Over the past year, I have worked in the research and development field as an intern at KSE inc. There I have been afforded the opportunity to work alongside well-established, highly qualified members of the chemical engineering field. During this time, several projects have focused on reactive distillation, where one I increased product yields and conversion rates by 10 and 15% respectively. Our feed and product samples of this process are analyzed through high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography for analytical analysis. Both machines are regularly configured and tested by the comparison of prepared CCV standards. Inside the laboratory I keep stringent records from all experiments in laboratory notebooks and Excel. This information is communicated regularly to coworkers and management to ensure needs and problems to the process engineering. Our goal for this research and development is to patent our processes for the US Department of Energy SBIR grants.

As a senior in the chemical engineering department, our fall semester consists of several design projects. I served as the team leader for the characterization of polymer resins, and how the resins effect the process parameters of a polymer injection molding machine (PIM). Using a differential scanning calorimeter, the thermoplastic polymer, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), was analyzed for its phase conditions and the degradation of the polymer. These results helped find the process parameters for PIM to produce the highest tensile strength of the ABS product. I presented an oral proposal and progress report in front of faculty and students, and a final technical report publishing data and findings.

Last summer I had the privilege to work as a stream and wetland restoration engineer, restoring a large ecological habitat at SWCA. Along the shoreline of New Bedford, MA, I planted over 30,000 salt meadow hay shrubs working around the sea's tides. Within a large team we cooperated effectively and efficiently to complete the project in a limited time frame. This work ignited my passion for sustainability and environmental conservation, inspiring me to seek a future career with a similar focus.