ChBE alumna Kavitha Ganesan Arms (ChE 2001) received the Outstanding Young Alumni Award at the Thomas Green Clemson Academy Banquet in April.
Selected by a review committee made up of senior faculty members, alumni, and college advisory board members, The Outstanding Young Alumni Award honors a College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences graduate age 40 or younger whose achievements have been significant to the field, their profession, or the welfare of society.
After completing both her Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering and master’s in bioengineering at Clemson University, Arms joined GE Energy in 2005 as a product safety engineer. Her accomplishments and expertise prompted her promotion to the technical lead position over Human Factors Engineering at GE’s Power and Water Facility and a later promotion to Executive Engineering Manager of Enterprise Risk Management and External Affairs at the same facility, where she oversaw all safety aspects related to anything developed on site. GE’s state-of-the-art Power and Water Advanced Manufacturing Facility in Greenville, SC houses the world’s largest gas turbine manufacturing facility and rapid prototyping for water processing, wind turbines, power gas engines, and nuclear power services. Due to the massive scale and potential hazards of the site, Arms’ job was imperative in ensuring that the engineering designs were safe for employees and the public. This year, Arms accepted her new position as EHS Manager of Chemical and Product Stewardship. During her career with GE, Arms’ safety initiatives have led to over a 60 percent decrease in unsafe events in labs and testing facilities and major improvements to the company’s overall safety culture.
In addition to her work with GE, Arms continues to give back to Clemson by serving on the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Professional Advisory Board and assisting with the student chapter of the Society of Women Engineers. The Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering would like to thank Kavitha Arms for her continued support and congratulate her on this well deserved award.