Undergraduate Programs: Courses
540.101 (E) Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Today
A series of weekly lectures to introduce students to chemical and biomolecular engineering and its role as a profession in addressing contemporary technological, social, ethical, and economic issues in today’s world. The lectures will include examples of how chemical and biomolecular engineers apply the principles of physics and chemistry to develop new products, improve process efficiencies, and alleviate the strain on the ecosystem through the design of novel enviromentally conscious processes. In addition, the lectures will highlight exciting new areas now being advanced by chemical and biomolecular engineers, such as biochemical engineering, tissue engineering, nanoparticle fabrication, and processing smart polymers for applications in computer technology and as sensors. Prerequisite: none.
Faculty / 1 credit (Freshmen Only)
540.102 (E) Intro to Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Problems
This course will introduce students to typical problems encountered by chemical and biomolecular engineers, and the tools used to address them. Fundamental concepts in material and energy balances, thermodynamics, transport phenomena and reaction kinetics will be introduced, and will demonstrate the relevance of future chemical and biomolecular core engineering courses. Students will also be exposed to valuable engineering skills such as: problem identification and solving, design of experiments and the analysis and interpretation of data.
Faculty / 1 credit (Freshmen Only)
540.202 (E) Introduction to Chemical and Biological Process Analysis
Introduction to chemical and biomolecular engineering and the fundamental principles of chemical process analysis. Formulation and solution of material and energy balances on chemical processes. Reductionist approaches to the solution of complex, multi-unit processes will be emphasized. Introduction to the basic concepts of thermodynamics as well as chemical and biochemical reactions. Prerequisites: 030.101, 171.101.
Drazer / 4 credits
540.203 (E) Engineering Thermodynamics
Formulation and solution of material, energy, and entropy balances with an emphasis on open systems. A systematic problem-solving approach is developed for chemical and biomolecular process-related systems. Extensive use is made of classical thermodynamic relationships and constitutive equations for one and two component systems. Applications include the analysis and design of engines, refrigerators, heat pumps, compressors, and turbines. Prerequisites: 540.202. Corequisites: 110.202.
Frechette / 3 credits
540.204 (E) Applied Physical Chemistry
Introduction of the methods used to solve thermodynamic problems faced by chemical and biomolecular engineers, including phase and chemical equilibria problems, the thermodynamic properties of interfaces, and the thermodynamics of macromolecules. The basic thermodynamic relationships to describe phase equilibrium of single-component and multicomponent systems are developed. Thermodynamic models for calculating fugacity are presented. Multicomponent phase equilibrium problems addressed include liquid-vapor, liquid-liquid, and liquid-liquid-vapor equilibrium. Basic thermodynamic relationships to describe chemical equilibria, the physical chemistry of liquid-liquid and liquid-solid interfaces, and the conformation of biological macromolecules are also presented. Prerequisite: 540.203.
Gracias / 3 credits
540.301 (E) Kinetic Processes
Review of numerical methods applied to kinetic phenomena and reactor design in chemical and biological processes. Homogeneous kinetics and interpretation of reaction rate data. Batch, plug flow, and stirred tank reactor analyses, including reactors in parallel and in series. Selectivity and optimization considerations in multiple reaction systems. Nonisothermal reactors. Elements of heterogeneous kinetics, including adsorption isotherms and heterogeneous catalysis. Coupled transport and chemical/biological reaction rates.
Prerequisites: 540.203, 540.303 or permission of instructor
Hanes / 4 credits
540.303 (E,N) Transport Phenomena I
Introduction to the field of transport phenomena. Molecular mechanisms of momentum transport (viscous flow), energy transport (heat conduction), and mass transport (diffusion). Isothermal equations of change (continuity, motion, and energy). The development of the Navier Stokes equation. The development of nonisothermal and multicomponent equations of change for heat and mass transfer. Exact solutions to steady state, isothermal unidirectional flow problems, to steady state heat and mass transfer problems. The analogies between heat, mass, and momentum transfer are emphasized throughout the course. Corequisite: 110.302 or equivalent.
