• Who can join and how often does AIChE meet?
  Anybody can join! While we often have more chemical engineering specific events, all of our events and projects are open to anyone regardless of major or year. In particular, our professional events such as our Annual Career Fair, numerous company and graduate school infosessions, and professional development workshops are useful for any engineering major.

You can be as involved in AIChE as you would like! We hold general meetings twice in fall quarter, and once in the winter and spring. These are meant for everyone to get together and create a sense of community while we briefly go over the main events for the quarter. Besides these, we host social and professional events and you can choose to attend any which interest you. Our technical projects often meet on a weekly or biweekly basis.

• What projects does AIChE offer and who can join?
  We currently offer three technical projects: ChIP, LEAP, and Chem-E-Car. Any major can join our projects and no prior technical experience is needed.

The goal of the Chemical Engineering Introductory Project (ChIP) is to provide freshmen, sophomores, and first year transfer students with hands-on technical experience. Participants learn and apply chemical engineering principles, such as process design and process controls, by building a small-scale chemical engineering system in teams. Students also explore the principles of circuit design, computer-aided design, and 3D printing. In previous years, teams have built coffee machines and cooling towers.

The Lifetime Engineering Applications Project (LEAP) provides students with more knowledge about industry. Students work in teams to model real-life industrial processes, like ammonia and biodiesel production, using PRO/II, a process simulation software. These projects involve a variety of unit operations, such as distillation columns and reactors, along with economic analysis techniques. After completing each project, students give a technical presentation to display their understanding of the concepts involved. Each quarter is a different project so anyone can join at the start of any quarter.

In Chem-E-Car, students research, design, experiment, and collaborate with team members to build a shoebox-sized car fueled and stopped purely by chemical reactions. Every year, two of our Chem-E-Car teams compete in the regional Chem-E-Car competition, allowing students to apply their chemistry and engineering knowledge to a tangible engineering problem. Teams are chosen in the spring and are composed of 8-9 students who are sophomores/second-year transfer students and above.

Outside of technical projects, we also offer Remote Reach, AIChE’s Outreach Project. Remote Reach is designed to provide students with the opportunity to give back to the community while learning valuable communication and presentation skills. Students work in teams to create STEM modules on a variety of topics that they present to elementary, middle, and high school students as well as compete in AIChE’s K-12 STEM Outreach Competition. 

• How can I get an internship?
  We offer many professional events to help students secure an internship and a job after graduation. Our Annual Career Fair in the fall attracts around 200 students to speak to the ~15 companies represented. We also have many infosessions ranging from a variety of industries, as well as on-site plant tours. Our professional development workshops help students build their networking skills, resume, cover letter, elevator pitch, interview skills, and more.

What else does AIChE offer outside of professional development?
Through our mentorship program, freshmen and first-year transfer students are paired with mentors of similar interests and placed into families. Through over 100 mentor-mentee pairings annually, upperclassmen can provide insight and advice critical to the success of new members. Our program guides new students in their transition to life as chemical engineering undergraduates. Our family heads host events such as KBBQ, a trip to the Getty Museum, kayaking at Marina del Rey, virtual game night, and many more throughout the quarter for members to get together and connect outside of classes.

Nadia Owen
Hi! My name is Nadia, and I’m a third year chemical engineering major from LA. I joined AIChE as a freshman and have been involved ever since! I currently serve as President and am a member of Chem-E-Car. In past years, I have served as Alumni & Outreach Chair and been a member of the ChIP and LEAP Projects. Outside of AIChE, I do research in a photovoltaics lab and am a member of the Phi Sigma Rho Sorority for Women in STEM, and I love baking, reading, and backpacking in my free time.

Stephanie Du
Hi my name is Stephanie, and I’m a fourth year chemical engineering major from Houston, TX. I previously served as President, External Vice President, and Internal Vice President of AIChE at UCLA. I’ve been involved in all aspects of AIChE: from professional development, technical projects such as LEAP and ChIP, and mentorship. I’m interested in the energy industry, project management, and business. I also enjoy
bullet journalling, calligraphy, and reading in my free time.

