Frequently Asked Questions

B.S. in Chemical Engineering

Dr. F. A. Morrison, Director of Undergraduate Studies
Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering
Michigan Technological University
304A Chemical Sciences and Engineering Building
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI 49931-1295
906-487-2050
messages: 906-487-3132
fax: 906-487-3213

Dr. Morrison's office hours

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (by topic)

Quick Topics

Student Records and Registration

General

What do you like to be called?
When are your office hours?
What classes do you teach?
Who are all the chemical engineering faculty?
Who are all the chemical engineering staff?
I'm having trouble adjusting to MTU.  What can I do?
My professors insist on derivations and very theoretical calculations.  Why can't they just give us the formulas and let it go at that?
What is the study of engineering like?
Do you have any special advice for women engineers?
Do you have any special advice for engineers from underrepresented groups?
Navagating your Journey 2003 (PowerPoint talk given to incoming first-year students at MTU
University policies
What is the meaning of life?

Awards/Scholarships

Gary E and Judy L Anderson Research Scholarship
Marriott W. Bredekamp Award
Davis W. Hubbard Plant Design Team Award
KC Award for Professional Ethics and Conduct
KC Award for Communications
Jack Wehman SACHE Team Design Award
President's Award for Leadership
Michigan Tech Fund Merit Awards
Donald F. Othmer Sophomore Academic Excellence Award
Omega Chi Epsilon Chemical Engineering Honor Society
Other MTU Awards
The Majors
Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship

Chemistry

Where can I get help with chemistry?
How are first-year students scheduled into their chemistry courses?
There are some special sections in University Chem II CH1120; how can I get into those sections?
Do I have to take the second semester of Organic Chemistry?
Minor in Chemistry
Double major/Dual Degree in Chemistry
Pharmaceutical Chemistry
Minor in Biological Sciences/Minor in Biochemistry

Chemical Engineering

What jobs do chemical engineers do?
How much do chemical engineers make?
What courses do I need to take to get a B.S. in chemical engineering from MTU?
Where can I get a degree audit form?
Can you give me some help in filling out the degree audit form?
How do I calculate my departmental GPA?
I would like to take CM3110 before completing CM2120.  Is this ever permitted?
What is Rheology Anyway?
What times are the CM classes?
What classes run alternate years in the CM department?
Are there other senior design experiences other than the AIChE Contest Problem?

Co-Op

Where can I find out about co-ops?
How many credits do I get for co-op?  What do I have to do to earn those credits?
How many credits of co-op may I use as engineering/technical elective?
Do I have to register for UN3002/3 to do a co-op or can I just skip it?
What tuition and fees do I have to pay when I'm on co-op?
Are there any special guidelines for the co-op report?
Who grades the co-op reports?
What happens to my computer accounts while I'm on co-op?

Double Majors/Dual Degrees

What are the requirements for double majors or for dual degrees?
Double Major/Dual Degree in Chemistry
Double Major/Dual Degree in Mathematical Sciences

Electives

What courses do you recommend that I take for my technical elective?
What courses do you recommend that I take for my engineering elective?
What courses do you recommend that I take for my chemical engineering elective?
Are there any classes that are NOT allowed for either technical/engineering electives?
What are the rules for free electives?
How many credits of engineering elective do I need to take?  Technical? Chemical?
What do I need to take to be prepared for MEEM4635 Design with Plastics?
I started before the electives rules changed; can I follow the old rules?

Enterprise

Where can I learn more about the Enterprise program?
What is the four-year course schedule for a CM undergraduate in the enterprise concentration?
How much of my enterprise minor will double-count for my CM major?
Can I get out of plant design if I'm in the enterprise concentration or doing the enterprise minor?
Can I get out of plant design if I'm NOT in the enterprise concentration or doing the enterprise minor but I am doing enterprise project work?
Can enterprise be taken in the summer?
I have taken all the enterprise project courses but I still want to participate in enterprise.  What can I register for?
What is the Pavlis Institute for Global Technology Leadership?

First Year Program

Are there any academic programs for pre-freshmen to help us transition to MTU?
MaCH-1 Summer Program
What is Orientation like?
How will my ACT/high school record translate into my first-year schedule at MTU?
What do I do if I need to change the scheduleof one of my cohorted classes (math, physics, engineering fundamentals)?
Where can I get help with math?
Where can I get help with chemistry?
Where can I get help with physics?
Can I take/transfer algebra-based physics?
How is the Engineering GPA calculated?

General Education/CoCurricular Course Requirments

I have General Education transfer credits.  How do I figure out what else I need to take?
What are the general education distribution rules?
What are the cocurricular requirements?
What are the rules for substituting modern language credits for UN1002 World Cultures?
I would like to take some of my Gen Ed. credits off campus.  How do I get assurance that these can be
accepted as part of my General Education Requirements?

Graduate School

I'm thinking of going to graduate school in chemical engineering.  Where can I find out more about it?
What does graduate school cost?
What courses should I take as an undergraduate that would be beneficial for my graduate studies?
Besides taking additional courses, what else can I do to prepare myself for graduate school in chemical engineering?
Where should I go to graduate school?
I'm interested in polymers; where should I go to grad school?
Why should I get an MS or PhD?
Do I have to take the GRE?  Where/When do I take it?
What kind of scores on the GRE are expected at the top schools?
Where have MTU CM alumni gone to graduate school?
Have any alumni from the Michigan Tech graduate program have gone on to become professors/lecturers?
Can I take graduate courses for graduate credit while I'm still an undergraduate? (senior rule)
How do I calculate my departmental GPA?

Jobs/Careers

Can you help me get a job?
Web sites for job searching
What is the fundamentals of engineering exam and why should I take it?
How can I prepare for the fundamentals of engineering (FE) exam?
What is professional engineering registration and why should I seek to be a registered professional engineer?
When is the fundamentals of engineering exam administered?
How can I get a teaching certificate?

Learning Centers

Where can I get help with math?
Where can I get help with chemistry?
Where can I get help with physics?

Mathematics

Where can I get help with math?
What is the deal with the basic skills test in calculus?
What is the difference between the three courses of Elementary Linear Algebra?
What is the difference between the three courses of Elementary/Introduction to Differential Equations?
Minor in Mathematics for Chemical Engineers at MTU
Double Major/Dual Degree in Mathematical Sciences

Minors/Double Majors/Dual Degrees/Certificate/Coaching Endorsement

What are the rules for minors at MTU?
Where can I see the degree audits for minors?
What minors are easy for chemical engineering majors to obtain?
Minor in Minerals Processing (MP) (Chemical Engineering)
Minor in Polymer Science and Engineering (PSE) (Chemical Engineering)

What do I need to take to be prepared for MEEM4635 Design with Plastics?

Minor in Bioprocess Engineering
Minor in Mathematics for Chemical Engineers at MTU
Minor in Engineering Enterprise or for more on the Enterprise program click here.
Minor in Chemistry
Double major/Dual Degree in Chemistry
Minor in Business Administration
Minor in Biological Sciences/Minor in Biochemistry
Minor in Ethics and Philosophy
Minor in Nanotechnology
Minor in Hydrogen Technology
State of Michigan Secondary Teacher Certification Minors
Coaching Endorsement
Minor in Computer Science
Pre-law minor

Miscellaneous

How do I survive if I fall through the ice?
How can I get a teaching certificate?
Can I get a copy of that academic plan form?

Polymers

Minor in Polymer Science and Engineering (PSE) (Chemical Engineering)
What do I need to take to be prepared for MEEM4635 Design with Plastics?

Registration/Transcripts

Where can I find out what classes are offered this semester?
Where can I access the MTU course catalog on the web?
I have my waiver forms signed; where do I go to be able to register?
How can I get a printout of my transcript?
Where can I print out a form for making my schedule?
Where can I find the MTU academic calendar?
Is the catalog always right?  Can I count on the courses that it says will be offered?
How many credits do I need to be considered a sophomore? junior? senior?
When will the Fall 2004/Spring 2005 schedule be available on the web?
How do I drop a course?
How do I add a course?
Who are the academic advisors of other departments?
When does summer registration open in 2004?
Is there a place where I can check how many seats are available in a given course?
What do I do if I am having trouble scheduling one of my cohort classes (math, physics, engineering fundamentals)?
What do I do if I want to register for more than the maximum number of credits (18)?
How do I calculate my departmental GPA?

Research

What opportunities are there to do undergraduate research in chemical engineering at Michigan Tech?
National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Program
National Institute of Standards and Technology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships

Summer Session

What courses could I take at MTU over the summer?

Student Groups/Professional Associations

American Chemical Society
AIChE (National)  (MTU Chapter)
American Physical Society

American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
Center of Chemical Process Safety
Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society, ISA
MTU Chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
MTU Chapter of Omega Chi Epsilon - the Chemical Engineering Honor Society

Order of the Engineer
Safety and Chemical Engineering Education SAChE

Society for Biological Engineering
Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration
Society of Plastics Engineers

Society of Rheology
Tau Beta Pi

Study Abroad

Where can I learn about study abroad?
How do I get approval for courses I will take abroad?

Transfer Students/Advanced Placement

What credits do I get if I take the advanced placement exam?
What credits do I get if I take the CLEP exam?
I'm engineering undeclared and I'd like to be Chemical Engineering.  How do I do that?
I'm thinking of transfering/transfering credits to Michigan Tech.  How do I proceed?
I am a transfer student.  How can I figure out what to take?
I'm transfering into the College of Engineering.  Do I have to take the freshmen ENG1101/ENG1102 classes?
I would like to take some of my Gen Ed. credits off campus.  How do I get assurance that these can be
accepted as part of my General Education Requirements?
Because I transfered credits, I have sophomore/junior/senior standing and I am not being permitted to register for UN1001, UN1002, UN2001 or UN2002.  What should I do?
I have General Education transfer credits.  How do I figure out what else I need to take?

Web Resources for Students

Director of MTU First-Year Program, Bonnie Gorman
Huskymail
The MTU Student Handbook
MTU Van Pelt Library Web page
MajorDomo (web-site to manage email lists)
Chemical Engineering Class Websites
Time management:  George Mason University
Study skills, test preparation, test anxiety: University of St. Thomas; California Polytechnic State University
Note taking: Ohio University; Muskingum College
Writing:  MTU Writing Center;University of Victoria
Reading:  Virginia Tech
Learning styles:  All School Guide, 3701 N Ravenswood, Chicago, IL 60613
General learning help:  Ohio University; University of Minnesota; MTU Counseling Services

What do you like to be called?

I prefer to be addressed as Dr. Morrison or as Professor Morrison.  For salutation in email I suggest "Good Morning" or "Good Afternoon" or something similar.

What jobs do chemical engineers do?
 

Everything from petroleum processing to potato chips to electronics manufacturing.  There is a nice essay on this topic on the web page of the Arizona State University Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering:  http://www.eas.asu.edu/~cme/  Go to that page and then click on "Undergraduate Resources" then "Visit ChE" then "Overview of hat Jobs Chemical Engineers Do".

Here are some web sites that list some mean/median salaries for chemical engineers and discuss employment prospects (as of Sept 2008)

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes172041.htm
http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm

What courses do I need to take to get a B.S. in chemical engineering from MTU?

2009
The B.S. degree in chemical engineering takes four to five years and requires 131 credits.  The required courses are outlined in the two CM department curriculum handouts, one for a full year of organic and one with an alternate chemistry path.  You can get these handouts from the main office (203 Chem Sci) as well as from those link.  We also have a flowchart that shows how the classes interrelate; this is good for the full year (standard) organic plan.  The technical electives that are requred (chem/chemE/eng/tech) are explained in this PDF file.

It is desirable to take a coop during your undergraduate years, which you can fit into a 4-year schedule if you come with some advanced placement in mathematics and chemistry.  The coop fits best into the fall of the junior year.

If you do not come with advanced placement but would still like to coop, you will need 5 years to graduate.  You may also be able to fit in a minor in something, like polymer science and engineering, bioprocess engineering, mathematics, chemistry, pharmeceuticals chemistry, minerals processing, or something else.

Can you give me some help in filling out the degree audit form?

An example of how the degree audit form is filled out is shown at this link.

Where can I get help with physics?

At the Physics Learning Center, which is in 228 Fisher Hall - Phone 906.487.2173 .  Their hours are posted on the web here.  From their website:

"The Physics Learning Center offers a variety of services to students seeking extra help or instruction in the general physics courses. The center is staffed by successful student coaches who receive continual training for professional development.

Physics coaching is available for the following courses:
PH1110, PH1210, PH2100, PH2200, PH2300, PH2400.

Coaching is available during "walk-in" hours and through one-on-one appointments. A Team Learning option is also available for PH1110, PH1210, PH2100and PH2200 students each semester."

Can I take algebra-based physics?

No.  You must take calculus-based physics for chemical engineering.  BUT, you may be able to get credit for the calculus-based physics, see below:

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: Physics placement
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 2009 11:20:49 -0400 (EDT)
From: John Jaszczak <jaszczak@mtu.edu>
To: Chemical Engineering Advisor <cmadvise@mtu.edu>

Dear Katie,
   For students who get AP credit for PH1110, PH1210 we offer the following:
1. Take the PH2200 final exam during finals week. Earn a C or better and we'll grant credit for
both PH2100 and PH2200.
2. Take PH2200 class. Get a C or better and we'll also grant credit for PH2100.
3. (take both PH2100 and PH2200) no time saver there...

If students have only credit for PH1110 then we typically have them take PH2100.

If students already have equivalent credit for the PH1100 PH1200 labs, they don't need to be
repeated.  Mike Meyer would make the determination about labs.  I can enter prerequisite waivers as
appropriate if students want to sign up for PH2200 but don't need the lab.

Students who want to use options 1 or 2 need to see me and file a letter of intent with me, and I verify
their eligibility. Once they earn their C or better they then see me again so I can verify the grade and
do the paperwork for credit.

Sincerely
John

----- Original Message -----
From: "Chemical Engineering Advisor" <cmadvise@mtu.edu>
To: "John Jaszczak" <jaszczak@mtu.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 11:09:50 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern
Subject: Physics placement

Dr. Jaszczak,

I sent several students to you earlier this semester because they were
concerned about their credit for College Physics and wanted to see about
receiving credit for University Physics.  What is your policy on this
and is it something I should be telling my students about if they come
in with AP credit for College Physics?

Thanks for any info you can provide.

Katie Torrey

Where can I get help with chemistry?

At the Chemistry Learning Center, which is in Chem Sci 208.  Their hours are posted on the web here.  From their website:

"The Chemistry Learning Center is a resource that is available for all MTU students enrolled in first year and organic chemistry lecture courses. Our goal is to provide a comfortable, supportive learning environment with a friendly, approachable and knowledgeable student staff. The undergraduate chemistry coaches are trained to help students make a good transition to college and to gain confidence in their mastery of chemistry.

Students who participate in the Chemistry Learning Center usually earn half to a full grade higher than students who don't. Whether you are a student who struggles with chemistry or just need help with a question or two, you are invited to visit us and participate at a level that meets your needs.

You have already paid for these services through your tuition dollars so take advantage of this resource!"

"The Chemistry Learning Center is located on the 2nd floor of the Chemical Sciences Building in Room 208. As you walk through the door into the Chemistry Learning Center, there will be chemistry coaches to assist you or you can sit down at one of the tables to study. If you have questions as you are studying, please let one of the chemistry coaches know and they will be happy to assist you."

How do I calculate my departmental GPA

I don't know where on campus they would calculate this officially, but you could do it yourself.  The departmental courses are the 100 credits in the "Major" box on the degree audit form.

To calculate your departmental GPA, multiply the following numbers depending on the grade you received by the number of credits in the course:

A = 4.00 grade points/credit
AB = 3.50 grade points/credit
B = 3.00 grade points/credit
BC = 2.50 grade points/credit
C = 2.00 grade points/credit
CD = 1.50 grade points/credit
D = 1.00 grade points/credit
F = 0.00 grade points/credit

Add this up for all your classes taken so far.  Then add up the number of credits for all those classes.  Divide the first number by the second.

I would like to take CM3110 before completing CM2120.  Is this ever permitted?

Yes, I do occasionally make an exception to this requirement for transfer students and other students who have scheduling difficulties and who are sufficiently prepared academically.  Each case is determined individually, and you are responsible for the material you are skipping.  If you need a waiver from me, you will also be asked to pass a mathematics quiz on integration, differentiation, algebra, and trigonometry.  

If you do take this route, you are responsible for the missing material.  There is some information below on how to prepare yourself for this type of schedule.  The information may be printed from this PDF file as well. 

