Conference Session

Perceptions, Reflections, Collaborations, and Student Support in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Andrew Maxson, The Ohio State University; David L. Tomasko, The Ohio State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

. Suicide rates and the number ofstudents seeking help have both increased in recent years. Universities have been scrambling torespond to the increased demand for mental health resources, and many educators have foundthemselves at a loss about what to do to help students who approach them with mental healthconcerns.At The Ohio State University, several mental health and wellness initiatives are underway withinthe Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (CBE) and the College ofEngineering. A 2018 survey of CBE undergraduate students revealed alarming rates ofself-reported mental health issues. In response, a CBE Wellness Committee of faculty and staffmembers was created. The committee’s goals are to 1) increase student/faculty

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering in K-12 and the First Year

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Anthony Butterfield, University of Utah

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

campuses across the globe and are integral to the educationof students throughout colleges of engineering [1]–[5]. These spaces house a variety ofmachining and rapid-prototyping tools and are meant to facilitate a creative and encouragingatmosphere to allow users to work their way through iterative design cycles [6]–[8]. The type ofopen-ended design projects that tend to occur in such spaces promote active learning, which hasbeen consistently associated with uniquebenefits over traditional lecture-basedteaching. Such gains include improvedlearning [9]–[12] and retention [13]; higherstudent self-assessment of associatedcourses [12], [14]; and improved retentionof students, particularly in underrepresentedgroups [10], [15]–[17]. However, pitfallsand

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering in the Junior and Senior Year

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Sarah A Wilson, University of Kentucky; Samira M. Azarin Azarin, University of Minnesota; Christopher Barr, University of Michigan; Janie Brennan, Washington University in St. Louis; Tracy L. Carter, Northeastern University; Amy J Karlsson, University of Maryland

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

resourcesrelevant to the UO lab [1], as well as an assessment of how well the six institutions teach theSafety and Chemical Engineering (SAChE) process safety learning outcomes [2] as part of UOand the entire curriculum [3]. The former work identified a lack of UO-specific active learningactivities that could be easily integrated into a course, and the latter identified that riskassessment and hazard identification were not only highly relevant to UO courses but wereinadequately covered or not taught at all at the six institutions. Furthermore, the authors couldfind no data that quantified the frequency of incidents, near-misses, or positive observationswithin a UO laboratory course. This kind of data is commonly collected in industrial settings tohelp

Conference Session

Work in Progress: Assessment, Evaluation and Hands-on Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Jennifer Cole, Northwestern University; Allison Godwin, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE); Joana Marques Melo, Purdue University; Jacqueline Ann Rohde, Purdue University at West Lafayette (COE)

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

mid-twentieth century mainly based on an abundantsupply of fossil resources for chemical production and energy, so process design concepts focusedprimarily on large tonnage-scale manufacturing facilities [1]. However, the economic use ofrenewable energy resources such as solar and wind is rising rapidly [2]. Transitioning to thesesources of energy is an important endeavor; however, the technology to do so and the costs of thistransition indicate that it will happen slowly. The unprecedented revolution in domestic suppliesof new light hydrocarbon resources from shale provides a compelling opportunity for the U.S. tobecome a global leader in fuels and chemicals production. Although this has potential to lower thenation’s energy costs, and

Conference Session

Work in Progress: Assessment, Evaluation and Hands-on Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Julianne Vernon, Vanderbilt University; Matthew Rogers, Vanderbilt University; Benjamin Joseph Saba; Yin Huang

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

often perceived by students as heavily lecture-based,with a predominance on theory and mathematics and without translatable activities [1-2]. Thiscan be problematic for students, who often do not fully understand the distinction betweendifferent disciplines or are wary about choosing an engineering major without connections toreal-world applications [3-4]. Vanderbilt University is a partner in the KEEN, KERNEntrepreneurial Engineering network. The goal of the network is to increase student’s“entrepreneurial mindset”. This mindset can be summarized by the 3C’s: curiosity, connectionsand creating value [5]. Papers attempting to understand and improve the first-year engineer’sclassroom experience demonstrate the ability of a course designed around

Conference Session

Work in Progress: Hands-on Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Kitana Kaiphanliam, Washington State University; Olivia Reynolds, Washington State University; David B. Thiessen, Washington State University; Olusola Adesope, Washington State University; Bernard J. Van Wie, Washington State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

