Dr. Jodie Lutkenhaus, the William & Ruth Neely Faculty Fellow and assistant professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, was an invited participant at the 2015 German-American Frontiers of Engineering Symposium, organized by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
The meeting included 30 U.S. engineers and 30 German engineers under the age of 45, and was held April 16-18 at the Steigenberger Hotel in Potsdam, Germany. The group was comprised of academic, national lab and industrial representatives.
Lutkenhaus participated in one of four sessions, “Synthetic Membranes and their Applications,” presented a poster, “Electroactive Polymers for Electrochemical Energy Storage” and gave a flash talk on the same.
“I felt that I was able to step out of my discipline and to think about the grand challenges, such as clean water and healthcare, and to focus not just on the world but the next generation," said Lutkenhaus. "If we don’t have the next generation of engineers, then we cannot solve the grand challenges. I think the NAE is doing great work with outreach.
“I am extremely honored to have participated in this event. It has changed my outlook as an engineer and I wish I could do this every year."
As a result of this experience, Lutkenhaus now has hosting privileges for German counterparts through the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.