When you receive a waiver to take a class without having taken the prerequisite courses, you are responsible for the missing material.  The material from CM2120 that is most important for CM3110 is the mechanical energy balance and manometers (fluid statics).  This section summarizes some resources that you have available to you to study this material on your own.  In addition, you should familiarize yourself with the unit operations of chemical engineering by looking over the table of contents of McCabe et al.  The 2007 syllabus of CM2120 is given at this link.

Dr. Morrison’s CM3110 web page:
http://www.chem.mtu.edu/~fmorriso/cm310/cm310.html

Lectures on Mechanical Energy Balance (MEB) and pumping from old CM3110

MEB
Dr. Morrison's 31-page handout explaining the Mechanical Energy Balance from first principles
/cm310/14th_lecture_old/index.htm

Pumping
/cm310/15th_lecture_old/index.htm
http://www.chem.mtu.edu/%7Efmorriso/cm310/pump_head.html

Info on MEB:

Felder and Rousseau: pp333-337

McCabe, Smith, Harriott 6th edition, pp 82-90 (not a very good explanation)

Christie J. Geankoplis, "Transport Processes and Separation Process Principles: Includes Unit Operations," 4rd Edition, Prentice Hall, New York (1993) pp 60-74

Info on Manometers

Felder and Rousseau:  pp57-59
Geankoplis 4th Edition pp39-43

Practice Problems

http://www.chem.mtu.edu/%7Efmorriso/cm310/Homework_1_2003.html
Problem 1: CM2110
Problem 2: fluid statics (manometer)
Problem 3: hard manometer problem
Problem 4: another manometer problem, less hard
Problem 6: MEB problem

http://www.chem.mtu.edu/%7Efmorriso/cm310/miniexam1_fall_2002.html
Problem 2 from this minexam is a manometer problem

http://www.chem.mtu.edu/%7Efmorriso/cm310/miniexam1_fall_2003.html
Problem 1 from this miniexam should be something you can do (MEB plm)

  What times are the CM classes?

The times of classes may be found on the web at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/em/students/plan/ .  I have a PDF that I use to see what time conflicts there are between various classes.  For 2005 the PDF is here.

How are first-year students scheduled into their chemistry courses?
 

From            "Lois A. Blau" <lablau@mtu.edu>
Subject            New guidelines for freshmen chemistry
Date            Fri, June 6, 2003 12:42 pm

The Chemistry Department has recently reviewed and revised the guidelines
for first year students to use for selecting a chemistry course.  The new
guidelines are based on the student's math course placement as well as high
school algebra and chemistry grades.  As a result, there is no longer a
need to require students to take the Chemistry Readiness Test during
Orientation.  Therefore, the Chemistry Readiness Test will not be given in
August.

The new guidelines can be found at:

http://www.chemistry.mtu.edu/students/first_year_chem/index.php

All entering students will receive the new guidelines in the final mailing
from the Orientation program.  Students who are block scheduled over the
summer will have the opportunity to change their chemistry course during
Orientation registration if they feel they have not been scheduled into the
correct chemistry course.  Freshman who scheduled online in April & May
will be contacted and be given the opportunity to change their chemistry
course using the new guidelines if they choose to do so.

If you or any of your students have questions, please feel free to contact
me for assistance and clarification.  However, since I'll be gone over the
next several weeks, if you have immediate questions, you could contact one
of the following members of the First Year Chemistry committee:  Paul
Charlesworth or Rudy Luck.

There are some special sections in University Chem II CH1120; how can I get into those sections?

From Dr. Paul Charlesworth on November 4, 2004:
"The Chemistry Department Studio Laboratory is an experimental teaching environment that is offered on Tuesday from 2pm to 5pm and again on Thursday from 2pm to 5pm. It is not a 1.5 hour session as the catalog suggests. The Studio Laboratory offers no separate lecture and laboratory; the two are closely integrated into one three-hour class session. The result of this is that a significant emphasis is placed on students being independent learners, and it is not suitable for those who need the security of lectures and assigned homework. Currently, this class is limited to a small number of Chemistry majors while the exact nature of this learning environment is refined."

What are the rules for free electives?

Free electives are any MTU courses (or transfer equivalents) with course numbers of 1000 or higher  EXCLUDING courses that count as cocurricular courses.  Free electives may be taken pass/fail.

How many credits of engineering elective do I need to take?  Technical? Chemical Engineering?

The rules for the technical electives are contained in this handout.

Where can I get help with math?

At the Mathematics Learning Center.  From their web site, which can be accessed from the web site of the Department of Mathematics:

"The Math Learning Center at Michigan Technological University, is located in Fisher 139. We have a staff dedicated at helping students achieve their best and succeed at MTU. There are essentially three aspects to the help we provide: Appointments, Walk-ins and Teams. 

 

       Appointments run through the course of semester and are 1 credit each. The students sign up for a coach and set up a weekly meeting time with them. To sign up for an appointment, please refer to the sign up sheet provided outside the learning center. 

 

      Walk-ins provide students with the opportunity to seek the help of a coach whenever they feel to do so, they do not have to sign up for a schedule. Walk-ins are only conducted during the assigned hours. 

 

      Team learning is the third aspect of coaching at the MLC, and it enables a group of students from a class to study together under a coach. The appointment hours and the email addresses of the coaches are now listed under the Coaches section. 

 

     Our aim is to provide you with the best help that you can get, the air is informal and you have the advantage, so come visit us and enjoy math with us."

What is the deal with the basic skills test in calculus?

"From  "David A. Olson" <daolson@mtu.edu>
Subject  BST policy
Date  Thu, October 2, 2003 1:33 pm
To  advisor-l@mtu.edu
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FYI:

The math department has adjusted the departmental grading policy for the Basic Skills Test.  Here's a comparison of older policy with the new:

OLD --- If a student didn't pass the test (below 80%), their grade was lowered a full step (e.g., C to D).

NEW --- The BST counts for 10% of the grade, with 80% or higher counting as 10/10, below 60% dropped to 0/10 (we recommend  they switch to MA1032 and are twisting their arms), and a "soft cutoff" in between (e.g., 70-79% is 7/10).

The revised policy sounds more positive (we're not "taking something away"), so it should improve classroom attitudes somewhat.

The practical impact of this policy change is minimal.  Very few students miss the 80% cutoff and pass the course with a C or better. But occasionally a student just misses the cutoff, works extremely hard throughout the term, and earns a solid grade.  Because of the
soft cutoff, their BST results will have little impact on their final grade.

Sample copies of the BST are available on electronic reserve.

http://sunshine.lib.mtu.edu/course/madept/bst/bst1f03.pdf

Professor David Olson"

What is the difference between the three courses of Elementary Linear Algebra?

Elementary Linear Algebra MA2321 is required by the CM curriculum.  It is a 2-credit course that is taken along with Elementary Differential Equations MA3521, which is also 2 credits.  These two courses are arranged so that the first course is presented in the first 7.5 weeks of the semester, and the second course is presented in the second 7.5 weeks of the same semester.  These two courses are co-requisites of each other.

There are full length courses that may be substituted for MA2321 and MA3521; these are MA2320 (2 credits) and MA3520 (2 credits).  These courses are spread out over the entire 15 weeks of the semester.  Note, however, that MA2320 is a prerequisite for MA3520.  In the recent past due to some scheduling difficulties the Math Department has agreed to allow these courses to be taken simultaneously, but this will not be allowed in the future except under truly extraordinary circumstances.

The third Elementary Linear Algebra course MA2330 is a 3-credit class that covers more than what is covered in MA2321 or MA2320.  CM majors may take this course.  If you wish to take MA2330 instead of MA2321 you must see me to arrange for a "Petition to Alter Degree Requirements" form.  The extra credit that you earn by taking this course may be used as part of your technical elective requirement or as free elective.

What is the difference between the three courses of Elementary/Introduction to Differential Equations?

Elementary Differential Equations MA3521 is required by the CM curriculum.  It is a 2-credit course that is taken along with Elementary Linear Algebra MA2321, which is also 2 credits.  These two courses are arranged so that the linear algebra course is presented in the first 7.5 weeks of the semester, and the differential equations course is presented in the second 7.5 weeks of the same semester.  These two courses are co-requisites of each other.

There are full length courses that may be substituted for MA2321 and MA3521; these are MA2320 (2 credits) and MA3520 (2 credits).  These courses are spread out over the entire 15 weeks of the semester.  Note, however, that MA2320 is a prerequisite for MA3520.  In the recent past due to some scheduling difficulties the Math Department has agreed to allow these courses to be taken simultaneously, but this will not be allowed in the future except under truly extraordinary circumstances.

The third differential equations course is Introduction to Differential Equations MA3530 is a 3-credit class that covers more than what is covered in MA3521 or MA3520.  CM majors may take this course.  If you wish to take MA3530 instead of MA3521 you must see me to arrange for a "Petition to Alter Degree Requirements" form.  The extra credit that you earn by taking this course may be used as part of your technical elective requirement or as free elective.

What courses do you recommend that I take for my technical electives?

The rules for technical electives are laid out in this handout.

I believe that two subjects that would most help chemical engineers that are not required by the curriculum are statistics and computer programming.

Statistical analysis is used to design experiments and to evaluate experimental data.  Understanding standard deviations and probability is important to your functioning as a chemical engineer. You can obain this understanding by taking MA3710 Engineering Statistics (3 credits, offered Fall, Spring, Summer, prereqs MA2150 or MA2160).  This course counts towards your degree as a technical elective.  I took this subject as an undergrad and have used the knowledge extensively.

Computer programming used to be required in the MTU CM curriculum, but in order to pare down the degree, it was eliminated about 20 years ago (except what you get in ENG1101).  Nevertheless, engineers encounter problems all the time that are most easily solved by programming.  I studied computer programming as an undergraduate, and I used it repeatedly in my undergraduate studies, graduate studies, and most recently a few summers ago when I taught myself Java.  The course I took as a freshman was in SNOBOL (a now-dead language) and FORTRAN, and as a sophomore I took a course in APL, a precursor to Matlab.  Although I no longer program in these languages, the lessons I learned about algorithmic implementation (and patience!) have stood me well.  I recommend that you learn a modern programming language such as Java (CS1121, 3 credits, offered Fall, Spring, Summer, prereqs Calc I), although you can still learn FORTRAN (CS1010, 3 credits, offered Fall, prereqs Calc I or CS1030, 3 credits, offered on demand, prereqs Calc II).  We also have a course in computer methods in chemical engineering that is offered alternate years, CM3450Computer-Aided Problem Solving.  This will run in 2010 and in all even year falls.

What courses do you recommend that I take for my engineering elective?

The rules for technical electives are laid out in this handout.
If you are thinking of graduate school, then my advice is at this link.  

If you are thinking of minoring in something, then it's likely that something in your minor could double count as engineering or technical elective.  Even if you are not thinking of minoring, there are alot of good courses on the list of classes that go with the polymers, bioprocess, and minerals processing minors.

Are there any classes that are NOT allowed for either technical/engineering electives?

Yes.  I have listed them below, and I will continue to update these regularly.

NOT allowed for technical/engineering electives in chemical engineering
Anything not on the allowed list (unless you get my permission, or the permission of the Department Chair; you may use the rest of this list for guidance on what might or might not be approved.)
Anything that counts for General Education credit
Anything below 1000 level
Mathematics below 3000 level
Chemistry below 2000 level
Engineering below 2000 level
ENG 3000 - Engineering Applications in Math and Science (repeats ENG1101/1102)
ENG 3956 - Industrial Health and Safety  (duplicates some material in CM4310)
and more to be added as they come to my attention.
 

What courses do you recommend that I take for my chemical engineering elective?

The rules for technical electives are laid out in this handout.

If you are thinking of graduate school, then my advice is at this link. 

If you are thinking of minoring in something, then it's likely that something in your minor could double count as engineering or technical elective.  Even if you are not thinking of minoring, there are alot of good courses on the list of classes that go with the polymers, bioprocess, and minerals processing minors.

I have General Education transfer credits.  How do I figure out what else I need to take?

If you are not currently at Tech but are considering transfering, click here.

If you are already at Tech then the answer requires a careful look at your transcript.  First, print out your transcript by visiting this web site.  Your transcript will list the courses for which you were credited.  Any credited course that is on the general education lists (see the undergraduate catalog for the lists) counts for that course.  For courses that you took that we do not have an exact match for here at MTU, you have been assigned fictitous course numbers, e.g. HUA9000.  If the course has an "A" after the department name, it is an approved general education distibution course.  If it does not have an "A" it may only be counted as a free elective.

If you transfered in 15 credits of general education courses, you are exempt from the general education distribution list requirements.  If you transfered in 14 or fewer credits, your general education classes must comply with the sublist rules. Please see an advisor for details.

What are the general education distribution rules?

8 September 2008
The MTU General Education Requirements are that each student must take 28 credits of General Education.  The detailed rules and course lists for the General Education Requirements are given in the undergraduate catalog.  Four specific courses are required: 

Perspectives (UN1001),
World Cultures (UN1002),
Revisions (UN2001) and
Institutions (UN2002). 

In addition, 15 credits of distribution courses are required from the Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences or HASS list with up to three credits chosen from the Creative Endeavors list and up to three credits chosen from the Supplemental list.  The lists are accessible on this page.

Chemical engineers are required to take CM3410 Technical Communication for Chemical Engineers, which is on the Supplemental list.  For this reason, chemical engineering majors should not choose any of their remaining general education distribution courses from the Supplemental list.  If you are in the Pavlis Institute, you may take HU3120 Technical Communications with the special section for Pavils students and this substitutes for CM3410.

Students who wish to take two foreign language courses at MTU may substitute those courses plus UN1003 World Cultures Activities (1 credit) for UN1002 World Cultures (4 credits) and one HASS course.  If you wish to pursue this option, you should take a language course fall semester freshman year and the second course and UN1003 in the spring semester freshman year; alternatively you could take a languate course spring semester freshman year along with  UN1003 and then follow that with a second semester of language class in the fall of sophomore year.  Note that the two language classes must be taken consecutively and and one must be taken at the same time as UN1003.  More more on this topic, see also this link.

What are the cocurricular requirements?

These rules are listed on the web at this link.  They are summarized below:

All MTU students must have 3 co-curricular units (6 one-half units) of select courses to graduate.
No co-curricular course may be counted more than once toward the three units required for graduation.
They must be selected from the approved list or from the list of Varsity sports classes.

I would like to take some of my Gen Ed. credits off campus.  How do I get assurance that these can be accepted as part of my General Education Requirements?

Your first step would be to consult with the Transfer Office to see how your proposed course will transfer at MTU.  If the course will transfer in as a course on the General Education distribution lists, then they will be accepted for Gen Ed credits.  If it is not on the list, then a special approval process must be initiated by the Transfer Office.  Note that Persipectives and World Cultures may not be taken off campus.  Helene T. Hiner is the administrative associate in the Vice Provost for Instruction Office (click here for her coordinates) and she is empowered to approve general education courses.

Here is the latest confirmation of these policies:

From Katie Torrie 31 Oct 07:

From:	"Chemical Engineering Advisor" <cmadvise@mtu.edu>
Subject:	Transferring UN and gen ed courses
Date:	Wed, October 31, 2007 2:27 pm
To:	"Faith Morrison" <fmorriso@mtu.edu>
I talked with Nancy in transfer services regarding transferring in the UN and gen ed courses. If a student is a new incoming student, they may transfer in any UN course. The equivalent courses are as follows: UN 1001 - English comp 1 UN 1002 - World history, Cultural Anthropology, Comparative religion, or Western civilization UN 2001 - English comp 2 UN 2002 - Economics, Macroeconomics, Political science, American government, Sociology If a student is current, returning MTU student, they may only transfer in the sophomore UN courses, UN2001 and UN2002. They must take UN1001 and UN1002 at MTU. For this Fall ONLY (Fall 07), an incoming transfer student that has 28 or more general education transfer credits is done with their general education requirements, with the exception of any department specific distribution courses AND freshman UN courses. So in other words, if a student comes in with 28 or more gen ed credit, but doesn't have credit for UN1001 or UN1002, they must still take those UN courses plus CM3410. From this Spring (Spring 2008) and on, an incoming transfer student must follow the same guidelines as everyone else, with regards to UN courses and distribution courses (list, level, etc.). Katie

For a student to be assured of transfer credit as they intend it they must see the Transfer Office staff in Registrars Office, either Nancy Gagnon or Denise Wirtanen.  The student should ask which course(s) come in as the desired course at the school the student wants to attend.   Of course, each school has a unique transfer equivalency.  If Nancy or Denise find a course that currently has not been evaluated they will ask this office for advice.  For Distribution the exact course equivalents are approved by the department teaching the course here.  There are courses taken off-campus with no direct equivalent that do come in as Distribution credit specific to one of the distribution lists."

