Conference Session

Innovations in the ChE Laboratory

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Felecia Nave, Prairie View A&M University; Michael Gyamerah, Prairie View A&M University; Irvin Osborne-Lee, Prairie View A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

this end, increasing the number ofbioengineering programs at minority serving institutions is necessary if the science andtechnology community are to meet the ever growing needs of the biotechnology andnanotechnology workforce. The objective of this paper is to discuss the outcomes and lessonslearned in the development of a bioengineering concentration in the Department of ChemicalEngineering at Prairie View A&M University.IntroductionWith the emergence of newer technologies, many of which steeped deeply in chemicalengineering principles, the chemical engineering profession has witnessed a decline in thenumber of students choosing it as a field of study.1-3 Whereas there are a number of factors thatcontribute to the enrollment decline, the

Conference Session

New Ideas for ChEs I (aka ChE Potpourri)

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christine Kelly, Oregon State University; Edith Gummer, Northwest Regional Education Laboratory; Philip Harding, Oregon State University; Milo Koretsky, Oregon State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

metacognitive statements of students in the Virtual BioRLaboratory. Both virtual laboratories are available for use upon request.IntroductionIn a typical laboratory class, students are tasked with taking a set of experimental measurements,analyzing the data, often in the context of underlying theory in the curriculum, and reporting thefindings. This work is performed using dedicated equipment physically located in the laboratory.The pedagogical value of the hands-on experience that a laboratory provides is ubiquitouslyendorsed by educators;1 however, in practice the engineering laboratory has limitations as well.The traditional mode of delivery requires large amounts of resources for a high quality studentexperience since students must be supervised

Conference Session

Novel Courses and Content for ChEs II

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Rebecca Toghiani, Mississippi State University; Adrienne Minerick, Mississippi State University; Keisha Walters, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

presented where concept integration may beespecially beneficial.Opportunities in ThermodynamicsOne such opportunity occurs early in the semester when expressions for the enthalpy as afunction of temperature and pressure are developed for gases and for liquids. Students at MSUhave typically completed a fluid mechanics course prior to taking the second thermo course, andas a result, are well versed in the use and application of the Bernoulli equation for an isothermal,incompressible fluid, including pump work and frictional losses (simplified mechanical energybalance) [McCabe et al., 2005]: PA α V2 P α V2 + gZ A + A A + WP − h fp = B + gZ B + B B + h f (1) ρ

Conference Session

ChE Poster Session

Collection

2008 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Yakov Cherner, ATeL, LLC; Jerry Meldon, Tufts University; Anatoly Peresunko, Southern Federal University (Russia)

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

withLeonardo’s drawings and interactive 3D models based on those drawings.Da Vinci took it upon himself to develop and perfect a practical means to separate liquids byexploiting differences in their volatilities (i.e., their boiling points or, equivalently, their vaporpressures). He called the fruit of his labor the “alembic.” His original drawings and a descriptionof his efforts motivate students to explore the physicochemical basis for his invention. The DaVinci collection at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana di Milano includes three drawings of alembicswith author’s notes. Page 13.1080.2Figure 1. Interface and page fragments for the first chapter

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in CHE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Phillip Wankat, Purdue University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

, ground the research with a theory of learning or human development, includean appropriate mix of quantitative and qualitative research tools, and obtain approval or anexemption in advance from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) if students are involved.Research Areas in Chemical Engineering EducationThe NSF sponsored Engineering Education Research Colloquies5 developed a national agendafor research in engineering education. These areas are: “Area 1-Engineering Epistemologies: Research on what constitutes engineering thinking and knowledge within social contexts now and into the future.” “Area 2-Engineering Learning Mechanisms: Research on engineering learners’ developing knowledge and competencies in context

Conference Session

Innovations in the CHE Laboratory

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Baba Abdul, Washington State University; Emmanuel Shide, ABU Zaria, Nigeria; Raymond Bako, ABU Zaria, Nigeria; Paul Golter, Washington State University; Jerome Babauta, Washington State University; Bernard Van Wie, Washington State University; Gary Brown, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

the new classroom pedagogyand its benefits is presented.IntroductionThe traditional lecture method of dispensing education is gradually becoming outmoded due toits inherent passivity and abstraction. Especially for certain technical courses, a straight runlecture would not guarantee adequate or high conceptual gains for the students, leaving too muchto the imagination. According to the Dale retention cone 1, students tend to retain only 5% ofwhat they hear, 10% of what they read, 20% of what they see, 50% of what they discuss 75% ofwhat they practice and 90% of what they teach. Kolb’s 2 experiential learning model alsoreinforces the idea that cooperative, hands-on, active and problem based learning greatly enhanceconceptual understanding and

