"No talking!" - memories and stories of the Class of 2016

Another year, another 120 MEng students finished ChemEng at Imperial. We interviewed six of them about their best memories and future plans.

Emilie Lunddahl

"I will miss Kogelbauer's 'concept clear?', Krishnan's 'no talking!' and Brechtelsbauer playing the Star Wars theme song."

"I'm from Bornholm, a small island in the Baltic Sea that belongs to Denmark. It's pretty much London's polar opposite. I decided to study chemical engineering because the combination of maths, physics and chemistry applied to solve real world problems really appealed to me. Imperial offered an opportunity to learn from world class researchers whilst getting the chance to experience London. During my first two years of uni I played women's rugby and tutored in maths and physics for Team Up, an educational charity. In my 3rd and 4th year I had the pleasure of being a Departmental Representative for the Chemical Engineering undergraduate students. I will miss Kogelbauer's 'concept clear?', Krishnan's 'no talking!' and Brechtelsbauer playing the Star Wars theme song. I will miss seeing Fennell sitting with his feet on his desk and Omar Matar replying to emails within 5 seconds. I will really miss seeing the staff and all my fellow students every day. I really love the annual Chem Eng talent show; I've been every year. It's a good mix of actual talent and funny performances. My favourite act is however always the one done by the lecturers. After graduating I'm starting as a Process Engineer in Upstream Oil & Gas with BP, located in London."

Liem Bui-Le

"I compete as a weightlifter, where I train six times a week. I have always put a priority on studies at Imperial, even if it means missing important competitions."

"I was born in London, England, however my parents are from Nha Trang, Vietnam. My best subjects at A-levels were Maths, Physics and Chemistry, therefore I wanted to pick a degree that would incorporate my strengths and interests. The invaluable problem-solving skills developed throughout the course makes chemical engineers highly sought after, thus giving me a diverse and large variety of career opportunities. In addition, I wanted to make a positive impact on society contributing to vital issues such as climate change. Extracurricularly I compete as a weightlifter, where I train six times a week during term-time. I have always put a priority on studies at Imperial, even if it means missing important competitions. I represented Imperial at various competitions and have become British University Champion twice during my time at Imperial. I intend to compete at the World University Championship in Merida, Mexico in November 2016. My most memorable moment at the department was my final exam at Imperial, because everyone dressed up in costumes to take the exam. I dressed up as Ryu from Street Fighter and I remember having my boxing wraps on too tight and having to undo them every 10 minutes during the final exam. I will really miss the 2016 graduate students with whom I have spent the last four years with, they are a diverse and intelligent group of people who have encouraged me to develop academically and personally in such a short amount of time. I wish them all the best on their career paths and hope to see them in the near future. I will be starting my PhD in Chemical Engineering with Dr Jason Hallett in October 2016. My thesis is titled ‘Ionic Liquid Proteins for Vaccine Stabilisation’, where I will be chemically modifying proteins to help improve their stabilisation so that they can be stored and shipped at room temperatures which would break the ‘cold chain’ and allow these proteins to be shipped to third world countries where they are needed the most. In addition, I plan to continue training as a weightlifter and hopefully I will be representing England at the next Commonwealth Games in 2018."

Maria Abundo

"It was like a constant thing in my life for four years, we get to be happy, sad and angry over the same things due to ChemEng."

"I am from Singapore. I chose ChemEng because Dr João Cabral interviewed me and I thought he was pretty cool (hahaha) and he did a good job telling me about the various ChemEng Soc events, which was great! More seriously, I found that the Chemical Engineering course in Imperial was very well designed and it had sufficient rigour to keep me challenged throughout my four years. As for societies, I was in cheerleading and got to be a flyer! It was such an interesting experience that allowed me to face my fear of heights. We also cheered for football games and for Imperial Varsity. Aside from cheerleading, I did figure (ice) skating full time – there was once I even cheered (on ice) for the Imperial vs UCL Ice Hockey Game at Streatham. My most memorable moments? First year cocktail party (2012) for sure tops that list. I would say the all-nighters during the design project were pretty memorable too because I had a great (and funny) team who kept me company. It was miserable, yes, but definitely memorable. I will miss seeing all my friends, of course. It was like a constant thing in my life for four years, we get to be happy, sad and angry over the same things due to ChemEng. After graduating, I will be pursuing a PhD most likely in the US (but UK is also a possibility). After that I will be working in one of the research institutes within A*STAR in Singapore."

