Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Cheryl A. Bodnar, University of Pittsburgh; Eric J. Beckman, University of Pittsburgh, Chemical Engineering Department; Joseph J. McCarthy, University of Pittsburgh; Steven R. Little, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

(from sophomores to graduate student TAs to faculty), but alsoproduce a new generation of alumni better equipped to work in today’s marketplace, whether Page 24.1384.2they choose to work within an existing company or venture out on their own.Rationale for Product Innovation SequenceInnovation is critical to the US economy, a hypothesis advanced by a seemingly endless series ofarticles, reports and blogs.1, 2, 3, 4 The president firmly believes in this message and hasformalized it through “A Strategy for American Innovation: Securing our Economic Growth andProsperity.”5 Here he notes “America’s future economic growth and

Conference Session

Improving Laboratory Education in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joshua A Enszer, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

toestablish their own experiment designs to explore chemical and physical phenomena related tojunior-level thermodynamics and transport courses. Concepts in statistics and numericalmethods, technical writing, engineering ethics, and laboratory and industrial safety are allintroduced in the scope of this course.This course serves as the first in our curriculum where students are responsible for the creation oflaboratory procedures, in contrast to their typical chemistry labs where experimental methods areprovided. Given a brief (1/2-1 page) prompt explaining the principle of interest and a list ofavailable laboratory equipment, students are required to explicitly outline the objective,hypothesis, and methods of their experiment, followed by

Conference Session

Design, Creativity and Critical Thinking in the Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Silvia Husted, Universidad de las Americas Puebla; Nelly Ramirez-Corona, Universidad de las Americas Puebla; Aurelio Lopez-Malo, Universidad de las Americas Puebla; Enrique Palou, Universidad de las Americas Puebla

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

project. Mid-terms were used to evaluate knowledge of material balance principles, quizzeswere used to assess key concepts by means of short online questions, homework were dividedinto traditional exercises and project oriented assignments. The final project grade was obtainedthrough the Fluency Rubric average score, taking into account self-, peer-, expert-, and instructorassessments (See Appendix A). The Investment Theory of Creativity Rubric score was used asextra credit to enhance students’ motivation.The assigned final project was carried out in two stages (Figure 1). Thirty-eight students (fromthe three undergraduate programs) were grouped in teams of three to four members. Learning

Conference Session

Curriculum Development and Assessment in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Vincent Wilczynski, Yale University; Isabella M. Quagliato, Yale University: School of Engineering & Applied Science

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

level. The system does not measure the level of attainment of StudentOutcome for individual students. The data to measure individual performance is containedwithin the database that is used in the present system, but there are no plans to use the collectedinformation for the assessment of individual students. Page 24.118.4Systematic Approach for Accreditation Information SharingThe web portal to coordinate the Yale’s Self Study process is illustrated in Figure 1. In additionto publicizing the accreditation preparation timeline, the portal also serves as a tool to relayaccreditation training information (such as instructional handouts on aspects

Conference Session

Design, Creativity and Critical Thinking in the Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christopher R. Anderson, Lafayette College

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

drug delivery strategiesCourse structureThe course divided into four areas that focus on mass transport in biological tissues and drugdelivery systems, drug binding and biological effects, the design and application of drug deliverysystems, and a collaborative research project focused experimental methods of testing drugdelivery systems. The course schedule is shown in Table 1.Table 1. Course Schedule for Drug Delivery Week Topics 1 Introduction to Drug Delivery 2 Pharmacokinetics and Compartment Modeling 3 LAB: Compartment Modeling with MATLAB 4 Diffusion in Rectangular, Cylindrical and Spherical Coordinates 5 Diffusion Coefficient, Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching

Conference Session

Virtual and Online Learning Tools in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Alec Steven Bowen, Oregon State University; Daniel Robert Reid, Oregon State University; Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

Laboratories allow students to see how molecular interaction gives rise to thephenomena described by mathematical equations. The IVLs can currently be accessed online viathe AIChE Concept Warehouse (cw.edudiv.org). This paper focuses on how students use twoIVLs, one based around the thermodynamics threshold concept of pressure-volume work and theother on that of reversibility.1. Pv Work. Work is an abstract concept, and it is often difficult for students to understand how the act of doing work on a system adds energy. Intuitively, students may understand that compressing a gas causes it to undergo an increase in temperature, or a ‘heating up’. The purpose of the work simulation is to give students a physical model explaining why doing work on

