The Student Chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers at Cornell University, colloquially known as Cornell AIChE, is a student organization composed of Smith School undergraduates dedicated to advancing professional development, community outreach, and social bonding within the school. To achieve these goals, the chapter organizes events and initiatives throughout the school year catered to undergraduates, as well as faculty, staff, and the greater Ithaca community. Following a trend since the end of the pandemic, the 2023-2024 academic year was of great success, discovery, and community development.
Professional Development
To help undergraduates prepare for the Career Fair, the chapter organized its annual professional development events in late August and early September. Staffed with chapter officers and upperclassmen volunteers, these events included resume workshops, professional headshot sessions, and a panel dedicated to summer internships. In addition to sophomores and juniors, several freshmen took advantage of these events and connected with their older peers.
In October, the chapter co-hosted an information session with ExxonMobil; attendees came from several schools within the college. In November, 10 undergraduates had the opportunity to attend the AIChE Annual Student Conference in Orlando; those still looking for work brought their resumes to the conference’s career fair and met with several companies from around the nation.
Outreach
In April, members of the chapter organized and performed hands-on science experiments with young children at Ithaca’s Sciencenter. These experiments included making oobleck and a buoyancy demonstration, attracting dozens of enthusiastic young learners to our event.
As volunteers, many of the chapter’s board members also participated in CBE Women’s annual high school outreach event, giving local young women their perspectives on and advice for STEM educations in a panel of undergraduate students.
Social
Continuing a pre-pandemic tradition, the chapter organized school-wide barbecues in the fall and spring, attracting faculty, staff, and students alike. With games, fresh food, and lots of new connections, they were a great time for all who attended. In addition to the barbecues, the chapter succeeded in organizing more regular undergraduate social events in Olin, including a karaoke night, several movie nights, and a pumpkin painting event for Halloween.
Looking Ahead
Having succeeded in accomplishing our goals for 2023-2024, the chapter hopes to continue its work since the pandemic and find new ways to bring together undergraduate students. In collaboration with ChEGSA and other graduate organizations within the school, we also hope to form closer relationships between graduate and undergraduate students through mentorship and joint events.