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Chemical Engineering Research
The research work of the faculty and their associates encompasses the
molecular and the continuous, the mathematical and the material, the physical
and the chemical, the biological and the geological, the synthetic and the
analytic. Department experimental environments range from ultrahigh vacuum to
extreme static pressures, from liquid helium to refractory melting temperatures.
They involve processes that take from picoseconds to months. Species include
electrons, simple molecules, salts, detergents, polymers, semi-conductors, wood,
and bacteria. Analyses range from fluid convection and dispersion to computer
simulation of pollutant transport and molecular motion, from adaptive control
systems to biomass conversion process design, from the distribution of aqueous
solutes in porous electrodes to the complex reaction mechanisms in thin film
deposition.
The department's emphasis is on the fundamentals that academic work
traditionally provides as the basis for commercial development and
manufacturing. The relavence of the studies is demonstrated by the industrial
funds that complement support from government agencies. Virtually all projects
involve students. Education through the research experience is vital for the
future practitioners of chemical engineering. Thus, the fruits of the
department's endeavors are human as well as material, and the faculty strives
for meaningful, valuable, and stimulating contributions.
Dr. Jennifer Sinclair Curtis
Chairman, Department of Chemical Engineering
Research Areas
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