Stebe / 4 credits
540.304 (E,N) Transport Phenomena II
Dimensional analysis and dimensionless groups. Laminar boundary layers, introduction to turbulent flow. Definition of the friction factor. Macroscopic mass, momentum and mechanical energy balances (Bernouilli’s equation). Metering of fluids. Convective heat and mass transfer. Heat and mass transfer in boundary layers. Correlations for convective heat and mass transfer. Boiling and condensation. Interphase mass transfer. Prerequisite: 540.303.
Konstantopoulos / 4 credits
540.306 (E) Chemical and Biological Separations
This course covers staged and continuous-contacting separations processes critical to the chemical and biochemical industries. Processes considered include distillation, liquid-liquid extraction, gas absorption, leaching chromatography, crystallization, precipitation, filtration, and drying. Particular emphasis is placed on the biochemical uses of these processes and consequently on how the treatment of these processes differs from the more traditional approach. Prerequisites: 540.202, 540.303 or permission of instructor
Park, Betenbaugh / 3 credits
540.311 (E,W) Chemical Engineering Laboratory
Students are challenged with laboratory projects that are not well-defined and learn to develop an effective framework for approaching experimental work by identifying the important operating variables, deciding how best to obtain them, and using measured or calculated values of these operating variables to predict, carryout, analyze and improve upon experiments. Each student analyzes three of the following four projects: distillation, gas absorption, liquid-liquid extraction and chemical kinetics in a tubular flow reactor and also one of the projects in 540.313. In addition to technical objectives, this course stresses oral and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively in groups. Prerequisites 540.301, 540.304, 540.306, 540.490
Katz / 6 credits
540.313 (E,W) Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Lab
Students are challenged with laboratory projects that are not well-defined and learn to develop an effective framework for approaching experimental work by identifying the important operating variables, deciding how best to obtain them, and using measured or calculated values of these operating variables to predict, carryout, analyze and improve upon experiments. Each student analyzes three biomolecular engineering projects and one of the projects in 540.311. In addition to technical objectives, this course stresses oral and written communication skills and the ability to work effectively in groups. Prerequisites 540.301, 540.304, 540.306, 540.490.
Ostermeier / 6 credits
540.314 (E) Chemical and Biomolecular Product and Process Design
This course guides the student through the contrasting aspects of product design and of process design. Product design concerns the recognition of customer needs, the creation of suitable specifications, and the selection of best products to fulfill the needs. Process design concerns the quantitative description of processes which serve to produce many commodity chemicals, the estimation of process profitability, and the potential for profitability improvement through incremental changes in the process. Students work in small teams to complete a major project demonstrating their understanding of and proficiency in the primary objectives of the course. Students report several times both orally and in writing on their accomplishments. Prerequisites: 540.311 or 540.313 or permission of instructor.
Katz, Nwankwo / 4 credits
540.402 (E) Cellular and Molecular Biotechnology of Mammalian Systems
This course provides details of the latest advances in cellular and molecular biology for mammalian systems, with special implications for biotechnology. Topics covered include tissue organization, gene expression, signal transduction, immunology, proteomics, genomics, and post-transnational processing. Special emerging areas in biotechnology involving mammalian cells will be described including nanobiotechnology for mammalian cells, metabolic and cellular engineering, stem cell therapies, and tissue engineering.
Betenbaugh/ 3 credits
540.404 (E) Therapeutic and Diagnostic Colloids
The inefficient or inappropriate transport of particles in complex biological fluids in the body currently limits the effectiveness of nanoparticle-based strategies aimed at providing a variety of breakthroughs in medicine, from highly targeted drug and gene delivery systems to improved particles for advanced imaging and diagnostics. Many bodily fluids serve as barriers to particle transport to desired locations, and some are microporous, highly viscous and/or elastic in nature. This course seeks to provide a fundamental understanding of the phenomena, including fluid micro-, meso- and macrorheology, that governs nano- and microparticle transport in important biological fluids, including the blood, airways, mucus, and living cells. A comparison of macroscopic and microscopic particle transport behavior, including comparisons of ensemble-average transport behavior to that of individual particle behavior, is a common thread that runs throughout the course. The importance of particle physicochemical properties in achieving desired particle transport through biological barriers to desired sites of action will be addressed. The course will include a case study involving the design criteria of efficient synthetic systems for gene delivery in the lung airways.
