Austin S. Lin - Chemical Engineer

When I decided to trade in my pen and Norton Anthology of Poetry in the English Department at Johns Hopkins for the thick hardback tomes of chemistry and math books, I had initially considered the chemistry department. It only took two lab visits for me to decide that it wasn't for me. So I investigated the next department that had the word "chemistry" in it. In 1999, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and it's been my sustaining lifeblood ever since.

A CHEMICAL ENGINEER? THAT'S JUST LIKE A CHEMIST, RIGHT?

Well, not exactly. Several people hold the view that all engineers, not just chemical engineers, are a pretty versatile bunch when it comes to "what we do" (okay so maybe I'm a little biased). It is not uncommon to find engineers all over the business world, from manufacturing to Wall Street to Science Magazine or in the courtroom defending a patent before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. But what I'll attempt to relay here is the traditional definition of a "chemical engineer."

Imagine you're a big shot scientist--a chemist--and you're in the laboratory developing the one perfect pharmaceutical that will cure a life-threatening disease that has spread to global proportions. Let's say you have spent all your life trying different ways of synthesizing the correct chemical combination that, upon coming in contact with said devastating disease, it eradicates it completely.

Finally, late one night, you are looking at your chemical analysis results and perusing the test data from the fast several years of your life. . .and EUREKA! The panacea of all panaceae is now a reality.

You do some more experiments and are able to make one single pill. This one pill is the solution to destroying this disease and thereby rescuing all humanity.

Problem #1. You have one pill. Each pill takes you two days to make by hand because of all the chemical reactions that have to take place. From the last census, there are approximately 1.2 billion people on the planet, a staggering 8% of them infected with this disease. That leaves you with, oh, about 960 million people to take care of. Not enough pills, buddy.

And that's where we come in.

You know the "blue print" for the one perfect drug. Now, how to you make 1.2 billion of them?

By hand? Not quite feasible. So, you turn to chemical engineers, who use the chemical reaction that you've devoted your life to and create an entire mechanical/chemical/electrical/structural process to make that reaction occur at a much larger scale. From there, using chemistry, thermodynamics, reaction engineering, mass, heat, and momentum transfer, mathematics, economics, computer programming, physics, and a dash of good humor and optimism, we enable you to have a system that will allow you to mass produce your wonder drug for all the world to benefit.

Learn more about chemical engineers through the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

Chem-curious? Check out the American Chemical Society.

Let's just say that for a person who spent the first part of freshman year studying 19th Century British poets, the transition was...challenging.

Thanks to much patience and support, I eventually came around to some degree. I was being taught by some of the top leaders in their respective niche areas of chemical engineering and it was on account of three professors in particular that I began to be turned onto the field of thermodynamics and to continue with the engineering world. One of my most inspiring professors there, Dr. Michael Paulaitis, was of huge inspiration for me. I only recently found out that I have a cameo appearance (complete with bad hair day) in a video interview with Paulaitis as a part of the Department's promotional materials on its site. Dr. Mark McHugh, now a professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, set the spark aflame, so to speak, when I took his phase equilibria class as a sophomore. And of course, Dr. Mike Betenbaugh, wo helped me link academia and industry by taking a huge chance on me to work for him after I graduated, helping establish the new chemical process controls lab. I sing all their praises in deserved detail on my mentors page.

To hear a great introduction on protein solutions thermodynamics from Mike Paulaitis and its applications at Johns Hopkins, check out This Link (footage from my graduating class in chemical engineering lab was selected for the video and I do have the pleasure of making a 1 second appearance at the very end -- the face of intelligence personified.)