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_ lea rning in indus t r y )This column provides examples of cases in which students have gained knowledge, insight, and experience in the

practice of chemical engineering while in an industrial setting. Summer internship s and co-op assignments typifysuch experiences; however, reports of more unusual cases are also welcome. Descripti on of anal ytical tools used andthe skills developed during the project should be emphasized. These examples should stimulate innovative approaches to bring real world tools and experiences back to campus for integration into the curriculum. Please submitmanuscripts to Professor W. 1. Koros, Chemical Engineering Department , University of Texas, Austin, Texas 787 12.

WHAT IS INSIDE THATBLACK BOXAnd How Does It Work?

SHANAYA GODIWALLAUniversity ofTexas Austin, TX 78712 -1062

1 think this article should be read by every instructor ofintroductory chemical engineering courses. Theauthor, aj ust-graduated BSChE,provides a viewfromthe trenches ofwhat it is like fora "practical learner"to translate the theoretical information we provideinto meaningful knowledge. The student, ShanayaGodiwalla, was more assertive than most and tookresponsibilityforf inding the missing "hands-on" component to her education that she fo und necessary forunderstanding. As Rich Felder has pointed out, student learning styles are diverse, and accommodatingthem will tend to maximize the efficiency of learning.As Shanaya notes, sometimes the accommodation canbe quite simple.

Bill Koros

I t all began in the first chemical engineering class "Massand Energy Balances." We had just learned to size pumps,calculate the heat duty required for heat exchangers , anddraw process flow diagrams. I questioned exac tly what apump looked like. How does it actually move fluid? Whatare its internal components, and how would changing itsinternal components mod ify its capabili ties? What does aheat-exchanger really look like? And process flow diagramsdoes a chemical plant rea lly look like that?

This class brought up an infinite number of questions for

me. My usua l method of solving problems by memorizing afixed procedure began to breakdown. I was blindly completing calculations on complicated problems by memorizingthe methods. I felt it would help to have a physical pictureand understand ing of the basic equipment before attemptingthese calculations.

Hoping to get some answers, I proceeded to one of thechilling stations on campus. The plant manager gave me atour so I could actuall y see these mysteriou s pumps andheat-exchangers. I became slightly frustra ted when he showedme a meta l box and said, "This is a heat-exchanger," thenproceeded to a smaller metal box, and said, "This is a pump. "What does it look like inside? We sat down in the controlroom with the owne r' s manu al for the heat-exchanger and heexplained the components of the diagram, how they workindividually, and how they work as a unit. Things finallybegan to come into perspective!

I wanted and needed to know what I was calculat ing andhow these calculations would be useful to me at a later date.

Shanaya Godlwatta is currently a chemical engineering and dance major at The University 01Texas at Austin. She has two years of industrialexperience and has accepted a tult-time posi tionin process engineering at The Dow ChemicalCompany.

306 Copyright ChE Division of ASEE 1998

Chemical Engineering Education

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REAPING THE BENEFITS

a tas te of the world of research and the unlim ited opportunities of discovery it has to offer.Engineering Sciences and Market Deve lopment represented

my third term at Dow Chemical. My project entailed runningco-polymerization experiments to better define the reactionkinetics of a free radical initiated suspension polyme rization. This information helped to optimize the process, therebyincreasing production. My project used a reac tion calorimeter to meas ure the heat flow released in combination withan on-line mass spectrometer and Fouri er transform infraredspectrometer. The experimental data yielded conversion andconcentration versus time data to improve mathematical re-

action models. The project was completedsuccess fully, and I drafted a research anddevelopment report prior to returning tocampus for my senior year.

Co-oping has been an essential part ofmy education. I am a hands-on type ofstudent who learns best and thrives in thework environment rather than in the academic one. The co-op program has allowedme to look at chemical engineering in adifferent light. Initially, it was very difficu lt to imagine how I could apply some ofthe thin gs I was learning in school to theoutside world. Before co-oping, I learnedthe academic material for the moment, neverplanning on using it again. Now I have abetter understanding of which material isuseful background information and whichwill actually be useful in the workplace.This experience was ideal for me becauseit forced me to use the information I learnedin school and to app ly it immediately in theworkplace. For example, after comp letingthermodynamic s, I worked on a reac tioncalorimetry project at Dow.Co-oping also promoted my personal

growth. I fina lly had the opportunity to experience living onmy own outside of a university enviro nment and having ajob, ju st like a real adult. It led me to thinking about what itwould be like in the future to have that particular eight-tofive job. I began to cons ide r whether I would be happycompleting those types of tasks, working with those types ofpeople, and for that kind of company, day in and day out.Working full-time and living on my own forced me to

learn more about myself and to establish some sort of careerpath to prevent future misery. Co-oping helped me realizewhat tools I need to learn to be successful in the workplaceand to understand what the "real world" would be like. Iwould highly recommend the co-op program to anyone! 0

Co-oping hasbeen an

essential partofmy

education.[It] helpedmerealize whattools I need tobe successful inthe workplaceand tounderstand

what the "realworld" would

be like.CO-OPING

I have always been a "practical" learner. To learn somethingeffe ctively, the first few questions that need to be answeredconsist of, "Will I need to do this someday? When , where,and why?" Once these questions have been answered, myinterest and motivation develop because I have an understanding of the big picture. Then the "how" can be put intoperspective.Classroom learning usually skips straight to the "how."

There are many different types of learning styles, and mylearning ability is not maximi zed in a classroom. Touring thechilling station allowed me to see the practical uses of heatexchangers, pumps, and process flow diagrams. Thi s simpleexperience allowed me to understand that thesecalculations would become some of the basicbuilding blocks in my education ahead. As Icontinued through the chemical engineering curriculum, the same problem began to reemerge. Ifound myself at a higher level, but again resorting to memorization rather than understandingand analysis. Since I couldn' t place where thememori zed techniques fit into a chemicalengineer' s job, I again began to think I waslearning useless information.

I decided co-oping was the answe r to myfrustration. My thought was that the pieceswould fall into place by my being in a plantenvironment, gett ing practical experience, anddeveloping a basic knowledge of process equipment. As it turned out, the benefits of co-opinggrea tly outweighed graduating a bit later. I resea rched several companies and chose DowChemical because of their high standards ofsafety, intense traini ng opportunities, and espritde corps of the employees .

My first term at Dow Chemical was in manufacturing. I was given a list of projects, whichvaried from installing and automating pumpsand valves to demolishing old process units.The experience provided hands-on opportunities and vastexposure to basic process equipment. In addition, I learnedfurther how to work with people and how to "ge t work" frompeople.My second term at Dow Chemical was in Epoxy Process

Research. My prima ry project was to deve lop a neural network model for a gas phase reactor. Thi s process modelwould ultimately be used as an on-line sensor for processcontrol. The assignment gave me an opportunity to gai n athorough understanding of Process Insights, a neural network software. I also became more fami liar with the VAXand DEC term sys tems and completed a research and deve lopment report that detailed the entire project. I also acquiredFall / 998 307