Congratulations to chemical engineering graduate Kelby Anderson ‘22, winner of the Robert Ridgeway Senior Cup!
The Ridgeway Cup is awarded annually to the senior in the College of Engineering with the highest cumulative average. Below, Anderson shares reflections about her research interests, future plans, and what drew her to Lehigh.
What are your research interests?
I enjoy topics pertaining to sustainability, specifically in the realm of trash and recycling, pollution and contamination, and water treatment technologies.
What project(s) are you currently working on?
I am currently pursuing my Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering at Lehigh. This summer, I am enrolled in MATH231 Probability and Statistics at Lehigh, participating in a direct atmosphere carbon capture research proposal with ChBE Professor Caram, and leading a project through Lehigh’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) which is focused on updating a water distribution system in New Jersey.
I am not exactly sure what I want to do next. However, my current plan is to graduate with my Master's Degree in Environmental Engineering from Lehigh and then continue on to get my Ph.D. internationally.
Why did you choose Lehigh, specifically ChBE?
My physics and calculus teacher from Prout High School, who was a beloved mentor, is a Lehigh alum; so, I decided to take a tour of Lehigh. The guide was down to earth and the campus was beautiful. I went home to apply and was accepted! Initially, I knew that I wanted to study engineering, but I did not know enough in order to select a specific field. After talking with ChBE Professor Grassi on many occasions, he finally convinced me that Chemical Engineering was broad enough that I could still pursue many different career paths, but in-depth enough that I could truly learn the derivations and reasons behind complex phenomena. In short, he sold me and I haven't regretted the decision since!