April 17, 2015

The School of Chemical Engineering was well represented at 2015 Student Soybean Innovation Competition. Four teams included students from Chemical Engineering and one of those teams was the recipient of the People’s Choice Award.

Senior Nicholas Dininger, Sophomore Ram Saraswat  and graduate students Arthur Dysart and Jialiang Tang created SoyaCell, a rechargeable lithium-ion battery made directly from soy products. In fact, three of the four required battery components are made from soy. These parts are made using simple, single-step, highly-versatile, and low cost chemical processes. The SoyaCell team earned the People's Choice Award during the 2015 Student Soybean competition. They were advised by Dr. Vilas Pol, associate professor of chemical engineering and Dr. Corinne Alexander, associate professor of agricultural economics.

Seniors Benjamin Lins, Sree Panuganty and Drew Williamson were members of team SoyGlow. Their product was a glow stick that included soy oil to improve luminescence and longevity. They were advised by Dr. Michael Harris, professor of Chemical Engineering, and Dr. Laura Downey, a continuing lecturer in the Krannert School of Management.

Sophomore Gloria Novikova was a member of Team SoyFreeze which created a new generation of engine oil for motor vehicles. SoyFreeze is synthesized directly from plant matter including soybean oil. Team SoyFreeze was advised by Dr. Harris and Dr. William Robinson, associate professor of management.

Sophomores Logan Poindexter and Andrew Yang were part of Team Soy Guard, a team that created a face mask for use to filter debris and other harmful materials from soybean protein fibers. Team Soy Guard was advised by Dr. Bruce Applegate an associate professor of food sciences, and Dr. Kelly Blanchard, a continuing lecturer in the Krannert School of Management.