ASPIRE Students
2019 ASPIRE Students
Sungwuk Choi, Team Mean Bean Frosting
Eung Baek (Andy) Kim, Team Mean Bean Frosting
Lauren Oparah, Team Luma
Thomas Smith, Team SoyShield
Chris Tague, Team Mean Bean Frosting
Sungwuk Choi
Biological Engineering Junior
Team Mean Bean Frosting
Sungwuk enrolled at Purdue in 2013 but moved back to Korea to serve with the marine corp infantry and returned to campus in summer 2017. He is currently majoring in Biological engineering - (Pharmaceutical process engineering). Sung is taking a vice president position in ‘Korean - American scientist and engineers’ Association’ and is participating in a group called ISPE (International society of pharmaceutical engineering) to have better understanding about the pharmaceutical field.
Product development processes involved in the Soy Innovation Competition have helped him to widen his perspective on his problem solving approach through communication with other teammates and has helped him gain better understanding on how product development is implemented. Sung spends most of the leisure time learning strength training.
Eung Baek (Andy) Kim
Biological Engineering Junior
Team Mean Bean Frosting
Andy enrolled at Purdue University in 2016. He has participated in the Soybean Innovation Competition last year and decided to try again this year. He has worked as a voluntary research assistant under Professor Kevin Solomon.
Andy through the Soybean Innovation Competition has learned to communicate with teammates that are from different backgrounds, and discovered that the knowledge he has gained in his classes proved invaluable, and will be very useful in the future.
In his spare time Andy likes to play guitar and solve Rubik’s cube.
Lauren Oparah
Biological Engineering Junior
Team Luma
Through the competition, I have learned how to work more effectively and efficiently on a team. I am also grateful that I was able to meet so many diverse people, ranging from my fellow teammates to the professors and ISA board members.
As a future engineer, I believe that this experience will make me better prepared to work as part of a community and I believe that the soybean competition does create a community.
Although the competition got tough at times, I wholeheartedly believe that it was worth the experience and the connections that I have made.
Thomas Smith
1st Year Engineering Freshman
Team SoyShield
I entered the competition to get a better understanding of real-world problem solving and working in lab. I also thought the competition would be a fun way to start off college and it was.
I have learned more about the scientific method and what it takes to truly study things in lab. I learned more about the economics behind a product and exactly how much work it takes to bring even the simplest idea to market.
Chris Tague
Chemistry Sophomore
Team Mean Bean Frosting
Chris is a sophomore in chemistry and learned about the Soybean Innovation Competition one day in an organic chemistry lecture.
It was early on when he found enjoyment in chemistry and science and decided to pursue an education within these disciplines. Chris feels that this competition has given him a greater understanding of what is required to develop a product in industry and how to work with a team.