Congratulations to CHBE undergraduate Rami Jubeili for winning the LEFEVRE Medal and Prize in Chemical Engineering! Rami’s thesis project, “Investigating Hydrogen Sorption in Novel Molten Metal Catalysts for Carbon Dioxide-Free Hydrogen Production,” received recognition as the best in the undergraduate thesis course.
CHBE undergraduate thesis courses (CHBE 492, 494, and 496) allow students to conduct literature searching, planning, equipment design, experimental design for an individual research project leading to a written proposal and oral presentation. The research projects are overseen by one or more faculty advisors in the department.
What interested you about taking the thesis course?
I decided to do the thesis because one of my professors, Dr. Pranav Chintalapati, suggested I do it. I’ve always loved the idea of hands-on learning and experimentation and decided it would be a great opportunity.
What is the title of your thesis, and how did you select the topic?
The title of my thesis is “Investigating Hydrogen Sorption in Novel Molten Metal Catalysts for Carbon Dioxide-Free Hydrogen Production”. The field of catalysis for clean energy production particularly intrigued me. In the summer of my third year, Dr. Chester Upham took me in as an undergraduate volunteer to fix a “Sievert’s Apparatus” that had been non-operational for many years. I took it as a challenge and, with my background in building and fixing computers, I was confident I could fix it. After a few months I finally got it working and by that point, I knew my way around the apparatus very well. So in my fourth year, I decided to make it my research topic.
What were the insights you gained about your thesis topic and the process of conducting research for your thesis?
I learned many things throughout the process of writing my thesis. Almost everything I know about research and experimentation I learned doing this thesis. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of my undergrad. So much so that now I am doing a Master’s in the same research group!
Would you recommend taking the thesis course to undergraduate students?
I definitley do recommend people take this thesis course, it was an amazing experience and made me love my degree even more than I already do. In my opinion I think this course should be advertised more to all undergrads who would like to enter the field of research and academia. My thesis is the project I am most proud of from my undergrad.