Conference Session

E-Learning in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Christi Patton Luks, University of Tulsa

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

Blackboard Learning System – VistaEnterprise (www.blackboard.com). This portion of the course focused on programming withExcel and with VBA. These programming skills were used in the design project and so therewere opportunities to discuss these with these smaller groups of students. This paper will focuson the self-paced portion of the course.All TU students have access to Vista. Most teachers use this as a repository of handouts andcourse supplements or to post grades throughout the semester. It has many additionalcapabilities and is designed to manage entire online courses or as a supplement to moretraditional courses. For ChE 1013, the instructor created 26 modules incorporating (1)videotaped lessons, (2) links to supplemental online materials

Conference Session

New Trends in CHE Education I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Michael Hanyak, Bucknell University; Timothy Raymond, Bucknell University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

, individual surveys, team surveys, and final course evaluations. This paper willexplain the details of the course setup, the unique application and evaluation of various "bestpractices" used in the course, and assessment/evaluation of the benefits of the cooperativelearning environment.Introduction (Why?)Principles of Chemical Engineering (CHEG 200) is the introductory course in the chemicalengineering curriculum at Bucknell University. At other universities this course is sometimesreferred to as the “stoichiometry” or the “material and energy balance” class. The purpose of theclass is to introduce students to the major concepts and ideas related to chemical engineering.This allows students to 1) confirm their choice of major discipline (do they

Conference Session

Innovations in the CHE Laboratory

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Peter Mark Jansson, Rowan University; Ulrich Schwabe, Rowan University; Nathaniel Downes, Rowan University; Patrick Hoffman, Rowan University; Matthew Abdallah, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

Blacklight Power (BLP) project consists of thevalidation of calorimetry results of a novel heat source of an industrial affiliate. Analyzing theresults of the calorimetry experiments they performed, following protocols they developedthemselves, students demonstrated that their data consistently had less than 1% error. The workinvolved setting up rigorous protocols, MATLAB programming, Labview data collection andanalysis, as well as summarizing the experimental results. These students have experienced, firsthand, what is required to bring a potential novel energy source forward. This paper describeshow these students were involved as part of their junior and senior clinic course work to be thefirst group to replicate these results in a third party

Conference Session

E-Learning in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jeremy VanAntwerp, Calvin College; Aubrey Sykes, Calvin College; xiuhua si

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

transfer class;concurrent with thermodynamics. In this paper, we present a non-iterative method students canuse to solve multiple effect evaporator problems using a free add-in for Microsoft Excel.In a typical multiple effect evaporator homework problem (Figure 1) the feed conditions andflow rate (F) are given. The overall heat transfer coefficients (Ui) are assumed to be known. Thedesired final concentration (x1) is specified as well as the pressure (or equivalently, thetemperature) of the saturated steam used as the heat source (Ps). Additionally, the pressure inone effect (usually the last) is specified (P3). The task of the students is to find the amount ofsteam that must be fed to the first effect (S), the unknown liquid and vapor flow rates

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in CHE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adam Ekenseair, University of Texas, Austin; Carolyn Bayer, University of Texas, Austin; Margaret Phillips, University of Texas, Austin

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

Society, and the Materials Research Society. Adam has presented 5 papers at major conferences and has 1 refereed publication.Carolyn Bayer, University of Texas, Austin Carolyn Bayer is a graduate research fellow in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin. She received a B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in May 1998. After graduation, she was employed at Motorola for the development of DNA microarrays within the Life Sciences Division (now part of GE Medical). Her experience at Motorola led to a position as a senior engineer at Neogenesis (now part of Schering-Plough) in Cambridge, MA. She returned to school in the fall of 2005 to

