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AIChE is pleased to announce the winners of two awards for Young Professionals Members.
Poddar Award for Rising Chemical Engineers
Hashim Al Hajji is the 2021 winner of the Poddar Award for Rising Chemical Engineers. This award was generously endowed through the leadership and vision of AIChE Fellow and Foundation Board of Trustee Syamal and his wife Susmita Poddar. This award is to honor a recent graduate for their contributions to AIChE, chemical engineering and society, as well as someone who shows potential for future growth and leadership. Through this award, Hashim received registration to the 2021 Annual Meeting along with a $1,500 travel stipend, 2022 membership to AIChE, access to AIChE courses up to $500, and a $500 prize.
As an undergrad, Hashim was heavily involved in his AIChE Student Chapter at University of Colorado at Boulder. He also served on AIChE’s Executive Student Committee (ESC) as the chair of the international liaisons.
Since graduating in 2017 he has taken on the professional role of Process Engineer at Saudi Aramco, which has allowed him to broaden his network through the AIChE Saudi Local Section.
Outside of work and school, Hashim has been involved in the Future Horizons Program introducing chemical engineering to high school students by showcasing real life examples in the classroom. He was also heavily involved in the communications and promotions for the ChemME initiative at 2019 Middle East Process Engineering Conference (MEPEC).
John C. Chen Young Professional Leadership Scholarship
Milad Abolhasani and Taylor Daniels have been selected as the recipients of the 2021 John C. Chen Young Professional Leadership Scholarship.
Family and friends of the late Dr. Chen established this scholarship to pay lasting tribute to his influence on chemical engineering education and practice and his passion for supporting the professional development of future leaders of AIChE. This scholarship includes a $600 prize, registration to the 2021 AIChE Annual Meeting, enrollment in AIChE’s PEAK Leadership Program and a one-on-one career counseling session. The annual winners personify engaged and inspiring Young Professional members of AIChE, and demonstrate the potential for greatness in their chemical engineering and AIChE careers.
Milad has been heavily involved in AIChE’s Catalysis and Reaction Engineering (CRE) Division as well as the Rapid Advancement in Process Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Institute. In his local community he hosts regular K–12 demos, and is an annual presenter in “The Science House Program” at NC State to promote higher education in STEM-related fields.
Taylor has been actively involved in the AIChE Young Professionals Committee and also the AIChE Women in Chemical Engineering (WIC) Committee, K–12 Committee, and Akron Local Section. Outside AIChE she has volunteered extensively, including serving as a Leadership Coach for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and on the Foundation for the Women’s Energy Network (FWEN) Scholarship Committee.
Each of these annual awards for Young Professionals seek to highlight the best and the brightest from the AIChE YP community, and all three of these winners are excellent examples. Congratulations!
Learn more about the AIChE Young Professionals Community and join today.