Trine team places 3rd in international ChemE-Sports competition

BOSTON – A team of Trine University chemical engineering students made it to the Final Four of the recent ChemE-Sports competition, held as part of the national American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) conference.

The team of Jonah Blanchard of Wauseon, Ohio; Laura Weller of Munster, Indiana; Patrick Loeffler of Columbia City, Indiana; and David Deniston of Bowling Green, Ohio, placed third after falling to a team from the University of Moratuwa in Sri Lanka.

“The strong showing of our ChemE-Sports team was a direct result of the commitment by our students in preparing for the competition, along with a great foundation in chemical engineering processes,” said John Wagner, Ph.D., professor of chemical engineering and advisor for the team. “Trine’s chemical engineering students can compete with any other students across the country in a variety of contests, and they do it year after year. I am very proud of all the students who participated in the national conference this year.”

The AIChE national conference was held in person the weekend of Nov. 5-8, with the ChemE-Sports competition taking place on Nov. 7. Eighteen Trine students participated in the conference, with two teams of four competing in ChemE-Sports.

The second Trine team was made up of Blaine Harvey, of Anderson, Indiana; Tristan Ortiz of Wayland, Michigan; Nolan Oleski of Commerce Township, Michigan; and Nasir Al Mutlaq of Saudi Arabia. Both Trine teams advanced through the field of 28 teams to the Sweet 16.

The competition, open to all undergraduate AIChE student members, featured a simulation of an amine gas treating unit combining a packed absorption column and a regenerative stripping section. Competitors were tasked with real-life scenarios that could be observed in a plant and an objective to complete within a given timeframe.

Scoring was based on profitability and safety during the simulated run.

Photos: Top, the Trine University ChemE-sports team of, from left, Patrick Loeffler, Jonah Blanchard, David Deniston and Laura Weller placed third in competition held as part of the national American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) conference.

Bottom right, the Trine University ChemE-sports team of, from left, Nolan Oleski, Nasir Al Mutlaq, Tristan Ortiz and Blaine Harvey competed during the national American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) conference.

Last Updated: 11/15/2021