Hanes, Wirtz/ 3 credits
540.409 (E,Q) Modelling Dynamics and Control for Chemical and Biological Systems
Introduction to modeling, dynamics, and control. Unsteady state analysis of biomolecular and chemical process control systems. State space and Laplace transform techniques, block diagram algebra, and transfer functions. Feedback and feedforward control. Frequency response and stability analysis. Model construction for biomolecular and cellular systems including pharmacokinetic modeling, biomolecular modeling using the central dogma of biology/control of gene expression, large scale biosimulation. Introduction to nonlinear dynamics. Corequisites: 110.302 or a differential equations course, 540.203, 540.301, 540.303. 020.305 and 020.306 or equivalent is recommended but not required.
Gray / 3 credits
540.412/612 (E) Interfacial Phenomena in Nanostructure Materials
All materials properties of materials change when encountered or fabricated with nanoscale structure. In this class, we will examine how the properties of nanostructured materials differ from their macroscopic behavior, primarily due to the presence of large interfacial areas relative to the characteristic volume scale. General topics include the structure of nanostructured materials (characterization & microscopy), thermodynamics (effects of high curvatures and surface elasticity), kinetics and phase transformations (diffusion and morphological stability), and electronic properties (quantum confinement and effects of dimensionality).
Stebe, Erlebacher/ 3 credits
540.426/626 (E) Introduction to Biomacromolecules
This course introduces modern concepts of polymer physics to describe the conformation and dynamics of biological macromolecules such as filamentous actin, microtubule, and nucleic acids. We will introduce scattering techniques, micromanipulation techniques, as well as rheology applied to the study of polymers for tissue engineering and drug delivery applications.
Wirtz / 3 credits
540.427 (E) Introduction to Polymer Science
Topics include bonding in polymers, polymer morphology, molecular weight characterization, polymer solubility and solutions, transitions in polymers, condensation and free-radical polymerization, copolymerization, rubber elasticity, viscoelasticity, polymer processing. Prerequisite: junior standing in engineering or the physical sciences.
Staff / 3 credits
540.430 (E) Protein Solution Thermodynamics
Much of our current understanding of protein interactions has been from observations of bulk thermodynamic behavior, such as solubility, osmotic pressure, and adsorption. More recently, however, intermolecular forces have been measured directly for proteins using techniques such as surface force apparatus, atomic force microscopy, and osmotic pressure. The course will examine the relationship between forces in protein solutions and the macroscopic thermodynamic properties of protein solutions.
Paulaitis / 3 credits
540.431 (E, N) Biochemical Engineering/Biotechnology
Application of engineering principles in biochemistry and microbiology. Topics include a brief review of microbiology, fermentation kinetics, microbial growth models, recombinant DNA technology, cell line development, mass and energy balances, metabolic processes, transport phenomena in biotechnology systems, and recent advances in biotechnology.
Betenbaugh / 3 credits
540.432 (E) Metabolic Engineering
An overview on the latest advances to modulate intracellular pathways using recombinant DNA and other manipulation techniques for biotechnological, medical, environmental, energy, and other applications. Specific application areas include improved cellular performance for production of biopharmaceuticals, degradation of toxins, generation of novel drugs and cell therapies, production of biologicals in plants, and energy generation from microbial sources. Specific pathways considered include intracellular metabolism, glycosylation, apoptosis, and cell cycle. Techniques to be covered include both experimental and mathematical methods to manipulate and interpret changes in cellular behavior and the analysis of specific biochemical reaction pathways within cells and organisms.
Betenbaugh / 3 credits
540.433/633 (E) Engineering Aspects of Controlled Drug Delivery
This course addresses the fundamental engineering behind the development and understanding of controlled drug delivery systems. Focus is placed on the encapsulation and delivery of therapeutic proteins and genes from polymeric devices due to their increasing prevalence and importance in pharmaceutical products. Routes of drug delivery to be covered include oral, transdermal, pulmonary, injection, and surgical implantation. Topics include biological barriers to drug delivery, drug pharmacokinetics, particle targeting via receptor-ligand interactions, intracellular transport of collodial particles and synthetic gene delivery vectors. Prerequisites: 540.301 and either 540.303 or 580.461. Otherwise, permission may be given in special cases by instructor.