Conference Session

Innovations in the CHE Laboratory

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Heather Gappa-Fahlenkamp, Oklahoma State University; Mark Wilkins, Oklahoma State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

able to: 1. Understand the basic role of engineering in bio-processing applications. 2. Obtain a basic understanding of how cells work and become familiar with the environmental conditions (i.e. nutrients, pH, etc.) required for applications of biological components (cells or enzymes) to bio-processing systems. 3. Understand and model enzyme kinetics and apply the models for analysis of immobilized enzymatic bioreactors. Page 14.1340.3 4. Utilize material balances to evaluate cell growth and substrate/product utilization in bioreactors. 5. Design bioreactors to achieve desired

Conference Session

E-Learning in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Tiffany Hesser, University of New Haven; Michael Collura, University of New Haven

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

experiments conducted during the period studied, 12 included video lectures while onewas conducted using procedures previously used. Use of the traditional approach was intendedto give students a comparison experience when surveys were to be conducted. The surveysfocused on the student’s overall impressions and satisfaction with video lectures in comparisonto text reading alone or instructor presented pre laboratory lectures. (Surveys can be seen in theappendix.). Students were asked to rate their experiences on a scale from 1 to 5, where 5 stronglyagreed and 1 strongly disagreed with a set of given statements. Students were also asked tocomment on their personal experiences.Instructors and student lab assistants were given similar surveys to examine

Conference Session

E-Learning in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Charles Baukal, John Zink Institute; Wes Bussman, John Zink Institute

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

increased pollutant emissionsthat could have detrimental economic ramifications for a plant. For these reasons, most newoperators would not be permitted to make adjustments on this type of equipment until they havehad sufficient training. The challenge is to give them realistic training before they work with theactual equipment. Figure 1. Schematic of a typical process heater. Page 14.1062.2Process heaters (see Figure 1) are used in the chemical and refining industries to heathydrocarbon fluids flowing through tubes inside the radiant and convection sections. Theseheaters are designed to increase the fluid temperature for

Conference Session

Innovations in the CHE Laboratory

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Marvi Matos, University of Washington; Danilo Pozzo, University of Washington

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

, [1-3]nanotechnology, chemical product design, and biotechnology. As a result, Chemical Page 14.78.3Engineering educators are continuously challenged to identify and teach a changing set of skillsthat students need to acquire to develop into successful engineers.[2,4] This imposes a uniquechallenge to the design and evolution of adequate modules for the chemical engineeringlaboratories. There is a particularly high degree of complexity associated with the economic,logistic and technical difficulties that are involved in implementing significant changes to largephysical facilities and to the design of effective experiments

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in CHE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Blowers, University of Arizona

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

that enable them to construct theirown paths. Sustained advising contact has led to strong statistically-based success of studentswho have progressed through our program with approximately 30% of our graduates entering topten chemical engineering graduate programs, 100% student placement of graduates almost everyyear, and a host of university-based, state, and national awards going to our students.IntroductionMost faculty appointments in the United States carry the expectation that there will be a balanceamong different work activities[1-4]. The typical assumed split on a time percentage basis is40% on research, 40% on teaching, and 20% on service, although those percentages vary inreality[5]. One way of meeting service obligations is for

Conference Session

E-Learning in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Zollars, Washington State University; Christopher Hundhausen, Washington State University; Pawan Agrawal, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

1, the students in ourmaterial and energy balance are no different, showing a strong preference for a visuallearning style (average score = - 5 on the Felder-Silverman scale). By creating a tool toaid in transforming written information into visual images, we believed that we couldhelp students develop an essential skill that they will need not only in the material andenergy balance class, but throughout their careers as engineers. Visual/Verbal 25 20 20 15 15 12 12 12 10 9 6 5

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in CHE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Richard Zollars, Washington State University; Donald Orlich, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

declining numbers of students expressing aninterest, or majoring, in engineering. Recently the American College Testing organizationreported that between 1992 and 2003 the percentage of high school students expressing aninterest in majoring in engineering dropped from 9% to 6%1. In addition to the lack of numbersthere is also the recurring problem of the lack of preparedness among US students in math andscience2. Indeed, the state of preparedness of US students in science and mathematics at all levelshas been under scrutiny following the release of the report "A Nation at Risk" in 19833. Thisconcern has remained constant and was mentioned again in the National Academies Presspublication “Educating the Engineer of 2020: Adapting Engineering

Conference Session

Innovations in the CHE Laboratory

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrienne Minerick, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

