Meet Nemoy Rau—Featured YP for November

Where are you from?

Indianapolis, Indiana.

What company/institution do you work for?

I am currently working for a small engineering startup that specializes in utilizing proprietary big data analytics and unstructured search algorithms to solve problems in industry.

Where did you complete/are you completing your chemical engineering education?

Tennessee Tech University.

How many years have you been a member of AIChE?

Five years.

Describe a recent challenge you managed, notable achievement, or obstacle you overcame at your job or in your work as an AIChE member.

Right now one of my current projects I'm tackling for AIChE is building a management case-study newsletter targeted to undergraduate students, current MBA students, YPs, and managers. This newsletter will be designed as an educational medium for students/ younger engineers to get exposed to business decisions applied to engineering scenarios and help current managers engage in practical applications of specific, real-life examples of the strategies and tactics used by leading companies to succeed in the marketplace.

What do you do to meet people in your field?

Being based in Houston it was very easy to meet chemical engineers at numerous events in the Houston area (technical societies such as AIChE, SPE, and YPE; various meetup groups; various charities and community events; and even fine art and sportings events like symphonies, operas, ballets, various ball games, etc.).

Since I've left a more traditional chemical engineering job, I don't meet many ChEs through various project/company work like I used to on a daily (and even hourly) basis. Right now, I'm meeting people with chemical engineering backgrounds mostly in different interactions in various consulting companies. Don't be afraid of meeting and speaking with people either professionally or in different extracurricular or community events. You can ALWAYS learn something from anyone. By just taking the time to speak to someone, you might be surprised that they not only are a ChE but might be a fellow alum of your alma mater.

What's the first thought you have when you wake up in the morning?

If my phone has more than 40 unread work emails messages, I'm chucking it into the closest river I cross...

If you weren't a ChE what would you most want to be?

I always wanted to be a pathologist. If medical school and ChE are out and if the NBA didn't like my jump shot, I always wanted to be a park ranger.

How many ChEs does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Six. One project manager to make the Gantt chart, one senior process engineer to simulate the process in Aspen, one young engineer to do a feasibility plan, one senior process engineer to design the proper disposal process based on the newest EPA standards, one heat transfer engineer to design the bulb based on the H&MB, and the new graduate who screwed in the bulb to get light to read Facebook *erhm* I mean, training manuals.

If you'd like to contact Nemoy, he can be reached through his LinkedIn profile or through his Facebook page.