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Voting for next year's AIChE Board of Directors is under way as of September 6th at http://www.aiche.org/election. Have your say and help direct the future of AIChE by voting!
The Young Professionals Committee (YPC) asked potential members of AIChE's board four questions about Young Professionals and AIChE. They were asked to answer two main questions, and were given the option of choosing to respond to additional questions, so you may not see responses from every candidate for every question. Answers are shown in alphabetical order by position and the candidate's last name.
In addition to learning about the candidates here, you can also learn more about candidates and the election process on the AIChE election page. You can also hear from candidates for president-elect in this debate.
Q: What is your best memory of being a Young Chemical Engineer?
For President-Elect
Christine Seymour
Hands down my favorite memory was my first AIChE meeting! During my first year of graduate school, I went to the Spring AIChE meeting to see the presentation of my undergrad research project which was sponsored by Rohm and Haas. I thought that it was so amazing that my undergrad research was being presented at an AIChE meeting. My Dad was attending the meeting (yes, he was also a chemical engineer) and he invited me to attend along with him — it was the only AIChE meeting that we attended together and is my favorite chemical engineering memory.
For Treasurer
Dennis Griffith
My best memory of being a young chemical engineer involves the opportunities to use my newly acquired professional skills. My early career concerned disposal of various chemical warfare munitions and agents, and there were many unique problems associated with the program. By thinking “outside of the box,” I was able to diagnose their causes and to develop practical solutions that were implemented to make the work safer for the operators and to reduce costs. It was always very satisfying to come up with the answers to the problems that we had and to see my solutions adopted and implemented.
Rosemarie Wesson
My first job as a young BS chemical engineer was with Dow Chemical Company. I worked in a styrenics based research facility. I was put in charge of what was called a one-pound per hour miniplant. The miniplant was used to research various plastic resin formulations and consisted of monomer tanks, heated reactors, extruders and all of the necessary piping. During "runs" the miniplant operated 24 hours per day. As a young female engineer, I was very proud of myself when, after only a few short months, I learned to safely and successfully operate the miniplant.
For Director
Billy B. Bardin
Some of my best memories as a young chemical engineering professional have come from the successful commercialization of new technology. After finishing graduate school, I came to industry to “put steel in the ground.” I am fortunate to have developed new technology implemented at world-scale production and to feel the pressure of that first plant startup. It was a challenging time, but very rewarding overall.
L. S. Fan
My best memory is the numerous professional activities that I participated in. As a young chemical engineer, I was active in academic, industrial, and governmental research and development and industrial problem resolution. Early in my career as a professor, I also had summer positions as a process engineer at Amoco Oil, a research associate at Argonne National Laboratory, and a research fellow at both the Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center and Morgantown Energy Technology Center of the U. S. Department of Energy. The knowledge and experience I gained from the research and problem solving opportunities were very enriching. Learning about the different needs of industry, government, and academia has helped forge my professional career. By engaging and interacting with both industry and government entities, I was able to value the impact of federal regulations from both perspectives. From my experience as a young chemical engineer, I was able to form a very strong understanding of the importance of the role that government, industry, and academia play in advancing global economic prosperity and social well-being.
Kate Gawel
While I still consider myself a young chemical engineer, my favorite memory was attending my first Annual Conference as a professional member. I was in charge of pulling together four professional development presentations for the Annual Student Conference that was sponsored by the Young Professionals Advisory Board. It was amazing to be able to start to give back and help future chemical engineers so early in my career. Throughout the conference, I was also able to attend some of the volunteer leadership meetings and was amazed by how eager the other volunteers were to get the opinions and input from young professionals. It was at the conference that I realized that, even as a new graduate, I was already able to take an active role in shaping the future of the Institute and chemical engineering. I had such an amazing time and was so excited by the end of the conference that I couldn’t wait to get even more involved in AIChE and YPC.
Zenaida Otero Gephardt
I am fortunate to have many great memories of being a young chemical engineer. The first time that I helped to develop a new technique for a polymerization process, designed a pilot-scale unit, and completed the proof-of-concept is the most memorable. The proof-of-concept involved the manufacture of artificial veins for medical use. This was the first time that I fully realized how impactful chemical engineers can be in the advancement of many technologies that directly improve the quality of life for so many. I also realized how important it was to be part of a strong team where all members are valued for their unique expertise and contributions. This early experience had a significant impact in how I defined myself as a professional engineer.
JoAnn S. Lighty
After obtaining my BS degree in chemical engineering, I worked for a natural gas company for a few years prior to entering graduate school. One of our natural gas plants was undergoing a process change and they wanted to use the set of existing, bubble-cap distillation towers in the new process; however, they first wanted to inspect the condition of the towers. Initially, they wanted me to climb up the outside and then enter the man-hole at the top, climb down the tower and back up to exit. But it started to rain and the harness they gave me was way too big — and I am not that crazy about heights. I decided to climb up through the tower from the bottom. Although the plant personnel were sure it couldn't be done, I fit through the tight space between the man-hole in the bottom and the bottom tray. I climbed up through the tower, feet on one tray, tray in the middle, and then inspected the one at eye-level, to determine the condition of the bubble caps, all the way to the top and then back down. All smiles, I came out of tower with notes in hand, having had a pretty good impression of a bubble-cap distillation tower. I can now say I have seen the inside of a tower!
Al Sacco, Jr.
My most memorable part of being a young chemical engineer is competing and winning the regional student paper contest in New England and then being a faculty advisors to over seven AIChE regional and national winners of student paper and research contests.