University of Toledo : Chemical and Environmental Engineering

Chemical Engineers have long been regarded as the most versatile of all engineers; yet many opportunities exist to specialize in a particular area. Chemical engineers invent, develop, design, operate, and manage processes. We make products that meet society’s needs. We play key roles in industries as varied as petroleum, petrochemicals, food, materials, specialty chemicals, power production, environmental control, waste management, and biotechnology. You’ll find us wherever an understanding of chemical transformations and separations is necessary in addition to knowledge from other engineering fields. Examples of chemical engineering processes are the refining of crude oil by distillation, production of insulin through a fermentation process and catalytic converters for reducing automotive emissions.

The Chemical Engineering curriculum is a strong combination of both theoretical and practical coursework. We first build a strong foundation in chemistry, physics, and mathematics. You will then learn to apply this knowledge to the practice of chemical engineering, including heat and mass transfer, unit operations, chemical reaction engineering, process control, modeling and simulation, economics, and plant design. The program culminates with a design project that integrates the knowledge gained during the prior four years to solve a real chemical engineering problem.

How important is Chemical Engineering in today’s world?
We have reached a point in time when man must contend with fundamental changes in the availability of some of the most important resources on this planet:

• Sustainability
• Alternative Energy
• Environmental Protection
• Food Production
• Pulp and Paper

The technology solutions to many of these problems fall squarely within the domain of Chemical Engineering.

Where do Chemical Engineers Work?
The academic training of chemical engineers provides them with the opportunity of being employed in a multitude of areas. For example:

• Production and Utilization of Energy
• Environmental Protection
• Pulp and Paper
• Advanced Materials
• Manufacture of Chemicals
• Plastics Manufacture
• Food Processing
• Consulting
• Metallurgical Operations
• Biotechnology
• Instrumentation Development and Marketing
• Manufacture of Medical Devices
• Government
• Patent Law

What Type of Work does a Chemical Engineer Do?
In general, a Chemical Engineer works with processes and physical aspects of materials rather than with the chemistry of materials, as implied by the word chemical (this aspect is for the Chemist). Typically, the Chemical Engineer will be involved in:

• Production Supervision
• Scale-up of Laboratory Processes to Industrial Size
• Economic Analyses
• Pollution Prevention and Control
• Health and Safety
• Automatic Control of Processes
• Computer Simulation of Plants for Optimum Operation
• Design of In-Plant Improvements for more Economical Operation
• Management
• Technical Marketing

What About the University of Toledo?
UT is a state university and is recognized as one of the nation’s major regional universities. We are located in a residential part of the city of Toledo. There are about 20,000 students, of which about 2000 are in the College of Engineering. A fair number of students commute to school and go part-time, but the vast majority are full-time students residing in dormitories or nearby apartments. UT has the following colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Pharmacy, Community and Technical College and Engineering.

Our school is large enough to have many exciting opportunities and challenging activities, but not too big where students lose their identity. This is especially true in engineering where there are relatively small classes and faculty take a personal interest in students.

The Chemical Engineering Department at UT
The Chemical Engineering Department has approximately 200 undergraduate students and 40 graduate students. There are 11 full-time faculty members, one emeritus professor, and one research professor in the department.

The department offers an ABET-accredited B.S. in Chemical Engineering. Students graduate in five years, during which time they complete a mandatory co-op work experience. All classes are taught by faculty who remain accessible to students to answer questions and assist with problems that students are having in understanding new material and difficult concepts. Students can complete a regular program, or may tailor their curriculum to provide a specialization in either the polymers or the environmental area.

Faculty members are respected experts in their chosen area of specialization. Students can participate in the ongoing research activities during all levels of their college career. As participants in the research activities, our students enjoy the opportunity to attend professional research conference to present their results.

How good are the teachers in Chemical Engineering?
Excellent. Three of the department’s faculty have won outstanding teaching awards, either at the college or university level. We pride ourselves on a history of excellent teaching in the chemical engineering department. All courses in the department are taught by faculty members, not by teaching assistants or graduate students.

How hard is Chemical Engineering?
Make no mistake, chemical engineering is a difficult curriculum. Our students work very hard to complete their degree requirements. But, they also have a lot of fun along the way, and they learn a great deal. At the end of the four years, they have a very marketable degree, something not every college graduate can claim.

Will I be able to find a job after graduation?
Graduating students have been taking jobs with starting salaries north of $65,000 per year. All students get free assistance from the Career Management Center in the College of Engineering. Although we cannot guarantee employment after graduation, most of our graduates find employment through Departmental, College, and University resources.

What are the facilities like?
In 1995 we moved into a new $25 million engineering complex. In Nitschke Hall and North Engineering, there is a large amount of space for laboratories, computer clusters, student lounge and study areas and faculty offices. All students have access to the building through their student ID, and 24-hour access to the many computer laboratories located within the facilities.

Next to Nitschke Hall is Palmer Hall, the primary classroom facility for engineering students. Palmer is regularly upgraded with new equipment to improve the dissemination of information. Virtually all classrooms are equipped with a computer and projector for instruction. We are working to develop interactive classrooms, in which faculty can work with students directly through their computers to create a hands-on environment for the solution of engineering problems.

Adjacent to Nitschke Hall is 1000-seat Nitschke Auditorium. A new research incubator is planned for the space between Nitschke Auditorium and Research and Technology Building 1.