- Major: Chemical Engineering
- Company: Lanxess Corporation
- Graduation Year: 2025
- E-mail: vicjrapa@vols.utk.edu
Profile
Hi, my name is Victoria Rapalo! I am a chemical engineering student, and through the help of Engineering Professional Practice at UT, I was able to secure a co-op at Lanxess Corporation in Memphis Tennessee from the summer of 2021 to the summer of 2022. Lanxess is a global company, and the plant I worked at produced a powdered disinfectant called Oxone. While working here, I was one of two co-ops, and I got assigned all types of projects. I was able to supervise construction, teach a necessary training class to incoming staff, calculate the monthly air emissions and do a final yearly report, take chemical sample and data for testing, review 'bad actors', and many more.
My favorite project was when I got to apply my schooling to my work. I was asked to conduct an experiment taking heat transfer data from over a year to predict when we would need to do a pipe cleaning, also known as a boil out. Being able to predict when a boil out was needed would allow us to not have to stop production at random times and save a lot of money. While working on my co-op, I was able to see the process of turning liquid from the rail cars into a final dried particulate. I also gained new perspective on how important it is to really learn the material taught in school and how effort in the present always pays off in the final project.
I really find engineering full-filling. I also enjoy philosophy, reading, watching comedic videos, going outdoors, and working out. As an Ambassador, I hope to help other students to find their own amazing work experience.
