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Student Awards & Competitions

Granted to both individual and student chapters, these awards recognize academic skill and student chapter achievements. Scholarships and competitions are included.

AIChE Chemical Engineering for Good Challenge (ACE4G)

Details
Award

Prizes

Unrestricted donation to the winning chapters. Three prizes will be awarded for top three entries in the amounts of $3000, $2000, and $1000. In the unlikely event that the judges determine there are not three entries of sufficient quality, then not all three prizes will be awarded.
AdministratorsGlobal Societal Initiatives Committee, Societal Impact Operating Council (SIOC), Sustainable Engineering Forum (SEF), International Committee, Student Chapters Committee
Nomination Instructions

Participants 

Open to all AIChE student chapters around the world. A team may recruit any student, professor, or professional; and AIChE student chapters are strongly  encouraged to partner with organizations such as EWB, with experience applying appropriate technology on micro scale projects in small technically unsophisticated communities. Only one entry per chapter allowed.

The program is funded by the AIChE Foundation as part of the "Doing a World of Good" Campaign. Thanks to the generous loyal support of our donors. 

Collaboration

Two or more AIChE student chapters may collaborate to produce a joint ACE4G entry. Judging will not be affected by how many chapters worked on the submission. GSIC particularly encourages collaborations between US and international chapters to encourage sharing of multiple points of view and experiences.

Dissemination of Results

The contents of all contest submissions may be made public, with appropriate credits given to the original submitters

Submission Examples

Download examples of previous winning submissions.

Contest Description

Contest entries address "How chemical engineering can be applied to solve world problems on a micro scale" (just to be clear - micro scale refers to the size of the enterprise, not the size of molecules, surfaces, etc). Submissions provide a chemical engineering solution to problems often encountered in small scale quality of life improvement projects in the developing world. Examples of typical problems would be water treatment, alternate energy sources, energy efficiency, and preservation/production of crops and foods. Submissions must utilize chemical engineering technology and skills (beyond the hydraulics calculations commonly used in designing water systems). Entries will be one of two content types:

  1. Recommend the application of a specific technology, available today, that is not currently utilized in ISP*.
    1. Define the specific community problem being addressed
    2. Describe the specific technology and how it is based on chemical engineering principles; provide electronic copies of or links to references (papers, descriptions of commercial applications & offerings, patents, other supporting material)
    3. Describe what kind of data would be required to design / customize this technology for ISP*.
    4. Describe why this technology would be appropriate for implementation in the developing world partner communities. Include consideration of technical, maintenance, financial, and cultural sustainability. Provide estimated typical costs for initial installation, maintenance, and operation.
  2. Develop a toolkit for the application by an ISP* team of a set of existing chemical engineering-related technologies addressing a technical challenge often faced in these type of projects
    1. General technical issues include but not limited to topics such as water purification, alternate energy sources, energy conservation, and preservation / preparation of crops and foods
    2. The set should include at least three different technologies
    3. The toolkit should include
      1. ​Technology Basics Document intended for use by an ISP* team that includes description of the problem addressed, description of each technology and discussion of when each technology is most applicable
      2. checklists / tables to help an ISP* project team identify candidate applications and select between technical options
      3. important data required to select and design. Inclusion of general design procedures & considerations will be considered by the judges as additional added value to the toolkit.
      4. references to useful source materials
    4. Describe why the technologies included in the toolkit are chemical engineering related. Describe why these technologies would be appropriate for implementation in ISP* partner communities, including aspects of technical, maintenance, financial, and cultural sustainability.

 *throughout this Description, "ISP" represents small-scale quality of life international development service projects in the developing world, such as EWB projects 

For more information contact Alan Zagoria at ace4g@aiche.org and visit this page regularly for updated information.

Timeline

The timeline for future awards is being determined. Stay tuned for more information.

The Global Societal Impact Committee, Student Chapters Committee, Sustainable Energy Forum and International...

