(225a) New Laboratory Course for Today's Chemical Engineering Students

A new laboratory course has been developed at the University of Virginia for senior-level chemical engineering students. The new laboratory course is based on three 4-week long experiments that demonstrate the relevancy of chemical engineering in a range of technologies including bioprocess engineering, energy conversion and catalysis, and polymer synthesis and characterization. The emphasis of the new laboratory course is to provide the students with opportunities to learn skills needed to succeed in today's changing world such as the integration of process steps, product development, and teamwork. The overall concept of the new laboratory course is discussed along with an overview of each experiment and student feedback.