Conference Session

Virtual and Online Learning Tools in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason M. Keith, Mississippi State University; Liz Rayfield, Dave C. Swalm School of Chemical Engineering, Mississippi State University; Niraj Kashinath Palsule, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

energy11(http://www.che.msstate.edu/pdfs/energy/index.html) modules online.Multidisciplinary Nature of Solar EnergyConsider a photovoltaic installation on an individual’s roof-top. Apart from the higher efficiencyof the panels, the individual will also look for a cheaper material for panels. In order to regain apart of his investment, he might think of selling the excess electricity produced. Thus like anyother method for power generation, utilization of Solar Energy is not solely based on science orengineering. Factors like finances and policy making also play an important role in itsdevelopment. This multidisciplinary nature of Solar Energy is illustrated in Figure 1. As a result,it would not be sufficient to provide students with only the

Conference Session

Curriculum Development and Assessment in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Debra M. Gilbuena, Oregon State University; Christina Smith, Oregon State University; Bill Jay Brooks, Oregon State University; Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

, different students and a different culture.E.M. Rogers put forth a theory, Diffusion of Innovations, that offers one framework with whichto examine this process. In this context, Rogers describes diffusion as “the process in which aninnovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a socialsystem.”1 Page 24.556.2Conceptual learning is critical to developing problem solving skills in chemical engineering.Many engineering educators and industry partners emphasize the need for students to apply theirknowledge to new and challenging problems.2 In order to do so, students must learn withunderstanding.3 A lack of

Conference Session

Design, Creativity and Critical Thinking in the Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kerry Michael Rogy; Cheryl A. Bodnar, University of Pittsburgh; Renee M. Clark, University of Pittsburgh

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

of Senior Chemical Engineering Students as a Result of Exposure to the Epistemic Game “Nephrotex”AbstractInnovation and entrepreneurship are critical to the development and growth of society.Entrepreneurs use innovation to develop novel technologies, while innovation is often supportedby the capital raised by entrepreneurs.1 Companies today are acutely aware of the benefitsafforded by employees with entrepreneurial mindsets and have started screening for thesecharacteristics as well as other 21st Century Skills, including problem solving, critical thinking,and communication skills. In a recent article in the TechCrunch, a leading technology mediaproperty stated, “In our research, we found that some

Conference Session

Improving Introductory Experiences in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gladis Chávez-Torrejón, Universidad de las Americas Puebla; Silvia Husted, Universidad de las Americas Puebla; Nelly Ramirez-Corona, Universidad de las Americas Puebla; Aurelio Lopez-Malo, Universidad de las Americas Puebla; Enrique Palou, Universidad de las Americas Puebla

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

, breadth, logicality, and fairness) to unsatisfactory (value 1, unskilled and insufficient,marked by imprecision, lack of clarity, superficiality, illogicality, inaccuracy, and unfairness).Mean values from rubric assessment of two major projects were 2.78 ± 0.58 for purposes(meaning that in average, students demonstrated an understanding of the assignment’s purpose),2.77 ± 0.77 for key questions, problems, or issues (students defined the issue; identified the coreissues, but may not fully explored their depth and breadth), 2.85 ± 0.47 for information (studentsgathered sufficient, credible, and relevant information, included some information from opposingviews, and distinguish between information and inferences drawn from it), 2.67 ± 0.74

Conference Session

Improving Laboratory Education in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary M. Staehle, Rowan University; Tom Merrill, Rowan University; Stephanie Farrell, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

increased surface area. In this work, we have created an artificialmicrocapillary network by encapsulating cotton candy in an elastomer. We are currentlyadapting this as a laboratory exercise where students will investigate conductive andconvective heat transfer in this networked path. The objective of this laboratory activitywill be to reinforce the importance of heat transfer surface area. In this paper, we presentthe laboratory activity and our plans for adapting the activity in engineering courses atRowan University.1. IntroductionHuman physiology is complex, yet when distilled down to its component parts, the bodycan be studied as an interconnected set of unit operations with a common overallobjective: the maintenance of steady state, known as

Conference Session

Improving Laboratory Education in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Joshua A. Levinson, Lafayette College; Eric L. Maase, University of Massachusetts-Lowell; Glen Thomas Tennyson

