Mishika Narula, the coordinator of the Chemical Engineering Association (ChEA) gave the APOGEE English Press (AEP) a few moments of her time to talk about CheA’s functions in APOGEE 2024.
She explained that ChEA will be organizing three events in the upcoming edition of APOGEE — ‘Labyrinth’, ‘Chem-E-Trade’ and ‘OptiChem’.
Labyrinth, which is a stall event, involves participants controlling a board with a maze on it, coated with hydrophobic paint, to direct a drop of water across it. It is an event meant to be enjoyed as a game by participants, the winners of which will win kind prizes, which shall remain a surprise.
Chem-E-Trade, requires the participants to create a chemical industry based on cues provided, and trade in-game money to expand your industry, combining concepts of chemical engineering and industry experience. The prizes are in cash form, with first prize being Rs. 3,000, second being Rs. 1,500, and third being Rs. 1,000.
OptiChem – the newest of the events – is an optimization activity, in which algorithms shall be given to the participants and they will have to optimize a given task in Python or Matlab. The tasks shall have aspects of chemical engineering in them, hence the algorithm provided. The prizes distributed are in cash form, with Rs. 3,000 for first place and Rs. 2,000 for second place. Being the most non-core event, OptiChem is expecting to bring in a lot of interested participants.
Talking about preparations, Mishika said that they began way back in January, when they started brainstorming ideas, but there had been challenges as well – the sessions were sporadic, interrupted by holidays and mid-semester exams. As APOGEE came around the corner, the situation became intense with a lot of meetings taking place, but with the support and cooperation of the team, the preparation was a success.
On a concluding note, Mishika said that she hoped all students attended the events, irrespective of their branch, and would disregard the common notion that they were events for chemical engineering students exclusively, as they were open for all.