A Nanotechnology Processes Option in Chemical Engineering
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---11111-------=--------~S=i AIChE special section ) A NANOTECHNOLOGY PROCESSES OPTION IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING MILO D. KORETSKY, ALEXANDRE YOKOCHI, AND 8HO KIMURA Oregon State University • Corvallis, OR 97331-2702 ith the substantial investment into the develop Milo Koretsky is an associate professor ment of nanotechnology infrastructure for the in the School of Chemical, Biological, and 21st century and beyond, there is a need to adapt Environmental Engineering at Oregon State W University. He received his B.S. and M.S. engineering and science curricula to equip students with the degrees from UC San Diego and his Ph.D. skills and attributes needed to contribute effecti vel y in manu from UC Berkeley, all in chemical engineer ing. He currently has research activity in ar 3 facturing-based processes that rely on nanotechnology_[! l eas related to thin film materials processing The incorporation of nanotechnology into the undergraduate and engineering education and is interested in integrating technology into effective edu engineering curriculum represents both an opportunity and cational practices and in promoting the use a challenge. [4l On the one hand, nanotechnology can revi of higher-level cognitive skills in engineering talize undergraduate programs by engaging students with problem solving. Alex Yokochi is an assistant professor in interesting nanotechnology-related concepts, examples, and the School of Chemical, Biological, and experiments. On the other hand, due to its inherent interdis Environmental Engineering at Oregon ciplinary nature, programs will need to accommodate greater State University. He received a B.S. and M.S. from Southern Illinois University at degrees of interdisciplinary teaching and research. Chemical Carbondale and Ph.D. from Texas A&M and biological processes will play a significant role in the University, all in chemistry. His research and teaching interests include the development manufacturing operations. Chemical and biological engineers of methodology to produce large volumes have the advantage of a solid background in chemical kinet of engineered nanoparticles with well de ics, reactor design, transport phenomena, thermodynamics, fined size and/or composition for various applications. and process control to undertake the challenges in the high Sho Kimura is a professor in the School of volume manufacturing of nanotechnology-based products. Chemical, Biological, and Environmental Thus, these processes fall well within the purview of chemical Engineering at at Oregon State University. He received his B.S. and Ph.D. degrees and biological engineering undergraduate programs. At the from Osaka University, Japan, and M.S. same time, however, the products rely on principles based on degree from Oregon State University, all in chemical engineering. He teaches Material other disciplines such as physics, mechanical engineering, Balances and Stoichiometry, Material and and electrical engineering. Thus research and development Energy Balances in Nanotechnology, and Chemical Plant Design I & II. His research of new processes based on new products is inherently inter interests include synthesis of carbon and disciplinary in nature. Chemical and biological engineers silicon carbide nanotubes. © Copyright ChE Division of ASEE 2009 Vol. 43, No. 4, Fall 2009 265 will also play a vital role in this development as nanosystems NANOTECHNOLOGY PROCESSES OPTION evolve to include active nanostructures, 3-D nanosystems IN CHEMICAL ENGINEERING and systems of nanosystems, and heterogeneous molecular To meet all the ABET engineering topics and advanced nanosystems. [ZJ The curricular challenge that needs to be ad science requirements, ChE students are required to take five dressed is how to design a program that reinforces the ChE to six technical elective classes outside the ChE core. These undergraduate's core skills (depth) in a way that can be applied courses may be taken in any area as long as they have the toward manufacturing nanotechnology-based products while appropriate engineering or science content as prescribed by simultaneously providing the breadth to interact effectively ABET and AIChE. When taking the courses in an ad hoc on the multidisciplinary teams that span the wide range of manner, however, students have indicated that they get little opportunities enabled by this emerging area. satisfaction or career enhancement. The ChE Department It has been proposed that as the chemical engineering has established Options to aid students in selection of elec profession takes its next evolutionary step toward applying tive courses. Options also help to broaden and strengthen molecular scale engineering to a set