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

control the leveland/or temperature of water fed into a CSTR using feedback-based control. The concept wasbased on a prototype system previously constructed from less sophisticated components andsoftware control, with the new system being fabricated using components already on-hand orordered per specification. The assembled MIMO system is shown in Figure 1, with theaccompanying process and instrumentation diagram appearing in Figure 2.Briefly, the apparatus incorporates a two-liter Chemglass jacketed CSTR, equipped with avariable speed impeller. Water was supplied from the city water line and was regulated to lowerpressures using separate in-line regulators and hand-valves for the hot and cold water feed lines

Conference Session

Improving Laboratory Education in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jacqueline Gartner Ph.D., Washington State University; David Finkel; Bernard J. Van Wie, Washington State University; Olusola Adesope, Washington State University-Pullman

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

from the course. Questions in the interviewsare those developed as part of a previous study investigating persistence of conceptualdifficulties for students who have already had a fluid mechanics course. When we compare thetwo sets of interviews we anticipate results will show greater metacognitive skills and retentionin understanding of fluid mechanics concepts for students that had the DLM treatment.IntroductionHands-on active learning has taken several forms over the past decades, with the spectrum ofhands-on active learning ranging from tasks as simple as students briefly discussing their ideason a given topic to courses structured around case studies and group work where students areconstantly engaging and learning from each other.1

Conference Session

Design, Creativity and Critical Thinking in the Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Bill B. Elmore, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

practice (e.g. level control, temperature control,reactor design and process economics).Our first year chemical engineering course sequence herein reported engages a large freshmancohort (around 100 students, at present) in team-based, hands-on activities. Evidence suggestsstudents readily “latching onto” key concepts and various aspects of chemical engineeringthrough this “multi-modal” learning approach. Objectives of this method of program integrationinclude: 1) strengthened retention of freshmen in our chemical engineering program, 2) better“visualization” of chemical engineering concepts among chemical engineering freshmen and 3) astronger sense of the application of STEM topics to the professional practice of

Conference Session

Virtual and Online Learning Tools in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Garret Nicodemus, University of Colorado, Boulder; John L. Falconer, University of Colorado, Boulder; Will Medlin, University of Colorado, Boulder; Katherine Page McDanel, University of Colorado, Boulder, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering; Jeffrey Steven Knutsen, University of Colorado, Boulder, Department of Mechanical Engineering,

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

explains why the answer iscorrect. Similarly, interactive Mathematica simulations allow users to manually changevariables and almost instantly see the effects on the system behavior. This encourages studentinteraction with part of an assignment, and can also be used in class where students are asked topredict system behavior. More than 400 chemical engineering simulations, prepared by anumber of authors, are available on the Wolfram Demonstrations Project website. We haveprepared about 25 of these simulations and are starting to prepare screencast that explain theiruse.Screencasts A number of studies have shown screencasts to be effective learning materials that are betterthan lectures. A meta-analysis by the Department of Education [1] found

Conference Session

Virtual and Online Learning Tools in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Susan M. Montgomery, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

encyclopedia, available at encyclopedia.che.engin.umich.edu ,which is now easily available to faculty and students alike. In addition, engineering technicians Page 24.732.2have reported to the author using the encyclopedia to determine the best type of equipment to usefor their purposes.Description of encyclopediaThe main page of the encyclopedia, shown in Figure 1, displays the nine categories ofequipment. The table in the Appendix lists the over one hundred types of equipment withinthese categories. Figure 1. Encyclopedia of Chemical Engineering Equipment home page

Conference Session

Improving Introductory Experiences in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura-Ann Shaa Ling Chin, Villanova University; Justinus Agus Budi Satrio, Villanova University; Kenneth A. Kroos, Villanova University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

. Figure 1 shows the timeline of a typical freshman engineering program at VillanovaUniversity’s College of Engineering. In the first semester, this freshman engineering coursebegins with a seven-week core lesson plan incorporating engineering fundamentals alongsidedynamic hands-on group micro-projects that bring classroom lessons to life. Following the corelesson plan, students are presented with the opportunity to select two of six interdisciplinary, 7-week hands-on mini projects. These mini projects that span the second half of the first semesterand the first half of the second semester have been designed to expose students to a minimum oftwo different engineering disciplines. By mid second semester, students select their preferredengineering

