Howard University Chemical Engineering Students Win at 2025 AIChE Annual Conference
Robert Russum, chemical engineering (ChE) senior, Kaedan Hendrix, ChE sophomore, and Quentin Taylor, ChE senior, placed in the top three of their respective thematic tracks for their research poster presentations at the 2025 American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Student Conference (ASC 2025).
Howard University chemical engineering sophomores, juniors and seniors, advised by Patrick Ymele-Leki, Ph.D., College of Engineering and Architecture (CEA) associate dean and chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering, represented CEA talent and exceptional ChE student leadership at the conference. Hendrix placed first, Taylor placed second and Russum placed third across the Food, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology and Materials Engineering and Sciences tracks.
The Howard University AIChE chapter (AIChE-HU) executive board members Faith Sampson, Isaiah Thompson, Keayla Vanderstoop, and Taylor Quarles attended with support from the Howard University Office of Campus Life. Andaiye Smith, Cai Malone, Eddie Anderson, Isaac Okewole, Jayden Lallemand, Kaedan Hendrix, Logan Travers, Quentin Taylor, Robert Russum, and Sean Manley attended through the Karsh STEM Scholars Program, reflecting the University’s strong investment in cultivating research, leadership, and professional engagement among its future engineers.
In other departmental news, Sama Ghadiri Gargari, a graduate student advised by Solmaz Tabtabaei, Ph.D., and Sunniya Iftikhar, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow and member of the Biomolecular Assemblies and Nanomechanics (BAN) Laboratory research group led by Preethi Chandran, Ph.D., represented CEA ChE at the AIChE Annual Meeting.
Gargari was selected as a 2025 AIChE Women in Chemical Engineering (WIC) Travel Award recipient, a national recognition that supports and celebrates excellence, leadership, and diversity among emerging chemical engineers.
Our students’ active AIChE engagement and our growing presence within the national chemical engineering community amplifies Howard University’s legacy of excellence in engineering education and research.