Featured YP Group - Chicago Local Section | AIChE

Featured YP Group - Chicago Local Section

There are 10 local sections within AIChE that have formal YP (Young Professional) groups.  These YP groups are formed under an AIChE local section, and have specific activities for young professional members as well as leadership and volunteer opportunities for YP members. These organizations allow AIChE young professionals to connect with others in their geographical location under the umbrella of an AIChE local section.

Beyond networking opportunities, your local section gives you the support you need to grow professionally and personally. Local sections will host meetings, and help you find technical seminars, training courses, plant tours, grants, and roundtables on local issues. Many local sections also sponsor student programs with colleges and universities, and community activities and social events.

Today we are highlighting the YP activities from the Chicago Local Section.

AIChE Local Section Name: Chicago Local Section

Number of YP members in your AIChE YP Group: 200

How many years has your AIChE YP Group been active?  Since 2006

How often does your AIChE YP Group hold events for YP members? Once a month

Which AIChE YP Group events have been the most successful?

Social events (annual whirly ball tournament has been the most successful event) and facility tours (tour of GTI most successful)

How does your AIChE YP Group recruit new members and recruit new leaders? 

We reach out to the local universities's graduating seniors, at AIChE events, and promptly respond to join requests through our email posted on the AIChE Chicago website.

Do you have any tips or advice for other AIChE YP Groups or for future AIChE YP Groups? 

Advertise through your AIChE local section and reach out to nearby university AIChE chapters. Keep track of attendance and maintain the records; use this data to estimate attendance and find the best location for meetings and activities. Do not get discouraged if bad weather/heavy traffic/midterms/ or something similar that reduces the estimated attendance. Must send out a series of emails leading up to the event and have a single point of contact to RSVP.

What are some great things about being involved in the local section?

First and foremost: the people. They come from different backgrounds, different industries, and offer different perspectives, thereby providing a diverse picture of chemical engineering that is easy to forget if stuck within your industry’s bubble. This helps our community guide inexperienced first year young professional members in the hopes that they find a niche that brings them closer to their dream job. Secondly, the surprise element. You never know who might turn up to an AIChE or YP meeting and what you might learn from them within and without the world of engineering. And finally, having fun conversations while enjoying a cold beer and participating at our annual whirlyball tournament is equally great.

How has the local section helped you stay connected to AIChE?

Members from the local section plan the annual AIChE Midwest Regional Conference (March 13th thru March 14th at IIT) where we have presenters and attendees from outside the greater Chicago area.  In addition, the newsletter (SmartBrief) and occasional visit to the website keep me connected with AIChE as a whole.

What is something you have planned for 2018?

One thing we hope to implement within our AIChE-Chicago young professional group in the coming months would be the choice of a social or a technical event each month.  Members are welcome to attend both events.  The benefit of the YP group is that we can quickly set up events to address the needs of our members.  We have a dedicated programming committee, a passionate membership committee, a dependable administrator, and a dedicated group of officers. Through their efforts, we are hoping to promote growth of the AIChE-Chicago YP group.

You can find the individual site for each local section with a YP group here.

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