Enhancement of Undergraduate Materials Education through Research and Industry-Academia Interactions
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Enhancement of Undergraduate Materials Education through Research and Industry-Academia Interactions
Asit K. Ray/Department of Chemical Engineering Christian Brothers University, Memphis, TN ABSTRACT
The Chemical Engineering Department at Christian Brothers University (CBU) offers an introductory courses on materials at the sophomore level followed by a course on polymer science and engineering at the senior level complete with laboratory. Students desiring further exposure to materials processing are connected with local polymeric materials companies where they work as interns. These students have the opportunity to be involved in undergraduate materials research in the CBU Polymer Laboratory with the author funded by the university or local polymer companies. Their works are acknowledged in terms of student paper presentations at local or regional research seminars. In 1998, CBU Engineering School’s research involvement with the polymeric materials industry was expanded when local polymer company personnels were allowed to conduct proprietary research at the institution’s Polymer Engineering Laboratory with the help of paid undergraduate chemical engineering students. Recently the Chemical Engineering Department at CBU initiated collaborative research with the engineering school of a local university and a local biomaterials company. In order to meet the growing needs of packaging engineers in this area, local companies (polymer and others) that have packaging departments and the School of Engineering at CBU recently joined forces to develop a packaging teaching and training program for students as well as employees of these companies. This program would include packaging materials and engineering. The details of Phase I and Phase II of this joint venture are described in the main body of the paper that follows.
INTRODUCTION
All engineers are involved with materials on a daily basis. They will at one time or another be exposed to a design problem involving materials. Many times a material problem is one of GG1.7.1
selecting the right material from the many thousands that are available. Engineers are interested in improving the performance of products they design or manufacture. They must be knowledgeable of the products they are using or planning to buy or lease in the course of their duties. Polymers have become very important materials, and their use transcends all the different industries, from petroleum to nanotechnology. In spite of tremendous progress that has been made in the discipline of materials science and engineering in recent years, there still remains technological challenges, such as the development of even more sophisticated and specialized materials, consideration of environment impact on materials production, reducing weight of transportation vehicles and improving fuel efficiency, finding new economic sources of energy, addressing depletion of non-renewable resources for many materials including polymers, etc. Scientists and engineers will be involved directly or indirectly in dealing wit
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