, fairly inexpensive, and portable such that it can be positioned on student desksthroughout a classroom. Advantages of this approach are that students can closelyexamine and fiddle with the system to see cause and effect better than with instructor leddemonstrations. The DEMo system can illustrate conduction of various materials,thermal energy generation, thermal contact resistance, heat dissipation from fins, andconvection across surfaces of varying geometry. These learning tools can also serve asvibrant hands-on experiments with high school students.Keywords: Heat Transfer, Experiment, Inexpensive equipmentIntroduction:The junior level heat transfer class is a first course in conduction in 1-D and 2-D systems(Cartesian, cylindrical and

Conference Session

Contemporary Issues in CHE Education

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

William Krantz, University of Colorado, Boulder

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

handle keeping an active research program going while on leave.Suggestions will also be given on how to involve one’s family in the leave experience. The mainthrust of this paper is the important point that taking a sabbatical or academic leave is aninvestment in your future that will pay wonderful and unforeseen benefits.1. IntroductionSome relatively long phrases and proper nouns are used rather often in this paper. Hence, theauthor has elected to use several acronyms and abbreviations that are defined in Table 1.The principal thrust of this paper is to encourage readers to consider taking a sabbatical oracademic leave (SAL) as a sound investment in their professional future. Most colleges anduniversities allow faculty to take a sabbatical

Conference Session

New Trends in CHE Education I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jennifer Christensen, Texas A&M University; Lale Yurttas, Texas A&M University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

this modern era, it is evident that the problems facing society bridge the traditional divisions ofacademia and require the collaboration between many independent academic sectors, as well asthe reform of traditional engineering curriculum. Coyle, Jamieson, and Oakes[1] formulated theEPICS (Engineering Projects in Community Service) program at Purdue University in order toaddress the changes facing the modern engineering student at the societal interface. Others, suchas Bauer, Moskal, and Gosink[2], have identified the lack of societal understanding andresponsibility as a problem within engineering disciplines that has lead to the potential decreasein enrollment rates, and therefore, have studied the effectiveness of service-learning

Conference Session

New Trends in CHE Education II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Sundararajan Madihally, Oklahoma State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

successful proposals. To perform these duties, theyshould have acquired soft skills such as management and writing skills. Hence, soft skills are asimportant as technical competencies for their success post-graduation. However, traininggraduate students in soft skills has been predominantly ignored with the expectation of acquiringthose skills on the job or the hard way [1, 2]. A common course that most graduate programs have is a seminar series. Many schoolshave the seminar series as a mandatory course for all the graduate students. This seminar isprimary used as a method of advancing their technical competencies. They are introduced tocutting edge research topics by inviting faculty members from their own institution, otherinstitutions or

Conference Session

New Trends in CHE Education I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Adrienne Minerick, Mississippi State University; Keisha Walters, Mississippi State University; Bill Elmore, Mississippi State University; Rebecca Toghiani, Mississippi State University; Rafael Hernandez; Priscilla Hill, Mississippi State University; Hossein Toghiani, Mississippi State University; Todd French, Mississippi State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

to incorporate the following elements in their courses such that there is vertical integrationof concepts as well as coordination of concepts between courses in the same semester: a) implement flexible problem solving through connectivity of topics/concepts, b) utilize parallel terminology for similar concepts, c) demonstrate applications that connect one concept to another, d) identify and generate alternate approaches to achieve a specific task, e) synthesize tools from multiple course curricula to approach larger challenges, and f) demonstrate attitudes and skills for life-long learning.This paper discusses each of the required chemical engineering core courses in our curriculum(see Figure 1 as an example) separately

Conference Session

New Trends in CHE Education II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Gisele Ragusa, University of Southern California; Ted Lee, University of Southern California

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

initiative,recommending a move from the macroscopic, unit-operations educational approach to insteadteach from the molecular point of view in a bottom-up fashion. The challenge, however, is tocontinue to serve the more conventional chemical and petroleum industries while instituting thischange. At USC we have developed the two-pronged approach of utilizing (1) a recently-creatednanotechnology course-work emphasis within the Department of Chemical Engineering andMaterials Science, and (2) vertically- and horizontally-integrated “degree projects” consisting ofnano or bio laboratory modules in successive chemical engineering courses that build upon astudent’s growing knowledge in their chosen emphasis, while at the same time relating thedegree project

