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Topics:
Where are you from?
Kutztown, PA
What company/institution do you work for?
Air Products & Chemicals, Inc.
Where did you complete/are you completing your chemical engineering education?
Lafayette College
How many years have you been a member of AIChE?
Five
Describe a recent challenge you managed, notable achievement, or obstacle you overcame at your job or in your work as an AIChE member.
Recently, I had the opportunity to be a part of a planned plant shutdown for Air Products. It was a challenge as I was involved in several jobs that in a wide range of disciplines: mechanical, instrumental, and controls. I learned that the best way to understand how something works is to get your hands dirty and experience it for yourself. I spent a lot of the shutdown in the field walking down a particular piece of equipment and the associated systems. The combination of communicating with subject matter experts and seeing the equipment or problem in the field helped me to gain a better understanding and ultimately helped me to do my job to the best of my ability.
What do you do to meet people in your field?
I regularly attend AIChE conferences and am involved in the Young Professionals Committee (YPC). Both are great opportunities to meet ChemE's from many different industries and facets of academia.
There are two types of ChemEs… those who_______ and those who ________.
There are two types of ChemEs...those who go to sleep at 10 PM and those who go to sleep at 2 AM.
If your college had offered a class on real-life skills for the aspiring ChE, what would you want them to teach?
While at Lafayette College we had a portion of our controls course that was dedicated to troubleshooting. It's an essential part of any technical engineering job. Working in an industrial gas plant, troubleshooting problems is part of a normal day at work. I think it would be great to have young aspiring ChemEs have a troubleshooting course with interdisciplinary crossover with other engineers (and non-engineers too). Often times when faced with a troubleshooting problem in the professional world, you have to work with folks with different backgrounds and experience. I think a class solely devoted to troubleshooting would be awesome!
What don’t most people know about you?
I always thought going into school I was going to get my undergraduate degree in chemical engineering and then go on to be a patent lawyer. However, after gaining excellent real-world experience in plant operations at Air Products, I knew that industrial gases was where I wanted to start building my career.
Do you have any advice for current or future young professionals reading ChEnected?
I know as an undergraduate and a young engineer it is difficult to figure out what you want to do with your career. During one internship I had the opportunity to work in Advanced Controls at Air Products. It had very little to do with the controls course that I took the previous semester. Initially I was frustrated by the disconnection. However, I used the opportunity to try and learn as much as I possibly could during the three months I spent in the group. In the end, I really enjoyed my experience and walked away with real tangible skills that I utilize now in a completely different position. As an undergraduate or a young engineer you should never close a door unless you know what is behind it and experience it yourself! Even though your first internship or job might not seem like something you want to pursue. Give every opportunity a chance and don't feel afraid to take a step out of your comfort zone. You may find that you really enjoy it!
You can contact Seth through his LinkedIn profile.