ChemE celebrates its ACS Scholars

Keenan Norton and Zeynep Orucu are honored as Andrew Carnegie Society Scholars

Lynn Shea

May 8, 2026

The Department of Chemical Engineering joins Carnegie Mellon University in celebrating the Andrew Carnegie Society (ACS) Scholars, especially Keenan Norton and Zeynep Orucu who are graduating this weekend.

ACS Scholars are undergraduate seniors who embody Carnegie Mellon’s high standards of academic excellence, volunteerism, leadership and involvement in student organizations, athletics or the arts. They are selected each year by their deans and department heads to represent their class in service and leadership.

Chemical Engineering is thrilled to share highlights from the experiences of these two remarkable students, and looks forward to celebrating their futures as alumni.

Keenan Norton, Carnegie Mellon University

Keenan Norton

ACS Scholar Keenan Norton majored in not one program but three: Chemical Engineering, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, and Hispanic Studies.

He is a Fulbright recipient, a member of the engineering honory society Tau Beta Pi, a Chemical Engineering Alumni Scholarship recipient, co-president of Juntos, and a Study Abroad Advisory Board member.

Highlights include:

Conducted catalysis research related to water treatment with Chemistry Professor Terrence Collins to identify better ways to degrade pharmaceutical chemicals in the water supply
Conducted experiments to identify catalyst compounds that could remove Benadryl from water supply
Worked as a summer intern for Michelman, a Cincinnati based developer and manufacturer of specialized sustainable chemistry
Studied abroad in Costa Rica and participated in two service trips to the Dominican Republic with Juntos to improve rural infrastructure
Completed the Pittsburgh Marathon in 2025
Plans to earn his Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Rice University after conducting research in Ecuador with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Quote: “I am incredibly grateful for how well my time as a CMU engineering student has prepared me for a future of making the world a better place. A background in the disciplinary thinking required to be an engineer is invaluable for me as I go on to challenge myself to be a beacon of change for good.”

Zeynep Orucu, Carnegie Mellon University

Zeynep Orucu

ACS Scholar Zeynep Orucu majored in both Chemical Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. In addition, she completed the master's degree in Chemical Engineering.  

A recipient of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers Professional Promise Award, she has served as a pitch lead for the ChemE Cube competition and is a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. She is also a member of the Engineering Student Council.

Highlights include:

Conducted research on GPCR proteins in Chemical Engineering Professor Anne Skaja Robinson’s lab
Conducted computational simulations of rare earth element recovery in the Bayan Obo mining district of China with Chemical Engineering Associate Professor Ana Torres
Studied how condensates form in microfluidic platforms using ELP (elastin-like peptides) in Chemical Engineering Assistant Professor Derin Sevenler’s lab with the Engineering Honors Researcher program
Interned with Enerjisa Uretim, a Turkish energy company, the summer after her sophomore year and with Merck & Co. the summer following her junior year
Held campus jobs as a course assistant for Chemical Reaction Engineering, supplemental instructor for Fluid Mechanics and Thermodynamics, Tartan Ambassador, resident assistant for the pre-college program for high school students, an orientation counselor, and a teaching assistant for the Physics I for Engineers course
She will graduate with both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees and will begin her Ph.D. program in chemical engineering at MIT.

Quote: “The ChemE community taught me that making a real difference starts with being willing to go after hard questions.”