Conference Session

Improving Introductory Experiences in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin D. Dahm, Rowan University; Stephanie Farrell, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

of course concepts. Page 24.1405.4Table 1: Response to survey on homework abstracts, administered in Fall 2012. For allquestions, responses were defined as 1=never, 2=almost never, 3=sometimes, 4=frequently,5=always 1 2 3 4 5 Average1. Does the process of explaining to someone 1 3 9 21 13 3.89else how to solve a problem change or enhanceyour own understanding of the problem solution?2. Did writing abstracts for homework solutions 11 12 14 10 0 2.49change or enhance your understanding of whyyou approached the

Conference Session

Design, Creativity and Critical Thinking in the Chemical Engineering Curriculum

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kathryn F. Trenshaw, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Troy J. Vogel, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

more successful peers? And what caninstructors and the teams themselves do to mitigate difficulties and avoid complete teambreakdown? To answer these questions, we investigated the engineering teams in a chemicalengineering design capstone course for seniors. We assessed the possibility that the differences,rather than being due to team demographics or GPA discrepancies, were actually due to minutepersonality type differences among team members. We gave students the Myers-Briggs TypeIndicator® (MBTI)1 at the beginning of the course, but did not reveal their types to them so thatthey would not modify their behavior based on that knowledge. Throughout the course, theinstructor kept notes on student interactions during team meetings and

Conference Session

Curriculum Development and Assessment in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Margot A. Vigeant, Bucknell University; David L. Silverstein P.E., University of Kentucky

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

 than  an  in-­‐depth  consideration  of  textbook,  specific  content  coverage,  or  approach  as  with  the  other  surveys.        In  the  survey,  Chairs  were  presented  with  a  list  five  common  over-­‐arching  elective   Page 24.1050.2areas:  Bio-­‐Related;  Materials-­‐Related;  Advanced  Core;  Sustainability;  and  Process-­‐Type,  each  hosting  5-­‐10  typical  course  titles.  The  “typical”  course  titles  were     1  generated  from  an  informal  survey  of

Conference Session

Virtual and Online Learning Tools in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mary M. Staehle, Rowan University; Babatunde A Ogunnaike, University of Delaware

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

effect on student learningexperience in PD&C at Rowan University.The Undergraduate Process Dynamics and Control CourseThe Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) stipulates that chemicalengineering graduates are able to “design, analyze, and control physical, chemical, andbiological processes” [1, emphasis added]. These processes are intrinsically dynamic, in the sense thattheir variables are constantly changing with time; yet in most chemical engineering programs,the first and only course that focuses on dynamic behavior is PD&C. In this single course,students are required to develop a wide range of knowledge, abilities, and skills (KAS) coveringboth dynamics and control, such as those defined by Edgar et al. and

Conference Session

Improving Introductory Experiences in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard L. Zollars, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

implementing a studio-based approach in their material/energy balanceclasses. All eight programs have agreed to make comparisons of the knowledge gained,retention, and student attitudes between a typical class approach and a studio-based approach.Studio-Based LearningStudio-based learning (SBL) techniques have been used in a variety of disciplines, most notablyin architectural education.1 The technique is rooted in a type of constructivist learning theorycalled sociocultural constructivism.2 The studio-based approach typically encompasses four keysteps (see Figure 1). 3 First, students are given complex and meaningful problems for which theyhave to construct solutions. Second, students present their solutions and justifications to theentire class for

Conference Session

Improving Laboratory Education in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew Cooper, North Carolina State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

preview videos – use of recordings of experiment preview lectures in place of in-person preview sessions20  “Classroom Capture” – term referring to providing video and audio of lectures online for student review, a service offered at many universitiesEach of these methods was evaluated during the Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 semesters. Datarecorded for each method included:  Amount of time the method saved for instructor  Monetary cost for use of method  Frequency students actually benefitted from method  Open-ended student comments from end-of-semester course evaluations3. Results3.1. CATME3.1.1. Assigning student engineering teamsTwo of the many challenges of teaching UO courses are (1) initial assignment of

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2014 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Laura P. Ford, University of Tulsa

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

American Society for Engineering Education, 2014 Using a Journal Article with Sophomores to Increase Lifelong Learning ConfidenceIntroductionJournal articles are often used in upper-level engineering courses as reference material toencourage students to develop life-long learning skills. How early in the curriculum are journalarticles introduced? This paper presents the results of a study on using a journal article in asophomore-level class.Chemical Engineering Progress often includes articles appropriate for use in sophomore andjunior engineering science classes of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer 1-6.These articles use only the concepts covered in the course and include analytical results