2008, the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) conducted an 18-monthsocial study to better understand the public view of engineering, leading to the publication ofChanging the Conversation. In this report, it is cited that a common perception amongst girls inthe K-12 interview group was those who are drawn to professions that more directly involve peopleand their lives, such as those in the healthcare and medical fields—a group the young girls closelyidentified with—are less likely to become engineers [1]. Engineers, however, have a breadth ofopportunity to utilize their skills in projects involving the life sciences and medical field, yet themisconception that this is not the case is still prevalent amongst lower-division undergraduates

Conference Session

Work in Progress: Hands-on Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Ilhem F. Hakem, Carnegie Mellon University; Richard Tang, Carnegie Mellon University; Michael R. Bockstaller, Carnegie Mellon University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

-degree-of-freedom haptic interfaces have beendeveloped [1]. Because of cost consideration, these technologies have only found sporadic use ineducational research, for example, to demonstrate concepts in electromagnetism [2]. However,progress in the electronics and entertainment industry has led to the emergence of low-cost haptictechnologies such as 3D force feedback joysticks that are commercially available for about $300.With force capabilities exceeding 2 lbs and a refresh rate exceeding 1 kHz, these devices provideadequate performance to explore the application for educational purposes [3].Polymer science provides a particularly suitable context for the application of force feedbacktechnologies to improve learning. Polymer materials – when

Conference Session

Work in Progress: Assessment, Evaluation and Hands-on Activities

Collection

2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Lucas James Landherr, Northeastern University; Nicole Joy Sweeney, Complexly

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

, both in formal and informal learningenvironments.1 YouTube in particular has been in use for more than a decade in college and highschool classes, either for dissemination of the instructor’s teaching or as a supplemental learningtool.2,3 Instructors have the options of directly integrating the videos into the classroom as part ofa lecture, or using them as a reference for students to review on their own.4 Videos have been shown to be effective learning tools given the potential combination ofvisual imagery, music, text, audio, and/or content.5 Visual-spatial learners are particularly likelyto benefit from video, as they would from photographs or other artistic mediums.6 Videos havebeen effectively utilized in a broad range of subjects

Conference Session

Works in Progress in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Sarah E. Zappe, Pennsylvania State University; Enrique D. Gomez; Scott T. Milner; Yu Xia

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

COVID-19 pandemic on mentored research from a chemical engineering faculty member. The context ofthe experience is discussed below.Context of Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Research ExperienceThe undergraduate research experience was a part of a larger DMREF (Designing Materials toRevolutionize and Engineer our Future) grant from NSF (grant title will be provided in final paperdraft). The overall goal of the grant is to accelerate the materials design of organic semiconductorsthrough the combination of experiment and theory efforts.In addition to the technical research, educational activities proposed for the grant include thefollowing: 1. Use web-based seminar courses and remote mentoring techniques to expose commonwealth campus

Conference Session

Works in Progress in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Brad Cicciarelli, Louisiana Tech University; Eric Sherer, Corteva Agriscience; Marisa K. Orr, Clemson University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

achievement and persistence, respectively.Measures (summarized in Table 1)Prior Achievement – Prior achievement is operationalized using academic record data originatingfrom three different sources: standardized test scores (ACT or SAT), high school GPA, andcollege GPA at the end of the first year.Chemical Engineering Self-Efficacy - Chemical engineering self-efficacy is assessed using theGeneral Engineering Self-Efficacy subscale developed by Mamaril et al. [24] with itemsmodified by replacing “engineering” with “chemical engineering.” Students are asked toindicate their level of certainty in statements like “I can master the content in the chemicalengineering-related courses I am taking this quarter.”Coping Self-Efficacy - Coping self-efficacy is

Conference Session

Works in Progress in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Kitana Kaiphanliam, Washington State University; Olivia Reynolds, Washington State University; Olufunso Oje, Washington State University; Olusola Adesope, Washington State University; Bernard J. Van Wie, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

blood cell density and size on settling speed and terminal position in a centrifuge, phenomena that are utilized to enhance blood separation efficiencies. Figure 1 displays the fidget spinner BME LCDLM, where three layers of the fidget spinner module were laser-cut and joint by injection molding. Figure 1. BME LCDLM module A series of microbead ratios were tested in a makeshift design for a fidget-spinner-inspired version of the fidget spinner BME LCDLM to display the centrifugation device to show effects three potential separation outcomes

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Declan Thomas Mahaffey-Dowd, University of California, Berkeley; Shannon Ciston, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Negar Beheshti Pour, University of California, Berkeley

