Undergraduate Student Spotlight Archive
Joyce Yin
Joyce Yin is a third-year undergraduate student in chemical engineering at Penn State and is actively involved with OXE, the chemical engineering honor society. Among her many industry experiences, Joyce is currently working for Burt’s Bees, the personal care product company, in the research and development department.
Yin said she was inspired to become a chemical engineer after finding a love for chemistry in high school. She said the flexibility of working in industry or pursuing academia attracted her to the major. She also has a passion for sustainability and knew that chemical engineering could be a pathway to improving the sustainability of various processes.
Her responsibilities at Burt’s Bees include both the product side of new product development/discovery and the process side of working on scale-up and troubleshooting issues that occur at the Burt’s Bees manufacturing plant. Yin said her favorite project focused on ideating and choosing a fragrance for an upcoming retail exclusive launch. Throughout the project, Yin discussed ideas and wrote briefs that the fragrance companies used for inspiration during development. This project stood out to Yin because she learned a lot about quantitative measurements and methods in the chemical engineering curriculum, and the project highlighted that cosmetic chemistry and the consumer goods industry are both qualitative and quantitative.
Because of Yin’s impactful experience with internships and co-ops, she believes that Penn State chemical engineers should pursue a co-op if they have an extra semester. She said that co-ops are a good way to experience more projects and opportunities since these roles are typically longer in duration. Yin said getting to know your co-workers and building a strong network are important aspects of co-ops.
Yin plans to pursue opportunities in research and career development that will lead her towards a career in industry. She said her current co-op has sparked her interest in the consumer goods industry and because of that, she may take some business courses to gain more knowledge on industry as a whole. She plans to improve her industry knowledge in her last year at Penn State and will continue her impact in the department as the OXE president for the 2022-2023 school year.
Graduate
Kevork Oliver Messerian
Kevork Oliver Messerian is a third-year doctoral student who works with Andrew Zydney, Bayard D. Kunkle Chair and professor of chemical engineering. His research involves studying the sterile filtration of lipid nanoparticles for mRNA vaccines and therapeutics. He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Balamand in Lebanon, where he worked on evaluating the water footprint scarcity and process design for pineapple juice produced locally.
Messerian said one of his favorite things about Penn State, other than it being a world class University with academic excellence, is the diversity it holds within the student body. He said having a large number of international friends has not only helped him feel more welcomed, but also gave him the opportunity to build a strong network. On a larger scale, he said he believes that the United States as a whole is full of opportunities that he would not have had if he had pursued his doctoral degree somewhere else.
When Messerian pursued internship opportunities, he discovered many research areas that the world of chemical engineering has to offer, such as petroleum, food and pharmaceuticals. Eventually, he decided to settle in the research area of pharmaceuticals. He chose Penn State chemical engineering because the department offered a variety in research themes, especially in the biotechnology sector. He said he is fond the new department building, which also motivates and entices him to perform research. He said he also feels the department’s Graduate Student Association does a fantastic job at taking care of the graduate students by organizing several events — symposiums, tailgates, etc. — along with weekly, much-needed coffee hours.
Outside academic and research life, Messerian likes to spend time in the gym, hanging out with friends and cooking food. He also recently joined the chemical engineering graduate student association, where he serves as a secretary. His favorite activities are hiking and skiing, which are both convenient to do in State College. Messerian said after graduation he is looking to develop his career in industry where he will use the knowledge, skills and education received from Penn State to become a great future professional.
Jade Thomas
What are your hobbies and interests?
I am really into reading, watching shows on Netflix to de-stress, snowboarding, and, of course, cheerleading! My favorite TV show is Vampire Diaries. I have a huge interest in makeup and fashion, and I absolutely love putting outfits together. My favorite food is buffalo chicken sandwiches.
What inspired you to be a chemical engineer and why?
I really loved science and math in high school, but I knew that I was not interested in anything pertaining to the medical field, that is just not for me. My chemistry teacher in high school was the one who really inspired me to do chemical engineering. He made chemistry so fun, and I really found my love for chemistry and science in his classroom. I originally came to Penn State with engineering undecided as my major, but within the first week I knew that I wanted to be a chemical engineer.
Why did you choose to come to Penn State?
My family is a big Penn State family, and I grew up going to all the football games and tailgating on Saturdays. Penn State also has an amazing engineering program, and they do a lot for women in engineering. I thought that those programs would really be able to help me and give me a good chance of succeeding in the major. My two top choices were Penn State and the University of Johnstown, but the deciding factor was the cheerleading team. When I made the team at Penn State it was an immediate decision to come here. Cheerleading is a huge passion for me, and to be able to do it for my school was a dream come true. I am so glad I chose to come to Penn State because it really is my home.
How do you balance two really time-consuming activities (major and cheerleading)?
I have practice three times a week from 6:30-9:00 p.m., and we have games we attend for football, basketball, and hockey on weekends and sometimes weeknights. It can be hard sometimes to balance it all, so my schedule consists of me going to classes most of the day, coming home, and getting ready for cheer practice. Then after cheer, I would head to the library until it closes and grind out work. I got used to going with the flow because you never know how long a homework assignment will take one week from the next and being okay with that is something I have learned. I work hard to stay organized so that I can do well in school and still have time to cheer and do what I love. Cheer is like a stress reliever for me. It’s a great break from school and gives me a break from the stress. Then after practice, I am ready to get back to my schoolwork.
What are your future goals or plans?