AIChE K-12 STEM Outreach Competition

Details
Award

Evaluation Criteria

Modules will be assessed by volunteer judges on 10 criteria:

  1. Feasibility – mobility, accessibility, & cost
  2. Meaningfulness of objectives
  3. Target audience appropriate explanation of theory or concepts
  4. Connection to real world application
  5. Audience specialization
  6. Audience interactivity
  7. Innovativeness or creativity
  8. Safety
  9. Benefit to volunteers
  10. Takeaway handouts

Awards

EXECUTIVE STUDENT COMMITTEE AWARDS

for undergraduate student-submitted modules accepted for presentation and participation in the competition

  • 1st Place Award & $500 USD
  • 2nd Place Award & $300 USD

K-12 COMMITTEE AWARDS

for non- undergraduate student submitted modules accepted for presentation and participation in the competition:

  • 1st Place Award & $500 USD
  • 2nd Place Award & $300 USD

And more

  • Top K-2 Module Award & $200 USD

  • Top 3-5 Module Award & $200 USD

  • Top 6-8 Module Award & $200 USD

  • Top 9-12 Module Award & $200 USD
DeadlineSeptember 1, 2023
AdministratorsExecutive Student Committee (ESC), Societal Impact Operating Council (SIOC)
PresentationAwards will be presented at the conclusion of the event. Award winning modules will be included in a central repository of educational resources for use in K-12 STEM Outreach initiatives.
Nomination Instructions

Entry

Interested participants must review and fulfill all eligibility criteria, requirements for modules, and all entry requirements in their entirety by the specified deadline in order to be considered for participation in the competition.

Please be advised that due to space and time limitations, we will not be able to accept all submitted modules for participation in the competition.

Competitors may submit a maximum of one competition entry per target audience, for a maximum of four total submissions from any competing entity.

Eligibility Criteria

  • All participants must be active AIChE members
  • All participants must be active AIChE K-12 Community members
  • Undergraduate student participants must register to attend the Annual Student Conference
  • All other participants must register to attend Annual Meeting
  • Entries will be accepted from both teams and individuals

Requirements, Forms, & Documents

Requirements for Modules

Entry Form Questions

Safety Assessment Form

Handout #1 Template

Handout #2 Template

Institute Policies Attestation Form

List of Past Modules

Deadline for Entry

September 1st, 11:59 PM ET

Timeline for Notification

Primary contacts associated with submissions accepted for presentation will be notified of acceptance in mid-September (Target: September 15th)

Entry Instructions

Ready to submit your module?

Step 1: Submit an ENTRY FORM 

Step 2: Submit a VIDEO 

*Prior to uploading, please ensure that your video file name matches your "Name of Module" as indicated in your entry form. 

Contact k12@aiche.org with any related questions. 
SponsorsAIChE Foundation – All for Good Campaign

2023 AIChE K-12 STEM Outreach Competition

The 2023 AIChE K–12 STEM Outreach Competition will take place Sunday, November 5, 2023...

Chem-E-Car Competition® Award

Details
Award

Regional first and second prize winners receive $200 and $100, respectively. Regional prize winners compete at the Chem-E-Car Competition Finals at the Annual Student Conference.

The first, second and third prizes at the Chem-E-Car Competition Finals will be $2000, $1000, and $500 respectively.
AdministratorsStudent Chapters Committee
PresentationRegional awards are presented at the appropriate regional conference. Awards from the Chem-E-Car Competition Finals are presented at the AIChE Annual Student Conference.
Nomination Instructions

Deadlines for regional conferences vary. Visit the Regional Conferences page for details.

See Student Conferences
SponsorsChevron Corporation

Team members design and construct a chemically powered vehicle within certain size constraints. This vehicle must be designed to also carry a specified cargo. The teams will be told at the time of the competition the distance that the car must travel and the specified cargo that the vehicle will...

ChemE Jeopardy Competition

AIChE ChemE Jeopardy Competition - Regional & Annual Student Conferences
Details
DeadlineNovember 12, 2016
Nomination Instructions

ChemE Jeopardy at Regional Conferences

  • The host school is responsible for developing the clues & responses following the criteria given above. Suggestions for generating clues & responses include:
    • Utilizing chemical engineering (and other) textbooks.
    • Ask professors in your department to write clues & responses for courses that they have taught recently
    • Review clues & responses from previous competitions for ideas. These can be obtained upon request from David Murhammer (david-murhammer@uiowa.edu).
  • The completed board(s) must be inspected and approved by the AIChE Student Chapter Advisor and/or other chemical engineering faculty in order to verify the accuracy of the clues/responses and to identify potential alternative correct responses.
  • The Emcees and assisting students should be trained for their roles and be aware of thecorrect responses and potential alternative correct responses. Note that multiple Emcees and assisting students will be needed for preliminary round games that are held simultaneously.
  • Team Members: Team members must all be undergraduate students at the time of the

    competition, i.e., no graduate students are allowed to be team members.