Hanes / 3 credits
540.435 (E) Genome Engineering
The interpretation of cellular functions at the genetic level and the application of this knowledge for technological innovation. Topics include bioinformatics, combinatorial biochemistry, genome shuffling, metabolic engineering, and bioremediation.
Betenbaugh / 3 credits
540.460/660 (E) Design of Biological Molecules and Systems
This course reviews current research problems in biomolecular design both from computational and experimental approaches. Current methods in structure prediction (folding, docking and design) will illustrate fundamental concepts in protein structure, biophysics, and optimization. Current research problems in evolution-based biomolecular engineering will illustrate principles in the design of biomolecules (i.e. protein engineering, RNA/DNA engineering), metabolic pathways, signaling pathways, genetic circuits and complex biological systems including cells. Prerequisite: 020.305
Ostermeier, Gray / 3 credits
540.438/638 (E) Interfacial Phenomena in Nanotechnology
Nanotechnology is a new field that is still being defined, with concepts ranging from nanorobotics to nanomaterials. Whatever the outcome, engineering at the nanoscale will be dominated by surface science, as surface to volume rations become large. Furthermore, self-assembly techniques with which molecules can spontaneously assemble in ordered structures with nanometer length scales are ripe for exploitation to create new materials. In this class, the fundamentals of interfacial thermodynamics, interfacial interactions (e.g. van der Wall's interactions, electrostatics, steric interactions), adsorption, self-assembly, and specific interactions will be covered with an emphasis on how to exploit these ideas in application in nanotechnology.
Stebe / 3 credits
540.439 (E) Polymer Nanocomposites
Polymers are ever increasing in importance in our world today and are found in everything from the clothes we wear and the foods we eat, to the vehicles we drive/in and the materials used to build our houses. Polymers have come a long way from the discovery of nylons in the 1930s/1940s. Important factors in the continuous improvements in polymers is the ability to control polymer structure on the nanoscale size domain and modify polymers that have structure on the nanoscale level. In this course, we will review basic polymer science and engineering principles (including polymer chemistry and polymer physics) before engaging in a better understanding of what is meant by polymer nanotechnology, how these domains are structured on such a small scale what analytical methods are typically used to measure/detect these small structures, and how to modify materials on the nanoscale in order to modify polymer properties. Prerequisites: 030.101, 030.104, 171.101, 171.102, 030.204
Young / 3 credits
540.440/640 (E) Micro and Nanotechnology
Micro/Nanotechnology is the field of fabrication, characterization and manipulation of extremely small objects (dimensions on the micron to nanometer length scale). Microscale objects, because of their small size, are expected to be at the frontier of technological innovation for the next decade. This course will include a description of the materials used in microtechnology, methods employed to fabricate nanoscale objects, techniques involved in characterizing and exploiting the properties of small structures, and examples of how this technology is revolutionizing the areas of Electronics and Medicine.
Gracias / 3 credits
540.458/658 (E) Biochemical Engineering of Medicinal Plants
This unique course links modern engineering and scientific research to traditional use and interpretation of herbal materials. Topics include the following: A review of traditional herbal medicine. Thermal, chemical and biological processing technology of herbal materials to enhance efficacy and to reduce toxicity. In vitro production of secondary metabolites using plant cell culture technology. In vitro bioconversion of active components of medicinal plants by gastrointestinal microbes. Effect of herbal extracts on the growth of gastrointestinal microbes. Neuroprotection by herbal extracts.
Park / 3 credits
540.460/660 (E, N) Computational and Experimental Design of Biomolecules
This course reviews current research problems in biomolecular design both from computational and experimental approaches. Current methods in structure prediction (folding, docking and design) will illustrate fundamental concepts in protein structure, biophysics, and optimization. Current research problems in evolution-based biomolecular engineering will illustrate principles in the design of biomolecules (i.e. protein engineering, RNA/DNA engineering), metabolic pathways, signaling pathways, genetic circuits and complex biological systems including cells.
