Chemical engineering graduate students share research during annual research symposium
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The Chemical Engineering Department and Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association (ChEGSA) hosted the third annual Graduate Student Research Symposium on April 25.
This year’s symposium featured a keynote speech by Ignaci Palou-Rivera of RAPID Manufacturing Institute. Palou-Rivera is the chief technological officer for RAPID Manufacturing Institute, a fellow of the American Institute for Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and an adjunct professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
“The Symposium was a great opportunity for UIC Chemical Engineering graduate students to present their research, interface with industry professionals, and celebrate the great achievements done within our department together,” said Louie Edano, ChEGSA board member and graduate student in the department. “Events like this help build the graduate student community up even closer as we support each other’s work.”
“This event resembles a conference where graduate students can present their research and get feedback in a familiar environment,” said Nadia Nikolova, a graduate student in the department and ChEGSA board member. “It brings together the department’s graduate student body, the faculty, and industry partners to create those connections that will lead to opportunities after graduation.”
An industry panel also took place comprised of Said Al-Hallaj, the founder and chief executive officer of NetEnergy and a UIC Chemical Engineering visiting research professor; Michael Bentel, an assistant professor in the UIC Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering Department; Ann Czyzewski, an asset strategy leader at Abbvie; and David Mendoza, a group lead data science at Kraft-Heinz.
A three-minute oral presentation competition also took place where students spoke about topics such as the rheology of polysaccharides and fluids, clean energy conversion, the influence of surfactants, CO2 conversion, properties of bioplastics, and next-generation lithium batteries.
Winners from this year’s symposium include:
First Place Poster Presentation: Rohan Sartape
Second Place Poster Presentation: Atefeh Nadeali, Ishita Goyal, and Kartikey Sharma
First Place Oral Presentation: Ishita Goyal
Second Place Oral Presentation: Rohan Sartape
Third Place Oral Presentation: Shahriar Namvar
First Place Image of Research: Louie Edano
Second Place Image of Research: Ishita Goyal
Third Place Image of Research: Rohan Sartape