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

develop general members’ teamwork skills.Introduction Teamwork is regarded as one of the most important soft skills by both engineeringgraduates and their employers (1-4). A review of studies surveying engineers across engineeringdisciplines and experience levels found that there are four distinct tiers of importance;communication and teamwork were in the tier with highest importance, while math, science, andengineering knowledge were in the tier second from the bottom (5).  Professionals withteamwork skills are desirable because high-performing teams have the potential to becomegreater than the sum of their members, especially when tackling interdisciplinary challenges (2).However, teamwork does not receive adequate emphasis for such an

Conference Session

Works in Progress in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Matthew Lucian Alexander P.E., Texas A&M University, Kingsville; Joseph Amaya

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

students that take a position in an environmental, safety, andoccupational health department within a plant. The aim of this work is to share the instructionalapproach on safety and environmental compliance in our capstone course to obtain feedbackfrom other design education experts to improve our instruction.The need for enhanced process safety instruction in chemical engineering curricula has beenrecognized for a while in our discipline [1], [2], [3]. A greater awareness of this need resultedfrom the T2 Laboratories runaway reaction and explosion that occurred in Jacksonville, Floridain 2007 [4]. This event served as an impetus for ABET to specifically include process safety as arequired instructional component in chemical engineering curricula

Conference Session

Works in Progress in Chemical Engineering Education

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Carl F. Lund, University at Buffalo

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

Education, 2021 Work in Progress: Wrappers vs. ExpertsIntroductionEighty-one students enrolled in a required, third-year reaction engineering course were thesubjects for this investigation. The author was the instructor for that course and had taught itmore than twenty-five times before this offering. During that span, four substantial pedagogicalchanges occurred. After those changes the effect of completing homework upon an averagestudent’s course score improved by a factor of 2.5 [1].One of those pedagogical changes incorporated homework wrappers into assigned homeworkproblems. Briefly, the homework wrappers asked the students to reflect upon their approach tosolving the problem and their execution of the solution and then

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2021 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access

Authors

Betul Bilgin, The University of Illinois at Chicago; James W. Pellegrino, The University of Illinois at Chicago; Vikas Berry, The University of Illinois at Chicago

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

deductive approach (see Figure 1), faculty deliver fundamentals to students,and students are expected to learn applications and develop interpersonal and intrapersonal skillsin the industry. In the integrated approach (Fig. 1), pair-by-pair interactions are introduced:faculty are expected to learn about applications from interactions with industry, students areexpected to learn fundamentals from interactions with faculty, and students acquire interpersonaland intrapersonal skills through interactions with industry. These pair-by-pair interactions haveproven to be partially effective ways of knowledge transfer and skill development, but they lackcoherent and synthetic integration.To enrich the integrated approach, we engaged one more step, bringing

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kyle Joe Branch, University of Utah; Anthony Butterfield, University of Utah

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

Conference Session

Chemical Engineering Division Poster Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Matthew W Liberatore, University of Toledo

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

, faculty intervention, and end ofsemester survey. The quantity and quality of comments were graded using machine-learningalgorithms built into the platform. Each comment was auto-graded on a 0, 1, or 2-point scale, themachine scoring agree very well with the professional judgment of the instructor. The spacing ofcomments across each assignment was accounted for also, which helps insure reading of the entireassignment.IntroductionTextbooks became a standard tool for higher education and engineering education in the 20thcentury. However, the amount that college textbooks are or have been read is not well studied.Some survey and reading quiz data provide a depressing snapshot [1-6]. A 2016 survey of over280,000 college and university students found

Conference Session

Novel Pedagogical Techniques I: Online, Electronic, and Apps!

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Elif Miskioglu, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

be able to study this, we mustfirst develop a framework to categorize representations, and assess what the “standard”representations for a given curriculum or course are. Having originated in the discipline ofchemical engineering, this work will initially focus on that discipline before expanding to others.Over the course of this project, we will: 1) Develop a framework for categorizing representations (Phase I) 2) Adopt this framework into a user-friendly web-based electronic tool (the “app”) that will allow instructors to categorize the representations used in their course, track these representations over time, and see summaries of their representation biases (Phase II) 3) Test the “app” for usability, validity, and

Conference Session

Labs and Experiments

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Margot A Vigeant, Bucknell University; Michael J. Prince, Bucknell University; Katharyn E. K. Nottis, Bucknell University; Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University; Edward C Bent, Bucknell University; Rachel Cincotta, Bucknell University; Kyle Andrew MacDougall, Bucknell University Chemical Engineering Department

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

, Chemical Engineering departments in the United States have been underintense enrollment pressure with over half of reporting departments responding thatundergraduate enrollment has doubled (1). Enrollment increases are often felt most keenly inlaboratory sections, where safety considerations and the availability of equipment limits thenumber of students who may participate in experiments at any one time. One possible responseto these constraints is to take some experiments that were previously performed by students andinstead present them as in-class demonstrations.Laboratories have a range of educational outcomes associated with them, including developinginterest, promoting problem-solving and trouble-shooting, enabling verification of

