Penn State AIChE
By PSU AIChE
We hope to share fellow chemical engineering student's (current and past) experiences with you to allow you to gain a better understanding of the possibilities with your degree.
Penn State AIChESep 01, 2021
Who are professors G.Aurand, E.Gomez, and M.Hillsley?
Thinking about getting an MBA?
Bios:
Devika Varsani graduated from Penn State in 2013 with dual degrees in Chemical Engineering and International Studies. Her experiences at Penn State have allowed her to propel her career over the past eight years at DuPont. She has held jobs in sales, marketing, and product management to serve the healthcare, safety, and construction industries and currently serves as the Retail Marketing Leader in DuPont’s Water & Protection business. Devika will be pursing her Executive MBA at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School starting in May 2021.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devikavarsani/
Doug Todd is the North America Product Director for the Dow Polyurethanes business. He has spent the last 19 years at Dow in various Commercial Marketing, Sales, and Business Development roles across a variety of businesses and markets. Doug began his career in Dow’s Commercial Development Program after earning his Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Pennsylvania State University. While working at Dow he completed his Master of Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doug-todd-33bb4a3/
Grad School considerations
Come listen to two Penn State ChE Alum talk about their journey through higher education!
Bios:
Kaylee Ermine completed her Chemical Engineering degree at Penn State in 2019. She then started graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh in the fall, where she is pursuing her PhD in Molecular Pharmacology. She currently works in Dr. Lin Zhang’s lab at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Her research focuses on anticancer-therapy induced cell death in colorectal cancer.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaylee-ermine-9a4626126/
Albree earned her B.S. in chemical engineering in 2018. She became interested in attending graduate school after participating in undergraduate research where she was co-advised by Dr. Ralph Colby and Dr. Enrique Gomez. This led her to the University of Akron to pursue an M.S. degree in polymer engineering. Her thesis research focuses on transport phenomena and rheology, and she is looking forward to her master’s defense this summer! After completing her M.S., Albree will attend the University of Delaware as a Ph.D. student in materials science and engineering. One of Albree’s favorite things about Penn State will always be the life-long friends she made in the chemical engineering program and on the PSU Club Quidditch Team.
LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/albree-weisen-she-her-385770147/
Retirement Part 2: The female perspective
Come listen to another episode about retirement! This time, we have asked two female chemical engineers to share their experience!
Bios:
Suzette (Shaffer) Schultz earned simultaneous bachelor’s degrees in Chemical Engineering and Chemistry from Penn State University and she has used those degrees as a springboard to a distinguished 36+ year career in the pharmaceutical industry. Ms. Schultz has had a variety of positions within Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. Ms. Schultz devotes most of her spare time giving back to the community and is involved with a number of organizations that promote STEM fields to future engineers.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzette-schultz-7305244/
Jane Hrehocik Clampitt began her career in a traditional chemical engineering role as a process engineer for Gulf Oil Corporation. Shortly after, she joined The DuPont Company where she transitioned from technical roles and established herself with a career focus on business-to-business marketing and sales. For fun and fulfillment, Jane enjoys long distance walking, hiking, gardening, reading, live music, food, wine and travelling. She and her husband have a daughter and twin sons. Jane is retired and resides outside of Wilmington, DE.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jane-clampitt-11250010/
Who are your professors? Dr. Christian Pester & Dr. Enrique Gomez
Tune in to find out what animal would Dr. Pester and Dr. Gomez shrink to keep as a pet!
SP21 Senior Panel
Who are Prof Oh and Prof Shi?
Listen to our newest professors talk about their research and advice for females and international students in addition to learn more about their personalities!
Professor Hee Jeung Oh is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Penn State. The Oh lab focuses on combining chemistry, processing, structure, and transport properties of polymers for energy-efficient separations for environment, energy, and health.
Full-Time Rotational Programs
Join us to learn more about the advantages and disadvantages of pursuing a rotational program for your first full time career from 3 alumni.
