Albert Nerken School of Engineering chemical engineering faculty and students present research at AIChE’s virtual 2020 Annual Meeting and Annual Student conference next week. AIChE is the world's leading organization for chemical engineering professionals.

Ben Davis and Daniel Lepek, both professors of chemical engineering, serve as Chair and 1st Vice Chair of AIChE’s Education Division. Professor Lepek oversees the conference’s educational programming and was involved in helping the conference transition to its current virtual format. He will be co-presenting and co-leading a “Town Hall” focused on educating chemical engineering in a virtual world. In addition, he will share work with Jennifer Weiser, assistant professor of chemical engineering, about introducing high school students to the field of chemical engineering through hands-on projects relating to renewable energy and climate change. Their presentation is based off their experience with teaching in Cooper’s Summer STEM program. Additionally, Professor Weiser will chair a special session for young chemical engineering faculty as they embark on their academic careers. Amanda Simson, assistant professor of chemical engineering, will also chair a special session on incorporating sustainability and social responsibility topics into chemical engineering curriculum.

Three senior undergraduate students and two master’s students will present their findings through virtual poster sessions and formal presentations. Master’s student Dave Chun ChE’19 ChE’21, advised by Professor Simson, will present an oral presentation on the process of creating and using biochars made from food waste, and Delphine Troast ChE ’21 will present a poster on the impact of the mineral content of these biochars on their reactivity for alternative energy production. Kevin Lin ChE ’21, advised by both Professor Davis and Professor Simson will present an oral presentation on an analysis of an alternative bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) process for climate change mitigation.

The last two students presenting research at the conference work with Professor Weiser. Paulo Serodio ChE ’21 will explain the low-cost open-source syringe pump they have been developing and testing and Keti Vaso ChE ’19 ME ’21 will present research looking at the controlled release of biologic drugs from spinal biomaterials that could ultimately help with repairing herniated discs.