Because I transfered credits, I have sophomore/junior/senior standing and I am not being permitted to register for UN1001, UN1002, UN2001 or UN2002.  What should I do?

You must go to see Dr. Mary Durfee, Special Assistant to the Provost (click here for her coordinates) and she will  decide whether or not to waive you in to these courses.  You may do this before registration begins if you wish; this will help you to get the sections you want.

Where is Dr. Mary Durfee located?

Dr. Mary Durfee
Special Assistant to the Provost
226 Academic Office Bldg
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI 49931-1295
phone (906-487-2112)
email mhdurfee@mtu.edu

Where is Ms. Helene Hiner located?

Ms. Helene Hiner
Administrative Associate
Vice Provost for Instruction Office
G01 Meese Center
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI 49931-1295
phone (906-487-2537)
email hthiner@mtu.edu

Because I transfered credits, I have junior/senior standing and I am not being permitted to register for UN2001 or UN2002.  What should I do?

You must go to see Dr. Mary Durfee, Special Assistant to the Provost (click here for her coordinates) and she will waive you in to these courses. You may do this before registration begins if you wish; this will help you to get the sections you want.

I have my waiver forms signed; where do I go to be able to register?

You must visit Mrs. Christine Abramson or Mrs. Donna Bingham in the CM main office (203 Chem Sci) and one of them will enter your waiver into the system.  In some cases Mrs. Bingham or Mrs. Abramson is able also to register you for the course at the same time.

Is the catalog always right?  Can I count on the courses that it says will be offered?

No, unfortunately, the catalog is not always right.  Even if the catalog says that a course is offered every spring, for example, it may not be offered the spring you need it because the instructor may be on sabbatical, or perhaps there is a change in the curriculum.  You need to check the updated course listings on the web.

How many credits do I need to be considered a sophomore? junior? senior?

When you have 30 credits you will have sophomore standing; 60 credits is junior standing; 90 credits is senior standing.

How do I drop a course?

If you are a first-year student, you must come to see me and after a short chat we need to fill out an orange form called "1st Year Student Permission to Drop/Add Courses".  The form must also be signed by the course instructor.

From the Student Handbook:

Drop Policy for All Students, Including First-Year Students
Students may drop courses through the end of the third week of a semester without a grade being reported. Courses dropped between the beginning of the fourth week and the end of the eighth week of a semester will be indicated by a grade of W on the transcript.

Late Drop of Courses
After the eighth week of a semester, a student may request a late drop from the Office of Student Affairs, which will consider only those requests that clearly involve extenuating circumstances beyond a student’s control.

Otherwise, you may drop courses by going to the web registration page.  Note that drops to classes between 4th and 8th week may not be done over the web but must be done in person in the registrar's office.

How do I add a course?

You may add courses by going to the web registration page or going directly to the registrar's office.  From the catalog:

"A student may add a course to his or her schedule through the first five instructional days of a semester. . . From the sixth through the tenth days of instruction . . . to add a course, students must obtain the signature of the course instructor and of their academic advisor.  After the tenth day of instruction . . . a course may not be added to the student's schedule unless both of the following conditions are met:  1.  The course is either an individualized instruction course or has unique registration circumstances ad defined by the academic department, or the student is advised by an instructor in a scheduled course to move to a lower/higher level course in the sequence of courses in which the student is enrolled. . . 2)  Permission is obtained by signature of the instructor of the course in which the student wishes to enroll and the student's academic advisor." page 129

Is there a place where I can check how many seats are available in a given course?

Fall 2005

How can I get a printout of my transcript?

You may sign in on this web page to print out your transcript.

Where can I learn more about the Enterprise program?

The Enterprise program is a 20-credit minor or a 12-credit concentration that you may take with your chemical engineering degree.  The 20-credit minor will appear on your diploma and increases the number of credits to graduate from 131 to 134 at a minimum (assuming you choose your general education distribution courses such that they can be double counted); the 12-credit concentration will be noted on your transcripts and may be completed within the 131 credits required for the CM BS degree.

There are currently two enterprises in the CM department, Consumer Products Manufacturing (click here for annual report) advised by Dr. Tony Rogers and Dr. Julia King and Fuel Cells and Alternative Fuels, advised by Dr. Jason Keith.  You are also eligible to participate in any of the other enterprise programs on campus. (CM3974 Fuel Cell Fundamentals runs Fall 07 09 11)

To register for the enterprise minor, you must obtain the approval of the faculty advisor for the enterprise you wish to join and you must also fill out a form with the enterprise coordinator, currently Dr. Sheryl Sorby. Mary Raber is the Industrial Projects Coordinator, and she  runs the day-to-day operations of the Enterprise Program.

If you come to my office (304A Chem Sci) I can give you handouts that explain the requirements of these two programs or you may obtain the same information on the web (click here for the minor and here for the concentration).

What is the four-year course schedule for a CM undergraduate in the enterprise concentration?

The enterprise program went through some changes in 2002 Fall.  The new requirements for CM Enterprise concentration are listed below and a schedule that accomodates these requirements is available here. If you come to my office (304A Chem Sci) I can give you handouts that explain the requirements for the minor or for the concentration, or you may obtain the same information on the web (click here for the minor and here for the concentration).

The requirements for the CM enterprise major are the following:

• All the same CM, Chem, Math, Physics, and Engineering courses as regular CM majors except CM4861 and the chem/eng/technical electives (89 credits total)
• All the same General Education requirements, including CM3410 (28 credits)
• 2 cr of free elective
• Required enterprise courses (6 credits of project work and 6 credits of approved elective modules).  The required courses are:

ENG 3950 - Enterprise Project Work II Interdisciplinary teams work as part of an engineering enterprise to address real-world engineering design projects or problems. Third-year students will practice designing approaches to solve problems and develop procedures to achieve specified project objectives. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-3) Semesters Offered: Fall Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore Senior
ENG 3960 - Enterprise Project Work III Interdisciplinary teams work as part of an engineering enterprise to address real-world engineering design projects or problems. Third-year students practice designing approaches to solve problems and develop procedures to achieve specified project objectives. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-3) Semesters Offered: Fall Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore Senior
ENG 4950 - Enterprise Project Work IVInterdisciplinary teams work as part of an engineering enterprise to address real-world engineering design projects or problems. Fourth- year students gain experience in defining project objectives, planning strategies to achieve these objectives, and leading technical teams to accomplish project goals. Credits: 2.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-6) Semesters Offered: Fall Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Junior Sophomore
ENG 4960 - Enterprise Project Work V Interdisciplinary teams work as part of an engineering enterprise to address real-world engineering design projects or problems. Fourth- year students gain experience defining project objectives, planning strategies to achieve these objectives, and leading technical teams to accomplish project goals. Credits: 2.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-6) Semesters Offered: Fall Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Junior Sophomore

3 credits of approved elective modules from the following list:
ENG 2961 - Teaming in the Enterprise Develops group problem-solving skills. Stresses interpersonal skills and skill assessment, communication, group process and teamwork, and action planning. Uses active, hands-on learning. Credits: 2.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-2) Semesters Offered: Fall Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
ENG 3401/EC 3401 - Economic Decision Analysis I For students who want to take EC3400 in modules. Covers techniques for effective decision making related to the time value of money. Covers interest-rate calculations, loan repayments, and basic decision tools for comparing alternatives (present and annual worth, rate-of-return, etc.). Taught in the first five weeks of EC3400. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0) Semesters Offered: Fall Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore Prerequisites: UN 2002
ENG 3402/EC 3402 - Economic Decision Analysis II For students who want to take EC3400 in modules. Deepens coverage of principles and techniques for making effective decisions by introducing benefit and cost estimation, depreciation and taxation, and project evaluation. Taught during the second five weeks of EC3400. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0) Semesters Offered: Fall Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore Prerequisites: (EC 3401(C) or ENG 3401(C)) and UN 2002
ENG 3954 - Enterprise Market Principles Fundamental principles of marketing in a lecture format augmented by a simulation played in small groups. The course is completed in two day-long Saturday sessions separated by one week. Examines marketing in the six stages of product life cycle (opportunity identification, product development, introduction, growth, maturity, and decline). Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Fall Restrictions: Permission of instructor required; May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore
ENG 3961 - Enterprise Strategic Leadership This 1-credit module focuses on exploring research findings about leadership, the practice of leadership, and providing skill assessment and development opportunities. Topics include leadership traits, behaviors, theories, and leadership of change. Combines a variety of teaching methods, including self-assessment, cases, discussion, experiential exercises, role-playing, videotaping. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Spring Prerequisites: ENG 2961 and UN 2002
ENG 3963 - Enterprise Entrepreneurship This course emphasizes the financial, marketing, and technological challenges faced by entrepreneurs. The course will help the student learn how to establish a business plan and assess opportunistic risk for new business ventures. Alternative product and/or process innovations can be evaluated and implemented. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore Prerequisites: (ENG 2961 or BA 2700) and UN 2002 and ENG 3954
ENG 3964 - Project Management Project definition, developing a work breakdown structure, responsibility assignment and milestone development. Covers techniques for project scheduling and practical application of Gannt and PERT/CPM charts; resource management and application of critical chain method; project budgeting and cost estimation; project monitoring, control, evaluation, and termination; and project teams, their structure, and interactions. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore
ENG 3971 - Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Focuses on personal and professional effectiveness through greater productivity, increased influence in key relationships, stronger team unity and complete life balance. This course will explore these areas through interactive exercises, case studies, videos, and sharing of experiences. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore
ENG 4951 - Budgeting-Intrapreneurial Engineering Introduction to the mechanics and dynamics of the financial budgeting process. Emphasizes their use in planning and evaluating engineering projects and enterprises. Topics and activities include budget preparation, performance assessment, and emerging issues analysis. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Fall Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore
ENG 4952 - Complex Communication Practices Students apply strategies and knowledge learned in ENG2962 and ENG3962 to the achievement of more complex communication practices demanded in technical and
 settings. Emphasizes creating professional identities, management communication skills, and responsible messages within teams and organizations and for a variety of technical and nontechnical audiences. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Fall Prerequisites: ENG 3962 and (UN 1002 or UN 1003)
ENG 4953 - Writing About Engineering in a Societal Context Engineering projects take place within overlapping political, social, economic, and cultural contexts, and these contexts affect and are affected by engineering work. Students reflect upon the variety of cultural perspectives that could be brought to bear on present and future projects as professionals. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Fall Prerequisites: ENG 3962 and (UN 1002 or UN 1003)
ENG 4954 - Global Competition Emphasizes unique economic, market, and political risks faced by organizations as operations expand beyond domestic borders. Discusses establishing risk profiles to analyze new labor, product, capital markets on a global scale and appropriate market entry strategies. Small teams will do a risk profile and recommend market entry strategies for selected countries. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Fall Prerequisites: ENG 2961 and UN 2002

3 credits from the list above or below:
ENG 2963 - Practical Electronic Circuit Design and Fabrication This is a hands-on laboratory course that focuses on practical implementation of electronic circuits, especially for students enrolled in the Enterprise Program. Topics include grounding, wiring, analog/digital circuits, power supplies, EMC, board layout/fab/test, soldering, safety and instrumentation. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-0-2) Semesters Offered: Fall Spring Restrictions: Permission of instructor required
ENG 3955 - Conceptual Design and Creative Problem Solving Students gain an understanding of the creative problem-solving process through application to a team design project. This module should be taken prior to students undertaking a major team project in their engineering enterprise or as E-teams (NCIIA). Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Fall Prerequisites: ENG 2961
ENG 3957 - Product/Process Development I Course provides an overview of the major activities involved in developing a product or service which will satisfy the customer. Introduces major engineering tools used for team-based integrated product/process development (IPPD) such as project management, benchmarking, quality function deployment, process flow charting, cost analysis, and failure modes and effects analysis. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Fall Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
ENG 3958 - Ethics in Engineering Design and Implementation The focus of this course is on ethical considerations in the engineering design and implementation process. Basic ethical analysis tools will be explored through various exercises. Students will analyze and present life engineering ethics case studies. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Fall Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore Prerequisites: ENG 1101
ENG 3966 - Design for Manufacturing This course supplements courses that address "design for function." Products "designed for manufacturing" are lower cost, higher quality, and have a shorter time to market. The course describes how the capabilities and limitations of common manufacturing processes translate into qualitative design guidelines. Topics include design for casting, forging, sheet metal forming, machining, plastics and assembly. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore Prerequisites: ENG 1102
 ENG 3967 - Product/Process Development II This course provides an overview of the major activities involved in developing a product or service which will satisfy the customer. The course introduces major engineering tools used for team-based integrated product/process development (IPPD) such as cost-effective development of manufacturing processes including lean manufacturing, statistical process control, design of experiments, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing and poka-yoke (mistake proofing). Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman
ENG 3969 - Project Phases of Design and Implementation The focus of this course is on the various project phases associated with the manufacture or construction of engineering design solutions. Roles, relationships and duties of various parties and their changing activities will be explored from an overall perspective of the management of the project. Credits: 1.0 Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-1-0) Semesters Offered: Spring Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman Sophomore Prerequisites: ENG 1102
 

How much of my enterprise minor will double-count for my CM major?

For any minor you must not count 6 of the minor's credits towards the major.  Thus, if you are taking the 20 credit enterprise minor, you may count 14 of those credits also towards your CM degree.  Note that 3 of the 6 "uncounted" credits may serve as free electives.

For enterprise, there are many opportunities for double counting.  On the enterprise minor form, the courses are listed in five sections.  You may double-count the courses as follows:

I. Teaming -                   If you take Teaming in the Enterprise, 2 credits could count as Gen Ed under the EPS sublist
II.  Project work -         all 6 or 7 credits may count as engineering or as technical electives
III. Communications -   CM3410counts towards your CM degree (3 credits)
IV.  Modules -             all modules with a star (*) may count in Gen Ed under the EPS sublist (up to 5 credits needed)
V.  Misc -                    CM4310 counts towards your CM degree (3) credits

Note that if you took advantage of all the overlaps, you would be counting all 20 credits both for the major and for the minor.  This is not permitted.  You must decide which 6 credits will not count towards your major.  If you plan to use all 20 credits in both places, the University will not award you your minor.

Can I get out of plant design if I'm in the enterprise concentration or doing the enterprise minor?

If you are doing the enterprise concentration and are doing senior project work, yes, you may opt out of the 1 credit design lab in spring semester of senior year, CM4861.  You must still take the main design lecture course, CM4860.  There is no way to opt out of the main design lecture course CM4860 in spring of senior year for chemical engineers.   The details of the enterprise concentration requirements are on the degree audit form for CM-enterprise, which was updated in Fall 2002.  You may obtain a copy from me.

If you are doing the enterprise minor, you may also opt out of the 1 credit design lab in spring semester of senior year, CM4861.  There is no way to opt out of the main design lecture course CM4860 in spring of senior year for chemical engineers.  One credit of your enterprise project work substitutes for CM4861.  Be aware that to earn the minor (any minor) you must not double count (i.e. count towards your major degree) 6 credits of the minor's requirements (except as free elective).  With the enterprise minor it is easy to double count courses as technical and engineering elective and as general education and also to substitute for CM4861, so you need to carefully think out which 6 credits will not be double counted with your CM and general education credits.

Note that in the past, CM4310 Chemical Process Safety/Environment was listed as not required for CM-enterprise students.  This is no longer the case. CM-enterprise concentrators and those pursuing the minor must take CM4310, Chemical Process Safety/Environment.  The only difference between a CM-enterprise and a CM-regular degree is substituting enterprise for the 10 credits of category electives (chem/eng/technical) and enterprise design for CM4861 and the fact that enterprise concentrators take only 2 credits of free elective.

Can I get out of plant design if I'm NOT in the enterprise concentration or doing the enterprise minor but I am doing enterprise project work?

If you are not doing the concentration or the minor, there are stringent requirements for opting out of CM4861.  You will be permitted to substitute 1 credit of ENG4960 for CM4861 under the following conditions (per Dr. Mullins 4/15/03):

1. You have participated in three semesters of enterprise project work, i.e. you have taken three of the following courses:  ENG2950, ENG2960, ENG3950, ENG3960, ENG4950.
2.  You are enrolling in ENG4960 as a substitute for CM4861.
3.  You obtain the explicit, written permission of Dr. Tony Rogers, the instructor for CM4861.  Dr. Rogers will only approve the substitution if you are able to demonstrate that your enterprise participation has been and will be significant.

