York State, and at Keurig Green Mountain. I found that research is what excites me the most, so next year I hope to attend graduate school to pursue a PhD. In my last year at RIT, I am serving as the RIT AIChE Vice President, for which I oversee a committee that plans and hosts professional development events for chapter members.
2. What is your level of involvement at the 2015 AIChE Annual Meeting? Explain why you choose this conference to present your work at?
I am attending the AIChE Annual Student Conference as a representative of the RIT AIChE executive board, but I am also presenting my research at the Undergraduate Research Forum at the AIChE Annual Meeting. Last year I presented a poster on previous research at the Undergraduate Student Poster Session, so this year I decided to take on a new challenge and register for an oral presentation. I am excited to be presenting my work in front of both my peers and established professionals in the chemical engineering field.
3. What are the aims that you think you will achieve after attending the 2015 AIChE Annual meeting?
From the Annual Meeting, I would like to make connections with other students and professionals. Specifically, I would like to meet professors and researchers at universities with graduate programs that interest me. I also hope to learn more about the Young Professionals Committee, which I plan to join after graduating in the spring.
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