Poster Presentation about Biofuel Research at the AIChE Annual Student Conference
Author: Andie Veeder | Major: Chemical Engineering | Semester: Fall 2022
For the past year, I have utilized electrodeionization (EDI) to separate important, large, organic sugar acids for the use in biofuel production. Through EDI, an electric current is applied to a device that circulates two solutions: the feed which contains the organic sugar acid of choice (in our case this was cellobionate and gluconate), and a rinse solution made of sodium sulfate. This process has been successful in concentrating the anion of choice, and further experimentation is being done to separate larger molecules, like cellobionate. Because the biofuel process is expensive and largely inaccessible, advancements need to be made in the lab if biofuels are going to be a feasible option for clean energy in the future.
At the AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) Annual Conference this year in Phoenix, Arizona, I presented my research under Dr. Jamie Hestekin about advancing the field of biofuel research. I also presented a poster about educational research I conducted under Dr. Natacha Souto Melgar. Through both of these poster presentations, I had conversations with over 50 people, ranging from undergraduate students like myself to professors at different universities. My poster on biofuel research received a lot of interest since there is minimal work being done right now with EDI, so people were curious. They had tons of good questions for me, a couple that I didn’t even know the answer to. Going forward, I look deeper into those questions, and either read more literature or conduct more experiments to find the answer. I came out of the experience with a whole new mindset, and I am eager to see how I can push this research even further after receiving so much amazing feedback.
The second poster I presented was about my hands-on experience fixing an old reverse osmosis machine and creating experimental documentation for it so that it could be implemented into an undergraduate chemical engineering laboratory course. I had many professors from other universities talk to me about this because they were eager to hear about different ways that membrane separation can be taught. They were extremely impressed with our work in restoring the machine and also conducting experiments to determine the optimum parameters for the machine. It was very gratifying to see such positive feedback, and hear that some of these professors even wanted to implement something similar into their curriculum.
Initially, I went into the presentations extremely nervous. I was terrified that I was going to receive hard questions and would possibly look dumb. In hindsight, I had nothing to worry about; everyone there was extremely nice and professional. With each conversation I had my confidence grew, and by the end of it, I was practically waving people down to come hear about my research. After spending hours in the lab conducting experiments and on my computer reading literature, it was an amazing feeling to be able to verbalize all the work I had done and engage in meaningful conversations about it. Overall, it was a great experience and I would love to attend another conference in the future.
One day of the conference, they hosted a graduate school recruitment fair for undergraduate students. I am still undecided about whether I want to go into industry after I graduate in May, or pursue a Ph.D. in chemical engineering. I talked to several schools that I was interested in applying to at the recruitment fair, and it solidified my mind that I want to apply. The professors that I talked to urged me to apply and said that a lot of my research interests align with their faculty, so I’m excited to explore those opportunities. On top of that, various events and seminars were open to us, and I was able to meet so many chemical engineers from across the country. It was very insightful hearing what other senior undergraduate students are doing in the future, and what their journey has been like. It was very refreshing to socialize with other students, especially coming out of COVID and not being able to have these interactions for almost two years.
After this experience, I am excited to continue my research, and finish up my honors thesis. With this experience, I will be able to dive so much deeper, and approach it from a new perspective. I would encourage anyone who is considering presenting their research to do it. It is intimidating and scary at first, but getting out of your comfort zone is crucial, and you will benefit greatly from the experience. My one piece of advice would be to practice your poster in front of your research advisor and Ph.D. student mentors. They will ask you the hardest questions because they know your research the best. When it is time to do it for real, nothing will seem as hard as that trial run, and you will do amazing!