Can enterprise be taken in the summer?

No.  Enterprise work is fundamentally work on interdisciplinary teams, and since few students are here in the summer, it is not possible to do enterprise project work in the summer.

You need to see the advisor.  If I and the enerprise leadership believe that it is appropriate for you to continue to participate in the project, we will have you sign up for CM4990 under your supervisors' direction.

There is also something run through the Enterprise Program called the "Super Senior" option.  This is new, so it would be best to see the web and contact Mary Raber.

What are the rules for minors at MTU?

The rules for minors may be found in the undergraduate catalog.  To obtain any offered minor you must earn at least 134 credits, 3 credits more than the 131 required for the CM degree.  How many credits over 131 you need depends on the minor and on how many of your choices can "double count", i.e. count both for the minor and for your major.  Note that 6 credits of 3000- or 4000-level courses must not be counted towards your major (double counted) except as free elective.

Also, a maximum of 6 credits of 2000-level courses may count towards your minor (unless the minor has more than 16 credits required; see the catalog for details).

To sign up for a minor, you must visit the advisor in the department that offers the minor and fill out a form to add the minor.  The declaration of minor form must be submitted two semesters before graduation (see instructions on the bottom of the form).  The names of the advisors are posted on the web.  Note:  you must fulfill the requirements for your minor BEFORE you finish the requirements for your major; you may finish them both the same semester, however.  If you wish to stay an extra semester to finish a minor, you should leave something "undone" (like PE) so that you are not officially done until the semester you finish your minor.

Where can I see the degree audits for minors?

You can see a PDF of the degree audits for minors at this link.

What minors are easy for chemical engineering majors to obtain?

A mathematics minor requires only two extra classes above what we already take in chemical engineering.

The minor in minerals processing (CM) is also easy to get; it is offered by the Department of Chemical Engineering.  Many of the classes are offered in alternate years, so you will have to plan carefully.

The polymer science and engineering minor (CM) is also pretty easy to get, and is also offered by the Department of Chemical Engineering.  Some of the classes are under review and may change, so again, you will need to plan carefully.

The third minor offered by Chemical Engineering is the bioprocess engineering minor, which is also not too hard to schedule, although you should make room in your program for a full year of organic chemistry.  It is easier to schedule the bioprocess engineering minor if you take organic early in your program, even freshman year, if possible (because of AP credits).  Some of the classes are on an alternate year schedule, and thus require special planning.

The chemistry minor is also not too difficult to obtain, but you will have to find time to take CH2212, Quantitative Analysis, which is required for the minor.  This class is MWF 9-12 in the spring, so you need to take it early - either freshman or sophomore year or during an extra year.  I'm working with the Chemistry faculty to see if they can offer a substitute class for this one.  You might also consider a double major in chemistry or getting a dual degree in chemistry.

The enterprise minor is also a popular minor for chemical engineers.  This minor allows you to work on a large interdisciplinary team on a "real world" engineering problem.

The minor in biological sciences would be an excellent credential for folks interested in working in the agriculture or pharmaceuticals business.  There are some scheduling difficulties with this minor that are outlined on my bio minor page.

There is no minor in business administration, but you can get a master of business administration (MBA) .

The Department of Chemistry has a new minor in pharmaceutical chemistry; you could also double major in pharmaceutical chemistry.

In all cases, classes you take for your minor can probably be double counted towards your major, but you must NOT double count at least 6 credits of upper-division classes (3000+) except as free elective.  Also, a maximum of 6 credits of 2000 level classes may count towards the first 16 credits of any minor.  More information about the requiremens for obtaining a minor in a particular program may be found in the undergraduate catalog.

Double Major/Dual Degree in Chemistry

To get a double major you must fulfill all the requirements for the second major.  To enroll for a double major, you need to visit the advisor of the second department and fill out a "Change/Addition of Majoror Minor" form declaring the second major.  If the number of credits needed to fullfill the second major is greater than 32 credits, MTU recommends that you take the dual degree instead.  The rules for double major are that you must again fulfill all the requirements for the second degree, plus the number of extra credits required must exceed 25% of the total number of credits needed for that degree.  The rules for double major and dual degree are in the undergraduate catalog.

To get the chemistry dual major starting with a chemical engineering primary major, you will need to take the following classes (ACS Certified Chemistry Degree):

CH2212 Quantitative Analysis (5) Spring  (NOTE:  this class is hard to schedule; it is in the Spring, MWF 9-noon, and it often fills) - Prerequisite: CH1120 MWF 0905-1155  DJC
CH2420 Organic Chemistry II (3) - Prerequisite: CH2410 or CH2400 MWF    1405-1455 1  MWL
CH2421 Organic Chemistry Lab II (2)  - Prerequisite: CH2411 and CH2420 C  T afternoon or R morning or R afternoon MWL
CH3520 Physical Chemistry II (3)  - Prerequisite: CH1120 and (MA3150 or MA3160) and PH2200 C  MWF    1205-1255 1  BCC 
CH3521 Physical Chemistry Lab II (2)  - Prerequisite: CH3520 C T or R 0805-1155 1  BCC 
CH4212 Instrumental Analysis (5)  Fall - Prerequisite: CH2212 and CH3510 C and CH3511 C MWF 1205-1255  HL  
CH4310 Inorganic Chemistry I (3) Fall -Prerequisite: CH3520 MWF 1005-1055 1  EU 
CH4311 Inorganic Chemistry Lab (2) Fall - Prerequisite: CH4310 C W 1405-1755 1  EU  
CH4710 Chemical Principles of Biology (3)  Fall CH4710 - Prerequisite: CH2420 MWF 0905-0955 1  MJT
CH4900 Senior Seminar in Chemistry I (1) Fall R 2005-2055 MWL 
CH4910 Senior Seminar in Chemistry II (1) M 1505-1555
CH elective (3)  (CH will likely accept CM4650 and CM4710 for this elective, which could double count as engineering elective; CM/CH4610 and CM/CH4631 would definately double count as engineering elective)
Total: 33 credits (maximum; no double counting)

With double counting 7 credits of the above as technical/chem elective in the CM curriculum and 3 credits as free elective, the number of extra credits is 23 credits.  In addition, if an appropriate 3-credit engineering course is taken for the CH elective, this lowers the number of extra credits to get the double CH major to 20 credits. 

Students interested in chemical manufacturing, research, or pharmaceutical engineering are encouraged to take the CH double major.  The extra chemistry background will enable you to work more closely with the chemical synthesis or chemical analysis side of any engineering job you hold.  If you are interested in the CH double major, please see Dr. Marshall Logue in the Chemistry Department.

Pharmaceutical Chemistry

The Department of Chemistry developed a new major in Pharmaceutical Chemistry that was approved in Spring 2005l.  For more information see the description here, the degree requirements, and a typical 4-year plan.  You may also receive more information by  emailing Dr. Pushpa Murthy.  This would make an interesting double major with chemical engineering.

Please see Professor Marshall Logue if you are interested in the Pharmaceutical Chemistry minor, which is now being proposed.  The tentative list of required classes is given below (per Prof. Logue Fall 2006).

Proposed Pharmaceutical Chemistry Minor (22-28 credits)

Required Courses (19-24 credits)
CH4222 Intro Quant and Instrumental Anal OR              
(CH2212 Quant Anal and CH4212 Instrumental Anal)                      5/10 credits
CH3510 Physical Chemistry I                                                                3 credits
CH3511 Physical Chemistry Lab I                                                         2 credits
CH4710 Biomolecular Chemistry I (Pre CH2420)                                  3 credits
CH4110 Pharmaceutical Chemistry I (Pre CH4710 or BL4010)             3 credits
CH4120 Pharmaceutical Chemistry II (Pre CH4110)                              3 credits

Elective Course Choose 1 of the following (3-4 credits)
CH4720 Biomolecular Chemistry II (Pre CH4710 or BL4010)                3 credits
FW4089 Bioinformatics                                                                           3 credits
MA2710 Intro Statistical Analysis OR
MA3710 Eng Statistics                                                                          4/3 credits

Double Major/Dual Degree in Mathematical Sciences

To get a double major you must fulfill all the requirements for the second major.  To enroll for a double major, you need to visit the advisor of the second department and fill out a "Change/Addition of Majoror Minor" form declaring the second major.  If the number of credits needed to fullfill the second major (above the credits for the CM degree) is greater than 32 credits, MTU recommends that you take the dual degree instead.  The rules for double major are that you must again fulfill all the requirements for the second degree, plus the number of extra credits required must exceed 25% of the total number of credits needed for that degree.  The rules for double major and dual degree are in the undergraduate catalog.

To get the mathematical sciences dual major starting with a chemical engineering primary major, you will need to take the following classes (General Mathematics Concentration; you might also be interested in the Applied/Computational option - see the catalog):

MA2330 Honors Elementary Linear Algebra (instead of MA2320/1) (3, only 1 is extra) (talk to MA advisor if you have already taken MA2320 or MA2321)
MA2710 Introduction to Statistical Analysis (3)
MA3210 Introduction to Combinatorics (3)
MA3310 Introduction to Abstract Algebra (3)
MA3450 Introduction to Real Analysis (3)
MA3530 Introduction to Differential Equations OR MA3560 Mathematical Modelling (3) (instead of MA3520/1) (3, only 1 is extra) (talk to MA advisor if you have already taken MA3520 or MA3521)
CS Programming course (3)
MA4410 Complex Variables (3)
MA4900 Mathematical Sciences Project (2)
Three of the following (9):

MA4209 Combinatorics and Graph Theory
MA4308 Theory of Numbers OR MA4908 Theory of Numbers with Tech
MA4310 Abstract Algebra
MA4330 Linear Algebra
MA4450 Real Analysis

Two of the following (6):

MA3202 Introduction to Coding Theory
MA3203 Introduction to Cryptography
MA3924 College Geometry with Tech
MA4426 Differential Geometry
MA4515 Intro Partial Differential Equations
MA4525 Applied Vector & Tensor Math
senior-level numerical analysis
senior-level statistics

total: 37 credits

I particularly recommend the ones in red for chemical engineers.  Chemical engineers can double count 4 credits of the above as technical elective and 3 credits as free elective, reducing the total extra credits needed to 30 credits.  In addition, if a senior-level engineering course in numerical analysis or statistics is taken, this can count as an engineering elective in the CM curriculum, and three more credits may double count reducing the extra credits required to 27.  Please see the advisor for MA (David Olson) to discuss your particular situation or to discuss the applied/computational concentration.

Minor in Minerals Processing (MP) (Chemical Engineering) 
 

The Chemical Engineering Department administers a minor in Minerals Processing.  The requirements are listed at this link.

When planning on the minerals processing minor, it is important to consider that some of the classes are offered alternate years only.  In addition, there are some time-of-day conflicts that arise.  It is therefore important to plan ahead and meet with your advisor to get the most up-to-date advice.

The most up-to-date information is on this pdf file.

Minor in Business Administration

>Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 16:40:11 -0400
>From: John Jaszczak <jaszczak@mtu.edu>
>To: advisor-l@mtu.edu
>Subject: Nanotechnology Minor
>
>I'd like to let advisors know that a new interdisciplinary minor in
>Nanoscale Science and Engineering (Nanotechnology) is now being offered.
>Detailed information about the minor can be found at
>http://nano.mtu.edu/nanominor.htm
>Interested students who have questions are encouraged to contact me
>at jaszczak@mtu.edu

What opportunities are there to do undergraduate research in chemical engineering at Michigan Tech?

Undergraduate research is an excellent idea for all students, but it is an especially good idea for those who are interested in attending engineering graduate school after completing their B.S. degree in chemical engineering.

There are three paths to undergraduate research experience at MTU (for info on off-campus possibilties, click here), and all three of them begin with speaking with a professor.  You must go to individual professors, presumably those who do research in areas that you find interesting, and discuss with them what types of opportunities there are to do research in their laboratories.

There are three types of research arrangements possible:

• research for credit;
• research as a part-time job;
•  research as an unpaid intern.

If you would like to do research for credit towards your undergraduate degree, you may sign up for CM4000 Chemical Engineering Research.  You may obtain a form for signing up for this course from the CM main office, and you must have a chemical-engineering faculty sponsor to take this course.  You may also do research with a professor in a department other than chemical engineering, in which case there will be an analogous XX4000 course in that department that you may sign up for.  CM4000 may count as technical or as engineering elective.  XX4000 courses may also count as technical or engineering electives, depending on the department chosen; the CM advisor or department chair must approve XX4000 courses as technical or engineering electives.  Research for credit requires that a final research report be written.

If you would like to do research as a part-time job, you must find a faculty member who has funding for such a position and make the arrangements with the faculty member.  No final report is required.

If you would like to do research as an unpaid intern, you must find a faculty member who is interested in supervising you and make the arrangements with the faculty member.  No reports are required.

There is a scholarship in the CM department to support a student doing undergraduate or graduate research.  For more information on the Gary E. and Judy L. Anderson Research Scholarship, click here.

What classes do you teach?

I teach Transport Processes I CM3110 and I co-teach Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering Laboratory CM3215 in the fall semester.  I also teach  Polymer Rheology Laboratory CM4655.  In the spring sometimes I teach CM3110 again and sometimes I teach Polymer Rheology CM4650.  I have also taught Technical Communications for Chemical Engineers CM3410, Theory and Methods of Research CM5500 (graduate course), Chemical Engineering Fundamentals CM2110, CM4110 Unit Operations Lab (cotaught), CM4120 Chemical Plant Operations Lab (cotaught), Advanced Polymer Rheology CM5700, and Advanced Transport Phenomena CM5300.

Who are all the chemical engineering faculty?

A listing of CM faculty with their pictures is available on the CM homepage; also here is a one-page summary.

What credits do I get if I take the advanced placement exam?

That information may be found on MTU's web site at this link.

I'm engineering undeclared and I'd like to be Chemical Engineering.  How do I do that?

If you have a GPA of at least 3.0, you just need to come see me and fill out a change-of-major form.  If you have less than a 3.0 GPA, come see me and we can discuss your case.  This policy is under review as of 1/28/04 and there may be an update soon.

I'm thinking of transfering/transfering credits to Michigan Tech.  How do I proceed?

You should contact the MTU Transfer Services Office (TSO) by telephone at (906) 487-3323 or by email at stuosrr@mtu.edu.  MTU maintains a full-time Transfer Services Office for new, current and former students intending to transfer courses to MTU. Their office is located in the Administration/Student Services Building, Room 110.  More information about the process may be found on the MTU Transfer Services web site.

The Transfer Services Office has posted guidelines on the web for how to plan general education courses taken off-campus in order to have them transfer correctly to the MTU degree.  You will need to take 28 semester credits of general education to completely fulfill the MTU gen ed requirements.  There are rules for how to distribute these credits, and these rules may be found on the web.  The Transfer Services homepage contains links to other information about financial aid, admissions, and other topics.

If you are planning to spend 3 years at MTU (6 semesters), you should have no trouble transfering up the required first-year courses in the CM curriculum.  If you would like to spend only 2 years at MTU, it will be much more difficult to fulfill the requirements for the CM degree because there are two sophomore courses that are required, CM2110 Fundamentals of ChE 1 and CM2120 Fundamentals of ChE 2.  One schedule that works well is to come to Tech in the summer as your first semester of study in Houghton.  That first summer I recommend that you take CM2110, CM2120 (they are offered sequentially) and any other courses from the first two years that you lack (e.g. organic chemistry, physical chemistry, physics 2, differential equations, etc.)  The required CM fall junior courses (CM3110, CM3220, CM3215, CM3410) have CM2110/CM2120 as prerequisites.   If you take these courses over the summer, you will be able to start at Tech in the fall as a junior, and you will be able to graduate in four additional semesters (two years).  NOTE:  not every course is offered ever semester, so students wishing to transfer and graduate in less than 6 semesters need to consult the CM advisor (Dr. Morrison) and plan carefully.
 

I am a transfer student.  How can I figure out what to take?

This is a complicated exercise, but you can get started with a few simple steps.  First you will need a copy of the CM curriculum which you can get by clicking here.  Secondly, it is helpful to have a copy of the Degree Audit Form for chemical engineering, which is on the web or you can get from me in 304A Chem Sci or from the CM main office 203 Chem Sci.

You need to determine the courses for which you have transfer credit.  The MTU Transfer Services Office will prepare a "Transfer Equivalency Worksheet" for you that indicates how your courses have transfered to MTU.  On that form are listed MTU courses for which you have received transfer credit (TR).  Also listed are courses for which you have received "transfer waived" designation (TW).  You have not received MTU credit for TW courses, but you have received a waiver from having to take that course at MTU.