Conference Session

Work-in-Progress Oral Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Louis Reis, Louisiana Tech University; Katie A. Evans, Louisiana Tech University; Dexter Cahoy, Louisiana Tech University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

: Statics and Mechanics of Materials, Electrical Engineering and Circuits I, andThermodynamics. Prior work has been done examining the use of the online system in thecourses on circuits [1] [2] and statics and mechanics of materials [3]. The problems created forthese courses can found on the WeBWorK Open Problem Library (OPL) and are maintained bythe developers of WeBWorK and the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).Assignments delivered through WeBWorK offer students unique problem sets by giving themparameters that define the specific properties of a given problem. Variable parameters can berandomized to create unique problems for each student to minimize cheating. However,WeBWorK does offer a helpful feature that allows instructors to view

Conference Session

Work-in-Progress Oral Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Negar Beheshti Pour, Washington State University; David B. Thiessen, Washington State University; Bernard J. Van Wie, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

for illumination and a camera with atelecentric lens to visualize the thermal boundary layer that forms around a heated copper tubeplaced in a tank containing cold still water. The video clearly shows the initial diffusive growthof the boundary layer and the subsequent onset of buoyant convection. Then when flow isinitiated, a thinning of the boundary layer on the upstream side of the cylinder is clearly visible.After showing video clips in two sections of an Introduction to Transport Phenomena course,student feedback was very positive; they found it interesting and helpful. We believe this visualrepresentation aids in learning and can actively engage students in the learning process. 1. IntroductionConcepts related to thermal boundary

Conference Session

Work-in-Progress Oral Session

Collection

2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

John Eric Wagner, Trine University; Amanda Portis Malefyt, Trine University; Jon D Koch, Trine University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

process simulators.The information flow to and from the repository is shown in Figure 1. Problems can be developed basedon examples and textbook problems or screencasts such as LearnChemE16. The Governing Board willencourage problem contribution from a diverse group, including student groups, working professionals,and educators including teaching assistants. This encouragement could take the form of problem contestsor a “problem of the week” where a specific concept would be featured and working professionals couldcontribute problems from their workplace that test that concept.Figure 1 Overview of the system. The structure of the system hosted at www.ExcelProblemPedia.org is representedabove. This homework repository is crowd sourced and is

Conference Session

Computer-Based Learning in Chemical Engineering Courses

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Katharyn E. K. Nottis, Bucknell University; Michael J. Prince, Bucknell University; Margot A. Vigeant, Bucknell University; Amy Frances Golightly, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

Heat TransferAbstractMajor chemical engineering concepts such as rate versus the amount of heat transferred andthermal radiation, can be difficult for undergraduates to understand. This can be due to priorknowledge built on what have been characterized as misconceptions [1]. Misconceptions aboutcircumstances affecting the rate and amount of heat transferred have been observed inengineering students [2], [3]. Misconceptions about thermal radiation have also beendocumented [4], [2], [3]. Previous research has found that one way to facilitate conceptualunderstanding and alter misconceptions is with inquiry-based activities. However, there can bediffering outcomes based on their method of implementation. This quasi-experimental studycompared the

Conference Session

Work-In-Progress Postcard Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Mechteld Veltman Hillsley, Pennsylvania State University, University Park; Xueyi Zhang, Pennsylvania State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

, feedback should be immediate2,3. We setout to increase the usefulness of instructor feedback by adding an oral report with discussion before thewritten report. The discussion portion is important. This is a time to go in depth with the studentsstarting from their level in the hierarchy of development of critical thinking with the aim to move themup one level by the time they write the written report. We noticed a shift in mean grade distribution ofthe first written report by approximately 2.5 points, as measured by 1 tailed student t-test of equalvariance (p<0.03), when the oral discussion period was added to the course.In this Scholarship of Teaching and Learning work, instructor time is shifted from grading rewrites tograding oral reports

Conference Session

Work-In-Progress Postcard Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tracy L. Carter, Northeastern University; Sarah A. Wilson, University of Kentucky; Samira Azarin; Janie Brennan, Washington University in St. Louis; Amy J. Karlsson, University of Maryland; Chris Barr, University of Michigan