ChemE Jeopardy at the Annual Student Conference

  • The winners of the nine Regional Conference competitions will automatically qualify for the national competition held at the Annual Student Conference.
  • If the winning team of any of the nine Regional Conference competitions is not able to compete in the national competition, then the 2nd place team from that Region will be invited to compete.
  • At large ChemE Jeopardy teams will be selected on a first come, first serve basis as needed to fill all nine spots at the national competition if any of the Regional Conferences fail to hold a ChemE Jeopardy competition.
  • There will be three randomly selected teams in each of three preliminary games at the Annual Student Conference. These games will be conducted simultaneously using the same Jeopardy and Final Jeopardy clues.The winners of the three preliminary games will meet in the championship round to determine the national champion.
  • The clues & responses will be developed by ChemE Jeopardy subcommittee members.
  • ChemE Jeopardy subcommittee members will serve as the Emcees in the preliminary and championship games.
  • Team members: All members of the team that participated in the regional competition are eligible to compete in the national competition, including students that have received their BS degree since the regional competition. Furthermore, any or all of the members of the regional competition team can be replaced with other students, but these replacement team members must be undergraduate students at the time of the national competition

 
SponsorsOmega Chi Epsilon

Jeopardy Game utilizing questions from Chemical Engineering Undergrad Coursework. ChemE Jeopardy Games are held at the Regional Conference level in the Spring. The Championship teams from each of the 9 Regional Conferences go on to compete at the Annual Student Conference in the Fall to determine the Champion school for the year.

Donald F. & Mildred Topp Othmer Scholarship Awards

Details
Award

$1,000 and a certificate.
DeadlineJune 15, 2023
AdministratorsAIChE
PresentationScholarship funds are sent to recipients in the fall of each year.
Nomination Instructions

Rules, Criteria and Submission Requirements

  1. Only one nomination will be accepted from each AIChE Student Chapter. In the event that there is more than one qualified member of a student chapter or club, the advisor must select using the criteria below, which member to nominate. 
  2. Applicants must be AIChE student members at the time of the nomination and undergraduates in Chemical Engineering during the 2023 – 2024 academic year. Nominees must have completed approximately 50% of their degree requirement at the start of the 2023-2024 academic years (i.e. junior standing in chemical engineering in a 4 year program or equivalent for a 5 year co-op program). The chapter advisor may nominate a student who will complete the chemical engineering baccalaureate degree requirements in mid year (i.e. after one semester or one or two quarters), but such nominees, if selected, will receive prorated awards.  
  3. Nomination must be made by the Student Chapter Advisor.
  4. Selection of winners will be based on the following criteria:
    1. The applicant’s academic record.
    2. The applicant’s participation in AIChE Student Chapter, and other professional activities as outlined by the Student Chapter advisor in his/her nomination letter.
    3. The support of the nominee by the Student Chapter Advisor.
    4. Applicant’s career objectives and plans as outlined in his/her career essay.
  5. Cash awards totaling $15,000 will be made for use during the 2023-2024 academic year; individual awards for the full academic year will be $1,000. Awardees will be notified by October 1 and then required to provide individual tax information (social security number for U.S. residents) in order to receive payment. All award prizes must be claimed by December 31.

Instructions for submitting an application

A complete application for the AIChE Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Scholarship Award will contain a copy of each of the following items (each letter should contain an original signature to be scanned and uploaded). All applications are submitted online.
 
From the student:
  • A completed application form submitted online.
  • A statement from the nominee not to exceed 300 words, outlining career plans and objectives in chemical engineering including immediate plans after graduation and long range career objectives.
 