You may begin your planning by crossing off all of the courses for which you have credit from the first page of the CM curriculum.  You may also check off these same courses from the degree audit form by writing "M" for "Met" in the column to the right of the course name.

If a course is not on the lists by name, it may still be possible to use it for your MTU CM degree in one of three categories:  category electives, general education distribution courses, or free electives.

You need to take 12 credits of category electives:  chemical engineering elective, chemistry elective, engineering elective, and technical elective.  You must take a minimum of 3 credits of chemical engineering elective, 2 credits of chemistry elective, 3 credits of engineering elective, and 0 credits of  technical elective.  The rules for courses that satisfy the chemE/chem/eng'g/tech elective requirements are on the web at the links given.

You need to take 15 credits of general education distribution requirements.  The rules for the gen ed distribution requirements are in the MTU catalog and I have also explained them on this FAQ page.

Finally, you need to take 3 credits of free elective.  The rules for free electives are also on this page.

Any courses that cannot fall into categories described above may not count towards your MTU degree.  If you find courses you think fall into the categories, cross off those courses on your curriculum page and enter the course on the degree audit form along with an "M" indicating that the course requirement has been met.

At this stage, every course that has not been crossed off or designed "M" must be taken.

You will probably want to visit me to confirm your designations, and there is a time set aside during Orientation Week for transfer students to meet with their academic advisor.  Your meeting with me will go very smoothly if you have worked on your schedule ahead of time as outlined above.

I'm transfering into the College of Engineering.  Do I have to take the freshmen ENG1101/ENG1102 classes?

If you transfer to MTU with 60 credits (junior standing) and you have completed up through the third semester of calculus, we can substitute some other courses for ENG1101 and ENG1102.  Possible substitutes for ENG1101 include CS 1121 - Introduction to Computer Science I; for ENG1102 we can substitute ENG 2120 - Statics-Strength of Materials, MEEM 2110 - Statics, MEEM 2700 - Dynamics, or EE3010 Circuits and Instrumentation.  Other courses are also possible on a case-by-case basis.  If you transfer in with fewer than 60 credits, we ask you to take ENG1101 and ENG1102.

Where can I find out what classes are offered this semester?

The courses offered at MTU are listed on the web, and you can connect to the correct page from the Office of Student Records Planning a Schedule page.

Where can I access the MTU course catalog on the web?

The catalog is located at this link, and this is the identical content to the printed version.  There have been some changes in courses, including changes in descriptions, semesters offered, and prerequisites.  The changes in courses are reflected on the web.

Where can I find the MTU academic calendar?

This page gives the MTU academic calendar for the current year and for several years into the future.

I'm having trouble adjusting to MTU.  What can I do?

It is not unusual to have trouble adjusting to college.  You can visit the Making our Mark@MTU site to hear stories from others who at first had trouble adjusting, but who are now happy MTU students or alumni.

Studies show that students who get involved in things that interest them adjust the best to college.  Joining a club or participating in some campus activity can help you to meet people with whom you share common interests.  They can then help to answer your questions and concerns and generally make your life better.

Your advisor can also help.  Come and see me, Dr. Morrison (304A Chem Sci during office hours or email for an appointment), if you are having trouble adjusting, and we can talk and see if there is a good path forward to a better experience.

There are also books where you can read about college and how it works and how to get the most out of it.  I have read "Making the Most of College: Students Speak their Minds," by Richard J. Light (Harvard University Press 2001), and I found that it had a good amount of information about what makes for a successful college experience.

If your troubles are more serious than this, MTU also has counseling services available. 

Where can I find out about co-ops?

The place to start is the Career Center's page on co-ops. To participate in the program, you are expected to maintain a grade point average of 2.20 or better and be in good academic standing. You may obtain more information about the MTU co-op program by downloading the Coop Handbook from the Career Center's download page.

Advice from Gail Beausoleil, Associate Director, Career Services (21 Feb 2003):  "[There is] a great web site called Tech-Interns.com.  It has co-op and internship opportunities in a wide variety of majors...  It's also a very good "back door" route for those students who are seeking full time employment (or for those majors not necessary listed initially), as Tech-Interns links you directly to the corporate sites."

How many credits do I get for co-op?  What do I have to do to earn those credits?

One semester of co-op earns you two credits of UN3003; while on co-op you will be considered a full-time student.  To complete your co-op you must write a final report, which is due the end of 4th week of the semester you return to campus.  Turn in your report to the Co-op Office.  Your employer will do a midterm and final evaluation on your work, and this evaluation will be submitted to MTU.  You will be asked to do a midterm and a final evaluation of your employer as well.

How many credits of co-op may I use as engineering/technical elective?

You may use at most 4 credits of co-op UN3003 as engineering or technical elective (per email from MEM 23 Jan 2003).

Do I have to register for UN3002/3 to do a co-op or can I just skip it?

There are some consequences if you do not register for UN3002/3.  If you are not registered for co-op credits you will no longer be a full-time student, and your financial aid or visa status or qualification for health insurance may be compromised.  You may also have to reapply to return to MTU.  Note, however, that during the summer, the financial aid and health insurance aspects are not
an issue.

For those students here on an F-1 visa, the Career Center recommends that they register for co-op credits during the summer as well (instead of working as an intern).  By registering as a co-op student, you are considered a full time student, and you will not be utilizing your practical training time.
 

What tuition and fees do I have to pay when I'm on co-op?

From the Career Center web page I obtained this information:

"Each co-op experience is worth 2 academic credits. Your tuition bill for each semester or summer you co-op will be:

Lower Division (Freshman/Sophomore): $482 (total for 2 credits)
Upper Division (Junior/Senior): $506 (total for 2 credits)

There are no additional fees (such as MUB or computing fees). ALL co-op students pay Michigan (in-state) tuition, regardless of visa or out-of-state status."

Are there any special guidelines for the co-op report?

Yes, they can be found on the Career Center web page devoted to this subject.  The final report is due the end of 4th week the semester you return to campus.

Who grades the co-op reports in chemical engineering?

The Department Chair of Chemical Engineering currently grades all the CM co-op reports.

What happens to my computer accounts while I'm on co-op?

From:	"Robert Greenhoe" <rob@mtu.edu>
Subject:	[cmunder-l] New off campus access program
Date:	Thu, December 13, 2007 9:58 am
To:	meunder-l@mtu.edu,cmunder-l@mtu.edu,megrad-l@mtu.edu,cmgrad-l@mtu.edu,wecn-l@mtu.edu
WECN is pleased to announce that we can now offer off campus access to people that are doing Internships, Co-ops, or taking a semester off. This new service will allow people to have access to their H drive and keep any personal web pages up while they are off campus. To sign up for this this service, please access the following form and follow the instructions. http://www.we.mtu.edu/users/forms/OffCampusAccess.pdf If you have any questions, please email wesupport@mtu.edu and we would be happy to assist you. WECN would also like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season, Rob -- Robert S. Greenhoe User Support Manager West Engineering Computing Network

I'm thinking of going to graduate school in chemical engineering.  Where can I find out more about it?

The best place to start is to talk to a faculty member about it.  You can talk to me or you may talk to any of your professors.  Your professors have been to graduate school (they all have Ph.D.s), and they are now in the process of advising graduate students here at MTU.  Ask them about their experiences and what made them go to graduate school. There is also a web page that discusses graduate school in chemical engineering.  There you can hear what some other off-campus people think about the subject.

What does graduate school cost?

Graduate school in chemical engineering is usually paid for by research funds obtained by your grad-school faculty advisor, and thus it will not cost you anything if you are able to obtain such support.  In addition to receiving a tuition award, you will typically recieve an offer of financial support that ranges from $12,000-$21,500/year for your living expenses. When you apply to graduate school, you will automatically be considered for support, either in the form of a research assistantship, a teaching assistantship, or a fellowship.  These assistantships will usually include full tuition and fees.  It's a great deal for which good students will often qualify, and it is not usually based on need, rather on merit.  There are also very prestigious graduate research fellowships offered by the National Science Foundation for the best students in the country (currently $27,500 + $10,500 for tuition and fees).  If you are able to obtain an NSF graduate research fellowship, you will be highly courted by all the top graduate schools.  You must apply directly to NSF for these fellowships.

What courses should I take as an undergraduate that would be beneficial for my graduate studies?

The first year of graduate school in chemical engineering typically involves taking advanced courses in transport, thermo, kinetics, and math.  It may also involve specialty courses specific to your area of chosen specialization. Anything that makes those required courses easier is a good idea.  I feel that at MTU we do not go far enough in transport, so I recommend that you take the graduate transport class (CM5300 Advanced Transport Phenomena I, 3 credits, Spring, prereq=CM5100) or Polymer Rhelogy (CM4650, 3 credits, Spring 04, 05, 07), either of which will introduce you to the use of tensors in mathematical analysis.  After that I recommend taking our graduate math class (CM5100 Applied Mathematics for Chemical Engineers I, 3 credits, Fall) or any advanced mathematics course that interests you (some examples might be MA 4515 - Introduction to Partial Differential Equations FaSpSu or MA 4525 - Applied Vector and Tensor Mathematics Introduction FaSu).  You will also benefit from taking the other MTU graduate classes, CM5200 Advanced Thermodynamics (3 credits, Fall) or CM5400 Advanced Chemical Engineering Kinetics I (3 credits, Spring).

Another possible class to take would be CM 5500 Theory and Methods of Research (3cr, Fall).  This course is required of CM graduate students and teaches advanced technical communications as well as covering the ins and outs of graduate research and graduate school.  Typically two major presentations are required in which you research and explain an advanced experimental technique used in chemical engineering research.

Summary of highly recommended courses for those interested in graduate school:
CM4650 - Polymer Rheology (Semesters Offered: Spring 04, 05, 07)
MA 4515 - Introduction to Partial Differential Equations
MA 4525 - Applied Vector and Tensor Mathematics Introduction
CM5100 - Applied Mathematics for Chemical Engineers I
CM5200 - Advanced Thermodynamics
CM5300 - Advanced Transport Phenomena I
CM5400 - Advanced Chemical Engineering Kinetics I
CM 5500 - Theory and Methods of Research

Here are some other courses that might be of interest depending on what field of chemical engineering you plan to pursue.  Some of these courses have prerequisites that you will have to take as well; in some cases the prerequisites may be waived because of your CM background.  You could also take any of the courses that have been recommended as CM technical electives.

BL 1040 - Principles of Biology Basic principles through which biological systems operate. Topics include cell biology, structure, and function, energy production, genetics, physiology, diversity, evolution, and ecology.
BL 2100 - Principles of Biochemistry Introductory overview to biochemistry. Topics include the biochemistry of amino acids, proteins, coenzymes, carbohydrates, nucleotides, nucleic acids, lipids, and water, as well as bioenergetics and photosynthesis.
BL 4010 - Biochemistry I Structure, biochemical properties, and function of important biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids.
BL 4020 - Biochemistry II Dynamic aspects of living systems. Broad exposure to cellular metabolic pathways, intermediary metabolism and its regulation, and bioenergetics.MY 5000 - Materials Science and Engineering Concepts of crystallography and crystal structure. Designed for students without a degree in materials science and engineering.
CE 3502 - Environmental Monitoring and Measurement Analysis Introduction to environmental data acquisition and interpretation, fundamentals of environmental monitoring, instrumentation, measurement techniques, and statistical analyses.
CE 4501 - Environmental Engineering Chemical Processes Application of chemistry, conservation principles, and mathematics to the analysis of chemical processes occurring in natural and engineered environments.
CH 2420 - Organic Chemistry II Continuation of CH2410. Covers more functional group chemistry based on reaction mechanisms; more involved multi-step synthesis; introduction to carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids; and topics of specialized interest.
CH 3520 - Physical Chemistry II Continuation of CH3510. Covers chemical kinetics, solid-state chemistry, surface chemistry, atomic and molecular spectroscopy and structure, chemical applications of group theory, valence, the periodic table, elements of quantum mechanics, and statistical thermodynamics.
CH 4310 - Inorganic Chemistry I Study of the bonding, physical and chemical properties, structure and reactions of the chemical elements and their compounds.
CH 4610/CM 4610 - Introduction to Polymer Science Introductory study of the properties of polymers.
CH 4710 - Chemical Principles in Biology Studies biochemistry with emphasis on understanding the interconnections between biology and chemistry and the underlying chemical logic of biomolecules and metabolic pathways.
CH 5530 - Molecular Spectroscopy An introduction to molecular spectroscopy and molecular structure. Topics include infrared and Raman spectroscopy, electronic spectroscopy, fluorescence, phosphorescence, and resonance techniques.
CH 5810 - Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Considers the physical interactions of importance to magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
CS 1121 - Introduction to Computer Science I (Java programming) Starting point of the computer science program. A high-level, object-oriented programming language is introduced as a problem-solving tool.  mathematics to the analysis of chemical processes occurring in natural and engineered environments.
MEEM 4405 - Intro to the Finite Element Method Introduces the use of the finite element method in stress analysis and heat transfer. Vector analysis; analysis of stress, principal stresses, invariants, strain tensors, material derivatives, and continuity equations; basic conservation laws and constitutive relationships; the theory of elasticity, including 2-D problems in plane stress/strain, stress functions, and 3-D problems with polar symmetry.
MEEM 5170 - Finite Element and Variational Methods in Engineering Variational concepts and Euler-Lagrange equations and the application of these concepts in formulating boundary value problems and approximate methods, including finite-element method.
MEEM 5240 - Comp Fluid Dynamics for Engg Introduces finite-difference and finite-volume methods used in solving fluid dynamics and heat transfer problems. Covers numerical grid generation, turbulence modeling, and application to some selected problems.
MA 3710 - Engineering Statistics Introduction to the design, conduct, and analysis of statistical studies aimed at solving engineering problems.
MY 5200 - Scanning Electron Microscopy Scanning electron microscopy including theory of operation.
MY 5210 - Diffraction Materials characterization using x-ray, electron and neutron diffraction.
PH 2230 - Electronics for Scientists An introduction to analog and digital electronics with an emphasis on their use in the laboratory.
PH 3210 - Geometrical and Physical Optics An introduction to geometrical and physical optics. Topics in geometrical optics include ray analysis of mirrors, lenses, prisms, and optical systems. Topics in physical optics include polarization, interference, interferometry, and diffraction.

Besides taking additional courses, what else can I do to prepare myself for graduate school in chemical engineering?

Attend the seminar series in the Chemical Engineering Department.  In all chemical engineering graduate programs, the weekly seminar series is an important element.  Speakers visit the department from all over the country and the world and present their work.  Graduate students are usually required to attend, since learning about the wide nature of chemical engineering research is one of the reasons for your studies.

We have such a seminar series at MTU; it runs in the second half of the spring semester and is sponsored by the Sigel family.  To prepare you for graduate school, I recommend that you attend as many of these as you can.  Although the material may at times go over your head, will the situation be any different in a year or two when you start graduate school?  You can learn from attending seminars, even if they go over your head.  You can learn about effective presentation techniques (and ineffective techniques) and you can learn about research areas that you would never have had a chance to explore otherwise.  And you can learn what you need to study in order to understand.  If the visitor is a faculty member, he/she is probably interested in talking to juniors and seniors who are considering graduate school in the hopes that they can recruit you to their program.  If you are particularly interested in a speaker's talk, you can ask to meet with him/her later in the day.

The schedule for the Segel series is posted around the department near spring-break time.  You can also keep up with seminars on campus by subscribing to Seminar Central, which is an email service run by the Graduate Student Council.  If you subscribe you will hear about potentially interesting seminars in all departments, as well as those in chemical engineering.  To subscribe, send email to majordomo@mtu.edu.  Do not put anything under the subject heading. In the body, type:  subscribe seminarcentral-l  You will be subscribed to the list.

Participate in undergraduate research.  Click here for more on undergraduate research.

Improve your writing and presenting skills.  Writing and presenting well are really reflections of how logically you think.  If you can explain a topic well in writing or orally, you are displaying an important thinking skill you will need in graduate school.

Engineers sometimes distain writing as a soft skill that is less important than analytical skills.  It is not.  Writing well is an important skill that can make or break your graduate school experience.  That last task of writing your thesis or disertation and writing up the publications from your work is critical - you will not graduate without your final thesis/disertation being written and approved, and usually these documents are held to a very high standard of organization and grammar.  Do what you can now to improve your writing by taking writing-intensive courses, writing in your extracurricular activities, and availing yourself of the help provided by the Department of Humanities' Writing Center.  I also recommend reading as an activity that promotes writing.  Read for pleasure - novels, literature, plays, quality magazines, and quality newspapers.  Reading is an excellent way to improve your recognition of good writing and of good grammar.

