In 2008, the Young Professionals Advisory Board introduced an "Emerging Leader Award" which provided travel assistance to two outstanding undergraduate AIChE members to attend AIChE's Annual Meeting in Philadelphia. Since that time, the Young Professionals Committee has sponsored Student Travel Grants. These grants provide financial support to AIChE student members who demonstrate outstanding leadership potential to attend the Annual Meeting.
Over the last six years, fifteen undergraduate students who otherwise may not have had the means to attend the meeting have received grants. This has engaged some of AIChE's most involved student leaders in the activities of the institute, enhancing their undergraduate experience and kick-starting their ChemE careers. Here are some voices from two of them(Breanne Muratori and Hope Quintana).
Breanne Muratori
Breanne Muratori, a former chapter president from the University of Connecticut, was awarded the YPC Student Travel Grant to attend the 2011 Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, MN. “Attending that conference largely impacted my remaining undergraduate career and the choices I made after graduation,” Breanne said.
“At the time of the conference, I had been newly elected as the student chapter president at UConn. The conference excited me about the opportunities that AIChE could bring to its student members and I became passionate about bringing those opportunities to my chapter.”
Since graduating from UConn in 2013, Breanne has moved on to Purdue University where she is pursuing her PhD in Biomedical Engineering, thanks in part to her time at AIChE’s Annual Meeting. “Attending the conference broadened my perspectives about research in academia and planted the seed for my interest in a graduate degree.”
She is currently applying her ChemE training to better understand and treat the debilitating after effects of spinal cord injury. “Without the YP travel grant I wouldn't have had access to these career shaping experiences.”
Hope Quintana
The following year in 2012, Hope Quintana was awarded the YPC travel grant to attend AIChE's Annual Meeting in Pittsburgh, PA. “Being awarded the travel grant gave me more independence at the Annual Meeting,” Hope said. “Because of this, I was able to attend more workshops, network with YPs and gain valuable insight into life after student membership with AIChE.”
After serving on her chapter's executive board at New Mexico State University for four years, Hope was not content to have her AIChE involvement end with her undergraduate studies. “Thanks to the grant I was able to network with current YPs on a one-on-one basis. Having the opportunity to discuss ideas and future plans the YPC had is what captured my interest. Being able to talk with YPs about their involvement is what made me apply for a leadership position.”
Hope accepted a position on the YPC as Social Media Coordinator, maintaining the committee's online presence and spreading the word about opportunities that exist for AIChE Young Professionals.
When asked how else the grant affected her AIChE experience, Hope replied “Being a recipient of the travel grant opens more doors for the student. There was time to get to know the YPC leaders more personally and discuss common backgrounds and experiences.”
How To Apply
The YPC Student Travel Grants have afforded Breanne, Hope and our other past winners the opportunity to experience the benefits and impact AIChE has to offer beyond the confines of their home university chapters. The YPC is looking to extend that same opportunity to a new group of students for the seventh consecutive year. Earlier this month, YPC opened applications for Student Travel Grants to attend the 2014 AIChE Annual Meeting in Atlanta, GA. If you are interested in applying or you know of a deserving student, more information can be found here.
The YPC is committed to supporting AIChE's student membership and welcoming them as Young Professionals following graduation. If you are interested in learning more about what the YPC can do to support your student chapter or what opportunities exist for you as a Young Professional, please contact us at ypc@aiche.org.
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