From the college:
  • A letter of recommendation from the AIChE student chapter advisor containing verification of nominee’s GPA and projected completion date as well as an evaluation of the student’s academic performance and participation in AIChE and other professional activities.

It's important to read and understand the above Rules, Criteria and Submission Requirements for the Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Scholarship Award before submitting your application. It is also recommended that you prepare your answers and have your supporting documents ready in advance of completing the online application (answers and supporting documents cannot be saved within the application before submission). Incomplete or unqualified applications will not be accepted.

Go to Application Form

The Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Scholarship Awards of $1,000 each are awarded to chemical engineering students for their outstanding academic achievement and involvement in student chapter activities.

Donald F. Othmer Second Year Student Academic Excellence Award

Details
Award
  • Free Registration to the upcoming Annual Student Conference (Valued at $150)
  • Certificate of Recognition
DeadlineJuly 1, 2023
Presentation The award is presented each year at AIChE's Annual Meeting.
Nomination Instructions

Rules, Requirements and Selection Criteria 

To be eligible for this prize, the nominee must be an active AIChE undergraduate student member at the time of the nomination. The nominee’s student chapter also MUST file an Annual Report with AIChE by July 1. Award nominations may be submitted in advance of the report, with the expectation that the chapter will file a report by the reporting deadline. 

Go to Nomination Form

Note: It is recommended that you prepare your answers and have any supporting documents ready in advance of completing the nomination form (answers and supporting documents cannot be saved within the application before submission). Incomplete or unqualified nomination forms will not be accepted.
SponsorsScaleUp Sponsors

The Sophomore Academic Excellence Award is presented to the one AIChE student member in each student chapter who has attained the highest scholastic grade-point average during his/her first and second years of undergraduate education, on recommendation of the Student Chapter Advisor.

Engineers Without Borders USA Grant Award

Details
AdministratorsGlobal Societal Initiatives Committee
Nomination Instructions

To learn more about applying for an Engineers Without Borders USA Grant Award, visit the EWB USA website.

Learn more

Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB) builds a better world through engineering projects that empower communities to meet their basic human needs and equip tomorrow’s technology leaders to solve the world’s most pressing challenges. Each year, AIChE’s Societal Impact Operating Council sponsors EWB...

EPA P3 Youth Council on Sustainable Science and Technology (YCOSST) Award

Details
Award

An award of $1,000 will be provided by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers-Institute for Sustainability (AIChE-IfS) to the team that best meets their criteria. The winning team will have the opportunity to present their outstanding work at the following AIChE Annual Meeting and will be invited to present a webinar that is to be published on the AIChE ChemE on Demand Archive.
DeadlineJune 1, 2019
AdministratorsInstitute for Sustainability (IfS)
PresentationThe YCOSST Award is presented at the conclusion of the National Sustainable Design Expo at the P3 Award ceremony. This year’s Expo will co-occur with the TechConnect World Innovation Conference (https://www.techconnectworld.com/World2019/), June 17-18 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Nomination Instructions

YCOSST Award Evaluation Criteria

Development

  • Did research involve interdisciplinary collaboration?
  • Were novel, innovative technologies used to facilitate distance communication during research?
  • Were sustainable practices employed during research?

Deployment to Regions wtih Limited Resources 

  • Can youth or people without significant financial ability or property rights obtain and use the device/invention?

Materials

  • Are the materials locally produced and available to the general population?
  • Can the device/invention be maintained locally?

Youth Involvement

  • Can youth be an integral part of the implementation?
  • Does the device/invention/finding directly benefit youth?

Contact Jeff Seay with any questions.

Watch a short video from the winners of the 2018 award

See More on EPA Site

YCOSST was formed by the partnership of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers’ (AIChE) Institute for Sustainability (IfS) and SustainUS, a nonprofit organization of young people advancing sustainable development and youth empowerment in the United States. This award was established to...

First Year Student Recognition Award

Details
Award
 
  • Free Registration to the upcoming Annual Student Conference (Valued at $150)
  • Certificate of Recognition
DeadlineJuly 1, 2023
PresentationThis award is presented at the Annual Student Conference.
Nomination Instructions

To be eligible for this prize, the nominee must be an active AIChE member. The nominee’s student chapter also MUST file an Annual Report with AIChE by July 1. Award nominations may be submitted in advance of the report, with the expectation that the chapter will file a report by the reporting deadline. 