Oral communication is equally important.  Learn to make effective presentations and practice what you have learned.  Attend seminars and note down techniques that you find effective at getting the point across to you and then use those techniquest in your own presentations.  Solicit feedback on your presentations so that you can improve.  Also, take the time to learn to present yourself well in day-to-day situations.  When you call someone on the phone, always identify yourself and find out right away if they have time for the discussion you would like to have with them.  The same goes for when you come to someone's office door - identify yourself and make sure that they have time to see you.  In email, always start your messages with a greeting of some sort (Dear xxx or Good Morning or something equivalent) and state your point and sign off politely with your name and contact information.  These little habits can also be important in your graduate studies (as well as in life) since you will need to interact with many people to complete your graduate research, and if you do not interact well, your road will be very rough.

Don't sell back your books.  You will be buying new books in graduate school, but you will often find that you need to refresh your memory of your undergraduate studies.

Where should I go to graduate school?

There are many things that go into deciding where to go to graduate school in chemical engineering.  Here is a link to all chemical engineering graduate schools.  According to US News and World Report, the top 5 graduate schools in chemical engineering in 2002 were
                    1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
                    2. University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
                    3. University of California–Berkeley
                    4. California Institute of Technology
                    5. University of Wisconsin–Madison
These five universities have been considered excellent in chemical engineering for at least 30 years.  We have sent MTU graduates to MIT, UMinn, and UWMadison in the 13 years I have been at Tech.  We have also sent students to Northwestern, UC Santa Barbara, Stanford, Georgia Tech, UMichigan, West Virginia University, UColorado Boulder, Notre Dame, Auburn, UConn and of course MTU (see list).  I received my Ph.D. from UMass Amherst, and one of my classmates was an MTU grad.

Where you choose to go depends on many things:  choice of research topic, availability of fellowships, getting in, quality of life in the community, quality of life in the chemical engineering department,  family close by, and many other things.  From an academic point of view the most important thing is that you choose to attend a university where there are two or three faculty pursuing research that interests you and that these faculty have the intention of accepting new graduate students into their groups the year you are starting.  The most important choice you will make about your graduate studies is the choice of advisor, and this decision is most strongly affected by your choice of graduate school.  If you are unable to find an advisor at your chosen school, you will have to change schools or spend a very unhappy 2-6 years of your life.

After ascertaining that a school has faculty with whom you would be interested in working, I would say that the quality of life in the chemical engineering department is the second most important thing.  Some departments are collegial; some are at war.  You will be trying to carry out a 2-year (MS) or 4- or 5-year (PhD) program, which will require help, support, and input from fellow graduate students, your advisor, your thesis committee, other faculty, research staff, support staff, and many other university personel.  If the organization you are joining is functioning well, this will be a delight.  If the organization is stiff and hostile, I believe that you will have a much more difficult time in your studies.

There are whole books written with advice about the ins and outs of graduate school and about careers with an advanced degree.  I cannot write down all my advice on this page, but you could come and chat with me or you could read one of the available texts or you could do both.

Getting What You Came for: The Smart Student's Guide to Earning a Master's or a Ph.D. by Robert L. Peters (Paperback - April 1997), $10.50 on Amazon.com
A Ph.D. is Not Enough! - A Guide to Survival in Science by Peter J. Feibelman (currently at Sandia National Labs)
Publisher: Addison Wesley 1993 (reprint 1996) $10.50 on Amazon.com ISBN 0-201-62717-5
Tomorrow's Professor : Preparing for Careers in Science and Engineering by Richard M. Reis (Wiley-IEEE Press April 1997)  $49.95 on Amazon.com ISBN: 0780311361

I'm interested in polymers; where should I go to grad school?

I would recommend that you look into the following programs (not in any particular order):

These are top chem eng schools in many research fields, especially polymers (very selective admissions process)
UC Berkeley
UMinn
MIT
UMichigan
UWisconsin
UC Santa Barbara
Stanford
Caltech
Princeton
Northwestern

Also very high, and with a special emphasis on polymers are:
UMass
UConn
UDelaware
UPenn
City College of CUNY
Cornell
Purdue
Michigan State
Columbia
Wayne State
Akron
Washington University St. Louis
Clarkson
Georgia Tech
UC Davis
Virginia Tech
McGill University (Canada)
Penn State
Ohio State

Why should I get an MS or PhD?

Answer in progress.  Here is a link a discussion of reasons why some successful individuals pursued graduate degrees in chemical engineering.

Do I have to take the GRE?  Where/When do I take it?

Many graduate schools of chemical engineering do require that you take the GRE exam.  This exam helps them to evaluate you compared to students from other schools.  To find out for sure if you need to take it, you must visit the various departmental web sites and see what is required for the graduate application.  You should also check for the due-date of your application and plan to take the exam early enough so that your scores get to the institution on time.

The general procedure for taking the GRE is as follows:

1.  Decide when (generally) you will take the test.  One student I spoke to said that when he called he got an appointment for 2-3 months in the future. The testing center near Lansing, Michigan told one student that they test year round, twice per day Monday through Thursday (9am and 1pm), and once on Friday and Saturday (9am).  In Lansing they recommended scheduling an appointment at least two weeks in advance for M-Th appointments and at least a month in advance for F-Sa appointments. If you only have a few selected dates that you can take the exam, you need to call head quite early to be sure that you can get a seat at your chosen location.  In general, late summer or early fall would be a good time to call and make the arrangements.
2.  Go to the  ETS GRE finder page on the web  to locate a center for taking the test.  There are none in the upper peninsula, so you may want to schedule your test for a break when you will be home or downstate or in MN, WI.
2.  Call the test center directly and make an appointment to take the test.  They take credit cards.  You will receive a confirmation number, reporting time, and the test center address when you call.  When you make the appointment, you may ask the person on the line when the results of your test will be available.  They will send you some preparation materials when you make your appointment.
3.  Take the test.  Your scores will be reported to the universities that you indicate.

Subject Tests are currently available in 8 disciplines; check with the graduate program in which you are interested to see if they request any of these subject-specific tests:

Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology
Literature in English
Biology
Mathematics
Chemistry
Physics
Computer Science
Psychology

What kind of scores on the GRE are expected at the top schools?

I asked a friend at one of the top schools for chemical engineers for some feedback on this, and these are the numbers from the mid 1990's:

The summary statistics for students presently enrolled in graduate school here (94 students total) are:
Average undergraduate GPA: 3.74 ( on a 4.0 scale)
Average Verbal GRE score: 617 ( approximately 83%)
Average Quantitative GRE score: 764 ( approximately 90% )
Average Analytical GRE score: 722 ( approximately 91% )

My professors insist on derivations and very theoretical calculations.  Why can't they just give us the formulas and let it go at that?

This question was addressed very eloquently by Professor Noel de Nevers in his text "Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers" (2nd edition, McGraw Hill, 1991).

In the study of engineering "we can focus on either the application of principles or on the techniques of solving problems.  The author recommends attention to the principles.  In the 10 years following the author's graduation from college the engineering business was revolutionized by the digital computer, transistor, and space industry, among other things.  None of these amounted to much in 1954 and they were not part of undergraduate courses.
     All of these techniques rigidly obey Newton's laws and the laws of thermodynamics.  Students who learned 'cookbook' techniques for solving problems in 1954 were not well prepared for the technologies that appeared during the next 10 years, but those who learned the basic ideas and how to apply them could adapt to any one of them.  There is little reason to believe that the pace of technological change will be slower in the future.  If we concentrate on learning techniques, we may be faced in a few years with 'technical obsolescence,' but we should have no such problem if we learn principles and their applications.  The author believes that there will never be a surplus of people who really understand Newton's laws and the laws of thermodynamics." pp25-6

Hear hear.

What is the study of engineering like?

This is a very broad question, but I like the discussion of engineering education and engineering problem solving provided by Professor Noel de Nevers in his text "Fluid Mechanics for Chemical Engineers" (2nd edition, McGraw Hill, 1991).

"Engineering students start out in their first and second years by doing 'plug-in' problems.  That is, given a problem statement, they select the appropriate formula, either from the textbook or from memory, and 'plug in' the data to obtain the final answer.  In the third year, they begin to find problems that can be readily reduced to plug-ins or to problems involving two or more equations that require some manipulation to be put in plug-in form.  Furthermore, engineering students may be exposed to problems that cannot be reduced to plug-ins and must be solved by trial and error.  It is assumed that they can do simple plug-in problems (such as gas-law calculations) without hesitation.
     Instructors of third-year students would like to assign more complicated or difficult problems but generally cannot because

1.  The time required is too great - they cannot be done in the time that most students will devote to one homework problem.
2.  The students would probably get intellectual indigestion.  Therefore, at the third-year level most problems and examples . . . are the plug-ins or can be readily reduced to plug-ins.

     When the students start a senior laboratory or design course, they find their first real engineering problems.  One may require 10 or 20 h of work and consist of 15 or 20 parts, each comparable to the problems and examples in this book.  To deal with these problems, students break them up into pieces small enough to handle as plug-ins.  The interesting and exciting part of engineering is often the task of deciding how to divide a problem into reasonable pieces and then how to reassemble the pieces into a recognizable whole so that they fit together properly.

     . . . In all engineering we must consider the degree of precision needed. . . .We could always spend more engineering effort, do more testing, and thereby refine our design or calculation a bit more.  But in any real problem the engineer's time is one of the limiting resources. . . [Most] engineers (and other professionals) are always working with limited time and limited budgets as well as clients who want intermediate progress reports.  For us the goal is always to do the best possible, within the time, budget, and other constraints imposed by the client (or codes and regulations).  So engineers must allocate their time well, handling routine matters swiftly and concentrating on those that are not routine and may be a source of trouble. Much of what you learn in [school] is routine to practicing engineers.  The goal of [your undergraduate education] is that you learn not only to do those routine things but also learn the scientific basis of the solution of those routine problems.  In so doing, you will learn how engineers and scientists have turned yesterday's difficult problems into today's routine ones.  That will help you to develop the habits of mind that will turn today's difficult problems into tomorrow's routine problems." pp26-8 (red emphasis added)

National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates Program

NSF sponsors research programs at many universities that allow students to work over the summer in a faculty member's research group.  These are competative programs and an excellent way to check out if you are interested in graduate school.  Here is some information from the NSF site:

"NSF funds a large number of research opportunities for undergraduate students through its REU Sites program. An REU Site consists of a group of ten or so undergraduates who work in the research programs of the host institution. Each student is associated with a specific research project, where he/she works closely with the faculty and other researchers. Students are granted stipends and, in many cases, assistance with housing and travel. Undergraduate students supported with NSF funds must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or its possessions. An REU Site may be at either a US or foreign location.

By using the web page, Search for an REU Site, you may examine opportunities in the subject areas supported by various NSF units. Also, you may search by keywords to identify sites in particular research areas or with certain features, such as a particular location.

Students must contact the individual sites for information and application materials. NSF does not have application materials and does not select student participants. A contact person and contact information is listed for each site." (red emphasis added)
 

National Institute of Standards and Technology Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowships

NIST sponsors an undergraduate research program that brings students to their Gaithersburg, MD location (near Washington D.C.) to do research with government scientists.  This program requires that your university apply for you and cost-share your application.  Thus if you are interested in the NIST program, you will have to interest a professor here at Tech to cosponsor your research.  Here some more information from the web:

"Your school is invited to participate in the National Institute of Standards and Technology - National Science Foundation Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program for students majoring in science, mathematics and engineering. Note that applications for participation in the SURF program are only accepted from colleges or universities, and not from individual students. Please prepare a single proposal from your institution to the NIST SURF program. This proposal will include a portion completed by an institutional representative and a set of materials provided by each student applicant. Students can participate in any one of the seven laboratories, i.e.,Building and Fire Research, Chemical Science and Technology [includes biotechnology], Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Information Technology, Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering [includes polymers], or Physics. The student application form will indicate in which laboratory he/she is most interested. The applications will be considered by all programs, with consideration of the student's preferences and research interests. Please circulate the information about this program to other appropriate academic departments and administrative staff at your institution.

SURFing is a partnership, supported by NIST, NSF, and the participating colleges/universities. The actual number of awards supported will depend on the level of cost sharing by the college/university proposers. We anticipate providing meaningful research opportunities for approximately 25 SURFers in the Physics Laboratory (PL), and 8-10 in each of the other Laboratories. The NIST facilities are located just outside Washington, DC.

The SURF Program is anticipated to run between May 27 through August 15, 2003; adjustments may be made to accommodate specific academic schedules (e.g., a limited number of 9-week (June 16 - August 15, 2003) slots).

Further information for individual Laboratories can be found through the website
http://www.surf.nist.gov/respr.htm.
 The Application Package is available here:
http://www.surf.nist.gov/app.htm."(red emphasis and links added)
 

Where have MTU CM alumni gone to graduate school?

Answer in progress (I'm scanning my and my colleagues' memories)

Michigan Technological University
Romulo Almeida
Kathleen Barnes, Ph. D.
Marc Brooks
Fan Liang Chan
Yah Nan Chia
Matthew Chye
Matthew L. Clingerman, M.S.
Jeffrey Ferrio, M.S. Ph. D.
Rebecca Fitzgerald
Nickolas Greenland
Scott Heling
Dennis S. Hiew
Jessica Heiser
Amber Kemppainen
Eileen Kim
Andy Kline, Ph. D.
Jeremiah Konell
Quinton Krueger, M.S.
Eric Larson, M.S.
Joseph M. Markey
Chad Mashuga, Ph.D.
Thomas Merritt, III
Janelle Meyer
Richard Miller, Ph. D.
Tian Wei Ng (MEEM)
Piyush B. Parikh, M.S.
Nathan Pawlak
Geoffrey J. Roelant, M.S.
Anna Siemionko
Douglas E. Stark, M.S.
Katie Torrey; web news
Erik H. Weber
Michelle Waters  (Environmental. Engineering)
Kit Mun Wee
Christopher Wiegenstein, Ph. D.; web news
 

Other Than MTU
Bruce Barna, Ph. D. New Mexico State University; web news
Kyle M. Bartholomew, Institute of Paper Science and Technology, Atlanta, GA
Brian Boyd, MIT
Elton Cairns, University of California, Berkeley; web news
Zheng (James) Chen, MTU M.S., Ph.D. University of Connecticut
David K. Cinader, Jr., Ph. D. Northwestern University; web news
Wipawee Dechapanya, Univ. of Texas (Austin)
David Edwards, Ph. D. Illinois Institute of Technology, web news
Erin Grassl, University of Minnesota
Yakeitha Fields Fitch, University of Michigan
Brian A. Grimes, Univ. of Missouri-Rolla
William Hamlet, Ph. D. West Virginia University
William S. Hammack, Ph. D. University of Illinois - Urbana; web news
Caryn L. (Harrow) Heldt, Ph.D. N. C. State University
Brian Hassler, Michigan State University
Michael Hickner, Virginia Tech
Leatrese D. Hopkins, University of Michigan
Chris Nagel, MIT
Joseph Charles Napier, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Gautam Pendse, MTU MS'02, studying Ph.D. in math at Arizona State University
Anton Pintar, Ph. D. Illinois Institute of Technology; web news
Jennifer M. Politsch, Ph. D. University of California Santa Barbara; web news
John Raymond, (Biophysics) University of Michigan
Tim Riggert, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Adrienne Rogers, Notre Dame
Rusty F. Ross, Ph. D. University of Wisconsin, Madison
Amber Hofstad Rydholm, University of Colorado; web news
Eric Rydholm, University of Colorado; web news
Chayanoot Sangwichien, Johns Hopkins University
Jim Semler, North Carolina State University
Dan Siderius, Purdue University
Leonard H. Switzer, Ph. D. University of Wisconsin, Madison; web news
Travis Thelen, University of Colorado, Bolder; web news
Bryan Vogt - University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Sue Wickliff, M.S. University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Joseph Wu, Auburn University
 

Do you have any special advice for women engineers?

Women engineers are working in an evironment where they are still greatly underrepresented.  Things are better than they used to be - when I was an undergraduate in 1979-1983 there were ten women professors of chemical engineering in the entire U.S.  Now there are hundreds, although there are still departments with no women faculty and few with more than one or two.

