AC 2010-1056: APPLYING MASS BALANCES TO ALCOHOL METABOLISM: ATEAM PROJECT THAT APPLIES FUNDAMENTAL CHEMICAL ENGINEERINGSKILLS TO BIOTECHNOLOGYAllen Yang, Cornell UniversityKathryn Dimiduk, Cornell UniversitySusan Daniel, Cornell University Page 15.187.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Applying mass balances to alcohol metabolism: a team project that applies fundamental chemical engineering skills to biotechnologyAbstractIn the last decade, chemical engineering has evolved to meet the growing challenges of the 21stcentury, particularly in the areas of biotechnology and sustainable development. However, thechemical engineering curriculum has somewhat
maximized, and local operational optima can be identified. Usingcritical and abstract reasoning to make the design and analyze results, meaningful conclusionscan be made with a minimum number of experiments.At Rowan University, all freshmen are required to take an introductory engineering course calledFreshman [course]. This 2-credit, multidisciplinary course comprises a one-hour lecture and a 3-hour laboratory each week. Students learn engineering skills in a hands-on, project-basedformat. The technical learning objectives of the course include introducing students tomeasurements of physical quantities; units and conversions; collection, analysis andinterpretation of data; and the formation of meaningful conclusions from experimental
teaching and research include inadequate methodology [11],curriculum constraints and the insufficient background knowledge of most undergraduates [12].To effectively and seamlessly incorporate research into classroom activities therefore, it is im-perative to emphasize just those aspects which can reinforce course content without putting toomuch strain on the curriculum and students, and to choose a pedagogy which does this engag-ingly [13]. In line with this, approaches that include problem-based, project- based [14] and in-quiry-based learning [15], have been recommended as the best pedagogies for bringing researchinto the classroom [8].We report on an example of bringing an idea from technical research in the form of a novel mi-crochannel
Outstanding Undergraduate Advisor Award, and the NCSU Faculty Advisor Award. Page 15.661.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Ideas to Consider for New Chemical Engineering Educators: Senior DesignAbstractTeaching the senior or “capstone” design course can be intimidating to new facultymembers since the course is typically more open ended and project-based compared toother traditional core courses. Faculty with backgrounds in chemistry or physics who joina chemical engineering department may have never taken such a course themselves. Inmany departments, the course was traditionally taught
middle school teachers (teaching Biology and Math) were selected toparticipate in research dealing with tissue engineering. Teachers worked for six weeks (fourdays a week) within the research laboratory on formation of porous structures usingbiodegradable polymers. Teachers were exposed to the technique of forming porous structuresusing chitosan and gelatin solution in various shapes using the apparatus available in thelaboratory. A low cost freeze drying system that is safe for operation by sixth grade students wasdeveloped. The overall cost of performing the experiment is also significantly cheap and lesstime consuming.An envisioned project for the current academic year under implementation in the sixth grade isfreeze drying chitosan-gelatin
, studentsare required to satisfy requirements in four areas, which are: Participation in multiple semesters of the Alternative Fuels Group Enterprise, where students work on hands-on integration, design, and/or research projects in hydrogen and fuel cells Taking a fuel cell course Taking a lecture or laboratory course on hydrogen energy Taking discipline-specific elective coursesIn addition to describing the minor, the paper will also describe the content of the AlternativeFuels Group Enterprise as well as the fuel cell and hydrogen energy courses.IntroductionThe search for alternative energy sources is an area that has received great attention in the lastfew years, beginning with the January 2003 State of the
pedagogical changes in a fluid mechanics and heat transfer course. It has been difficult tofind statistically meaningful results because of small sizes of the classes, a once per year course offering,and in maintaining experimental controls at partner institutions with variant implementations. Alongwith our problems, there is a poor history regarding random control testing in educational research.This has convinced us to move toward a different class model centered around a project-basedapproach with design discussions reviewed for critical reasoning by students and faculty within theexperimental site institution and industrial representatives outside the institution. We are also shiftingaway from traditional quantitative definitions of experimental
patterns. Second, they mentally representproblems largely in terms of underlying principles. Finally, experts plan solution strategies, anddetect constraints given in the problem statement. To incorporate these ideas into engineeringeducation, a project called “Reverse Engineering” was created, and employed in a sophomorefluids mechanics class. No different than taking a piece of equipment apart to better understandits operation, students can apply the same approach to chemical engineering problems. Briefly,students were asked to generate their own problems related to a concept discussed during class,and present the solution by breaking it down into its fundamental parts. We hypothesize thatstudents would improve their problem solving ability by
