About AIChE
The University of Kentucky College of Engineering, Paducah Campus Chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (UK Paducah AIChE) is a group of chemical engineering students and staff who have come together for the common goal of building a community of students who educate, engage, and encounter the community. We also provide academic resources, events, and other great activities for students.
Mission
The goal of UK Paducah AIChE is to
- Educate the public and prospective students about the chemical engineering field and its opportunities
- Engage the community through service learning activities
- Encounter new experiences through plant tours, student conferences, and related events
Get involved:
E-Day
Our annual Engineering Day falls at the end of February and our AIChE Chapter always looks forward to entertaining all the children that attend, as well as ourselves! Engineering day is a day when kids from the surrounding communities come to our campus to learn various engineering principles incorporated into fun activities hosted by our current engineering students. Over 100 kids attended this event throughout the day. With the hard work and dedication of our AIChE members during the organization of the event, set-up, and clean up, the event was a complete success for the participating children, and also all the student workers who probably had just as much, if not more fun!
AIChE collaborates with our other fellow student organization such as AIAA, ASME, ESW, KEC, SAE, and SWE to make this eventful day possible. The collective efforts allow participants exposure to different aspects of engineering and how it can be applied, and also just how fun engineering really is and can be! Students involved in multiple organizations often moved from event to event which demonstrates how well each student organization collaborates and supports each other.
AIChE Student Conferences
Each semester, the members of UK Paducah AIChE participate in an AIChE Student Conference. The National conference is in the Fall, and Southern Regional is in the Spring. This is a great opportunity for members to network and connect with chemical engineering students, professors, and professionals from around the world. Members who are currently involved in undergraduate research have the opportunity to enter poster competitions and present their projects.
Visit the 2019 AIChE conference website.
Sponsors
If your company is interested in sponsorship, there are several exciting opportunities! Brief descriptions of key academic and community outreach events are listed below. If your company would like to sponsor an event, partially or fully, or wants more information, feel free to contact us.
Fall ChemE Car Competition
ChemE Car is a competition where universities compete, using small vehicles run by chemical reactions. Our particular car is run by a hydrogen fuel cell. Our team came in 3rd place at the 2016 Southern Regional Student Conference’s competition, so we have the amazing opportunity to compete in nationals this October.
STEM High School Outreach
We are currently planning to go McCracken County high school, possibly in September, and talk to students interested in STEM fields about the opportunities and challenges of the engineering path.
Engineering Day (E-Day)
In the spring, UK Paducah has their annual E-Day, where every club hosts scientific activities for children from the community. Last year, UK Paducah AIChE hosted homemade ice cream, and oobleck activities.
Spring ChemE Car Competition
In the spring, UK Paducah AIChE will go to the Southern Regional AIChE Student Conference and participate in the regional ChemE Car competition.