The negative effects on women of being in the minority have been documented by Dr. Virginia Valien in her very readable book "Why So Slow?  The Advancement of Women" (MIT Press 1999).  I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the subject of discrimination.  If you feel you are being discriminated at Tech, please come talk to me, and I will help you to explore the possible remedies.

For girls in high school who are considering a career in engineering, Michigan Tech runs a Women in Engineering program.  "The Women in Engineering Workshop (WIE) allows high school freshman/sophomore/junior women who are academically talented in mathematics and/or science the opportunity to investigate careers in engineering and science.  Practicing women engineers from industry and the government, educators, and university faculty lead informational sessions and discussions. Each session includes a laboratory experience, a team engineering project, and time to interact formally and informally with role models and talented peers." from the MTU WIE website

For Michigan Tech undegraduate women interested in graduate school, there are targeted fellowship programs aimed at increasing the representation of women in engineering.  The National Science Foundation has NSF Research Fellowships for Women, for example.  Also from time-to-time there are workshops that teach about careers for women in science and engineering.  One such is the FORWARD to Professorship Workshop May 20-22 2003 Washington, DC, which is targeted at women who might be considering a career as a college professor of engineering.

Another resource is the Society of Women Engineers, which has an MTU chapter that meets regularly.
 

Do you have any special advice for engineers from underrepresented groups?

Minority engineers are working in an evironment where they are still greatly underrepresented.  Things are better than they used to be, but it is rare to find a chemical engineering department with an African-American, Latino, or Native American faculty member, and many work environments are also lacking in diversity.  While nationwide 10.1% of the 2002 freshman class is African-American/Black, 6.4% Chicano/Latino/Hispanic, 1.3% American Indian/Alaska Native, only 6% of doctorates in 2001 were earned by African-Americans, 4.4% by Chicanos/Latinos/Hispanics, and 0.5% by American Indians/Alaska Natives (Chronicle of Higher Education, January 31, 2003, pages A10 and A36). As for faculty numbers, "African-Americans represent 5% of all full-time faculty members, and half of them work at historically black institutions.  The proportion of black faculty members at predominantly white institutions is 2.3%, the same as 20 years ago.  Meanwhile, Hispanic Americans represent less than 3 percent of all full-time professors, and American Indians only 0.4 percent." pA11

The negative effects of being in the minority have been documented by Dr. Virginia Valien in her very readable book "Why So Slow?  The Advancement of Women" (MIT Press 1999).  Although this book is focussed on gender discrimination, much of the research is directly applicable to the subtle kinds of discrimination experienced by ethnic minorities.  I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the subject of discrimination.  If you feel you are being discriminated at Tech, please come talk to me, and I will help you to explore the possible remedies.

For high school minority students who are considering a career in engineering, Michigan Tech runs an Explorations in Engineering program:  "Specifically targeting students from populations underrepresented in engineering and science fields (minority or economically disadvantaged students), the Explorations in Engineering Workshop allows high school freshmen, sophomores, and juniors the opportunity to investigate college options and careers in these fields.   Practicing minority engineers from industry and the government, educators, and university faculty lead informational sessions and discussions. Each session includes a laboratory experience, a team engineering project, and time to interact formally and informally with role models and talented peers." from the EIE website

One resource for minority engineers is NACME, the National Action Councl for Minorities in Engineering:  "Since 1974, NACME (the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering) has provided leadership and support for the national effort to increase the representation of successful African American, American Indian and Latino women and men in engineering and technology, math- and science-based careers.. . . NACME is the nation's largest private source of scholarships for minorities in engineering." from NACME website

Another resource is the National Society of Black Engineers, which has an MTU chapter that meets alternate Mondays.
 

Have any alumni from the Michigan Tech graduate program have gone on to become professors/lecturers?

Hui Chen, Ph.D. has a visiting lecturer position at Arizona State University
Andy Kline, Ph.D. Department of Paper and Printing Science and Engineering, Western Michigan University
Chad Mashuga, Ph.D. teaches part-time in chemical engineering at Wayne State University
Alan Nelson, Ph.D., University of Alberta, Canada
Tony Rogers, Ph.D., Michigan Technological University
Katie Torrey, M.S., Department of Engineering Fundamentals, Michigan Technological University
Sridhar Ungarala, Ph.D., Cleveland State University
Christopher Wiegenstein, Ph.D., Department of Chemistry, Northwest Vista College, San Antonio, TX

Undergraduate alumni who are faculty:
Bruce Barna, MTU
Elton J. Cairns, University of California, Berkeley
David Edwards, Harvard University
William S. Hammack, University of Illinios
Mike Hickner, University of California, Davis
Anton Pintar, MTU (emeritus)

Can I take graduate courses for graduate credit while I'm still an undergraduate? (senior rule)

From the MTU catalog:
"Enrollment in Graduate Courses: “Senior Rule”—An MTU senior with a satisfactory undergraduate record may apply for permission to take courses for graduate credit while completing the bachelor’s degree requirements. The forms are available in department offices and in the Graduate School office and on the web. Permission to take classes should be obtained from the chair of the major undergraduate department, the chair of the prospective graduate department, and the dean of the Graduate School. A student so enrolled and carrying 6 credits or more in 5000- or 6000-level courses may carry no more than 16 credits of course work per semester.

After the application has been approved, courses listed for graduate credit in the semester of the application and thereafter will be coded such that they are listed on a separate graduate transcript. Passed courses will be cleared with Degree Services but will not be recorded. The student will still have to officially apply for admission to the Graduate School. These courses may be used on the graduate degree schedule provided the courses are approved by the chair of the major department and, eventually, the advisor."

Note:  once the student submits their form for Senior Rule, the course they plan to use toward their graduate work is changed to the graduate level so it cannot be used on the undergraduate degree.  If you do not submit Senior Rule forms, the course can count on your undergrad transcript.

On forms printed prior to Spring 2004 a rule appears that says that you must finish your undergraduate degree within 12 months of starting under senior rule.  I contacted the Graduate School about that and Dr. Mary Durfee and others looked around for the origin of that policy, and they could find nothing.  That statement has been removed from the Senior Rule form, and there is no time limit as of Fall 2004.  Some departments, however (School of Business is one of them) do limit the number of credits you may earn towards a graduate degree under Senior Rule.

I was also asked if students taking graduate classes under Senior Rule pay undergrad tuition or graduate tuition, and I asked three students who took Senior Rule classes in 2004, and they all said they were charged undergraduate tuition.  This may change, but it's a good deal while it lasts, particularly for students interested in the Master of Science in Business Administration degree.  (19 Sept 2004)

Are there any academic programs for pre-freshmen to help us transition to MTU?

Yes, MTU has a program called MaCH-1which is a summer bridge program run by the MTU Math department. Shari Stokero is the Director of First-Year Mathematics and the Director of the MaCH-1 Program.  Their program allows incoming students to take Math, English, Chemistry, Physical Education, and Frameworks for Success during Track B of the MTU summer schedule.

Here is an introduction to MaCH-1 from its director Shari Stokero:

"The MaCH-1 program offers a choice of either a six-week coursework option or a one-week workshop option.  Those students who choose the coursework option can earn up to 10.5 college credits.  This is a great opportunity for those students who are not ready to take a Calculus course;  by enrolling in MaCH-1, you could be ready for Calculus in the Fall semester.  Calculus-ready students may complete Calculus I during MaCH-1 and be one step ahead of a typical college freshman!  The one-week Precalculus Workshop, although not for college credit, provides an often-needed refresher of precalculus skills that allows a student to be more successful in either a precalculus or calculus course during the fall semester.

In addition to completing the traditional prerequisite courses and developing important skills necessary for success at MTU, the benefits of attending either of the MaCH-I programs include:
 

• frequent one-on-one interactions with your instructors;
• special evening tutoring sessions only for MaCH-I students;
• small class sizes with cooperative learning sessions;
• improving your test taking skills and study habits;
• a chance to form friendships that may last through your entire college career at MTU;
• special MaCH-1 activities such as movies, picnics, hikes and a bonfire on the beach!"

Here is some information from their web site:

"A good mathematics background is essential for success in a science and engineering curriculum; however, about 70% of MTU's incoming students lack the mathematical background required for a successful college career. The MaCH-I program will strengthen your existing mathematical abilities and give you the opportunity to complete prerequisite coursework in other subjects as well. Our small classes are taught by experienced teachers dedicated to helping you succeed. One-on-one tutoring by upperclass students will allow you to grasp the fundamentals of algebra, precalculus, or calculus in a more supportive atmosphere and will give you the skills to begin college with confidence."  MaCH-1

To enroll, contact Shari Stockero by email or at 906-487-2938.

What is Orientation like?

Orientation for first-year students and transfer students is a week long extravaganza of social events, advising meetings, placement tests, athletic events, and food.  This year Orientation 2003 will take place from Saturday August 16, 2003 through Sunday August 24, 2003.  During orientation incoming students are divided into groups led by an experienced upperclassman known as an Orientation Team Leader (OTL).  For more on the orientation program, please contact Bonnie Gorman.

How will my ACT/high school record translate into my first-year schedule at MTU?

The Department of Engineering Fundamentals handles the placement of first-year engineers, and they have devised a table that explains how you will be placed.  You may access this table in PDF form at this link.  Basically, your math placement depends on your ACT score or advanced placement score.  Your chemistry placement is based on your math placement.  There are additional courses and programs in place to help you to catch up if your preparation for starting the engineering curriculum is not what it should be.  For questions on the first-year engineering program, please contact Amy Monte.

What do I do if I need to change the schedule of one of my cohorted classes (math, physics, engineering fundamentals)?
 

Neither you, nor I as the advisor, can change cohorted classes/sections.  To make a change to a cohorted class, you must see Tina Sarazin in Dillman 112.  Her work hours are 8:30-4pm.  There are answers to some other cohort questions on this FAQ table put out by the Engineering Fundamentals Department.

What do I do if I want to register for more than the maximum number of credits (18)?

The answer to this depends on what classes you are taking.  If the class that puts you over the 18 credit listing is a physical education class that counts as a cocurricular activity, or as an activities class (so designated on the General Education lists), then you may do so.  To arrange for this type of an overload, please see Donna Bingham in the Chem Eng main office (203 Chem Sci) and she will put a waiver into the computer for you.

If the courses you are taking are all regular courses with homework and demands on your time, then we need to have a discussion.  If I believe that you will succeed even with the high course load, then I will sign a waiver form for you and you may take that waiver either to Donna Bingham in the main office or to the registrar's office to register for the overloaded classes.  If you need to see me, the best strategy is to drop by my office during office hours.

Gary E and Judy L Anderson Research Scholarship 

 This scholarship ($500-$3000) is offered by the Department of Chemical Engineering to support student research in the department.  Students applying for the Gary E. and Judy L. Anderson Chemical Engineering Endowed Research Fund must submit a short research proposal (3-10 pages) detailing the research project objectives and budget.  Each application must have a letter from a faculty sponsor who will work with the student on his/her research.  The faculty support letter must be submitted with the proposal.  Include a cover letter addressed to the department chair with your application.  Applications are accepted year-round; please talk to your research advisor for more information. 

Scholarships are granted to iundergraduate and graduate students at Michigan Tech in Chemical Engineering; preference is given to undergraduates.  Approximately 5-6 research grants are awarded.  For answers to questions, please contact Alexis Snell in the main office aesnell@mtu.edu or stop by the main office.  (updated 13Sept2007)

KC Award for Professional Ethics and Conduct

 
This certificate of merit is to recognize a student who has exhibited exemplary ethics and admirable professional conduct during plant design and unit operations experiences, and throughout their academic career at MTU.  This award is presented during the Chemical Engineering Department's Award Convocation in May.  Nomination for the award is by peers, professors, or by the candidate him/herself.  Deadline for nominations is in April; please see Dr. Sean Clancey for the exact date.  Selection of the recipients is made by the Kimberly-Clark committee and MTU professors.  Nomination consists of a 1-2 paragraph nomination letter.  The nomination letter must include examples that demonstrate good ethical behvior on the part of the nominee.  The award includes a certificate and $500.

KC Award for Communications

This certificate of merit is to recognize a student who has exhibited exemplary communcations skills throughout his/her academic career at MTU.  This award is presented during the Chemical Engineering Department's Award Convocation in May.  Nomination for the award is by peers, professors, or by the candidate him/herself.  Deadline for nominations is in April; please see Dr. Sean Clancey for the exact date.  Selection of the recipients is made by the Kimberly-Clark committee and MTU professors.  Nomination consists of a 1-2 paragraph nomination letter.  The nomination letter must be accompanied by an example of the nominee's communications skills (any oral or written communications assignment from any class) as an attachment.  The award includes a certificate and $250; three awards will be given.

Marriott W. Bredekamp Award

Sponsored by Dow Chemical Company it recognizes outstanding group performance in the Unit Operations Laboratory.  Judged by student peers and faculty the total award is $1500 with $250 given to each member of the winning group.  The remaining funds are used for equipment or supplies for the chemical engineering program marked as a gift from the winning group. This award is presented during the Chemical Engineering Department's Award Convocation in May. There is a plaque in the main office that lists past recipients of this award.

Davis W. Hubbard Plant Design Team Award

It is presented to the outstanding team in Chemical Engineering Plant Design during the academic year.  This award recognizes technical ability, consideration of the safety and environmental aspects of process design, outstanding written and oral communication skills, and overall teamwork and professionalism.  The selection of the team that receives the award is done by plant design faculty and the chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering.   This award is presented during the Chemical Engineering Department's Award Convocation in May.  There is a plaque in the main office that lists past recipients of this award.

Jack Wehman SACHE Team Design Award

This award will be given annually for the best application of the principles of chemical process safety for the AICHE National Student Design competition.  This award is given by the AIChE.

President's Award for Leadership

http://www.sa.mtu.edu/dean/awards/leadership.html

This award is given to a student who is chosen from an outstanding group of nominees that have provided leadership in their activities while a student at Michigan Tech.

Michigan Tech Fund Merit Awards

The Michigan Tech Fund Merit Awards recognize superior leadership and achievement by students at Michigan Technological University.  The awards are presented to one senior female and one senior male who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and service to the University. Special emphasis will be placed on noteworthy contribution to the enhancements of the University or campus life by the individuals.

Qualifications for hte Merit Awards require the nominee to be a full-time student in good standing at Michigan Technological University with a minimum 2.5 grade-point average.  In recognition of this honor, each Merit Award recipient will receive a personal memento and cash award, and a $500 grant will be made to each honoree's academic department.

The Merit Awards will be announced in early May.  Presentation of the awards are made by the University President..

Any student or faculty/staff member may nominate students for this recognition using the official nomination forms available in the Chemical Engineering Department office.  For more information go to http://www.mtf.mtu.edu/features/merit_nominees.php

Donald F. Othmer Sophomore Academic Excellence Award

Sponsor(s):   AIChE Foundation
Description:    Presented to the one national AIChE student member in each student chapter who has attained the highest scholastic grade-point average during his/her freshman and sophomore years, on recommendation of the Student Chapter Advisor.
Deadline: June; check with the CM Department. Nomination forms are mailed to Student Chapter Advisors in April, and are also available from theAIChE Awards Administrator, 3 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10016-5901; Ph./Fax: 212-591-7478/8882; or awards@aiche.org or may be downloaded from here.
Award: The award winner may choose a one-year's subscription to the AIChE Journal, or a copy of Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook.
Presentation: Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook is mailed to Student Chapter Advisors in the fall. Subscriptions to AIChE Journal begin in January.

Omega Chi Epsilon Chemical Engineering Honor Society

Description by Lyle Lashe, OCE president 2002-3:
"Omega Chi Epsilon is the National Chemical Engineering Honor Society, of which our chapter at Michigan Tech, the Beta Tau Chapter, is a nationally recognized chapter since February 28th, 2001.  Omega Chi Epsilon is a member of the Association of College Honor Societies.

The chapter officially started in March 1999 to help both the community and the chemical engineering department. OXE helps by traveling to schools during the year for science and engineering demonstrations. The chapter also provides free tutoring for sophomore ChE classes and co-sponsors the Western Peninsula Science Fair with the Copper Counter Intermediate School District (CCISD) each year.

Students that are within the top 1/3 of the senior and top 1/4 of the junior chemical engineering classes are eligible for membership into OXE.  The eligible students are determined by cumulative GPA at the university.  Eligible students are invited to join the organization by participating in the one of the major service activities of the chapter, the elementary science demos or Western U.P. Science Fair, showing active interest in the chapter, and paying the $20 one-time membership fee.  Induction ceremonies for students that meet all these requirements are held at the end of each semester."

