On the first weekend of April, hundreds of chemical engineering students from across the Mid-Atlantic converged on the UMBC campus for two days of learning, networking, and friendly competition. They heard talks from academic and industry leaders, attended workshops and a career fair, competed in rounds of ChemE Jeopardy, mixed chemicals to power small cars along a track in the ChemE Car competition, and mingled over catered lunches, dinners, and cups of evening hot cocoa. 

The activities were all part of the 2024 Mid-Atlantic Student Regional Conference of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)—hosted by the UMBC student chapter of the national group. Around 400 people attended the event, an increase from last year’s conference at Virginia Tech. Organizing the logistics, recruiting speakers and sponsors, securing rooms, and ordering thousands of plates worth of food presented a formidable challenge—one that the UMBC students tackled with aplomb. 

“I am feeling fantastic after the conference,” says Pavan Umashankar ’25, chemical engineering and biochemistry and molecular biology, who served as the chair of the conference organizing committee. “I am super proud of everyone’s commitment and dedication to make it a resounding success.”

“Truly, I could gush about the UMBC conference planning team all day,” says Alyssa Block, the membership associate of ChemE student programs for AIChE. “These students really are the future leaders of their profession and of AIChE: engaged, excited, collaborative, supportive of each other, and willing to lend a hand.” 

A club on the upswing 

Hosting an AIChE regional conference for the first time at UMBC marked a milestone for a student club that has seen increasing levels of engagement and success in recent years. While many college clubs across the country are in decline post-Covid, UMBC’s AIChE student chapter is on a clear upward trajectory. The club sent its first team to compete in ChemE Jeopardy at the spring 2019 AIChE regional meeting. Just three years later, the UMBC team won the national ChemE Jeopardy competition. 

Neha Raikar, a senior lecturer in the Department of Chemical, Biochemical, and Environmental Engineering (CBEE) and one of the advisors to the student AIChE chapter, remembers attending the 2019 meeting: “Back then, we wondered if we would ever be able to host a regional conference at UMBC,” she says. “We’ve achieved that goal.” 

It was especially remarkable, she adds, to see some members of UMBC’s first ChemE Jeopardy and ChemE car teams return to this year’s conference as industry representatives.

Strong attendance and smooth conference logistics weren’t the only successes of the weekend—UMBC also triumphed in the ChemE Jeopardy and ChemE car competitions. 

“Planning for the conference was already a significant undertaking, and on top of that, many of our students participated, and excelled, in the competitions,” says Raikar. “Their achievements not only showcased their individual capabilities but also the strength of our club as a whole, which is growing and thriving.”

A winning formula

AIChE chapter members and their advisors ascribe the club’s success to the hard work and dedication of the students coupled with the support of the CBEE department, college, and university. Thirteen CBEE students formed the conference planning committee, which met regularly to ensure all conference planning efforts were on track. An additional 37 students and 14 faculty and staff also volunteered their time—as check-in staff, poster and presentation judges, and more. About 10 UMBC alumni actively participated in the conference, and others contributed to fundraising efforts, helping the organizing committee secure sponsorships from notable companies such as AstraZeneca, ExxonMobil, Advanced Thermal Batteries, and Astek Diagnostics and from the chemical engineering department of Columbia University. 

An Dang ’24, chemical engineering, led the fundraising efforts. She gamely approached industry representatives at the UMBC career fair and made the pitch. “I’m not an extrovert, and being in these roles forced me to go out of my comfort zone,” she says.

“Securing sponsorships was vital for making the conference possible, and An did a remarkable job” says Mariajosé Castellanos, another CBEE faculty who advises the AIChE chapter. Castellanos also praised the management skills of conference planning committee chair Umashankar. “Despite his modesty, Pavan is a true mastermind in everything he does,” she says.

For their part, the students applauded the support of the CBEE department, especially the work of their two advisors, Raikar and Castellanos, and the event planning support of Andrea Miller, the CBEE graduate program coordinator. 

