This summer, my time was spent working for the materials research and development team at Folia. I worked on multiple projects that included microbiology testing, product quality control, and formulation developments. To the core, Folia’s mission statement is to utilize materials science to make a cleaner, healthier, and safer world. One way they go about completing their mission is by manufacturing silver-coated paper filters that provide affordable access to clean drinking water in underdeveloped countries. Folia’s water filters utilize their silver nanoparticle coating to inhibit and kill bacteria found in water. My main project was a microbiology project where I would grow bacteria and test them against these filters using an AATCC method to ensure the filter is providing potable water.

I would have had a tough summer without my Columbia chemical engineering background. The Columbia chemical engineering track provided me with a solid foundation that was applicable to my time at Folia. With all the chemistry courses I have taken for my degree, I learned how to interpret research articles and sift out the most important information, which is a skill I applied to Folia when doing research on the other properties of silver nanoparticles and understanding the reaction behind their formulation. A number of my core engineering classes built my solid understanding of how to approach problems I faced at Folia. At a company, there are multiple parts going on and my material and energy balance taught me to focus on the task at hand and not get overwhelmed with the big picture. My chemical engineering class analysis gave me the tools I needed to asses and solve problems and how to organize and understand data. And my thermodynamics class I learned how to optimize drying of the silver-coated paper samples.

The beginning of my internship was an adjustment period where I was shifting from being a student in academia to being a hired employee for a company. As a chemistry student, my previous summers were spent working in school-based internships where I conducted research under a professor alongside fellow students in a smaller lab-scale setting where I would just be expected to have a chemical background. In comparison, while working for Folia I was introduced to a wholly different perspective, which is the business aspect that comes with working in the chemical industry. In turn, this challenge gave me a new outlook on the chemical engineering industry and taught me how to bridge the gap between synthesizing a product and the selling and distribution of that product. This added a new rigor to my work, since any mistake I made would be directly affecting Folia’s company revenue.

I wanted to participate in the fellowship because I wanted to explore my goal of utilizing my Columbia University degree to work for a company that is making an impact in the world. My summer at Folia taught me how to use my chemical engineering foundation to make a positive change in the environment. This internship gave me the vital experience that I needed to prepare for my future professional endeavors. I learned the process of manufacturing a chemical product on a big scale, how to write formal reports in terms management would understand, and how to ensure process safety. I got exposed to networking opportunities and made personal connections with people in the industry and I now have real-world experiences that enhance my Columbia degree experience.