Diya Kapur
Hi! My name is Diya, and I am a second year chemical engineering major here at UCLA. I joined AIChE within the first month of my college career and since then I have been involved as an Intern Events intern, External Vice President, and am currently Internal Vice President! I am incredibly grateful for the AIChE community and opportunities as it has already helped me pursue my interest in the biotech industry. When I take a step away from my academic interests, I enjoy spending my time artistically whether it be through dancing, painting, or even baking! 

Kiko Galang
Hi everyone! I am a fourth year Filipino student from Corona, CA! On campus I have been involved with the AIChE at UCLA, AXS, the UCLA Marching Band, and Samahang Pilipino. I have been a family head for AIChE at UCLA as well as have participated in their projects such as ChIP, LEAP, and ChemE Car. I am interested in sustainable chemical production and am doing undergraduate research in an electrochemistry lab. Outside of engineering, I have performed and played with the UCLA marching band as well as performed and acted in Samahang Pilipino’s Cultural Night! AIChE at UCLA has been fundamental in helping me find this work-life balance.

Alyssa Vu
Hi! My name is Alyssa Vu, and I am a third year studying Chemical Engineering. I am one of the Co-Leads for AIChE’s Chem-E-Car Project as well as the previous Mentorship Chair for AIChE. Outside of AIChE, I am also involved in Rocket Project, UCLA Radio, RefineLA, and FAST at UCLA. In my free time, I enjoy going on walks and taking care of my plants!

Justin Luong
My name is Justin Luong, and I was previously AIChE’s Internal Events Intern and Webmaster, but now I’m the current Mentorship Chair. I’m interested in sustainable energy, nanotechnology, and possibly semiconductor manufacturing. My hobbies are photography, dance, and the occasional hosting of zoom studying sessions.

What is ASME? 

ASME stands for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. That said, anyone is allowed to join! ASME is a national organization that sets standards for the engineering industry, and also serves to connect communities of students, professionals, and academic scholars across mechanical engineering. 

At UCLA, ASME is a student-run organization that provides its members with technical and professional opportunities that are crucial in order to succeed after college. We want all our members to gain technical skills and stay informed about the progress of their academic careers. UCLA does not offer a lot of hands-on learning in its engineering curriculum, but ASME’s technical projects aim to counter that by providing members with important practical skills. Our goal is that, by the end of their senior year, our members are well-rounded engineers equipped with both theoretical and technical knowledge and experience.

What technical projects does ASME offer? Do I need any experience before joining?

ASME has three main technical projects: Fabrication and Design Essentials, Combat Robotics, and X1 Robotics. We are also in the process of adopting the Bruin Underwater Robotics (BUR) team as one of our technical projects and provide them with the support of our club and its resources. 

Fabrication and Design Essentials (F.A.D.E) is a year-long training program that introduces students to Computer-Aided Design, machining, and electronics. No experience is required to join FADE, and we welcome all majors! 

In Combat Robotics, student teams conceptualize, design, manufacture, and assemble 3 lb. arena-combat robots to compete in an annual competition in the Spring. Students will get hands-on exposure to the entire design and manufacturing process. No experience is necessary to join Combat Robotics! 

X1 Robotics is a unique project because every year involves a completely new robotics concept. In the beginning of the year, students brainstorm and pitch their ideas. Once a project has been chosen by a diverse team of mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, and computer science students, we then start a cycle of research, development, and iteration. 2018’s project was a recreation of a Guardian robot from the Legend of Zelda video game series; it featured a life-like 6-legged gait, organic behavior, and target-following software. In 2019, we started working on BruinBot, a friendly human-interaction robot that roams around campus greeting students and handing out snacks. Since it is a higher-level project, some experience is preferred when joining X1, but all members are encouraged to challenge themselves!

Bruin Underwater Robotics is ASME’s newest initiative, focused on the development of robots capable of carrying out complex tasks in underwater environments. These robots have a myriad of real-world applications, ranging from shipwreck investigation to deep-sea biological research. Through the design process, members will gain experience in a wide variety of fields, including electronics, CAD, and controls. And as a newly founded team, next year’s members will have the opportunity to take on leadership roles and make a meaningful impact on the project. All majors and experience levels are welcome!

