The Chicago Young Professionals Commtitee (YPC) is one of the most active YP groups in the country. With over 50 young professionals attending events in the past year, we offer numerous opportunities for people under the age of 35 to get involved – to network, increase their professional and technical skills, give back to the community, and have fun. Here is a brief summary of what we do.
Events
The Chicago YPC puts on their own events that engage the Young Professional population in Chicago.
· Events
The Chicago YPC tries to focus on events gearing toward a young professional audience. We have had a tour of a local process safety company, a tour of a local brewery run by a Chemical Engineer, beer brewing and wine tastings, and many other events in the Chicago area.
· Professional Development & Local University Involvement
In the past we have had specific meetings and roundtables to discuss events unique to a young professional audience. Such events include international travel and searching for your next job. We have also done outreach events with local universities, including Illinois Institute of Technology and University of Illinois at Chicago, focusing on professional development for undergraduate students.
· K-12 Outreach
The Chicago YPC handles many K-12 outreach events for the Chicago section. From the DuPage Area Engineers Week Expo, where schoolchildren of all ages come and learn about what it is to be a Chemical Engineer (The ages can lead to some hilarious interactions) , to the Fermilab STEM Career Expo, focusing on high school students interested in college majors, we try to explain how cool Chemical Engineering is. Some demos - including kinetic sand, having kids dress up in PPE and having parents take a picture in front of a poster of a chemical plant, explaining a board of Chemical Engineering and different industries that they can go into – are always included and engaging.
· Sports
No discussion of the Chicago YPC would be complete without discussing Whirlyball. If you haven’t heard of it, think a cross of basketball, hockey, and lacrosse on bumper cars. It’s wild. Usually taking place in January, this is usually our most popular event, and we’ve got more than 30 people attending in the past.
Organization
The Chicago YPC exists as an almost completely autonomous subgroup within the Chicago Local Section. We have a small operating budget and our own elected board, including a Chair, Vice Chair, Past Chair, Administrator, Webmaster, and Membership and Programming Committees. This gives us the freedom to organize our own events and keep members engaged. It also gives those individuals a great opportunity to take leadership positions, execute on initiatives and get connected to members in the Chicago local section.
How to get involved
Check out our Facebook group and join our Google Group for upcoming events.
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