Memorandum To: From: Date: Subject: Cindy Raisor Brittany Iler, CHEN 301 student March 28, 2014

Takeaways from AICHE Southwest Regional Conference

The purpose of this memo is to inform you of what I gained from the AICHE Southwest Regional Conference. I participated in the Grand Station mixer, the breakout sessions, the formal banquet, and the Sunday brunch, and I learned something valuable from each of these events. Takeaways: A shared dedication to chemical engineering unites people from diverse universities, backgrounds, and even countries. Professional success requires initiative, leadership, and adaptability. Current AICHE involvement creates lasting professional networks and experiences.

Grand Station Mixer: In the workplace, we will be asked to collaborate towards a common goal with people from different backgrounds. The conference offered a taste of this experience. It is always fun to mingle with chemical engineers outside of the classroom. I enjoyed meeting chemical engineering students from other universities and even meeting fellow classmates from A&M. It was interesting hearing about the chemical engineering programs at other universities and comparing which classes we are currently taking. Some students came all the way from Mexico! Furthermore, I received advice from A&M upperclassmen and had the opportunity to give advice to freshmen regarding professor recommendations, degree plans, and minors within chemical engineering. Surprisingly, the students from the University of Texas were particularly friendly. Its amazing how common threads, such as a major in chemical engineering, can provide a sense of unity and camaraderie, even amongst rivalries. Breakout Sessions: I attended the following self and professional development presentations: Empowered and Employable Through Efolios-I learned how to create value out of experiences instead of simply listing the job description. Moreover, it is important to consider how these values will transfer over to the workplace and will positively contribute to the company. You must strategically adapt your resume and other profile materials to tailor to the qualifications of the job you are targeting. This could involve organizing your resume by experience or by credential, whichever best highlights your value. The mini resume on a business card was one idea I had never seen before and loved as an easy, applicable way to stand out. Lastly, the outcome matrix was a helpful tool to show how all of the experiences and values align.

First Choice: Getting Hired by the Company of Your Choice-Personally, I did not find this lunch and learn as useful. There were many tips about resumes, interviews, and career fairs that I had heard before. However, I liked how they highlighted the difference between soft skills and unproductive rhetoric at an on-site interview. They also mentioned the saying Find a need. Fill a need. This is a great succinct reminder on how to present yourself to a company. You must determine what that particular company needs and how your credentials can fill that need. A Chemical Engineering Perspective on Recent Engineering Disasters-In this session, the professor divided us into groups from different schools and we gave a brief description of a safety disaster. We discussed what happened, why it went wrong, and how it could have been prevented. After creating my infographic on the Fukushima Disaster, I found it interesting to once again analyze situations highlighting the importance of safety. I enjoyed working with students from other universities and learning about events such as the BP oil spill, the West fertilizer plant explosion, and the Texas Tech lab explosion. All of these disasters demonstrate the importance of safety education and up-to-date safety protocol.

Formal Banquet: Artie McFerrin was the guest speaker at the banquet and discussed his personal experiences and tips for success in the field of chemical engineering. I was fascinated by the amount of initiative, leadership, and fearfulness he displayed during his progression through a variety of jobs and the development of his own company. He distinguished the benefits and limitations between working at the job you want and the job that pays best. Moreover, he emphasized the importance of adapting the ways you work to fit your goal. McFerrin has gone through an amazing professional and character development, and it was an honor to hear the namesake of our chemical engineering department tell his story. Sunday Brunch: During the brunch, I had the opportunity to network with company representatives from Phillips 66 and ChemStation. It was a refreshing change of pace to interact with company representatives in a more casual setting. I enjoyed discussing their professional and personal lives without feeling the pressure of a job or internship on the line. Both of the representatives I talked to were former members in AICHE at A&M and discussed how much they benefited from it. It was encouraging to see that their connections and involvement with AICHE continued after graduation. Overall, the conference provided a unique opportunity to develop friendships and professional networks within chemical engineering. I enjoyed learning from people throughout various stages of chemical engineering-such as current students, newly hired engineers, and established executives. The conference offered current strategies to develop values for future success.