of new and emerging the undergraduate ChE curriculum, potentially attracting technologies, the core undergraduate curriculum needs associ more students to the department. To be eligible for an Op ated reform. [5l As topics from these emerging molecular-based tion, the student must fill out and present a Student Petition technologies are incorporated, however, there is a legitimate for Option Program in Chemical Engineering to the faculty concern of dilution of the core content due to staffing issues. [6l "champion" for the desired area. The champion is a faculty At Oregon State University (OSU), the Chemical, Biologi member with expertise in the area of the Option. Addition cal, and Environmental Engineering programs have recently ally an Option must contain at least 21 credits. Three Options joined into a single administrative structure. This structure alleviates the staffing issue in two ways. First, a significant portion of the courses for all three programs is jointly taught. TABLE 1 This set of 11 core courses covers fundamentals germane to all Nanotechnology Processes Option three disciplines (e.g., material and energy balances, transport Class# Credits Title processes, thermodynamics, and process data analysis) while ENGR221 3 The Science, Engineering and So- reducing the number of instructors needed. Second, the Op cial Impact of Nanotechnology (a) tion areas in chemical engineering are taken from topics that ChE 214 4 Material and Energy Balances in have core research faculty. In two of the Options, biological Nanotechnology (alb) processes and environmental processes, chemical engineer ChE416 3 Chemical Engineering Lab III (b*) ing students take elective classes from among those offered ChE417 4 Analytical Instrumentation in by the other programs. In this way, some of the key elements Chemical, Environmental and identified in the "New Frontiers in Chemical Engineering Biological Engineering (alb) Education" workshops are integrated into the undergraduate ChE444 4 Thin Film Materials Processing curriculum while, simultaneously, holding students account (alb) able for the same depth of learning that has served OSU 3 Elective ChE graduates for many years. Moreover, this integration is a Lecture course accomplished in a reasonable scope commensurate with the b Laboratory course * The capstone laboratory project will be in the area of nanotechnology resources of the program. This paper presents the curriculum developed to incorporate ., 35% nanotechnology education in the chemical engineering program "' u"' 30% at Oregon State University. The approach is twofold: 1) to .2 C develop a Nanotechnology Processes Option in the Chemical J: 25% Engineering Program and 2) to develop two new sophomore gi l:;l 20% level courses: a survey course that is broadly available to all ~ engineering undergraduates and a discipline-specific laboratory l:;l 15% course that allows students to synthesize the engineering sci 0 ence content toward the application of nanotechnology. The ill, 10% ~ curricular development fits in well with the growing research :l; 5% and commercialization activity of the Oregon Nanoscience and .,~ 0.. 0% Microtechnologies Institute (ONAMI), and is consistent with Nanotechnology Bi ological Environmental Microelect ronics the evolutionary vision developed by leading chemical engi Processes Processes Processes and Matis neering educators in the three-workshop series "New Frontiers Figure 1. Percentage of 2008-2009 graduating seniors in Chemical Engineering Education."[5l enrolled in each of the four ChE Options at OSU. 266 Chemical Engineering Education have been available at OSU: 1) Biochemical Processes; 2) Figure 1 shows the distribution of senior students emolled in Environmental Processes; and 3) Microelectronics Processes the four Options available in the ChE Program for 2008-09. and Materials Science. These areas correspond to strengths in Of the 55 seniors in Chemical Engineering, 34 have chosen the OSU ChE program. A fourth Option, the Nanotechnology to pursue an Option. The Nanotechnology Processes Option Processes Option, has recently been developed. An outline has the most students subscribed, representing 16 students or of the curricular requirements is listed in Table 1. It contains 29% of the total ChE seniors. six courses-five required courses and an elective-and includes two sophomore-level courses. Four of the five re ENGR 221-THE SCIENCE, ENGINEERING, quired classes are laboratory-based and emphasize hands-on AND SOCIAL IMPACT OF NANOTECHNOLOGY experiential learning. The Science, Engineering, and Social Impact of Nanotech The Science, Engineering, and Social Impact of Nanotech nology, ENGR 221, is a general engineering survey course with nology (ENGR 221) is a general engineering survey course the objective of ensuring all engineering students