The OCE advisor is Dr. Julia King.  The national site is at this location.

The Order of the Engineer

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Order of the Engineer
From: "Aaron Cook" <amcook@mtu.edu
Date: Mon, February 7, 2005 11:51 am
To: fmorriso@mtu.edu
 --------------------------------------------------------------------------
ASCE will be organizing the Order of the Engineer ceremony this spring. For those of you not familiar with the Order of the Engineer Ceremony, it is an obligation to practice ethical engineering in order to better serve both the public and the profession. It is an oath to serve the public first and perform your work with the public's best interest in mind at all times before any other concerns. It serves to bond engineers together and give the entire engineering profession a common bond and respect that otherwise would be absent. The ring of the engineer is recognized and respected everywhere. This ceremony is open to all graduating seniors who will be finishing Spring 2005. The cost for the ceremony is $15, and it includes the ring and certificate of participation. The ceremony will take place March 24, 2005, at 7:00pm. All interested students should stop by the lobby of Dillman Hall during the day, between February 22th thru 24th (9am-4pm), in order to sign up for the ceremony. More info will be available at the sign up table. If you have further questions do not hesitate to contact me at amcook@mtu.edu, I will be happy to answer them. Thank you, Aaron Cook

Other MTU Awards

To find up-to-date information about these awards, search the mtu.edu site:

Exceptional Student Leader
Most Spirited Student Leader
Best Academic Awareness Program
Exceptional Leadership in Student Government
Best Alcohol Awareness Program
Rising Star Award
Team Spirit Award
Best Social Program
Exceptional Leadership in the Greek Life Community
Student Organization of the year
Most Creative Program
Best Performing/Fine Arts Program
Best Residence Hall Program
Best Multicultural Program
Resident Assistant of the Year
Most Motivational Leader
Most Improved Organization
Exceptional Leadership in Hall Gov't.
Most Improved Student Organization
Community Service Leader of the Year
Best Volunteer
Creative Fundraiser of the Year
Women Issues Program of the Year
Exceptional Leadership in Graduate School
Student Employee of the Year

The Majors

"The “Majors”—Prestigious National and International Scholarships

 
From Dr. Mary Durfee: (Dr. Mary Durfee, Special Assistant to the Provost (click here for her coordinates)
You’ve heard of Fulbrights and probably of Rhodes Scholars.  But have you ever heard of the Goldwater Scholarships for sophomores and juniors in math, sciences and engineering or of the Mellon Fellows for graduate work in the humanities or of the Truman for careers in public service?  These and others are sometimes called the “Majors.” They are highly competitive scholarships and fellowships and thus attract the best students the United States has to offer.  Fortunately, Michigan Tech University has some of the best minds in the nation.

Maybe you are one of them: a creative, dynamic leader who is intensely interested in a subject.  In 2004 Chemical Engineering junior Nick Ballor became the first Michigan Tech student to win the Goldwater Scholarship.

 
Going for one of the majors is not for wimps. They are all about you, and that can be pretty intense as well as satisfying. You have to think hard about yourself and the contribution you want to make to the world.  Going for a “major” will demand you reach down deep inside to find out what you care about and what you intend to do about it.

Interested in learning more? Come to see Dr. Mary Durfee, Special Assistant to the Provost (click here for her coordinates)

Jack Kent Cooke Scholarships

>Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 16:13:09 -0500
>To: advisor-l@mtu.edu, american-l@mtu.edu
>From: Mary Durfee <mhdurfee@mtu.edu>
>Subject: Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship
>
>Please alert your advisees who are seniors going to grad school to this
>scholarship opportunity; the website address is below.   I will need to
>have the completed applications by April 15 for the selection committee to
>consider in time to make the April 29 closing date.
>
>It requires a GPA of 3.5. All fields welcome for all kinds of graduate
>programs. Participation in or appreciation of the fine arts is required.
>
>The application is long (but for the up to $50,000 a year for up to six
>years, it may well be worth the effort). I will read drafts, but will be
>away from the office April 8-12, so plan ahead.
>
>http://www.jackkentcookefoundation.org/jkcf_web/content.aspx?page=GrAppMat&_redir=437
>
>Mary
>
>Mary Durfee, Ph.D.
>Special Assistant to the Provost
>Academic Office Bldg, Rm 226
>Michigan Technological University
>Houghton, MI 49931
>Phone: 906-487-2112
>Fax: 906-487-2468

What courses could I take at MTU over the summer?

Core courses

ENG1101 Engineering Fundametals I
ENG1102 Engineering Fundamentals II
PH1100 Physics Lab I
PH1200 Physics Lab II
PH2100 Physics I
PH2200 Physics II
MA1160 Calc I
MA2160 Calc II
MA3160 Calc III
MA2320 Linear Algebra
MA3520 Differential Equations
CM2110 Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering I
CM2120 Fundamentals of Chemical Engineering II
UN1001 Perspectives
UN1002 World Cultures
UN2001 Revisions
UN2002 Institutions
CH1110/CH1120 University Chem I & II
CH1111 UChem Lab I
CH2410/CH2410 Organic Chemistry - subs for CH2400 and 2credits of chemistry elective
CH2411 Organic Lab I
CM3410 Chem Eng Communications

Electives
MA3710 Engineering Statistics - good technical elective
CH2410/CH2410 Organic Chemistry - subs for CH2400 and 2credits of chemistry elective

Specialty courses:

Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers Scanning Electron Microscopy Course (MY5200; 2 credit hours; CRN 51288 for lectures and CRN 51290/51540/51292 for labs) in Summer 2003. This course is open to undergraduate students by special arrangement with instructor. This half-semester course offers basic training with the use of the SEM through 3-hours lab sessions per week in small four-student groups. The lectures (two hours per week) cover the basics of electron optics, specimen-beam interactions, image formation, operating parameter choices, basic x-ray microanalysis and digital imaging. Successful completion of the course is a pre-requisite to being certified to use the Department's SEM (subject to existing policies).
Enrollment is limited to 12 students and there are only 6 seats available. Similar course (MY4200) is also offered in the Fall Semester but there are already no open seats available. Please take this last opportunity and register for the summer course.
For or additional information please contact Jarek Drelich, Asst Prof, MSE, 7-2932 or jwdrelic@mtu.edu OR Owen Mills, EOF Engineer, 369-1875 or opmills@mtu.edu .

Where can I learn about study abroad?

The Fall Study Abroad Fair will be Wednesday, September 24, 2003 from 11:00 am to  3:00 pm in the MUB Ballrooms. Any student who is interested in studying  abroad should attend this fair.

We are still accepting applications for the spring 2004 semester and will  be announcing the summer 2004 programs! New summer options include programs  in Finland, Italy, Belgium, and Paris. We have also begun to accept  applications for next year. It is never too early to plan your study abroad  program.

Why should you study abroad?
* Employers want people with international experience.
* You can earn credits toward your major, minor, and general education  distribution.
* Most financial aid can be applied.
* It costs about the same as a semester at MTU.
* You can learn a foreign language.
* You can earn credits toward a minor or international minor in French, German, or Spanish.
* You can make new friends and visit interesting places.
* You can have the time of your life!

At the fair you can talk with representatives from foreign universities,  past study abroad participants and current exchange students! Photos will  be on display from our 2002-2003 study abroad participants.

Come to the fair for more information on studying abroad or visit our web  site at http://www.admin.mtu.edu/cie/sa/.

Beth J. Taylor
Director, Office of Study Abroad
Center for International Education
Michigan Technological University
131 Administration Building
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton MI 49931
Telephone: 1-906-487-2160
Fax: 1-906-487-1891

How do I get approval for courses I will take abroad?

You need to do this planning with the help of the Office of Study Abroad.  The form you fill out requires my signature to approve the courses either for your major or for general education or as electives of some sort.

Can you help me get a job?

Well, in some ways I can.  I will send around all notices I receive from recruiters and I will answer questions from recruiters about  students if I know them.  The real source for career advice and help, however, is the MTU Career Center.  The MTU Career Center serves as a clearing house for recruiters and job-seekers.

It's never too early to visit the Career Center.  First-year students should visit during their recruiting trips or once on campus in the fall.  A good time to go is in the spring, when things are not too hectic, but they are open year round.  The Career Center is also where co-ops are arranged and planned.

Give them a call and make an appointment to have your resume reviewed.  Then ask them what else you can do to improve your interview skills.  They have great advice on how to approach the Career Fair and other employment-seeking opportunities.  They can also help you to take a computer-based diagnostic test that will help you to determine what kind of job you would like.

Web sites for job searching

Faculty received this information by email on April 14, 2003:
"Aeroindustryjobs is a Portland, OR, based company, specializing in Internet Recruiting for the Aerospace/Defense/Aviation and Advanced Materials industries. We’re interested in getting the word out about our services to the students in your department who are seeking employment, and to the alumni of your department who may be looking for a job, and would like to ask for your assistance in this effort. If your students are interested in career opportunities in either Aerospace/Defense/Aviation or Advanced Materials, we think our services can be a great benefit to them.

 Our services for students and other job seekers are completely free. The services include a database of open job positions, which students can use to search and apply online for jobs, a resume building application, and application tracking tools. Additionally, we send a weekly email newsletter to all registered job seekers, which details all of the job positions we have available. Students who are interested in registering can go to www.aeroindustryjobs.com, and click on the “Register” link on the home page. . . . .

Best regards,
Syra Novak
Director of Operations
Aeroindustryjobs, Inc.
www.aeroindustryjobs.com"

What is the fundamentals of engineering exam and why should I take it?  What is professional engineering registration and why should I seek to be a registered professional engineer?

Some types of engineering jobs require professional registration.  This is very common in civil engineering and architecture and in mechanical engineering.  It also exists in chemical engineering, but it is less common t find that chemical engineers have registered.  Consulting work and some types of design work, however, are greatly facilitated by professional registration.

If you become a registered professional engineer, you may append the initials "P.E" after your name on your business cards, as in "Bruce A. Barna, Ph.D, P.E".  For a more in-depth take on the PE, see Dr. Barna or Dr. Rogers, both of whom are registered professional engineers.

To become a registered professional engineer you must first take the fundamentals of engineering exam administered by the National Council of Examinors for Engineering and Surveying.  The details of the exam are given on their website.

Once you pass the FE exam, you become designated "engineer-intern".  You remain in this status until you have practiced engineering for a designated number of years.  The amount of time you need to practice before becoming registered varies from state to state.  See the National Council of Examinors for Engineering and Surveying web site for details.

When is the fundamentals of engineering exam administered?

April and October.  See their web site for the schedule.

How can I get a teaching certificate?

"On Mar 25, 2005, at 5:30 PM, fmorriso@mtu.edu wrote:
> Good evening Brad,
> > Could you please point me to where I can find the requirements for
> getting  a teaching certificate in Michigan? I get this question from my
> advisees.  I see the minor in the tech catalog, but I know that is not the whole
> story.
> I send them to your department, but I'd like to be able to discuss it  with
> them also.
> > Best,
> Faith Morrison, Chem Eng
> Associate Professor

Faith, If only it were so simple!!! The state sets standards for teaching certification, but individual universities develop programs that meet those standards, so the specific courses required for certification can vary from college to college. The easiest way to look at the requirements at MTU, however, is to go to our web page (www.ed.mtu.edu/stu/cert.html) From there a student can link to the audit forms for the specific degrees.

The only certification area not directly covered is the Technology and Design program, which is designed primarily for engineers. In your case, you're probably dealing with Chem Engineering majors who are thinking about getting certified to teach Chemistry. For them, the easiest approach is to talk to Judy Anderson (juanders@mtu.edu), who is our certification officer. She can help determine which courses could be substituted for those listed in the chemistry degree, and identify other idiosyncracies.

It might help improve communication if you were to sit down with Judy and compare the Chem Engr requirements with the Chemistry teaching requirements. That might also help Judy when she is looking at individual students' cases and matching curricula. One final thing for interested students to keep in mind is that they need to have both a certification area AND a teaching minor. Those are also listed on the web page, and are quite a bit simpler than determining the majors. Hope this helps somewhat.
Brad "

Coaching Endorsement

From Judy Fynewever 212 SDC 487-2987 (30 March 2005):

The MTU Physical Education Department offers a "Coaching Endorsement Certification". The attachment describes our program. What students minimallly need in the State of Michigan is a certificate from the PACE program. This certificate is earned in our Foundations of Coaching class, PE 4020. Every coach in the state is supposed to have earned this PACE certificate, regardless of level coached. Of course, we have gone beyond that minimum by offering additional complementary classes.

The contact information for PACE (Program for Athletic Coaches' Education) is:
Michigan High School Athletic Association
1616 Ramblewood Drive
East Lansing, MI 48823
Phone: (517) 332-5046
FAX: (517) 332-4071

Minor in Computer Science

To get a minor in computer science you need to take the following:

Required (6 credits)
(3) CS2141 Software Development using C++
(3) CS2311 Discrete Structures

Then you need 10 credits from this list of elective classes:
(3) CS3141 Team Software Project
(4) CS3421 Computer Architecture
(3) CS3911 Intro Num Methods w/ FORTRAN
(3) CS4121 Programming Languages
(3) CS4311 Introduction to Computation Theory
(3) CS4321 Introduction to Algorithms
(4) CS4411 Introduction to Operating Systems
(3) CS4611 Foundations of Computer Graphics

Note that to get any minor you always need at least 6 credits of 3000+ level classes that do not double count towards your major (except as free
electives).

2008
There is a Minor in Law and Society. This minor double counts easily with the new gen ed rules and looks pretty interesting. http://www.admin.mtu.edu/em/students/graduation/audit/200808/ssls.pdf .  The pre-law advising page is located at http://www.prelaw.mtu.edu/.

Academic regulations and procedures are governed by University policy.  Academic dishonesty cases will be handled in accordance the University's policies.  

If you have a disability that could affect your performance in this class or that requires an accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, please see me as soon as possible so that we can make appropriate arrangements.  The Affirmative Action Office has asked that you be made aware of the following:

Michigan Tech complies with all federal and state laws and regulations regarding discrimination, including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you have a disability and need a reasonable accommodation for equal access to education or services at Michigan Tech, please call the Dean of Students Office, at 487-2212. For other concerns about discrimination, you may contact your advisor, department head or the Affirmative Action Office, at 487-3310

Academic Integrity: http://www.studentaffairs.mtu.edu/dean/judicial/policies/academic_integrity.html
Affirmative Action: http://www.admin.mtu.edu/aao/
Disability Services: http://www.admin.mtu.edu/urel/studenthandbook/student_services.html#disability
Equal Opportunity Statement: http://www.admin.mtu.edu/admin/boc/policy/ch3/ch3p7.htm

What is the meaning of life?

Ah, the big questions. Of course we do not know the meaning of life, but I do have opinions on how one conducts oneself in life.  We often focus on our goals in life - financial, personal, professional - and we sometimes tend to believe that achieving those goals will make us happy.  As you go forward in life, however, you find that the goals are elusive.  Whether you achieve them or not, you eventually go on to pursue new goals.  It does not make sense, for example, that once you obtain your near-term goals - degree, job, family - that life is over and you've succeeded (or that if you do not achieve these goals that you have failed).  We can point to any number of people who have achieved these goals and have gone on to be unhappy or downright antisocial and criminal, and equally we can point to any number of people who have not managed to complete degrees or get dream jobs or establish a family who are nonetheless happy and productive members of society.

So what's the deal?  I believe that the deal is that it is the journey that matters.  What you learn along the way to your near-term goals is what is important, and it is what defines you.  Are you a trustworthy individual?  Are you kind to others? Do you think carefully before you act?  Do you consider the feelings and needs of others when you choose your actions or are you so focussed on your goals and needs that you stomp all over anyone in your way?  Your actions and choices in the paths you take define you and mold you into the person you become.  Your lifelong project is you.

What does this have to do with chemical engineering advising?  Nothing, and everything.  I'm writing this just to put a little whisper in the back of the minds of anyone who reads it to take some time and think about the big picture - life.  When you face an ethical challenge, if you think about the person you would like to be, you can be aided in making your decision.  Looking at the big picture can also help you decide between courses (take an elective, or graduate early?), degrees (I'm an engineer but I've always wanted to teach - maybe I'll minor in secondary education just for fun), extracurricular activities (I have a real talent I'd like to develop and share), and social activities (hey, I can only make friends with these folks now; I can't put that off until after graduation!). And remember, each choice will bring about a different outcome.  Not all your choices will lead to comfortable places, but as long as you learn and grow based on your experiences, every path can be productive.  --Dr. Faith Morrison 4/16/03