Are You in ChE-Harmony?

This is awesome(!), whose idea was this? I was in stiches when I watches this, great job!

Happy Holidays! The video is awesome. Just the right amount of humor on a very serious topic! There are so many people in my life that has helped me achieved Che-Harmony that it will take me more than 250 words to describe: My Family: They have been very supportive of my pursue of my career from the get-to. They have put up with dealing with my constant absence due to studying and putting in all-nighters when I was in school. They were also the first one to say "go for it" when I went for my oversea assignment. My Professors: They have always encouraged me to try my best and keep my skills sharp. My Mentors at Work: I still remember my first few years of working as the most memorable years. The transition from school to work requires putting myself in a sharp learning curve. The mentors at work never hesitated to share their experience with me. They also provided me opportunity to learn on the job and contribute.

It says my post is too long, so it will be in two pieces (it is about 250 words though): I didn't really think I had achieved ChE-Harmony until I read May's response and then I thought to myself, you know... maybe I really have. Though I am the first person in my family to pursue a math, science or engineering degree my parents have fully supported me throughout my studies and my career taking an interest in subjects that interest me (exemplified by the recent “Cooking for Geeks” gift I received). My supervisor has been extremely supportive of my involvement in AIChE. Though I am not working in the chemical industry, my supervisor has encouraged me to stay involved as the opportunities for professional growth abound in professional organizations – regardless of the concentration.

Part 2: Additionally, the people that I have met through Chemical Engineering and AIChE have become friends and colleagues and have inspired me in so many ways. Through the Lehigh Valley local section, I have had the opportunity to dabble in web design – something I had always wanted to try, but never though I had the time to do on my own. I also had the opportunity to design the Virtual Local Section logo – something that allowed me to use my creative and artistic side which I had been seriously neglecting. ChEnected has also served as a much needed creative outlet and has sparked my interest in writing. AIChE has given me the opportunity to use all of my talents – not just my intellectual side – which is why I’d say that I have, in fact, achieved ChE-Harmony.

I have a different take on Che-Harmony, although I am sure my story is not unique. You see, I married a fellow Chemical Engineer. He and I met on co-op, became good friends, started dating, and got married right out of school. Two chemical engineers might not make the most common pair for a perfectly married couple – after all, many would think we’d be too similar; would think too much alike. However, we mesh well and find our own sense of Che-Harmony. He likes the manufacturing side of engineering; I like the leadership side. He’s a completely logical thinker; I have a little bit of emotion in me. I have found that being able to talk to my husband about activity coefficients and distillation means we can share more of our life together – because he knows what I’m talking about. I have found Che-Harmony in other ways too. Many of my best friends are chemical engineers. A couple of years ago I even set up two of my best friends (also two Chemical Engineers!) who are married today! Che-Harmony can be found in my home as well as in my workplace.

How I achieved ChE-Harmony: The moment I joined the Chemical Engineering department at my university, I was greatly inspired by the rapid innovations and the developments that have been taking place in the industry. My main inspiration for chemical engineering studies was from my modeling professor who was also a great mentor. Being an academician as well as a versatile engineer, she could literally take you through her experiences in the industry that you would be dazzled by the projects that chemical engineers are responsible for. Currently, she is a visiting professor at Cambridge university. From my personal experience as a chem eng student, I believe that an interesting part is that you get to work in a wide area. As a student, I have worked on designing of heat exchangers to designing biogas fermenters/hydrogen reactors. But, the industrial applications of the work/research are the most exciting part of the career.

If it seems like harmony in your chemical engineering career is progressing at a rate similar to diffusion in solids, or is as dynamic as a continuum of metamorphic rock, let your voice be heard in ChEnected, join the Young Professionals-Fellows Mentoring program or get in touch with your local professional or young professional groups, as I have! You just might find a real (and easy) solution while avoiding Frobenius-like methods to find a solution. My chemical engineering harmony has been years in the making but has been progressive largely due to my relationship with AIChE. Just when it seemed like the dynamics of my career would challenge the realization of the third law of thermodynamics for a lack of motion, AIChE tapped an unknown residual that turned out to be vast reservoir of renewable energy as part of the make up of my career.

As Elizabeth said, part 2... Nourishing my relationship with previous mentors, involvement with my local professional chapter & national AIChE initiatives has created a new frontier of challenges and possibilities. Serving as a student liaison while working closely with students has re-opened my eyes to people potential (very similar to chemical potential) and has allowed me to impart some of the wisdom that I have gained. When I needed help unraveling natural career progression, AIChE helped show me the way. BTW, 2012 LDC to be held in Golden Colorado. Spread the word, as the chair, I am sure you will find it to be as rewarding as my LDC experiences!