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

incidents investigated by the Chemical Safety and Hazard InvestigationBoard (CSB) [1]. The CSB is an independent federal agency that analyzes the root causes ofincidents that occur at industrial facilities and gives feedback to the regulation and enforcementagencies. These investigations are not a comprehensive list of incidents, but they do identify theroot causes that need to be addressed and indicate the need for process safety education.The ABET (the program accrediting organization) chemical engineering program criteria requiresafety hazards to be addressed in the chemical engineering curriculum. Incorporating chemicalprocess safety into the curriculum can been approached using two methods. The first is to createa new course. This approach

Conference Session

Work-In-Progress Postcard Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Daniel D. Anastasio, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology; Elizabeth R. Morehouse, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

can be used by CareerServices professionals when coaching students (NACE, 2017).The career readiness competencies identified by NACE include critical thinking/problemsolving, oral/written communication, teamwork/collaboration, digital technology, leadership,professionalism/work ethic, and career management (NACE, 2017). In January 2017, an eighthcompetency – global/intercultural fluency – was added (NACE, 2017). They are described inTable 1 on the next page.Table 1: NACE Career Readiness Competencies Defined.Competency Definition Employer Rating Employer Rating of Student Self- Recent Graduate Rating

Conference Session

Work-In-Progress Postcard Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael David Mau Barankin, Colorado School of Mines; Justin Franklin Shaffer, Colorado School of Mines; Logan Riley Nimer

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

time-efficient manner(sparing roughly seven hours of in-class time over the entire semester). While the initial timeinvestment is significant (ca. 2-3 hours for every hour lecture, presented in 10-15 min), the samevideos may be re-used as-is, or with minor modifications, in future years. This affords theinstructor more flexibility to introduce (potentially time-consuming) active learning techniquesduring class time, and to experiment with other didactic interventions.IntroductionThe concept of the Flipped Classroom has become increasingly popular within the context ofapproaches to Active Learning, and its use in early or introductory Thermodynamics courses inundergraduate education is documented in the literature [1]–[3]. While this term is

Conference Session

Work-In-Progress Postcard Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Deesha Chadha, Imperial College London; Marsha Maraj, Imperial College London; Andreas Kogelbauer, Imperial College London; James Campbell, Imperial College London; Clemens Brechtelsbauer, Imperial College London; Colin Paul Hale; Umang Vinubhai Shah, Imperial College London; Klaus Hellgardt, Imperial College London

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

curriculum change in achemical engineering degree course (WIP)IntroductionA curriculum review can be an intricate and arduous process, made more complex due to amyriad of interwoven threads that inform the curriculum. This is often the case in chemicalengineering due in part to the accommodation of employer expectations, requirements fromaccreditation bodies and the multidisciplinary, integrative nature of an engineering degreewhich depends on students acquiring a wide range of attributes, and which focuses onapplication and relevancy [1], [2]. In this paper, we present our efforts to review the chemicalengineering curricula at a research-intensive higher education institution (HEI) in the UK.This review is being orchestrated by institutional

Conference Session

Work-In-Progress Postcard Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Erick S. Vasquez, University of Dayton; Zachary West, University of Dayton Research Institute; Matthew J DeWitt, University of Dayton; Michael J. Elsass, University of Dayton; Donald A Comfort, University of Dayton

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

laboratory.The specific experiment selected for discussion in this work-in-progress paper involves theutilization of a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Traditionally, the saponification reactionbetween acetyl acetate and sodium hydroxide is performed as a demonstration for this type ofreaction engineering laboratory study.[1-3] However, identification of CSTR experiments withimpactful reactions in the unit operations laboratory and the undergraduate curriculum is a long-recognized problem among many institutions.[4-6] In this work, the authors seek: (1) to add aCSTR laboratory experience with a tangible reaction engineering experiment that involves theproduction of biodiesel from vegetable oil, ethanol, and a catalyst, (2) to use the results

Conference Session

Work-In-Progress Postcard Session

Collection

2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kitana M Kaiphanliam, Washington State University; Olivia Reynolds, Washington State University; Jacqueline Gartner Ph.D., Campbell University; Olusola Adesope, Washington State University; Bernard J. Van Wie, Washington State University

Tagged Topics

Diversity

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

accredited programs [1]. More importantly, asundergraduate engineering students advance further into their careers, they are faced withmultiple tasks that require them to write extensively, whether that be in industry or graduateschool.Currently, in the standard engineering curriculum, undergraduate engineering students are onlyrequired to take a basic writing course, such as Introductory English, and some form of technicalwriting course, which is typically not engineering-specific [2,3]. Other courses that allow thesestudents to practice writing are engineering lab courses that require lab reports. In these labclasses, professors tend to focus on the quality of the technical material rather than the quality ofthe writing [4]. This could be due to a