Meet Nora Buggy — Featured Student for June 2015

Where are you from?

Glen Ridge, New Jersey

What school do you go to? What year are you?

Rowan University, Senior

Do you hold any positions in your AIChE chapter or with AIChE nationally?

Vice President of the AIChE Student Chapter at Rowan

Describe an event in your chapter that you are most proud to have been involved with. 

Our chapter has held a networking dinner (catered by Chipotle!) in the fall where we invite chemical engineers from various backgrounds and industries so students can network and gain exposure to the different fields and possibilities that are available after graduation.

What are your plans after graduation? In what field are you most interested in having an impact? 

I am currently deciding between attending graduate school and pursing a PhD in Chemical Engineering or going directly into industry as either a process engineer or getting involved in R&D. I am most interested in alternative energy in the area of photovoltaics or biofuels.

How do you blow off steam and keep your sanity between classes, homework and projects? 

I like to stay active. I play Frisbee with the women’s ultimate team at Rowan, and I like to go to yoga classes at the rec center when I get a chance. I also enjoy painting, gardening, hanging out with friends, playing ukulele, and going to concerts.


Which of your undergraduate classes have you most enjoyed? 

My favorite classes so far have been thermodynamics and my engineering clinic class, which is an undergraduate research project integrated into our schedules. Last year I worked on optimizing the design of a microreactor that generated electricity by harnessing the heat produced from the platinum catalyzed combustion of methanol fuel using thermoelectric generators. I also took a ceramics class that I thoroughly enjoyed.

 

What are you most looking forward to after graduation? 

I am hoping that I'll get the chance to travel for a few months after I graduate before I pursue a career or graduate school. I'm excited to see what new people and opportunities the future holds.

What will you be most saddened to leave behind at school when you move on? 

Rowan has a very tight knit engineering department. I have spent a crazy amount of time with the 40 members of my graduating class, and we are a family. We have been through so much together, whether it was staying up late studying for a thermo exam or being stuck in one classroom with the same 20 people for 8 hours straight of class. We made it through together, and I will be most saddened to leave that family behind.

Do you have any advice to incoming students and underclassmen ChEs around the world? 

Stick together! Make friends in your major, they're the people you'll be struggling through the tough classes with. Also try to make connections with upper classmen, because they'll be able to give you advice and help you as well from their own experiences.

What's your first thought when you wake up in the morning? 

"Viscosity is a function of temperature." Just kidding. It's normally, "...why haven't I invested in curtains yet?".

If your initials (first/last or first/middle/last) stood for something other than your name, what would it be? 

N.C.B: Never count bread. Carbs are the best, don't limit yourself.

How would you like to be involved with AIChE after graduation?

I want to stay an active member. If I stay in the area, I would like to get involved in the Delaware Valley Section of AIChE.