1st Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium
April 11, 2008
Members of the local Omega Chi Epsilon (OXE) chapter and the Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering organized the "First Annual Undergraduate Research Symposium". Students involved in undergraduate research were encouraged to produce and present posters for the event. Thirteen posters were presented by 14 students for the competition. Three former alumni happily consented to be judges and to provide the students with insights gained from their work in industry.
The fourteen student presenters took the opportunity to share their ideas and research with undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty members and alumni judges. They gained necessary skills in communicating their research knowledge to a diverse audience.
Judging form the energy in the unit operations lab where the competition was held, it seemed that presenters, spectators as well as the judges found this to be a rewarding experience. We expect the spring undergraduate research symposium will become just as strong a tradition in the department as the fall graduate research symposium.
Manager, Global Commissioning and Validation
Abbott
Sravan Pappu, B.S. 2005
Process Design Engineer
BP Products north America
John Petrovski, B.S. 1978
J.D. University of Michigan
The fourteen student presenters took the opportunity to share their ideas and research with undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty members and alumni judges. They gained necessary skills in communicating their research knowledge to a diverse audience.
Judging form the energy in the unit operations lab where the competition was held, it seemed that presenters, spectators as well as the judges found this to be a rewarding experience. We expect the spring undergraduate research symposium will become just as strong a tradition in the department as the fall graduate research symposium.
Judges, Sherri Oliver-Noe, Sravan Pappu, John Petrovski
(left to right) and other symposium participants.
Judges
Sherri Oliver-Noe, B.S. 1984Manager, Global Commissioning and Validation
Abbott
"The true value of the ChE degree from UIUC is that it prepares you for almost any technical or managerial career path you want. Your ability to quickly analyze situations, maximize opportunities while minimizing threats, and see beyond the present, are invaluable to employers."
Sravan Pappu, B.S. 2005
Process Design Engineer
BP Products north America
"The recognition of the quality and rigor of an Illinois Chem E education have given my employer confidence in my ability to handle challenging, complex, and high accountability work. While in school, the school's emphasis on both teamwork and individual learning excellence have each provided skills to excel within a team and corporate environment. The hands on nature of learning also helped me solidify engineering concepts required to work in technical areas."
John Petrovski, B.S. 1978
J.D. University of Michigan
Nan Jiang discussing his poster presentation with Professor Kraft.
Poster Awards
First Place ($150)
Kyle Blakely (senior)
Advisor: Daniel Pack
Poster Title: Effect of Biodegradable PEI in HEK293 Cells for siRNA Delivery (abstract)
Kyle Blakely (senior)
Advisor: Daniel Pack
Poster Title: Effect of Biodegradable PEI in HEK293 Cells for siRNA Delivery (abstract)
Second Place ($100)
Kejia Chen (senior)
Advisor: Richard Braatz
Poster Title: Parameter Identification for Chirality-Selective Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Chemical Reaction Networks (abstract)
Kejia Chen (senior)
Advisor: Richard Braatz
Poster Title: Parameter Identification for Chirality-Selective Single-Walled Carbon Nanotube Chemical Reaction Networks (abstract)
Third Place ($75)
Kendra Younker (senior)
Advisor: Hyun Joon Kong
Poster Title: Making the Connection: A Tissue Engineered Dental Implant (abstract)
Kendra Younker (senior)
Advisor: Hyun Joon Kong
Poster Title: Making the Connection: A Tissue Engineered Dental Implant (abstract)
Symposium Planning Committee
Much thanks for the smooth functioning of this symposium needs to go to these students.
Brandon Reizman (Junior, OXE Treasurer)Asif Ikram (Senior, OXE Vice President)
Ryan Maloney (Senior, OXE Secretary)
Professor Hanratty advising Kendra Younker (right), Professor Kong (left)