Conference Session

New Trends in CHE Education II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Paul Golter, Washington State University; Bernard Van Wie, Washington State University; Gary Brown, Washington State University; David Thiessen; Nurdan Yurt; Baba Abdul, Washington State University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

adaptation process used for each of the assessment tools.Details of the current implementation and sample results follow, along with a discussionof the lessons learned during the adaptation process.BackgroundThe CHAPL pedagogy was developed in arequired junior level Chemical Engineering course,Fluid Mechanics and Heat Transfer. This course istwo credits and is offered only in the spring, as ithas another junior level course, Introduction toTransport Processes, as a prerequisite. In recentyears the class size has varied from 15 – 30. Theclass meets in two one-hour sessions each week.The approach has undergone steady refinement sothat we are now receiving positive feedback from Figure 1. Typical

Conference Session

New Trends in CHE Education I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Claire Komives, San Jose State University; Erik Fernandez, University of Virginia

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

chemicals and therapeutics as well as lowmargin commodities[1, 2]. In 2001, a workshop was held at the National Science Foundation toassemble a set of recommendations for embellishing the undergraduate ChE curriculum withmore biology [3]. Since that time, the National Science Foundation has supported thedevelopment of educational resources for biochemical engineering education, including a set ofworkshops and modules organized through Tufts University[4]. NSF also sponsored workshopsto discuss the modernization of ChE education [5] with a particular emphasis on the integrationof biology, molecular transformation, and other frontier areas into the ChE curriculum. Asignificant outcome of the projects is an increased awareness among ChE faculty of the

Conference Session

New Trends in CHE Education II

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

J.Patrick Abulencia, Manhattan College

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

social networking tools can be used to stay intouch with alumni. This connection can help lead to a dialogue between the currentunderclassmen and alumni to initiate discussions on internships and career options at their placeof employment.Introduction The ubiquity of online social networking, especially among college students, has made ita candidate for scholarly research. Most of the early work on this phenomenon has focused on auser’s presentation of identity, and privacy concerns 1. However, a growing body of knowledgehas focused on their role within a college or university setting 2, 3, 4. This work examines the useand role of online social networking towards facilitating the high school to college transition, aswell as a tool for

Conference Session

E-Learning in Chemical Engineering

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

David Silverstein, University of Kentucky

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

absorption of the concepts presented during the class.One effective means of encouraging reflection as a mode of learning is portfolio development. Aportfolio has been defined as “a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits the student’sefforts, progress, and achievements”[1]. Portfolios foster active learning and give the student theperspective needed to ensure that they are progressively learning over time[2]. One of theprimary benefits over standard educational practices is that work is placed into context through areflective process[3]. The downside of portfolios, whether paper-borne or electronic, is that theytake significant student time to prepare and manage. McGourty[4] notes that “full portfolios arevery labor intensive and are

Conference Session

New Trends in CHE Education I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Jason Keith, Michigan Technological University; David Silverstein, University of Kentucky; Donald Visco, Tennessee Technological University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

learning exercises increase active learning in the classroom (for examples, see references 79, 82-83)Other simple-to-use active learning methods include: ≠ Think-pair-share – think for 1-2 minutes, talk with neighbor for 1-2 minutes, then share answers with the rest of the class) ≠ Poll the audience – with a show of hands, colored notecards, or clickers ≠ Minute paper – the students write down 1-2 ways to do something, then the instructor solicits answers from the students. This is also a good way to get anonymous feedback on the course content, what the “muddiest” point of a lecture is, etc. ≠ Engineering Education articles from Rich Felder84 – this site highlights recent teaching methods that have been

Conference Session

New Trends in CHE Education I

Collection

2009 Annual Conference & Exposition

Authors

Kevin Dahm, Rowan University; William Riddell, Rowan University

Tagged Divisions

Chemical Engineering

semester-long design project was a crane designproject called the “Hoistinator”, which was described in detail previously.9 Figure 1 shows the“base unit,” consisting of an I-beam, motor and stack of weights (up to 20 identical 70 lbweights). This base unit was constructed before the start of the semester and was used by allstudent teams. Teams of 4-5 students were challenged to design and build a truss, using thematerials summarized in Table 1. The truss would be attached to the base unit, allowing theweights to be lifted to a height of at least 36 inches. The teams were also required to build adigital timer circuit that would measure the time elapsed between when the weight left theground and when the weight reached a height of 36 inches