2023 AIChE Annual Student Conference: Chemical Engineering Students Win Top Awards

POSTED ON: December 1, 2023

Image
Group photo of students and faculty at the 2023 AIChE ASC.

Group photo of students and faculty at the 2023 AIChE ASC.

Image
1

Emma Cohen BSE'24 at the Undergraduate Research Poster Competition.

Image
1

Caitlin Noonan ChE'26 at the Undergraduate Research Poster Competition.

Image
1

Professor Jennifer Weiser and graduate student Ana Islamova ChE’23 during the Annual Beer Brewing Competition.

Image
1

Left to right: Ana Islamova ChE’23 MChE, Professor Weiser, and Cory Thomas at the Annual Beer Brewing Competition.

Image
1

Group dinner in Orlando, Florida.

Image
2

Image of Harsh Reshamwala ChE’27 presenting during the Undergraduate Research Competition at AIChE.

Image
1

Professor and Chair of Chemical Engineering, Ben Davis.

Image
1

Image of Cameron Tardy ChE'26 presenting during the Undergraduate Research Competition at AIChE.

Image
1
Image
1

Tausif Tamim ChE’25 at the Undergraduate Research Poster Competition.

Last month, chemical engineering students and faculty attended the 2023 AIChE Annual Student Conference in Orlando, Florida. AIChE stands as the foremost global organization for chemical engineering professionals, boasting over 60,000 members from 110 countries.


At the conference, students participated in workshops, panels, and the undergraduate research poster competition. Over twenty Cooper students presented their research at the student conference. This year, multiple students took home awards thanks to the mentorship provided by the chemical engineering faculty and the support provided by Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Lab Technicians, Revans Ragbir and Khemet Calnek.
 

Emma Cohen BSE'24.

The student awards received from the AIChE Student Conference include:

  • Emma Cohen BSE’24, placed 1st in the Undergraduate Research Poster Competition Material Science Division (advised by Associate Professor Jennifer R. Weiser)
  • Caitlin Noonan ChE’25, placed 1st in the Undergraduate Research Poster Competition Overall Environmental Division Award and 1st in the Environmental Division I
  • The Cooper Brue Team, placed 1st for Best Beer Label and placed 3rd in the Annual Beer Brewing Competition


In addition to the student awards and presentations, a memorial session was held for the late Professor of Chemical Engineering, Daniel Lepek ChE’04. A deeply beloved professor and colleague at the Cooper Union since 2009, Professor Lepek served as Chair of the Education Division of the AICHE, a role he saw as a long-term commitment in order to have a meaningful impact on chemical engineering education and increase diversity in the field. During the memorial, Professor and Chair of Chemical Engineering, Ben Davis delivered a heartfelt speech highlighting the profound impact and lasting legacy of Professor Lepek. The two had started as Assistant Professors at the Cooper Union within a semester of each other, 13 and a half years ago. The memorial session honoring Professor Lepek was successful, drawing 50 attendees who shared their cherished memories of him.


Students in attendance included: Ana Islamova ChE’23 MChE, Anthony Napolitano ChE’25, Cameron Tardy ChE’26, Emma Cohen BSE’24, Iram Rahman ChE’19 MChE’24, Isha Dave ChE’26, James Aravena ChE’25, Janina Li ChE’25, Julian Lam ChE’25, Kalvin Huang ChE’25, Kayla Lee ChE’26, Nada Shetewi ChE’24, Neha Nichakawade ChE’25, Sabrina Zhou ChE’24, Sid Pinto ChE’24, Tausif Tamim ChE’25, Ubaidullah Hassan ChE’25, Wesley Wong ChE’24, Abigail Lin ChE’26, Caitlin Noonan ChE’26, Harsh Reshamwala ChE’27, Sivan Spiel ChE’25, Zareena Al-Shehab ChE25’, Angela Huang ChE’22 MChE, and Yueling Chen ChE’24. 


We gratefully acknowledge the generous contributions of Alan Fortier ChE’79, Gerry Posner EE’69, and the Cooper Union Center for Career Development which supported the participation of students at the event.

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.