My dream job would be to work in the cosmetic industry using my chemical engineering degree. I really want to create products and go into the consumer products field. I don’t have a particular interest within that sector, so I am open to anything and excited to find out more about what I can do with my degree. I would like to stay on the east coast side of the country because most of my family lives here, and as I said before, we love going to the Penn State games!
If you could create any ice cream creamery flavor, what would it be and why? I am not crazy about ice cream with a million things in it. I just love ice cream itself so I would make my special flavor simply vanilla ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. Sweet and simple. I have no idea what I would call it. I am not creative in that way!
Natalie Heising
Natalie Heising is a fourth-year student studying chemical engineering at Penn State and is a forward on the Penn State Women’s Ice Hockey team. She was born in Wayzata, Minnesota, and was a member of the U.S. U18 women’s national ice hockey team.
Her journey to chemical engineering at Penn State did not follow a traditional path. With recruitment through hockey beginning early, her first visit to Penn State happened when she was 15 years old during spring break. Although the campus was mostly deserted, she said she really enjoyed her visit and was impressed with the opportunities and potential of Penn State from both the academic and athletic perspectives. Natalie said she remembers being impressed with the wide range of opportunities from the visit because of the combination of athletic and academic excellence. At that time, Penn State Women’s Ice Hockey was a new program. Heising saw the opportunities to make an impact and be a trailblazer in shaping the direction of the program. Additionally, the coaching staff was great in expressing support for focusing on both academics and athletics. When she began at Penn State, she thought about becoming a doctor, so she began studying biomedical engineering. She enjoyed first-year chemistry, and this got her thinking about chemical engineering. The wealth of opportunities that chemical engineering presents sealed the deal on her switch to the field.
The balancing of an academically challenging major like chemical engineering with the demands of hockey has led to some learning experiences for Heising. Initially, it was a challenge to transition from high school to college, while also having considerable time commitments associated with athletics. Heising said one of the big challenges was that there was not a mentor within athletics that she knew who was majoring in engineering, so she needed to figure things out on her own. With the rigor of engineering courses, she decided to take fewer courses to balance time commitments after an initial plan to graduate in four years. Heising said that made all the difference to be able to focus on classes and still enjoy college. Going to the rink became a source of stress relief and mental downtime to allow her to be refreshed to study after practice. One of the keys was working on time management and ensuring that there were excellent communication channels with coaches and professors. She said not rushing through with a full load of classes and being able to focus better on learning made all the difference in being able to balance athletics and academics. Heising said a silver lining to the decision to take an extra year to graduate was the NCAA’s decision to allow an additional year of eligibility due to COVID-19. Heising was able to take advantage of this to continue to compete. Additionally, slowing down enabled her to also add a minor in chemistry to expand her knowledge in the topic that started her journey into chemical engineering.
Heising is planning to start at 3M in Minnesota after she graduates this spring. However, her hockey journey may not be complete, and she said she has not ruled out playing professionally in Europe. Although State College is a long way from Minnesota, Heising said she is glad that she decided to come to Penn State and major in chemical engineering. She notes that the versatility of the chemical engineering major and skills developed through classes at Penn State have prepared her to take on whatever challenges present themselves in the future. She said she particularly likes the potential freedom that comes with chemical engineering to be able to do what she wants to do in life, just like she has done on the ice.
Brandon Perdue
Brandon Perdue is a fourth-year student studying chemical engineering at Penn State. He serves as the president of Omega Chi Epsilon (OXE), an honor society for chemical engineering students. Born in Newark, Delaware, Perdue moved to Oxford, Pennsylvania at eight years old.
Perdue’s desire to become a chemical engineer began at a young age. His grandfather was a mechanic for DuPont in the Nylon business unit for 50 years, while his grandmother was a secretary for technical chemical engineers at DuPont. Through his grandparents, he learned about the chemical engineers working at the DuPont plant in Seaford, Delaware. Perdue recalls vivid comments about the smartest people at DuPont being the chemical engineers. While visiting his grandparents, he saw the positive impacts of the chemical industry on the Seaford community. By the time Perdue reached high school, the potential impact of chemical engineers had become evident, and he was encouraged by his grandparents to pursue his passions. The potential to impact millions of people through better chemistry was a factor in his decision to study chemical engineering.
His decision to attend Penn State came down to fit and opportunities. The alumni network associated with the large engineering footprint of Penn State was one driving factor. Even in Oxford, Pennsylvania, located near the Maryland/Delaware border, the answer to where someone went to college was often Penn State, especially for engineers. The potential opportunities and new challenges presented by attending a large university were also appealing factors in Perdue’s decision to attend Penn State. Perdue's decision was cemented during his visit to Penn State's University Park campus. The conversations he had with faculty, especially Professor Michael Janik, greatly impacted him.
One of the unique experiences for Perdue at Penn State has been his work with OXE. He learned about OXE during discussions in his mass and energy balance course. While waiting for an invitation to join OXE, Perdue seized an opportunity to help restart OXE from the bottom up. As president of OXE, Perdue has led new efforts to provide value to Penn State’s chemical engineering students. These efforts are inspired by Professor Monty Alger and Professor Darrell Velegol's work to identify the passions and skills needed by current students to pursue successful careers in industry. Perdue spearheaded the efforts of OXE to provide a bridge between current students, departmental resources, and the alumni network to help students better understand what they want to do and their passions before graduation. In the past, OXE hosted alumni speakers, but Perdue worked to change the events from general corporate presentations to more personal, experiential discussions. He notes that “without experience, students don’t know what questions to ask at general presentations.” His new focus for OXE is to link companies and young alumni with current chemical engineering students to help the students develop and grow in preparation to hit the ground running in industry.
