FAQs
How do I join Caltech AIChE?
For freshman, come out to club fair and learn more about the club. Fill out the form at this link to add your email to our mailing list. From there, you will receive emails about upcoming meetings and events.
What does AIChE do?
We hold many events during the school year geared towards informing chemical engineers. These include a student-faculty lunch, the track talk, and a graduate school panel. We also provide “student-to-student” mentoring programs. Being part of Caltech AIChE also lets you become a member of National AIChE for free. Additionally, we compete at the Chem-E-Car Competition at the AIChE Western Regional Conference. Students can join the Chem-E-Car team to gain experience with the practical applications of chemical engineering.
What do ChEs do after college?
After college, ChE’s pursue a wide variety of options, from grad school to national labs to industry. In industry, students generally work for pharmaceutical, semiconductor, environmental, oil, consulting, and materials companies.
What classes should freshmen take if they know they want to be ChE’s?
Freshmen do not need to take any ChE-specific classes to graduate on time as a ChE. However, ChE 10 and ChE 15 are good classes to take for freshmen who are likely to declare chemical engineering as their option. Consult the Caltech Catalog available at the registrar’s website or an upperclassman for help.
Additionally, it is strongly encouraged for any freshman who might be interested in chemical engineering to sign up for ChE 70 (the Chem-E-Car project class), which is a P/F class for participation in the construction of Caltech AIChE’s Chem-E-Car. This is a low commitment class in which you will gain hands-on ChE experience by designing and constructing a car powered by a chemical energy source. It’s also a great way to meet upperclassmen ChEs!
How do I choose a track?
Come to our track talk in the spring or ask an upperclassman. There are five tracks to choose from: process systems, sustainability, materials, biomolecular, and computational. Track requirements can be found here.
Where can we find out more about the AIChE or ChE?
Come to the club fair at the beginning of the year and talk to current ChEs. Also, sign up for our mailing list so that you can receive emails about our general meetings. Talk to professors about classes, your future after Caltech, and potential internships.