Featured YP Local Section: East Tennessee Gets into the Rhythm | AIChE

Featured YP Local Section: East Tennessee Gets into the Rhythm

Article Written By: Loraine Kasprzak

AIChE’s East Tennessee YP Group knows how to kick it up and get social. We got the inside story on what the 45-member group does to promote connections and engagement from AIChE’s YP coordinator Erin Ekart, who is a ChemE at Eastman Chemical Company.

High energy social events

            The East Tennessee YP Group has been active for five years and is part of the larger AIChE East Tennessee chapter.  The section holds quarterly events, and their annual Salsa night is one of their most popular and anticipated events. The dance event, now in its fifth year, offers beginner and advanced lessons, which encourages everyone to participate, regardless of experience.  The night concludes with a fun dance party where all the members can show off their new skills.  "It's surprising how many good dancers we have. Even if you're not a good dancer, it's still a good time," says Ekart.

            Last year East Tennessee YPs began a new tradition – an ornament decorating party for the holidays.  Ekart comments, "Everyone had a lot of fun making crazy ornaments. When we were finished, there was glitter everywhere!"

Recruiting new members and leaders

            To recruit new members, the section hosts a new hire picnic for all of the new chemical engineers working in the area.  All the YP section officers attend to give summaries of their roles and offer information about the chapter in general.  Ekart adds, "We try to get the new hires involved in committees, then recruit leaders once they get involved in the chapter."

            Section members make an effort to be involved in their community. Ekart comments, "We have several other young professional groups in the area, so linking up with them has been a great way to expand our network outside of chemical engineers. We've also found a lot of success and interest in volunteering opportunities at events in our community in addition to the fun, more social events. We do demonstrations for schools or other events for youth. Everyone has a lot of fun plus the kids learn about chemical engineering."

Local YP section benefits

            There are so many benefits to being part of an AIChE YP section.  The groups offer various opportunities for higher education, personal and professional growth, information about the latest advancements in the chemical engineering field, networking events, and informative seminars. 

            The East Tennessee section is no exception. "Our chapter puts on technical seminars about all sorts of topics. It's always interesting to learn something new about an aspect of chemical engineering that you may not otherwise be exposed to. One of the coolest parts of our YP group is the access to experienced engineers. While we do have a dedicated YP section of our chapter, we never exclude the seasoned engineers. It's a great way to network and get career advice. Who decides who's young, anyway?" says Ekart.

            The East Tennessee local section has some new and exciting things planned for the rest of 2018.  Ekart says, "We will continue to host our Salsa night and holiday party, and this year we want to have a board game night. We will have some more involved tabletop games like Pandemic or Seven Wonders, but we'll have the usual party games as well. There will be a game for everyone!"

            If you are interested in becoming a member of the AIChE East Tennessee local chapter or if you would like more information, please click here.