The CHEES Research team under Dr. Landaverde-Alvarado tabled at UT’s Girl’s Day event on February 22nd, 2025. This event provides hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math experiences to elementary or middle school students and their families.

Our demonstration included a sustainable design mini extruder, injection molder, and a polarizing microscope. Attendees were encouraged to start at the injection molder or extruder section to learn more about how plastics are processed and provide a hands-on process by turning the extruder’s handle to process polypropylene pellets. We made miniature combs using the injection molder. After, they would head towards the polarizing microscope side to hear more about the analysis process where attendees were encouraged to adjust the microscope’s fine tuner knob to focus on a lab-made sample.

Three members of the CHEES Research Team, Emily Mellen, Finnegan McGoldrick, and Elliot Bolden, presented their research findings at the chemical engineering undergraduate research poster presentation event on December 4th, 2024.

Their poster focused on three main segments of our research to develop a circular economy for single-use plastic waste on UT campus: 3D printing, injection molding, and tensile testing.

From left to right: Emily Mellen, Finnegan McGoldrick, and Elliot Bolden

The Landaverde Research Group was fortunate enough to have a table representing Chemical Engineering at UT Austin’s World of Engineering event on October 21st, 2023. The event focused on engineering outreach for K-12 students and their families.

Our table featured a Gas Membrane Separator display, a Domestic Water Purification System, and an Injection Molder. Tabling at the event were our four Undergraduate Researchers, Amanda Nguyen, Emily Mellen, Amara Ruiz, and Jeanpaul Lugo, along with Dr. Landaverde-Alvarado and Graduate Student Antoine Chamoun-Farah.