Amanda Chew-Stebbins will be a Junior in Chemical Engineering this Fall semester, and plans to graduate in Spring 2017. What interested Amanda in Chemical Engineering was being able to apply Chemistry to solve complicated world problems. The class she has enjoyed the most so far is Fundamentals of Process Engineering. This summer, Amanda is working as a research assistant for Dr. Michael Hoepfner on the asphaltene project. In the future, she is considering applying for the BS/MS dual program in Chemical Engineering. Amanda’s advice to new Chemical Engineering students? “Make sure you’ll be interested in the field you will be studying. I came in with an English degree, worked in advertising, and then found that I was bored! You want to find something exciting, engaging, and motivating if you are going to be doing it for 30+ years. The faculty here in Chemical Engineering are amazing—take opportunities to get to know them. Also, take advantage of your general education requirements. These classes teach critical thinking! They teach you to understand what you’re reading and then to construct an argument and support it based on the evidence in the text. Most importantly, these classes teach you how to communicate your ideas. It’s great if you can solve a problem, but if you can’t tell other people what you’ve done, it’s less valuable. You’ll need to be able to communicate effectively in the workplace!”