Do you offer any professional development opportunities?

We offer plenty of professional development opportunities! We help plan the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Career Fair every Fall, attracting companies that are offering both internship and full-time opportunities. We also host on-campus infosessions and workshops with companies such as Arconic and Marathon Petroleum so that students can further network! Moreover, we also host in-house Resume and Interview Workshops in which our more experienced officers offer one-on-one feedback to help you land your dream job!

What kind of social events does ASME hold?

We believe that harboring a community that supports each other like family is vital to the success of our members. This is why we value having occasional social events that take us out of the engineering mindset and allow us to support each other as friends. 

Some annual traditions are ice blocking by Janss Steps, our general member retreat, and outings to the Griffiths observatory. Many times, small groups of our members will meet up to go out for dinner after their meetings. Throughout the quarter, we will also hold game nights at the lab, and at each end of the quarter, we also camp out at the dining halls to study together for finals. 

Due to recent global events, we have not been able to meet up in person, but that hasn’t stopped us from holding social events. Our Discord channel is always active with conversation, and we even have a private Minecraft server that the members can play in! We are continuing to plan for many other online social events via Zoom or other multiplayer games.

Do I have to be a mechanical engineering major to join?

Absolutely not! Anyone interested in our technical projects, professional development opportunities, or social events can join. Our technical projects and professional events cater mostly to mechanical engineering majors, but we still have many opportunities for those in computer science, electrical engineering, and more. For example, there are many electrical engineers and computer science students in X1 Robotics due to the diverse skills needed for that project. Additionally, our close-knit community has attracted students from even outside of STEM to join, and we are happy to welcome anyone who wants to be a part of ASME!

How do I get involved?

The best way to get involved is to sign up for our newsletter, which can be found on our official website https://www.asmebruins.com/. We send one out at the beginning of every week with the locations, dates, and times of all our meetings and events, which are open to anyone trying to be involved with ASME. At the beginning of every quarter, we also hold a general member meeting where the officers present an overview of the quarter’s events. 

For technical projects, since there are time-sensitive deadlines and competition dates, we highly encourage you to get involved at the beginning of the year or quarter, but this is not a hard cutoff — we want you to be a part of the ASME family! 

For social or professional development events, you are welcome to show up to any and all of them. Just make sure to sign in with ASME!

• Who we are and what we do:

The Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) at UCLA is the only undergraduate bioengineering-related student organization on campus! We have over 200+ members and offer a wide variety of events, ranging from Community Outreach opportunities, Professional Development events, Technical Projects teams, and Mentorship and Social activities. For anyone interested in teaching science to elementary school students, joining a technical projects team to broaden your technical skills, or even polishing your interview skills through one of our academic and industry workshops, there are exciting opportunities catered towards everyone!

• How to get involved and stay connected:

A great first step is signing up for our newsletter on our website: bmes.seas.ucla.edu! Here, you’ll be able to hear about our upcoming weekly events. Additionally, our quarterly General Meetings also give a great idea as to a sense of what opportunities and events BMES has each quarter. Our Fall General Meeting will also provide more information about how to get involved in our committees, mentorship families, and technical projects teams.

• What is IEEE WATT?

• Can those who do not identify as women or who are not EE/CE majors join the club?

YES, we welcome everyone! Our club is open to those who would like to advocate for minorities. While we may be focused on EE/CE, we do not discriminate based on major, gender, race, age, etc.! If you are interested in EE/CE but not in the major, WATT is the perfect place to get exposure to EE and test the waters before attempting to change your major.

• What is EE?