Wouter Thijssen

"I'll miss the camaraderie of working on projects with a group, the friendly faces and the eternal sight of Colin working hard in the pilot plant."

"I'm originally from the Netherlands, but grew up in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore. I visited Imperial in my final summer of high school and was welcomed warmly by João Cabral, and was amazed by the facilities the Department had. This good feeling, combined with the prestige of the MEng program, made Imperial my top choice. Outside of my studies I was involved primarily with the basketball society throughout my 4 years, where I captained the Men's 1st team in my second year. I was also on the departmental events committee in my first year, helping organise and run the cocktail party. Most memorable will be the inspiring people I met and the moving conversations I had with them. Winning Frank Morton's and the 1st year cocktail party are also the highlights of the departmental events. I'll miss the camaraderie of working on projects with a group, the friendly faces and the eternal sight of Colin working hard in the pilot plant. I plan to work in the energy industry in its transition towards a cleaner energy mix. I will start my graduate program in September with National Grid in Warwick as a gas strategy analyst, working on programs shaping the 5-10 year outlook of gas in the UK."

Grecia Monsalve Carias

"My most memorable moment was sitting in my final design exam dressed as a sheep (covered in cotton balls that ended up all over the department floor)."

"I’m originally from Venezuela, but I’ve lived in Britain for 11 years now. I really enjoyed learning chemistry, physics and maths at school, and I wanted to do something where I could use those subjects to have a significant, positive impact on the world around me. That’s why I chose Chemical Engineering. I chose Imperial for the challenging and invaluable education, and for the chance to experience living in a big, lively city. I’ve always loved dancing and I was a member of Dance Company during every year of my degree. I took part in 7 dance competitions, performing 4 dances, and helping bring home 3 trophies. Apart from dance, I was also a member of the Cross Country and Athletics Club for a year and of the Women’s Football Club for another year. My most memorable moments include finding out that I was going to spend the summer working at MIT and sitting in my final design exam dressed as a sheep (covered in cotton balls that ended up all over the department floor). I’ll miss learning about a wide range of subjects, I’ll miss having 120 others students in my year to talk to, and I’ll miss many caring and attentive lecturers. I am extremely excited to be starting a job soon as a Graduate Engineer at Bio Products Laboratory. Bio Products Laboratory manufactures life-saving products from human blood plasma, and in my future there I hope to use and develop my chemical engineering skills to help improve current processes and develop new ones for the delivery of these essential treatments."

Fraser Gordon

"I spoke to one of the Alumni just prior to applying to university. He spoke of his time in the department with real pride and when I returned home that day I read up on the course. It was from this point that I was hooked on the idea of attending the department."

"I am from Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. I spoke to one of the Alumni of the department just prior to applying to university. He spoke of his time in the department with real pride and when I returned home that day I read up on the course and the department. It was from this point that I was hooked on the idea of attending the department. The interview day was actually my first time in London. As for societies, I was a member of the Swimming and Waterpolo society and competed for the university in BUCS team from my very first year. Being on this team allowed for me to get away from the bustle of London to competitions all over the country. In my later two years I was a member of the ChemEngSoc firstly as industrial relations officer and then as Chair. This was an amazing opportunity to give something back and organise so many of the events that I had enjoyed and benefitted from. The cocktail parties hosted by ChemEngSoc were definitely among my most memorable moments. I really enjoyed the opportunity to engage with all four year groups outwith the confines of academia. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy dressing up as a playboy bunny? I will really miss the people: I believe the department and course brings together an amazing group of students (and professors) without which the department just wouldn’t be the same. I will start working in September, but before that I took the summer off to travel and to spend time with my family. I am quite excited to start applying some of the theory of the last four years!"

[Article prepared by Dora Olah an Undergraduate student in the Department.]