Chemical Engineering - Biology Crossover Project - Customer Client Interactions

The freshman level Introduction to Chemical Engineering CHME100 course was run in the spring 2015 term. This course was modified to include modules that familiarized the students with key chemical engineering principles. Traditional topics were covered that included fluid flow, heat transfer, electrical systems and controls. A specific focus of each topic was modules or case studies that dealt with applications to industry, potentail biological hazards or contaminants, and process safety. Within each of these modules, the presence of microorganisms was incuded in the discussion from a safety, economic and environmental standpoint. These freshman level chemical engineering students were given a project to help bridge the traditional engineering focus to an all-encompassing project. The first step was to work within a chemical engineering team to assess a problem at a facility. After the chemical engineering students worked together to collect data, assess the problem and work on a possible solution, they met with a junior level molecular biology student group. The CHME 100 students communicated and collaborated with the molecular biology students as a customer or client would interact to solve the problems associated with microorganisms in industrial settings. They presented their work in a written report and an oral presentation. The interactions and experiences of this module will be discussed