Electrical Engineering is a very broad discipline – it includes many different fields on a spectrum of software (more CS based, think of applications on your phone and laptop that don’t require a physical component) to hardware (these are more Mechanical Engineering based, like robotics and physical components that make up devices like a drone). On the more software side, Electrical Engineering consists of projects that are referred to as Digital Signal Processing (DSP). This portion of EE bleeds into CS a lot, especially when Machine Learning is thrown into the mix. On a high level, DSP projects include image and audio processing – from natural language processing to recognizing handwritten numbers. In the middle, we have a physics approach to EE. A lot of the principle engineering behind semiconductors starts with physics and electromagnetics. This part of EE overlaps with Material Science Engineering, as we go into detail about silicon and its properties. While it may sound a little boring, it is the basis of every chip in every single appliance we own – from smart watches to laptops to calculators. Last but not least, we have the hardware side of EE which overlaps with Mechanical Engineering. This side involves lots of circuitry, robotics, and a little bit of coding (for the chip to control your project).

• What kind of technical projects do you have?

We like to focus on where creativity and EE intersect so a couple of our popular projects we have done are wearables and paper crafts. These two are small workshops where you can display your knowledge of basic circuit theory and show off your artsy side! The wearables workshop consists of using conductive thread to sew LEDs on your chosen material (hat, shirt, bag, etc.). The paper crafts workshop uses conductive paint to light up LEDs that can be used in greeting cards, thank you cards, or a decorative wall piece for your dorm. In addition to these two, we’ve done a workshop that takes sound (a clap, or maybe music with very strong bass beats) and lights up an LED everything the sound sensor detects a strong beat (allowing you to make your own sound reactive LED strip).

In addition to these fun projects, we also have more academic projects. From playing with FPGA boards to learning about Verilog we have done a variety of projects in the past. In the future, we hope to utilize some of the FPGA boards (shout out to Intel for sponsoring us!) and Raspberry Pis to have two separate tracks of long term projects.

• How much should I know about EE/CE before coming to UCLA?

If you don’t know anything, you’ll be fine! The purpose of all of the lower divisions courses is to even out the playing field. While some students might have had unique opportunities in their high schools like computer science courses, robotics courses, maybe even parents with a background in EE/CE, others might not have had those opportunities. Although it might seem like people have an advantage in the lower division courses, the upper division courses are fair game because no one teaches upper division material in a high school setting. Just pay attention and join clubs to learn more about applying the theory you learn in class and you’ll do fine!

• What is MRS?

The Materials Research Society (MRS) at UCLA is the premiere organization for any major interested in learning about the field of Materials Science and Engineering. We aim to provide members with professional and social support. We do everything from company info sessions and career fairs to kayaking expeditions and game nights!

• How do I join?

Our chapter has no dues or fees. To join, simply come to our events! Our club is low time commitment. To be considered an active member, we ask that you come to at least one event a quarter. 

• How do I hear about events?

Our most recent event news is posted on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MRSUCLA/), but our newsletter, website, and bulletin board in Boelter Hall all contain information on our events. To sign up for our newsletter, visit our website (http://www.seas.ucla.edu/mrs/).

• Do you have any technical, hands-on projects?

We do! Our MRS chapter is home to a SAMPE (Society for the Advancement of Materials and Process Engineers) chapter as well. Any students (regardless of year or experience) can join us in designing and manufacturing our composite beams. This previous year we had over 60 participants and worked with various materials such as carbon, glass, and natural fiber. Additionally, we compete our beams at the international SAMPE conference, traveling to locations such as Long Beach, Charlotte, and Seattle!

• What is SOLES?

1. 1. 1. SOLES (Society of Latino Engineers and Scientists) is the local UCLA student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).

• What does SOLES do?

1. 1. Community Outreach
      1. K-12 STEM outreach activities (campus tours, STEM workshops, student panels) 
      2. Middle school and high school tutoring
   2. Professional Development
      1. Access to Companies and Recruiters
      2. Financial support for attendance to regional and national SHPE conferences
   3. Chapter Development
      1. Socials!
      2. Exploration of the fun activities LA has to offer as a familia
   4. Academic Development
      1. Weekly study nights
      2. Lunabotics team, a practical application of classroom engineering learning
   5. Leadership Development
      1. First Year Coalition 
      2. Committee-based Event Planning
      3. Executive Board Positions