Chemical engineering students gain international experience

This summer, while many of their classmates were participating in internships and co-ops across the Midwest, three students in Trine University’s McKetta Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering were enjoying similar experiences in other nations.

Practical experiences are a key part of helping McKetta’s students discover their career options and improve their chances for early full-time job placement. Eighty-nine percent of graduating seniors have engineering-related work experience and 50% of juniors have at least one internship completed.

Danielle Gargiulo, Phebra Validation Intern

Danielle Gargiulo found a unique way to mix business with pleasure this summer. Gargiulo spent eight weeks in Australia, where she played lacrosse and landed a validation internship with Phebra, a small pharmaceutical company that produces specialty medicines.

Gargiulo was selected to play for Beyond Sports, an organization that offers sport-themed tours to multiple locations, including Australia. The Australian trip consisted of three teams of college athletes from across the US that traveled from Melbourne to Sydney, scrimmaging and providing clinics for younger players.

The lacrosse part of the trip also included tourist experiences. Gargiulo was able to visit the historical Queen Victoria Market, cruise the Yarra River, walk Sunnymead Beach and visit the Sanctuary Zoo in Melbourne. Once they traveled to Sydney, the teams toured the Opera House, walked the Harbor Bridge and visited popular beaches.

“The diversity in Australia was amazing and many people spoke other languages in which I would have to figure out ways to still communicate, regardless of language barriers. Being in a completely different place with many new people and having to navigate everything really helped me become more organized with my time and my tasks,” she added.

The opportunity was like returning home for Gargiulo, who was born and spent the first year of her life in Sydney. To take full advantage of the experience, Gargiulo was able to stay with her godparents in Sydney, who provided connections for her to work at Phebra for the remainder of the summer.

Phebra produces sterile injectable medicines administered only in hospital settings but is researching other aseptic and topical cream products.

“Since they do nearly every part of the pharmaceutical process in one building, I was able to observe the mixing, filling, sterilizing and cleaning processes in their clean room and was trained on the gowning process to do so,” explained Gargiulo.

Within her validation role, she performed temperature and humidity mapping studies of areas where products were stored and worked on the autoclave validation process. This involved inserting temperature probes and test vials containing microbes across multiple locations inside the equipment and running simulated sterilizations.

“After the run, I would analyze the data to make sure the autoclave hit a certain temperature and stayed there for the required lethality value of the microbes,” summarized Gargiulo. “I was often told I was very efficient in my work while I was at the company. I owe a lot to my professors and time at Trine for the skills I learned there and was able to use while at work.”

Gargiulo concluded, “Since being there, I realized I really enjoy working in pharmaceuticals and would be interested in medicine for the future. Overall, this experience helped me in many ways more than just work experience and I’m very grateful to have had the opportunity!”

Eden Diller, US Army Sergeant & Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Specialist

After previous engineering internship experiences with Steel Dynamics Inc., chemical engineering major and metallurgy minor Eden Diller spent the last year on a different assignment. Over the summer, Sgt. Diller wrapped up a 10-month deployment in Pristina, Kosovo.

“My experiences at Trine University did impact my role on the deployment. Because I have an above-average knowledge of chemicals, chemical processes and the dangers associated with them, I was placed into a leadership role in efforts to dispose of multiple forms of chemical and radiological waste,” stated Diller.

Diller worked with local Kosovar government, security forces, Italian chemical experts, EUCOM chemists and Environmental Science PhDs, as well as several locals currently in charge of the security of the material. The team efforts included safeguarding the public from potential leaks as well as designing incinerators and storage facilities with a goal of creating a better environment for the surrounding community.

“Not only did our small group overcome language, culture and belief differences, we were able to work toward a common goal of safety. Overall, the deployment taught me a lot socially. It was humbling, and I believe made me much more patient and grounded when working in group settings,” Diller acknowledged.

During downtime, she also ran the Mail Room on base. This responsibility included delivering herself a package sent by faculty and students in the McKetta Department of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering. She was able to share items with other soldiers she was deployed with.

“We all got a kick out of the McKetta Hawaiian T-shirt,” laughed Diller. “Care packages were few and far between.”

Diller returned to campus this fall and plans to graduate in spring 2024. She believes having a deployment on her resume sets her apart from peers and will aid her in landing a full-time position within the metal industry.

“Though quite taxing mentally and physically, overall, I believe the time overseas taught me much more about humanity and the importance of educated engineers worldwide,” summarized Diller.

Gavin Campbell, NPC Group Energy Engineer

Gavin Campbell’s summer started off “just working for a local energy company in his hometown of Leesburg, Ohio,” but soon changed to a job with international travel. Campbell was hired as an Energy Engineer Intern for the National Property Consulting (NPC) Group, where he had the opportunity to work on several projects that evaluated hotel and office buildings’ energy consumption.

Campbell’s chemical engineering coursework introduced him to equipment such as heat exchangers, pumps, cooling towers and the refrigeration/cooling process. This prepared him to apply mass transfer and thermodynamic principles to estimate cooling tower evaporation limits and minimize excessive energy usage.

“Due to my time at Trine, I was able to understand processes related to HVAC and identify inefficiencies,” said Campbell.

He was then able to take his experience on the road, traveling to Sarasota, Florida, Washington DC, and a three-day trip to the Caribbean Island of St. Thomas, where he worked at the Ritz-Carlton Resort.

At times, the travel had some long days.

“We flew into Sarasota at 3 a.m., completed the assessment, and flew out at 11 p.m. the same day,” noted Campbell.

However, while in DC, he found time to visit all the monuments and check out the National Portrait Gallery.

Despite the long hours, Campbell appreciated the experience, stating that each site presented its own challenge, and each week was a new opportunity to think and critically analyze different operations.

In addition to the technical aspects of his job, Campbell also utilized interpersonal skills, which he noted were strengthened at Trine, to communicate effectively with clients.

“Collaborating with coworkers and clientele allowed me to get practice in the project environment,” he said. “I expect to apply this experience in communication, problem solving and management to senior design this year.”