Connect with them:
Justin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-naugle-152895170/
Julia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-sherwin-0a1550145/
Marissa: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marissa-miller-450aa5105/
Retirement from ExxonMobil: Reflections and Advice
Joining us today are Ken Graziani and John Hollenbach. They are here to share their reflection and stories since graduation, all the way until retirement. They shared some great failure and success stories as well as some secrets to prepare you for retirement. Both Ken and John are Penn State Chemical Engineering alum who used to work as competitors until the ExxonMobil merger where they now have been best friends since! Join us today to learn why setting aside 25% into your saving account is the best thing you can do for your future self!
Bios
Ken Graziani held various executive technical leadership and management positions developing and commercializing refinery process technologies at Mobil Technology Corporation and then ExxonMobil Research and Engineering After receiving his B.S. in chemical engineering in 1970, he earned his Master’s and Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 1972 and 1975, respectively, from the University of Illinois.
John graduated from Penn State in 1978 with BSChE. He worked for ExxonMobil for 40 years. During his career he worked as an engineer, supervisor and manager in refineries and distribution operations in the US and overseas. He also spent about half of his time as a planner, leading strategy studies, development of large capital projects and other business opportunities, as well as assessing acquisitions and divestments. He’s been an active alum of Penn State, serving on the ChE IPAC, and on the leadership team of the ChE alumni society. He is currently a member of the board of the Penn State Engineering Alumni Society, and co-chair of their Strategic Messaging Committee.
LinkedIn Connects:
Ken: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ken-graziani-00b2b616/
John: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-hollenbach-9522a82b/
A Penn State ChE Alum's journey after graduation: Paula Garcia Todd
Paula Garcia Todd is a Penn State Chemical Engineer Alum who graduated in 2003. For 18 years she has helped people through pharmaceuticals. Her vast experience ranges from working in manufacturing, to creating patented polymer innovations in labs, to solving formulation issues for global pharmaceutical companies, to now building the global strategy to drive growth in her business at IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances).
Listen to her talk about her journey after graduation and many, many life lessons on the way. We promise that this is an episode that you do not want to miss out on!
You can connect with her on
LinkedIn at : https://www.linkedin.com/in/paula-garcia-todd-8b88716/
Instagram: @watchmestem
Who is Phillip Savage and Andrew Zydney?
Listen to hear Dr. Savage and Dr. Zydney discuss their journey to becoming professors at Penn State. Learn about the faculty and graduate student life at the University of Delaware and how it compares to Penn State. Come hear how both professors reflect on the growth of chemical engineering within the department and globally. Additionally, take away some important lessons that can not only be impactful during these difficult times but also throughout life.
Who are Professors Michael Janik and Themis Matsoukas ?
AIChE Past Presidents' Reflections & Advice
Listen to the past AIChE Presidents reflect back on their time serving as presidents and other positions. Learn about the skills that they have learned, goals that they had within the student organization and where they are at now.
Panel:
Anni Ko 2020-2021
Josh Pezzulo 2019-2020
Bailyn Bench 2018-2019
Ed Ciemniecki 2017-2018
Straight out of College to Industry
Listen to what Emily (SU 2019 CHE PSU Grad) and Zach (SP20 CHE PSU Grad) have to say about their transition to full time roles within industry!
Who is Monty Alger and Stephanie Velegol?
You voted and we got the two top professors to chat with us today to reflect on their undergraduate Chemical Engineering journey and what they have been up to since quarantine this past summer! Listen to have a laugh with your professors and get to know them a little bit more as you have them for class!
Dr Alger is a professor currently teaching CHE 497: Industrial Problem Solving
Dr S. Velegol is an Associate Teaching Professor who teaches CHE 210: Material Balances in the spring semesters and CHE 412: ChE and the Environment (CHE elective) and among others!
Should I return to the same company in a different division or gain exposure at a different company for my next internship?
As students, we sometimes do not know what we want and what is best for us and the only way to know is to seek out advice or go experience it. Join us (2 alumni and 2 current students) as we talk about our experiences with returning to the same company the next summer or trying something new!
In this episode, we talk about the benefits that a student might see with working for the same company and what it's like working for a variety of companies.