Meet Lauren Deitch—Featured YP for April

Where are you from?

Brooklyn, NY, by way of Lincoln, Rhode Island.

What company/institution do you work for?

American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Where did you complete your chemical engineering education?

University of New Hampshire.

Describe a recent challenge you managed, notable achievement, or obstacle you overcame at your job.

My most recent project was programming all of the technical content for the sessions at the AIChE Spring Meeting. This was my largest project since beginning with AIChE a year ago, and I had to learn quite a bit about the organization and our conferences in order to implement the project successfully.

What do you do to meet people in your field?

Networking at conferences has been the best way for me to meet people in the chemical engineering field. Whether it be during technical sessions, receptions, or coffee breaks, I have been able to meet people from all over the industry.

What's the first thought you have when you wake up in the morning?

Honestly? Five more minutes, please. Not so honestly? I'm glad I'm up so early; I have time to exercise before work!

If your first and last initials stood for something other than your name, what would that be?

Little Engine that Did. Oh shoot!

If your college had offered a class on real-life skills for the aspiring ChE, what would you want them to teach?

Project management.

If you weren't a ChE what would you most want to be?

An architect. Or a penguin.

What don't most people know about you?

I have an adorable, sometimes terribly behaved Jack Russell terrier named Charlie.

How many ChEs does it take to screw in a light bulb?

One, obviously, as one chemical engineer can perform the material and energy balances, calculate the proper torque necessary, and sufficiently over-analyze the situation.

Do you have any advice for current or future young professionals reading ChEnected?

I think it's important for a young engineer to ask for what they want - whether it be more responsibility, professional development, or different types of projects. I found that early on in my career I assumed that my managers knew how I wanted to grow, and I learned that it was something I needed to be direct about. If you'd like to contact Lauren, she can be reached through her LinkedIn profile.

Join us in CONGRATULATING Lauren by commenting below!

Comments

Meagan's picture

Congrats Lauren! I am definitely using your joke!

Rich Byrnes's picture

Congratulations Lauren, well done. Sooo.... only one ChE to change a light bulb, maybe, however you will need at least two perhaps three ChE's to complete the HAZOP, Job Hazard Analysis, and Pre-Startup Safety Review (PSSR). Yes I guess this is what you meant by "sufficiently over-analyze the situation". Good luck in your career.