I actually love everything I’m involved in this semester, but if I have to pick a favorite I’m going to choose the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE for short). I’ve already had the opportunity to take on leadership, first on the planning committee for the senior dinner and now on the E-Board as the Freshmen Relations Officer, which have been some of the best experiences I’ve had thus far.
The basic goal of AIChE is to provide professional and social opportunities for Chemical engineers. This sounds like a simple goal, but a lot goes into executing the events we hold throughout the year. So far, we have held a general meeting (where we made liquid nitrogen ice cream), a resume workshop before the career fair, and a social event to Korean BBQ, and tonight we are hosting a review session for the first thermodynamics midterm! Last year some of the best events were a trip to the Tim Burton Exhibit at LACMA and an emphasis panel to learn about all the different options within ChemE.
Making Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream!
Entrance to the Tim Burton Exhibit at LACMA
As freshmen relations officer, I’ve also been in charge of reaching out to freshmen chemical engineers. ChemE is the only branch of engineering that doesn’t have an intro course until second semester, so we held a freshmen mixer and BBQ in the E-Quad to allow freshmen to get to know each other. A lot of them had class together and didn’t even know it! This was a really successful event that helped the freshmen connect.
Another reason that AIChE has been my favorite involvement has been getting to know the upperclassmen. Last year there were only 2 freshmen on a committee of 8 to plan the annual dinner for the graduating seniors, and this was a great way to get to know older ChemEs. They have been valuable friends and resources, and always give the best advice when things get tough. I’ve also gotten close to the other E-Board members this year especially since we have been working closely planning awesome events.
The opportunities offered by AIChE are diverse and valuable, and I love being a leader in this organization.
