Welcome to KEP, Abigail!

We are thrilled to be welcoming Abigail Whaley as a QC Chemist, in the Quality, Regulatory, and Technical Services Department! Abigail’s first day was May 23, 2022 and she is already making a positive impact on our company.

Abigail graduated in May of 2022 from Youngstown State University with a Bachelor’s in Chemical Engineering and a minor in Chemistry and Mathematics. While at YSU, she operated as a research assistant in the Chemical Engineering department, working on a project that received partial funding from NASA! The scope of this project dealt with the 3-D printing of Lithium-ion batteries using printers such as “Admaflex” and “Formlabs.” She even wrote a conference paper on her findings – one that her colleagues at YSU will continue to use at conferences!

Not only does Abigail have extensive experience in chemical engineering, but she also has experience in the manufacturing field. In the summer between her junior and senior year, she worked with a small aluminum extruding company –  taking inventory of all the chemical supply products stored in the facility, dealing with the SDS books in the plant to ensure they were up to date and met OSHA’s standards, and more!

Now that she is with KEP, Abigail will be dealing with quality control aspects and the chemistry of the products used in our Kent facility. She will be busy monitoring and making adjustments to the tanks to ensure that each of the measurements is within the correct range –  ensuring our products are the best that they can be. These tests include viscosity, pH, percent solids, specific gravity, tensile testing, temperature, and many more – all of which plays a big role in ensuring the quality of the products. Abigail will also be working hard with research and development to experiment with different materials in hopes of improving on current formulations and creating new ones!

It is the opportunities in research and development that Abigail is most excited about! In her own words, “Everything can always use some sort of improvement, and this will allow me to experiment with different formulations to see what works and what does not work. This time dedicated to research and development will allow me to expand my knowledge in a laboratory setting with guidance.”

And THAT is the exact attitude we love having at KEP! In her free time, you might find Abigail practicing yoga, spending time with her loved ones, or exploring the nearest flea market. She is well-traveled, an animal lover, and an avid concert attender.  We are grateful to have Abigail on our team and can’t wait to see what her future at KEP holds!