Dayton Engineer

By Alexandria Ford '26

Pictured above: Ashley (right) and her supervisor/mentor, Camille Magato, process engineer at CIL Isotope Separations, in front of the poster they prepared for the poster presentation.

Fifth-year chemical engineering major Ashley Edwards has recently been recognized as the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) Cooperative and Experiential Education Division (CEED)  2025 Co-op Student of the Year Award winner. She was recognized at the Conference for Industry and Education Collaboration in Henderson, Nevada in February. 

Edwards, from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has completed five co-op semesters with CIL Isotope Separations beginning in the spring of 2022. 

Edwards found the opportunity with CIL Isotope Separations through one of her chemical engineering professors, Dr. Tony Saliba, who knew the hiring manager as a previous UD student. 

During her co-op experience, Edwards communicated with contractors, operators, engineers and other personnel to implement various process changes around the plant such as installing equipment and instrumentation. On a daily basis, she created drawings, ran process simulations and developed calculators or other systems to optimize specific aspects of different processes. 

Edwards implemented a continuous improvement project for CIL’s deuterated benzene process. This project resulted in faster production, cost savings on raw materials and higher yields of products that are used in the electronics industry for the development of OLED screens. During her most recent co-op term at CIL, she assisted with the startup and commissioning of a new and improved benzene reactor, which included performing pressure tests and designing new graphics for the user interface of the controls system.

Edwards was nominated for the award by the School of Engineering’s Co-op and Internship Office. This is the second year in a row that a UD engineering student was chosen for an annual CEED award. Recent civil engineering graduate Brad Hashbarger was recognized last year as 2023 Intern of the Year.

“I felt very honored to represent UD,” said Edwards, “It was very rewarding to have the work that I was so proud of be validated as having a significant impact on the company.”

Following graduation, she plans to move back home to Pittsburgh to pursue a career in process engineering, nuclear energy, control systems or materials engineering.

C.J. Carden, UD alumnus and commercial buying team leader at GE Aerospace, was also recognized as this year’s CEED Lou Takacs Employer Award winner. GE Aerospace has consistently been a top employer at UD, with strong co-op retention and conversion rates during Carden’s tenure as a campus recruiting leader for GE Aerospace. He was also recognized for his dedication, innovative initiatives and mentorship to students while strengthening relationships with academia and industry.