Chemical Engineering Team Wins Regional AIChE Jeopardy Competition

A team of Stony Brook University chemical engineering students won a regional Jeopardy!-style academic competition held by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE).

ChemE Jeopardy is a trivia competition using questions from Chemical Engineering Undergrad Coursework. Stony Brook University students outperformed competitors in a fast-paced, buzzer-based format covering chemistry and other topics.

"We [Stony Brook University chapter of AIChE] placed second place last year in regionals," Ahmed Nihal, a senior undergraduate student and the team captain, said. "Having won it felt like the hard work really paid off."

The competition featured multiple rounds with elimination-style rules. Teams answered increasingly difficult questions across science categories, with elements from the original show like Daily Doubles and Final Jeopardy.

"During the game, especially the last round, tensions were high and the air in the room was different," Joshua Garcia, senior undergraduate team member, said. "I'd say at least 80 people were watching us, it was nerve-racking and stressful, particularly during close moments."

Preparation was intensive and student-led. Team members created custom Jeopardy boards and used digital flashcards to study, often practicing for hours weekly.

"The main way we prepared was we would make Jeopardy boards on PowerPoint," Matthew Roshan, sophomore undergraduate student and team member, said. "One of the team members would make the board and then the remaining team members would compete."

"We would write custom questions in anticipation of hard questions, and they would show up," Joseph Herbrandt, senior undergraduate team member, said. "It's a competition that rewards you for studying ahead and going to the parts of the textbook that you would never even think about touching when you're doing your homework and your exams."

Teamwork and communication were key advantages as the Stony Brook players collaborated in real time while questions were being read to increase their chances of buzzing in first.

"I think one of our really good strengths about our team is that we were very good at communicating the answers within our members while the question was being read," Garcia said. "I'd look at other teams and they just weren't talking at all."

Despite high pressure and tension in the room, the team performed confidently, especially in the finals, where they dominated with a wide point margin.

"We finished with 9,500 points in the finals, whereas the second place team finished with 2,600," Nihal said.

Beyond the competition, students said the experience strengthened their understanding of chemical engineering concepts and helped reinforce knowledge used in coursework, research and internships.

"I think Jeopardy keeps our fundamentals strong and keeps our research thinking very fluid," Nihal said.

- Angelina Livigni