Junior takes 3rd place in AIChE Research Competition

Congratulations to Chemical Engineering junior Neha Nagpal on taking third place in the 2019 AIChE Undergraduate Student Research Poster Competition, held at the AIChE annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. This competition draws students from chemical engineering departments all over the world to come and present their research, and network with their national and international peers.

This year, over 350 students presented their research posters, on topics ranging from catalysis to reaction engineering, sustainability, biotechnology, fuels, and much more. But Nagpal’s research, titled “Colloidal Gelation of Silica Suspensions with Varying Salt and Surfactant Concentrations,” rose to the top.

“The aim of the research was to understand the contribution of the depletion force induced by SDS (surfactant) micelles to the attractive interactions between silica particles,” says Nagpal. “Colloidal gelation should improve the stability of complex fluid products, such as paints and oral medicines, helping to ensure that the active ingredients in these products don’t sediment over time.”

According to Nagpal, a comprehensive understanding of the depletion force could expand current research into the behavior of surfactants, and in the future could potentially be applied to similar suspensions of different compositions, or even to testing real-world applications. 

This was her first time attending the AIChE annual meeting, but Nagpal found it to be an eye-opening experience. Meeting graduate students and professors from other universities highlights the breadth and depth of possibilities available to undergraduate researchers, and provides a distinct opportunity to establish contacts in the field as they explore future career opportunities. 

Nagpal attended the annual meeting as a representative of CMU ChemE, but also as a representative of the Tilton research group, headed by her academic advisor, ChemE Professor Robert Tilton. Dr. Tilton has been a strong guiding force in her research, Nagpal says, as well as her graduate student mentor Bhagyashree Lele, and her fellow researcher, ChemE senior Joanna Baranowski.

“Prior to being involved in research in ChemE, I was very hesitant and doubtful of my abilities,” says Nagpal. “But I now know there’s a strong support system of encouraging faculty members, helpful graduate student mentors, and peers that make the experience worthwhile and rewarding. I strongly encourage other to explore research opportunities here at Carnegie Mellon.”