The conference was both a marker of the club’s success and an opportunity for individual students to grow their skill sets.

“I have developed leadership and project management skills, which will be incredibly useful throughout my professional career,” says Umashankar. 

Ben Welling ’25, chemical engineering, the leader of the UMBC ChemE car team, believes his experience with the competition helped him land internships. “I talked about it extensively with employers. They like leadership experience and it shows you are willing to do more than is required.” 

Raikar sees a bright future for the student stars of this year’s conference and for the club as a whole. “I hope the conference will boost the club membership and participation of students in other AIChE activities,” she says. And, she adds, the conference shows that with support, “UMBC students can accomplish any task.”

Congratulations Dr. Gautom Das on the successful promotion to the rank of Senior Lecturer!

Two students working with Dr. Lee Blaney, professor in chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering, participated in the student poster competition at the 2024 Chesapeake American Water Work Association and Chesapeake Water Environment Association (CSAWWA/CWEA) Joint Spring Meeting in Perryville, MD in May. 

The students received the top two awards in the poster presentation competition. 

First Place -- Sahar Souizi, environmental engineering doctoral student

Second Place -- Margaret Siao,’23 chemical engineering biotechnology and bioengineering track, chemical and biochemical engineering master’s student and an ICARE fellow. 

Sahar Souizi 

Poster Title: Sustainable and rapid nutrient recovery by advanced Donnan dialysis reactors.

Authors: Sahar Souizi, An Hong Dang, Hui Chen, Lee Blaney

Abstract: Donnan dialysis leverages electrochemical potential gradients across ion-exchange membranes to selectively separate nutrients from wastewater. This project aimed to improve the rate of nutrient recovery and scale-up potential through development of novel Donnan dialysis reactors.

A batch-recycle system was used to evaluate the impacts of mixing, flow rate, and waste-to-draw solution volume ratio. With the optimal conditions, 90% orthophosphate recovery was achieved, and nutrient flux was increased by 30%. These results informed development of modular, tube- in-tube Donnan dialysis reactors, which enabled rapid nutrient recovery as struvite. These results support the role of Donnan dialysis systems to achieve circular nutrient economies.

Margaret Siao

Poster title: Influence of water quality on PFAS uptake by ion-exchange membrane-based passive samplers.

Authors: Margaret Siao, Donya Hamidi, Alvin Bett, Ke He, Lee Blaney

Abstract: Recently, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were regulated in drinking water. Many monitoring studies have reported variable PFAS concentrations in water resources. To inform the long-term, average PFAS levels, we developed and validated the performance of a novel passive sampling device comprised of anion-exchange membranes. Impacts of solution pH, salinity, and dissolved organic matter were evaluated for over 20 PFAS. Equilibrium PFAS and chloride concentrations were measured in the water and membrane phases and used to calculate selectivity coefficients. Trends between selectivity coefficients and PFAS properties enabled generation of a universal calibration for passive sampler deployment in different water sources.

Joseph Patarini of Ellicott City, Maryland, recently was awarded a study abroad grant worth $1,000 from The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi — the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Patarini is one of 125 students nationwide to receive the award.

The grants are designed to support undergraduates, both members and nonmembers from campuses that have Phi Kappa Phi chapters, as they seek expanded knowledge and experience in their academic fields by studying abroad.

Currently a senior majoring in geography and environmental science at UMBC, Patarini will use the grant to study abroad in Fes, Morocco and Marbella, Spain.

The selection process for a study abroad grant is based on the applicant’s academic achievement, campus and community service, relation of travel to academic preparation and career goals, a personal statement, letters of recommendation, and acceptance into a study abroad program. Each recipient receives $1,000 to be applied toward travel abroad.

Established in 2001, the Study Abroad Grant Program is part of the Society’s robust portfolio of award and grant programs, which currently gives more than $1.3 million each year to outstanding students and members through graduate and dissertation fellowships, funding for post-baccalaureate development, and grants for local, national and international literacy initiatives.

