Principal Investigator Barry Johnston
The nature of our industry, the expansion of our science base, and the advent of the internet call for a change in the undergraduate chemical engineering curriculum. We propose that the subject matter of chemical engineering be organized around three basic principles:
(*) molecular processes(*) multiscale analysis(*) systems analysis and synthesis
and that the curriculum be designed to reflect these. The challenge of curriculum development is to specify the content of course blocks. The content must be integrated horizontally through time, so that each theme is clearly delineated. Content must also be integrated vertically at any time, so that each theme supports the others in a co-requisite sense. The material within an academic term, as well as across four years, must proceed from simple to complex. Fundamentals must be illustrated with applications, and examples must range from the simple demonstration to the complex design challenge. Examples are to be drawn from a broad range of traditional and developing industries.
Major curriculum changes would strain the resources of any individual chemical engineering department. Success in developing a completely new curriculum will require participation by the entire chemical engineering community. We dare to hope for a curriculum that is coherent, practical, and exciting. To achieve that will take the best efforts of academics and the guidance of the practitioners.