This post was contributed by Jayce Mathews, YP Chair, STS-AIChE. The South Texas Section (STS) of AIChE and AIChE headquarters recently held the third Annual AIChE Regional Process Technology Conference (RPTC) in Galveston, TX, which is just under an hour's drive from Houston. The Greater Houston area has the largest concentration of chemical engineers in the US, and this helped the conference draw well over 300 hundred attendees.
The Young Professionals (YP) from STS played a very active role in helping organize the conference. The YPs had a dedicated team of volunteers to help organizers with the registration process, luncheons, collecting feedback from attendees, etc. "We had a good attendance from our Young Professionals group, and they played an active part in the conference," said Alan Rossiter, conference chair.
Exclusive YP conference track
There was an exclusive track for the YPs, and the session was also well attended by our seasoned professionals (we all know they are also young at heart!). Lauren Deitch, technical programming project manager, AIChE, also commented on the YP track: "The session that the YPs organized this year had strong content and was both well attended and highly rated. Additionally, the mixer they planned, held after the close of the conference, was a highlight - a great chance for folks of all ages to mingle after two great days of programming."
The YP session featured very diverse topics ranging from process safety, simulation and catalysts to delayed coking - all of which revolved around the energy industry. The majority of the speakers were YPs themselves. It was great to see industry experts who attended the YP sessions ask basic questions which helped the YP audience understand the practical implementation of the knowledge. "Having spent years in fundamental research it was quite stimulating to review the basics of process simulation from my undergraduate courses. The tips shared by the experts were particularly useful and I will keep them in mind now that I need to incorporate my experience into an overall chemical process," says Jorge Pazmino of Dow Chemical Company, who attended the YP session. The conference saw participation from operating companies, engineering and construction (E&C) firms, vendors and many independent consultants.
Networking at YP mixer
One of the highlights of the conference was the social mixer at Murphy's Irish Pub for all the conference attendees, which was sponsored and organized by the YPs. The YPs set up the mixer registration separate from the conference registration and also handled all on-site registration. "The mixer proved popular with conference-goers of all ages," says Alan, who also attended the mixer. There were many last-minute registrations for the mixer, which added to the flavor. The mixer was a great forum for everyone to network and relax after a very successful conference, and it was a great way to wrap-up the conference."
So now you all know why the YPs in Houston rock... Come and hang out us next year in Houston for the Spring meeting. You can also ChEnect with us on Facebook.