To learn more about the Study Abroad Program and other Phi Kappa Phi awards, visit www.phikappaphi.org/awards.

About Phi Kappa Phi

Founded in 1897, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Phi Kappa Phi inducts approximately 25,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni annually. The Society has chapters on more than 325 select colleges and universities in the United States, its territories and the Philippines. Membership is by invitation only to the top 10 percent of seniors and graduate students and 7.5 percent of juniors. Faculty, professional staff and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction also qualify. The Society's mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and engage the community of scholars in service to others." 

We are excited to share the astounding success of multiple CBEE teams who competed in intellectual competitions at the AIChE 2024 Mid-Atlantic Student Conference April 6-7, 2024 at UMBC. 

UMBC teams, consisting of chemical engineering majors,placed first place in both the ChemE Jeopardy and Chem-E-Car competitions. Thus, both teams earned a spot in the national competition at the 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA in October. 

ChemE Jeopardy 

ChemE Jeopardy is a trivia competition that utilizes questions from Chemical Engineering undergraduate coursework. Teams compete at regional competitions to earn a spot in the national competition held during AIChE’s annual meeting.

Two UMBC teams competed at the AIChE 2024 Mid-Atlantic Student Conference. UMBC Team #1 won first place in the competition. With the first place in by UMBC Team #1, UMBC will compete in the National ChemE Jeopardy competition for the fifth year in a row. 

UMBC Team #2 made it to the semifinals but narrowly missed a spot in the final by 100 points. We are so proud of Team #2 strong showing during their first competition together. 

UMBC Team # 1: 

• Ethan Banks, chemical engineering, traditional track ‘24
• Colin Jones (Jeopardy Chair), chemical engineering, biotechnology and bioengineering track ‘25
• Paul Loberg - chemical engineering, biotechnology and bioengineering track ‘24
• Pavan Umashankar chemical engineering, biotechnology and bioengineering track ‘25

UMBC Team #2:

• Jacob Craft, chemical engineering, environmental engineering track
• Joshua Lewis, chemical engineering, biotechnology and bioengineering track
• Dylan Hildt, chemical engineering, traditional track
• Jonathan Wu, chemical engineering, traditional track

Chem-E-Car

Chem-E-Car is a design and construction competition where teams develop small-scale automobiles that operate by chemical means, along with a poster describing their research. Each aspect of the competition is judged and awarded separately. During the poster presentations the team members explain the chemical engineering principles behind the design and the construction of the team’s car with the use of visualization on the poster. During the competition, teams must drive their car a fixed distance. One hour prior to the beginning of the first run, teams are informed of the specific distance and the payload for the competition. Each team is given two runs for their car. The teams are judged based on the closest to the finish line. 

UMBC’s Chem-E-Car team, VoltsMaxxing, won the Chem-E-Car competition and placed 3rd in the poster presentations. During the Chem-E-Car competition the team’s car stopped 1.3 m away from the target distance of 24.8 m. This is UMBC’s first Chem-E-Car win and only the second year UMBC competed in Chem-E-Car. 

VoltsMaxxing team members: 

• Afrah Ahmed, chemical engineering
• Jacob Craft, chemical engineering, environmental engineering track
• Michael Dinan, environmental engineering 
• Dylan Hildt, chemical engineering, traditional track
• Danny Miranda, chemical engineering, traditional track 
• David Ni, chemical engineering, traditional track
• Jemma Przybocki, chemical engineering, biotechnology and bioengineering track
• Ben Welling (Chem-E-car Captain), chemical engineering, environmental engineering track 
• Jonathan Wu chemical engineering, traditional track

In addition to the amazing achievements of our students, we must also acknowledge the efforts of Dr. Neha Raikar, who worked closely with the teams in preparation for the competitions. 

Date: February 10, 2024

Date: March 2, 2024

Date: April 6, 2024

Date: May 4, 2024