RAPID

Iva Jovanovic Tews

• Graduate Student, Oregon State University
• Project: Multiphase Microchannel Reactor
• Focus Area: Intensified Process Fundamentals
• Work Tasks: Involved in design and fabrication of hardware, development of a mathematical model and numerical simulation, and characterization of the microscale-based PI technology, including data collection and analysis, the balance of plant, and CapEx/OpEx analysis for the module unit.
• Career Aspirations: To make an impact in industry specifically in process intensification through entrepreneurship. 

What intrigued you most about joining the RAPID Summer Intern Program? 

I was very interested in gaining more knowledge on real world PI development than what we have gained through webinars. 

Now that you are at the midpoint, what skills have you obtained or refined that you consider of value and what are you still looking forward to?

As we near the end of our summer work and we get the presentation ready, it is pushing me to redefine how I think of my project in terms of process intensification. This is the biggest skill that I am refining at this time.     

How have your impressions about Process Intensification grown/shifted?

PI has solidified my view on how we should design future processes. Taking a look at each unit operation and asking the question "how can we intensify its abilities" instead of scale it up and make it harder/more expensive to implement. 

What do you hope to accomplish at the end of the intern program?

Technically, I am completing my first design of a micro-scale based reactor. Personally, I feel that I have gained the knowledge and ability to communicate what it is I am doing (within a bigger picture) and how it will impact the future of process design and U.S. manufacturing. 

What do you like best about RAPID’s Intern Program?

Ashley's calls were really engaging and made the work we did during the week very relevant. She stayed on top of our tasks, guided conversation really well and was always great about taking constructive feedback. The group discussions quite also good and interesting. Lastly, working on our resumes has been very, very helpful.  

Patrick Altemose

• Junior, University of Pittsburgh
• Project: Intensified Commercial Scale Manufacture of Dispersants
• Focus Area: Chemical Commodity Processing
• Work Tasks: Fabricates membrane with a 3D-printer so that desired membrane materials, pore size and pore topography can be utilized in different areas of the same membrane. Also sets up an apparatus to demonstrate the successful separation of oil-water mixture using the 3D-printed membrane.
• Career Aspirations: I would like to go into industry where my role is fulfilling and changing other people’s lives. I worked in pharmaceuticals and I enjoy the rewarding aspect of knowing that what I am working on can potentially save lives. No matter I do, I want to know that I am making a difference and helping society. 

What intrigued you most about joining the RAPID Summer Intern Program?

What intrigued me most was the opportunity for a large bout of career development and the ability to work as a team with my peers to focus on an aspect of chemical engineering that is receiving a lot of attention in industry. Process intensification is being driven to the forefront for a lot of companies and having extensive knowledge of PI is excellent when searching for a job within industry.

I want to apply process intensification principles and the knowlege I have gained after this internship has ended.

Patrick Altemose

Now that you are at the midpoint, what skills have you obtained or refined that you consider of value and what are you still looking forward to?

I’ve been able to refine a lot of crucial skills such as critical thinking and problem solving; particularly in devising an experiment and troubleshooting errors. The ability to create a  hypothesis, devise an experiment, and collect meaningful data is an excellent skillset to possess because it allows me to work independently so that I don’t need direct supervision to progress with my research project. Identifying problems that need to be solved is almost more difficult than actually solving the problem at times.

How have your impressions about Process Intensification grown/shifted?

Before this internship, I had some industrial experience with PI but the project was already outlined by the time I was introduced to it. At Pitt, I was there from the start, which has afforded me the opportunity to see my project through from its inception to the point it is at today and how PI has shaped my goals.

What do you hope to accomplish at the end of the intern program?

Aside from gathering meaningful data and advancing my research project, I hope to accomplish enough to have extensive knowledge of the power of PI and how it can be useful in advancing industry. I want to apply process intensification principles and the knowledge I have gained after this internship has ended.

What do you like best about RAPID’s Intern Program?

I enjoy the webinars that also go beyond PI that incorporate career development such as resume building and leadership. There are many soft skills such as communication that are incorporated into the program, which allow me to grow as a communicator. It is not enough to have sound technical skills to be a successful engineer. If one cannot communicate, great ideas will never gain the attention they deserve.

Omar Mohammed

• PhD Student, Oregon State University
• Project: Multiphase Microchannel Separator
• Work Task: Researches novel approaches to Chemical Manufacturing Process Intensification, and Process Modularization through the development of microscale-based technological components (reactors and separation operations). Also carries out design and fabrication of hardware to CapEx/OpEx analysis. Aside from training/education, duties will also include the development of the mathematical model and numerical simulation, characterization of the microscale-based PI technology, data collection, and balance of plant analysis.
• Focus Area: Intensified Process Fundamentals
• Career Aspirations: I hope to become a Professor at a University.

What intrigued you most about joining the RAPID Summer Intern Program?

The importance of the United States switching from the older models of how processes are designed to a more intensified process design is vital. The potential for the U.S. to grow if chemical manufacturers/processors become more efficient is immense. I want to live in a world where we can have all our current day luxuries but obtain them in a way where we don’t destroy what is left of the world around us. I believe in process intensification and through it RAPID can help us achieve that desire. 

Now that you are at the midpoint, what skills have you obtained or refined that you consider of value and what are you still looking forward to?

I have worked in the field of micro-reactors/separations/systems for the last few years. Most of that work was simple design, having someone fabricate and then run experiments. This internship has pushed me to start thinking about the financial manufacturing costs of designs. We built a reactor that cost $3,000 dollars per reactor go down to less than $900 per reactor after we completed several design reviews with a diverse team of engineers. We are also expecting a much easier time in constructing and running the system. Leading, facilitating and ensuring follow up have been just a few of the benefits I have gained from this internship.  

How have your impressions about Process Intensification grown/shifted?

I have become more aware of how many people are trying to work on this. Unfortunately, most of the literature I have read up to this point comes from Europe. I was happy to see the number of interns from different universities that are interested in Process Intensification.

What do you hope to accomplish at the end of the intern program?

I am hoping to gain a firm understanding of different fabrication techniques that can be used to cost effectively fabricate milli/micro systems. The cost effective part is vital for the work since a big part of my internship is developing the hardware vision for the project.

What do you like best about RAPID’s Intern Program?

I love the different webinars and I look forward to them every week but there is so much I enjoy about my work that it is hard to nail down a favorite or best.

Part two of our Spotlight Series on our interns is now live.