The Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Symposium was designed to provide a learning environment which promotes the professional development of graduate students and the interactive exchange of ideas among regional industries and universities. This event has been extended to chemical and materials engineering graduate students. This is facilitated by student posters and oral presentations that are judged by a panel of industry representatives on the quality of research and the effectiveness of the presentation. The best presentations are awarded monetarily.
Graduate students and industry representatives are also given the opportunity to interact in a less structured setting at both the formal luncheon and an evening awards banquet. At one of these events, a keynote address is given by a prominent industrial figure in the field of chemical engineering.

Finally, a unique aspect about the Symposium is that it is organized and run entirely by graduate students. While faculty support is appreciated, it is limited to advice and attendance. In this way, graduate students gain first-hand experience in organizing a regional event, including fund raising, participation encouragement, and scheduling.

The event is passed among universities in the region. We request that the host school have an organization for chemical engineering graduate students and have attended a previous event. In addition, new host schools should follow the guidelines currently in place for the Symposium and keep in close contact with a school who has hosted the event in the past. If your school is interested in hosting the next Regional Chemical and Materials Engineering Graduate Student Symposium, plan to attend this year's event and send us email expressing your interest.

Background

The University of Kentucky Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Association hosted its first Chemical Engineering Graduate Student Symposium in September of 1993. The idea to host the event was initially proposed by then ChEGSA faculty advisor Dr. Kimberly Anderson. Having graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, she suggested modeling a meeting on the annual ChEGSA Symposium that Carnegie Mellon had been holding since 1979. The primary intention of the event was to provide a forum that allowed graduate students to improve their presentation skills and provide them with industrial exposure.
From an internal event involving representatives from a few local companies, UK expanded the Symposium to include regional universities and industries. Due to this growth and success, UK felt it was time to encourage other schools in the area to host the Symposium.