Undergraduate Student Highlights: Lauren Birschbach

Lauren Birschbach is an exemplary undergraduate student in our department. In high school, Lauren developed a love for chemistry, math, and problem-solving and wanted to find a major that would allow her to apply the skills from those disciplines collectively. Subsequently, she was drawn to chemical and biological engineering due to the field’s broad applications and innovative nature.

During her time at the Capstone, Lauren has gained valuable experience in industry through the university’s Cooperative Education (Co-op) program. Lauren spent three semesters working for Nouryon at a couple of their plants in the Southeast. There, she played a major role in designing a new water-testing regiment by determining the frequency at which tests should occur and talking to operators about how the process should be changed in various circumstances to ensure water quality. Additionally, Lauren carried out comprehensive mass balances for the plants.

On campus, Lauren is a true leader. In the Fall of 2021, she was recruited by Dr. Turner to start the Undergraduate Student Council (USC). Since then, she has grown the organization significantly and established a meaningful network that connects students and faculty. Now, as president, she is taking the initiative to get other students more involved in the department to make the curriculum as representative as possible.

Lauren is extraordinarily proud to be part of the department. Her professors’ passion and willingness to invest in the growth of their students motivates her to come to class every day. Furthermore, she enjoys the projects they incorporate into classes as they give her the chance to learn from other students and study problems relevant to the real-world. Altogether, she believes the department has created a collaborative and innovative culture that will serve her well after graduation, and she looks forward to the next step in her journey.