Syllabus

Teams have been assigned and you'll receive an email indicating which team you're on. Look up your team number in the first column of the table below and your first experiment is listed in the same row under "Lab 1." On the Daily Schedule teams 1-10 are grouped as LOW-1, LOW-2, etc and teams 11-20 are grouped as HIGH-1, HIGH-2, etc.

The abbreviations used in this table are as follows:

• UVP: UV Photocatalytic Reactor

• LNP: Liposome Nanoparticle Synthesis

• PHE: Plate Heat Exchanger

• RO: Reverse Osmosis

• pHC: pH control

• FC: PEM Fuel Cell

• CT: Cooling Tower

• BRC: Batch Rectification Column

• PD: Packed Bed Pressure Drop

• CVD: Low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) simulation

Description

Laboratory projects in the areas of applied chemical research and unit operations are essential preparation for careers in chemical engineering. In this course, emphasis is placed on applications of engineering concepts and fundamental solutions to practical engineering and academic research problems. The course objectives are to provide the following to each student:

• A mechanism whereby students learn to identify, formulate, analyze, and solve a significant problem.

• A laboratory setting wherein students must assess and exercise process and chemical safety in multidisciplinary experimental projects.

• A project-oriented setting wherein students perform design and scale-up calculations.

• Rigorous training in technical communications, both oral and written.

• An environment which encourages students to work in teams and to improve communication.

• An experience which instills ethical responsibility in the analysis and interpretation of data.

Academic Integrity

We take academic integrity seriously and expect you to do so as well.  You are encouraged to communicate with other teams and within your own team but all assignments must be completed individually or within your team as appropriate. The minimum penalty for plagiarism and other forms of cheating is a 35 point penalty and referral to the Academic Integrity Office; we'll go into what constitutes plagiarism during the lecture portion of the course.  Our responsibilities to maintain integrity of scholarship, yours as student and ours as instructors, have been outlined in the UC San Diego Policy on Integrity of Scholarship.

I also place a strong emphasis on professionalism. In my eyes, you've all completed the majority of your coursework, you've got all the major fundamentals in hand, and in about six months someone is going to pay you a significant sum of money to be an expert in chemical engineering. It's therefore imperative that you be prepared to function well on a team as a professional chemical engineer. Emphasizing professionalism will impact the course in various ways, each of which represent my high expectations of your conduct both as an individual, a team member, and a chemical engineer:

• I expect you to understand all relevant safety protocols being followed in lab, even if you are not physically present.

• I expect you to treat me, the course staff, and especially your teammates with respect.

• I expect you to complete your assignments on time and with professional integrity.

• I expect you to understand and follow instructions whether they're provided verbally, in an e-mail, or on this website.

Logistics

(updated 02 Jan 2025)

When and Where We Meet

The course is divided into two sections, each with a different lecture and lab periods as summarized below. Do not switch sections or teams! You're all on slightly different schedules and it's not a simple matter of switching out one team member for another. When performing the COMSOL experiment, the computer lab in EBU2 203 is available during lab hours. The lab is open Sunday-Thurday 7AM-10PM, Friday-Saturday 7AM-5PM (unless reserved by another class). The passcode is: 1012273

The daily schedule for the course is shown below. Small adjustments may be made throughout the course but emails will be sent out (or announcements made in lecture) about any significant changes.

Additional Logistical Information

• Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Lab coats are required and can be purchased from the bookstore; we'll provide gloves, safety glasses, and chemical goggles. You must wear closed-toe shoes, long pants (or leggings that cover to the ankle), lab coats, and safety eyewear when in the lab. PPE violations will result in removal from the lab. There are no lab coats or shoes available in the lab for you to borrow.

• Teams: You'll be assigned to a team during Week 1; don't switch teams! Discussion among lab teams is encouraged but all assignments must be completed individually or within your team as appropriate. In the spring, you will stay in your same groups.

• Textbooks: None explicitly because the course content is based on previous courses on chemical engineering fundamentals, engineering handbooks, and literature material.

• Grading: Course grades are based on the table below for Winter quarter (CENG 176A). The letter grades for this course will be based on the average score of the assignments and follow a modified straight-scale format with 2 pts near the cutoff for +/- grades (e.g., a 91 is an A-, an 88 is a B+, etc.). The lowest passing grade in the course is 70 (C-); scores lower than 70 will result in a failing grade. 

• Attendance: Attendance is required for certain portions of the course:

  • Lectures: It is encouraged to be present for the live lectures during Weeks 1 - 3 (if any are on the schedule). Since some students are international, we fully understand that some may not be able to attend, so those lectures will be posted. Starting week 4, for group presentations, all four members of your group MUST be present or else a penalty will be applied to your report's group score. An absence must be excused beforehand. Examples of unexcused absences are below.

  • Labs: Attendance is required for the live experiments. An unexcused lab absence is defined as failing to check in within the first 15 min of the lab period without a valid explanation (or leaving more than 15 min early from the lab while your team continues to collect data). Such an absence will result in a 10 point penalty to the corresponding report; three or more unexcused lab absences in one quarter will result in a failing grade for the course. An excused absence is defined a circumstance beyond a student's control which prohibits your timely appearance for the live experiment. Examples of unacceptable absences include the demands of other courses; the demands of a time-consuming job; the desire to leave town for a vacation, family gathering, or athletic contest; the desire to do well on GRE tests; and the like (these examples are similar to those in UC San Diego's Academic Regulations and Policies).
    Lab Experiments are designed to require four to six hours of data-taking for an average report. If your group feels that they have collected sufficient data in less time, and would like to leave the lab, you will be asked to demonstrate the extent to which you investigated the experiment.

• Regrades and Curving: There is no curve for the course and there are no report regrades. However you are encouraged to contact whomever evaluated your report with questions or concerns, and it is up to the individual evaluators to decide if additional points are warranted. Late reports are accepted within 0-24 hr of the submission deadline with a 15 pt penalty, and 24-48 hr after the deadline with a 30 pt penalty. Reports are not accepted beyond 48 hr after the submission deadline.

People

We have a variety of people to help out on the course; if you'd like to arrange a meeting with someone listed below please contact them by e-mail and they'll be happy to help out. Office hours with faculty are by appointment only. If a regular time is agreed upon, the faculty may be able to create office hours at designated times with a Zoom link in the Canvas calendar.