Spartan Engineering students involved in the student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) recently won top awards at the global association’s 2024 Student Conference Awards Ceremony in San Diego, California.
Lauren Petrie received first place in the Student Design Competition for creating a “Power-to-Gas" process that uses a renewable source of electricity. The competition asked chemical engineering undergraduates to create a technical and economic proposal for a sustainable Power-to-Gas system. Petrie’s energy storage design used water and electricity from renewable resources to power alkaline electrolysis.
Along with winning the top design award, Petrie’s entry also received the Walter Howard Design Award for the Best Application of the Principles of Chemical Process Safety.
Petrie graduated from MSU with a chemical engineering degree in April 2024. She is now a law student at the University of Michigan.
Outstanding Student Chapter Award
MSU won an AIChE Outstanding Student Chapter Award, given to student chapters with an exceptional level of participation, enthusiasm, program quality, professionalism, and involvement in the university and community. MSU joined 40 other chapters around the world in the recognition.
Ryan Stearns, internal president for MSU’s AIChE Chapter, said the group was recognized for a series of events that included career-oriented workshops with industry representatives, networking and interviewing opportunities, and Science Days for local elementary students to promote the love of science.
“We also hosted our flagship event, the ChemE Symposium Day,” he said. “The event brought together more than 200 undergraduate chemical engineers, including some from neighboring universities. It was a day focused on chemical engineering, with presentations by seven companies of various industries, a career fair session, and opening/keynote speakers.”
The chapter also hosted the AIChE End-of-Year picnic, where students and faculty members celebrated the end of another successful year with a cookout, yard games, and award recognitions.
Walter Kretzer, external president of MSU’s AIChE Chapter, said the group sends students to attend the AIChE Annual Student Conference and regional conferences. Many of the participants present the research they work on at MSU.
“The Outstanding Student Chapter Award brings recognition to our organization and the college,” Kretzer explained. “This is primarily a student-led organization, so to be recognized internationally means a lot to students. It gives us motivation and reminds us that our hard work and dedication make a real impact,” he added.
“Winning individual and chapter AIChE awards is a significant and well-deserved acknowledgement for our students,” said Christina Chan, chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science. “The experiential learning, connections, and skills students develop through involvement with industry associations help them prepare and stand out among their peers.”
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