for Chemical Engineering. His research interests are in process design, cost estimation, surface phenomena, problem-based learning, assessment, improving student learning and developing skill in problem solving, trouble shooting, group and team work, self assessment, change management, and lifetime learning. Page 15.658.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 How We Teach: Freshman Instruction in Chemical EngineeringAbstractThe authors present the results of the first survey in the resumption of the AIChE ChemicalEngineering Education Special Projects Committee series of annual surveys on how
education, and outcomes assessment. Joe is an associate editor of the Journal of Engineering Education, and he is a co-author of the text Analysis, Synthesis, and Design of Chemical Processes (3rd ed.), published by Prentice Hall in 2009. Page 15.56.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 A Module for Teaching Batch OperationsRationaleFor the past several years, the majority of projects chosen for one of the two required designs inour senior capstone course have involved some form of batch or semi-batch process. However,no formal instruction in the design and operation of batch processes was
AC 2010-989: FACTORS INFLUENCING STUDENT SUCCESS IN A SUMMERRESEARCH PROGRAM: FORMAL VERSUS INFORMAL RELATIONALSTRUCTURESMonica Cox, Purdue University Monica F. Cox, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. She obtained a B.S. in mathematics from Spelman College, a M.S. in industrial engineering from the University of Alabama, and a Ph.D. in Leadership and Policy Studies from Peabody College of Vanderbilt University. Teaching interests relate to the professional development of graduate engineering students and to leadership, policy, and change in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education. Primary research projects explore the
satisfaction in smallerdepartments would be greater than larger departments because of an increased level ofattention, this was not the case. In particular, the quality and extent (re: type) of theseinteractions were key features in determining student satisfaction. Accordingly, thedevelopment and nurturing of a specific type of departmental culture is a crucial elementof student retention, among other goals of a department. Note that all departmental goals Page 15.1096.3are not directly related to student retention. Departments can create a culture which, forexample, supports undergraduate research or emphasizes service learning projects,depending on the
operation of the process, will have to sift through thealarms to distinguish which are more important and require immediate action. This alarmingproblem has been identified as a contributing factor in numerous chemical process incidents,such as the Texaco Pembroke Refinery in the UK and others on the Gulf Coast.Alarm issues are caused when newly minted chemical engineering graduates become processengineers and are asked to suggest alarm settings for their projects without having anunderstanding of alarm management principles. Therefore we have developed this AlarmDocumentation and Rationalization (D&R) Module to introduce alarm management concepts toundergraduate students.In this paper we describe our experience exposing undergraduate students
/professional school entrance exam infoEthics• A Framework for thinking ethically• Engineering ethics presentationWriting and Speaking Material≠ On-line resources at the library for CHE 395 projects≠ Writing technical reports≠ Writing resources≠ When to cite≠ Effective presentations≠ Seven deadly sins of presentersInterviewing Information≠ Sample interview questions - industry≠ Sample interview questions - grad and professional school≠ Interview tips≠ Cheat sheet for interview preparation≠ Resume tips≠ Resume action verb examples≠ Cover letter tips≠ Recruiters' top 10 resume pet peeves≠ Tips on career fairs≠ The alumni speak Page 15.987.5≠ Illegal
registered for engineering majors at one university are surveyed at the start oftheir second term of study to determine students’ perception of the value of various academicsupport activities to their academic development. The goal is to identify intervention strategieswhich have perceived positive impacts on freshmen engineering student success, and to explorethe extent to which these perceptions are based on personal vs. vicarious experience. Thissurvey is part of a longer-term project in which the objective effectiveness of these interventions(as measured by retention and by GPA) will be evaluated. Presentation at the 2010 meeting willbe of the first year’s results only, focusing on three interventions: Engineering FreshmanLearning Communities
AC 2010-1551: EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF VISUALLY-ORIENTEDLEARNING SOFTWARE ONRichard Zollars, Washington State UniversityChristopher Hundhausen, Washington State UniversityPawan agrawal, Washington State University Pawan Agrawal is a PhD student in Computer Science at Washington State University. He has been involved on this visualization project for two years. Page 15.564.1© American Society for Engineering Education, 2010 Exploring the Impact of Visually-Oriented Software on Student Understanding in Chemical Engineering Education Most engineering curricula have a “gateway” class; a class early in the
Assessed in courses through chemical engineer 2 assignments, mid-term exams, (mastered sufficiently to solve engineering finals, projects, etc. problems with the aid of reference materials) Indicates fundamental principles providing the Assessed in courses and prior to foundation for problem solving strategies 3 graduation (on the closed-book (mastered sufficiently to solve engineering L3 exam) problems