Chris Wedding

2009-2010 Symposium Day Co-Chair

Hello everyone, I am the Symposium Day Co-Chair for the 09-10 school year. I grew up in Apple Valley, MN and graduated from Apple Valley High School in 2006. I made the journey across a few states over here to MSU and have enjoyed my time here. Before I went off to college I had managed to achieve Eagle Rank in Boy Scouts and had many experiences in leadership, camping, and community service. As I begin my final year here at MSU it is hard to believe how far I have come. I cannot wait to get out into the real world and I really enjoyed the people I met and friends that I made. I know that all my hard work will pay off, and I'm hoping to get more people involved with this group so we can build a stronger chemical engineering society here at MSU.

I find this field quite interesting and I am very apt to learning all about it. However, I try not to limit myself to just engineering as I have made use of my interest in web and graphic design. Currently I am also involved on the e-board for the MSU Ballroom Dance Club as the webmaster of the newly revamped site. Feel free to check that out as well. I also have provided a few logo and shirt designs for a few friends (e.g. the MSU diving team). So I encourage anyone to hone their extra-curricular skills because you never know what opportunities might come your way!

If you have any questions or comments, you can email me at weddingc13@gmail.com

Jason Schneeman
Symposium Day Co-Chair
Hi! I am one of the co-chairs for this year's Symposium Day. I grew up in Brighton, MI and have always wanted to go to MSU. My whole family went here, and I have always loved the campus and the people on it.  I am currently a Junior in Chem E, having seen the light of Chemical Engineering early last year, causing me to leave the Biosystems Engineering department. I made a bit of a round-about trip to Chem E, having started as no-pref, then going to Pre-med, engineering-no pref with a double major in Business,  Biosystems, and finally Chemical Engineering. I think I was always destined to be here, ever since I was little and "chemistry" consisted of mixing vinegar and baking soda, and wondering why it blew up all over the kitchen.

My professional experience thus far has consisted of working in different research labs throughout the university. I started as a freshman in Dr. James Jackson's organic chemistry lab working on the problem of developing catalysts for "Green" reactions. I switched the next year to working for Dr. Steven Safferman in BAE. We were working on developing a biomass screening tool for the state of Michigan, so we can more fully utilize our biomass resources for energy production. Since switching to Chem E, I have also started working for Dr. Chris Saffron on the production of bio-oils from woody biomass. So, I guess you could say my academic interest lies in the area of "Green" Energy production.

I have a rather strange and random assortment of hobbies. I enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and mountain biking, but I also like to build computers, and have recently picked up HAM radio. In my down-time, I enjoy reading, playing ping-pong, or hanging with my friends.

The hobbies I enjoy and the opportunities I have had have stemmed from being willing to accept randomness in life. I try to live my life by the principle that random events sometimes lead to the best outcomes.

Will Bryan

2009-2010 Symposium Day Co-Chair

I am one of three Symposium Day Co-Chairs for the 2009-2010 executive board for AIChE. I grew up in Foxborough, MA as well as Lowell, MI and graduated from Lowell High School in 2008. I am currently a sophomore chemical engineer.

This is my second year as a member of AIChE, as well as my second year on the board. Last year I served as the freshman representative. Because I am only starting my sophomore year, I have not yet had the opportunity to work or intern for any chemical engineering companies. I am hoping to do some sort of research program in the upcoming summer, hopefully somewhere out of the state of Michigan.

I would encourage anyone who is involved in chemical engineering to join AIChE and become involved. It is a great way to network with other chemical engineering students at MSU and professionals from the industry at meetings.