It is recommended that you prepare your answers and have any supporting documents ready in advance of completing the nomination form (answers and supporting documents cannot be saved within the application before submission). Incomplete or unqualified applications will not be accepted.

For assistance, please email the AIChE Awards Administration at studentchapters@aiche.org.
 

Go to Nomination Form
SponsorsScaleUp Sponsors

The First Year Student Recognition Award is presented to one AIChE student member in each student chapter who has been the most active in their student chapter during his/her first year of undergraduate study, on recommendation of the Student Chapter Advisor.

Global Undergraduate Student Video Competition

Details
Award
  Value of Award(s)

Team Choice Winners
1st Place Overall $700
2nd Place Overall $200
3rd Place Overall $100



Judges' Choice Winners
1st Place $700
2nd Place $300
3rd Place $200
4th Place $100
5th Place $100

AdministratorsYoung Professionals Committee (YPC)
Nomination Instructions

Teams are responsible for completing the competition entry process in its entirety by the submission deadline in order to be eligible to compete. To submit your team’s entry, you will need to complete the online Global Student Video Competition Entry Form, following all form instructions and providing all required items. 

File Click here to view all Global Student Video Competition Entry Form instructions and list of required fields. 

Please note that Wufoo limits the maximum size of each uploaded item to 25 MB, and places a combined limit of 100 MB on multiple uploaded items submitted via the same form. Click here to test uploading your team's completed video submission, copyright statement form, and safe experimentation form (if applicable) prior to submitting your official entry. Testing is optional, but recommended.  If uploading a video larger than 25 MB, you will need to submit it via a secondary process - see below.

Ready to submit your video?

Click here to begin the online Global Student Video Competition Entry Form. 

Click here to submit a video larger than 25 MB.

2022 Competition Deadlines and Important Dates

Topic announcement Spring 2022 
Video submission deadline September 1, 2022
Team voting begins October 17, 2022
Team voting ends November 1, 2022
2020 winners announced November 12, 2022

*Attendance at the Annual Student Conference is not required to compete.

Video Qualification Criteria

You will be judged on the following qualifications:

  • Video length of 2-5 minutes
  • Video narration must be in English OR video must include English subtitles
  • University name and team name are written in the first frame of the video
  • YouTube compatible video format
  • No copyright violations (read Competition's Copyright Rules)
  • Original content and creativity
  • Accuracy and relevancy of technical content and communication of that content to the proper audience
  • Presentation quality

Additional Qualification Criteria

  • All team members are active AIChE undergraduate student members at the time of submission
  • Team has completed all submission requirements by the specified deadline

Each university can create as many videos as they wish for submission into each category; however, a university will only be eligible to win a maximum of two (2) awards.

Competition's Copyright Rules

Upon submission of each video, teams will need to confirm that they have read, reviewed and adhered to the Competition's Copyright Rules.

Tips on a successful competition video:

 

Who are the judges?

The final evaluators for the Judges' Choice award will consist of individuals from different fields of expertise to ensure fair evaluation as well as to foster interest of experts from other disciplines in the chemical engineering activities.

Team Voting Process

All competition videos will be posted on the Global Undergraduate Student Video Competition YouTube page. An email announcement will be made to all participating team captains with instructions for casting the team's vote once the team voting period is open.

Each participating team will be eligible to cast one vote for another participating team’s entry, with the following exclusions:

  • Teams cannot cast their vote for their own entry
  • Teams cannot cast their vote for another entry from the same university

Winning videos will be those with the most number of votes.

Questions? Email us at ypc@aiche.org.

Use creativity and imagination to participate in the AIChE Global Undergraduate Student Video Competition. Student teams will have a chance to create a 2-5 minute video that explains and inspires high school students and communities to learn more about chemical engineers and what they do. Each...

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Giving Back

Donations small and large and make a difference, and remember all gifts to the AIChE Foundation are tax-deductible. Learn more about AIChE's Doing a World of Good campaign.