A major conference
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The chemical engineering department and UIC hosted the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) North Central Regional Conference for the first time during the 2023 spring semester.
The AIChE student chapter at UIC came together with their peers to share research, network with industry professionals, explore career opportunities, and participate in exciting events with other chemical engineering students.
Over 200 students from 19 universities attended the conference and its various workshops that were also available to students including Chem-E Jeopardy, Engineering Olympics, a career fair, safety and technical research poster competitions, and speed networking. Companies such as BP, Zachry Engineering, KraftHeinz, Honeywell UOP, and John Crane attended the event.
“The conference is a good way for students to come together and present work that they are proud of, along with offering a chance to develop professionally as chemical engineers,” said Emily Seriruk, the activities chair of the AIChE chapter at UIC.
As part of the conference, the UIC Chem-E Car team competed in a 2023 regional competition that challenged students to create a car that can carry a weight of up to 500 grams and control how far the car traveled by calculating the exact amount of reactants needed for chemical reactions to power the car, as well as to determine the right moment to stop within the two minute period.
Chem-E car team member Ramiro Maldonado said the design process included a lot of trial and error, but it was fun to participate in and was a team-building experience.
Hosting the conference, Seriruk said, “helps others view UIC in a better light as the university may not be as well known for engineering as some other universities’ programs are. The conference also brought together the Chem-E community at UIC to plan the conference and make sure it ran smoothly.”