NJIT's ChemE Students Aim for Diversity and Success, Dazzle on Both Scores
At the American Institute of Chemical Engineering’s (AIChE) inaugural ChemEsports Competition in Orlando last November, Alexander Olowniuk’s eyes were fixed on the bubbling chemicals in his team’s distillation tower, a cylindrical vessel used in plants to separate volatile liquids into their pure forms at high heat.
“If we had overheated the chemicals, they would have become overexcited and then failed to separate properly. Had we not monitored other disturbances in the process, our distillation tower could have spiraled out of control and the effects been near irreversible,” recalled Olowniuk, a senior majoring in chemical engineering. “It was crucial that any deviations were brought to our operator's attention and corrected promptly.”
While the tense procedure was a simulation, Olowniuk and his teammates (below) treated it as if their careers depended on it. Their vigilance paid off. NJIT secured second place in the contest, in which college teams troubleshoot a series of problems in simulated chemical plant hardware, aiming to maximize profits. As the rounds progress, the problems thrown at them become increasingly complex, ranging from the wrong switch being flipped to a devastating loss of power.
Held as part of AIChE’s national conference, the university’s team, also including recent graduates Ariana Tay, David Matuszewski and Daniel (Byeong Chan) Son, beat out some of the top college chapters, including U.C. - Berkeley’s. They had studiously prepared, working with professors on live demonstrations and practicing intensively over the summer, said the outgoing AIChE chapter president, Mahum Ahmed, a junior.
To the chapter’s adviser, Roman Voronov, this came as no surprise. It has been that kind of year for the Highlander’s chemical engineers. (See further results below.)
“NJIT’s AIChE chapter, which is one of the most active in the country, received an “Outstanding Chapter” award for the third year in a row,” said Voronov, an assistant professor of chemical engineering. “Its students host industry speakers, organize plant tours and career development workshops, participate in food drives and conduct outreach to K-12 students. Finally, our chapter encourages its students to interact with each other, as well as with NJIT alumni, by putting together potlucks and networking events.”
“I am very impressed with the student volunteers who donate their free time to make all of this possible,” he added. “And I consider myself very fortunate to be a part of their team and experience.”
“I believe the chapter was able to grow immensely in terms of diversity, character and brilliance. During the past 12 months, students from different backgrounds joined AIChE to feel welcome throughout the NJIT community and that is exactly what happened,” Ahmed noted recently. “In the end, AIChE is meant to be a resource to our fellow chemical engineers where growth is a stepping stone to the next generation."
The new chapter leaders in place since January are no less ambitious. They are, for example, currently fielding two teams working on different cars, powered by distinct chemical reactions, in preparation for AIChE’s upcoming Chem-E-Car competition.
“We wanted our students to be more involved with the club and to be creative with design. Therefore, we decided that besides optimizing the previous car’s design, we would encourage the new members to develop an entirely new car,” said Pham Thuy Vu (Emilia) Ton, a sophomore and 2020 chapter president. “For now, we’re still in the modification process and since we have a little bit more time, we will evaluate both at the beginning of April.”
While honing members’ engineering skills this spring, the chapter is also forging ahead with a full roster of events on and off campus: hosting speakers from NJIT and other universities, as well as from major corporations, such as Daiichi Sankyo; collaborating with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers on chemistry programs for school children that involve experiments such as “instant ice cream”; putting on fundraisers and more.
“Diversity continues to be a big goal, which includes more women from different backgrounds,” says Ton, of Ho Chi Minh City.
Outstanding Student Chapter Award
Chapter Adviser: Professor Roman Voronov
2019 AIChE Eboard: Mahum Ahmed, Daniela Bushiri, Pham Thuy Vu (Emilia) Ton, Koko Lear and Daniel Mazewski
Undergraduate Student Poster Session: Food, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology
1st Place
Keanu Radgman, Professor Ecevit Bilgili
Undergraduate Student Poster Session: Education and General Paper
1st Place
Sara Abdelhamid, Professor Piero Armenante
Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Scholarship Award
Daniela Bushiri
MAC Scholarship Award
Daniela Bushiri
Donald F. Othmer Sophomore Academic Excellence Award
Karen Corrotea Reyes
Freshman Recognition Award
Pham Thuy Vu (Emilia) Ton