Meet Julie Rorrer—Featured Student for December

What is your name? Julie Rorrer Where are you from? Corvallis, Oregon What school do you go to? What year are you? Arizona State University, Senior Do you hold any positions in your AIChE chapter or with AIChE nationally? President of the AIChE Student Chapter at ASU Describe an event in your chapter that you are most proud to have been involved with. Every year since I have been involved with the AIChE student chapter at ASU, we have hosted a student internship panel at the beginning of the semester where students who participated in internships and research programs over the summer share their experiences. What are your plans after graduation? In what field are you most interested in having an impact? After graduation, I plan to attend graduate school and pursue a PhD in Chemical Engineering. I am specifically interested in alternative energy development in the area of sustainable fuels. How do you blow off steam and keep your sanity between classes, homework and projects? When I'm not "blowing off steam" for turbines and heat exchangers in chemical engineering lab, I enjoy drawing, painting, hiking, hanging out with friends, and playing the violin. Having a creative outlet is important for me, since art relieves my stress and helps me stay motivated. Which of your undergraduate classes have you most enjoyed? Some of my favorite chemical engineering courses I have taken were Fluids and Heat and Mass Transfer. I find myself relating aspects of daily life to transport phenomena. For example, I have considered calculating the flow rate and pressure of the water in my shower, and how fast I need to wait for my cakes to cool before I can frost them. How did you decide to pursue a degree in ChE? The wide range of exciting careers available to chemical engineers is what initially motivated me to pursue a degree in chemical engineering. I am constantly learning about emerging careers for chemical engineers, and I want to be prepared to find clever solutions to tomorrow's problems. My summer internship at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) furthered my interest in pursuing a graduate degree in chemical engineering in sustainable energy research. What are you most looking forward to after graduation? I am excited to meet new people and explore new places, and it will be refreshing to have a change of pace. As I pursue a graduate degree, I am especially looking forward to devoting more time to independent research.

What will you be most saddened to leave behind at school when you move on? During my time at Arizona State I have developed some strong friendships with the students in my class. I will be sad when we part ways, but I know our paths will cross again since it's a small world in the chemical engineering community. Do you have any advice to incoming students and underclassmen ChEs around the world? Get involved! Even though getting involved with clubs, undergraduate research, and extracurricular activities takes time, it will help you create lasting friendships and motivate you to become more invested in your classes. What's your first thought when you wake up in the morning? On weekdays my first thought is how great it is to have the natural Arizona sunlight wake me up in the morning. On weekends my first thought is why I ever thought it would be a good idea to have an east-facing window. If your initials (first/last or first/middle/last) stood for something other than your name, what would it be? J.E.R: Jovial Engineering Rascal! I like to provide comic relief for my study groups and keep things light and fun. How would you like to be involved with AIChE after graduation? I would like to continue to be an active member of AIChE, attend and present at AIChE national conferences, and get ChEnected with the AIChE Young Professionals! You can contact Julie through her LinkedIn profile.

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