Prerequisites: 020.305
Gray, Ostermeier / 3 credits
540.473 (E) Interfacial Phenomena
Course provides an overview of colloid and surface science. Topics include surface and interfacial tension and surface energies (definitions and methods of measurement), interactions at solid-liquid interfaces, thermodynamics of fluid interfaces, hydrodynamics of interfacial systems, including Marangoni flows, and applications of colloid and surface science in the chemical industry.
Stebe / 3 credits
540.490 Chemical and Laboratory Safety
This course is meant to provide the student with a basic knowledge of laboratory safety; hazards, regulations, personal protective equipment, good laboratory practice, elementary toxicology, and engineering controls. It has been developed by the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering to assist with regulatory compliance, minimize hazards, and reduce the severity of any incidents that may occur in the department’s laboratories. The course is a prerequisite of 540.311. It is required of all Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering undergraduates. In addition once per year a three-hour refresher seminar must be taken by all students involved in laboratory research.
Staff / 1 credit
540.501-506 Undergraduate Independent Study
Students do a reading course in specialized areas not directly available by lecture courses. Assignments and problems are prescribed by a faculty member.
1-3 credits
540.521-526 Undergraduate Research
Students do individual projects (or in collaboration with faculty and/or graduate students) in areas basic to chemical engineering.
1-3 credits
540.531-532 Chemical Engineering Seminar
Lectures are presented on current subjects relevant to chemical engineering. Prerequisites: 540.303, 540.306.
1 credit
540.535 Chemical Engineering Student Seminar
Lectures are presented on current subjects relevant to chemical engineering. Corequisite: 540.521-526 or 540.801-802.
CROSS-LISTED
500.111 (E,N) Energy and the Environment
Katz / 3 credits
500.150 (H,E) Ethical and Societal Issues in Engineering
Donohue / 3 credits
500.101 (E) What is Engineering?
This is a course of lectures, laboratories, and special projects. Its objective is to introduce students not only to different fields of engineering but also to the analytic tools and techniques that the profession uses. Assignments include hands-on and virtual experiments, oral presentations of product design, and design/construction/testing of structures. Open to freshmen only.
Karweit / 3 credits
[NO LONGER OFFERED AFTER FALL 2003]
500.200 (E,Q) Computing for Engineers and Scientists
This course emphasizes computer usage for solving problems in engineering and science. Topics include structure and operation of a computer, FORTRAN 77, and elementary computational mathematics and numerical analysis. Prerequisite: 110.109.
Karweit / 3 credits
[REPLACES 500.200 STARTING SPRING 2004]
500.301 (E,Q) Computational Techniques in Engineering and Science.
Beginning with a review of structured programming languages (C, FORTRAN), this course develps the numerical tools needed to solve basic engineering and science problems. Topics include numerical solutions of equations, interpolation, approximation, numerical differentiation and integration, root finding, and solutions to linear systems. Accuracy and stability are emphasized throughout. Engineering problems requiring the use of algorithms from Press, etal., Numerical Recipes are
assigned weekly. Prerequisites: 110.202, 550.291, and a cursory knowledge of C or FORTRAN; or instructor's permission.
Karweit/ 4 credits
PART-TIME UNDERGRADUATE COURSES
545.447 System Safety and Risk Management
Methods, mathematics, and management approaches for evaluating the safety of complex technical systems are presented. Examples of risk assessments pertaining to the design, operation, siting, transportation, and emergency planning of both chemical and nuclear materials are studied. Topics include probability and reliability concepts; failure data analysis; FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis); fault-tree and event-tree techniques; human factors and human error models; multiobjective risk assessment, optimization, and display of information; safety goals; ethics; perceptual risk; reliability assurance and maintenance; cost-benefit and analysis for safety improvement; accident mitigation; and research priority setting. Also radiological and toxicological aspects of consequence, and modeling for estimating environmental and public health impacts are reviewed.
Marguilies / 3 credits
545.449 Statistical Design of Experiments
This course introduces the basic concepts which underlie modern statistically designed experimental programs. These programs typically test many variables simultaneously and are very efficient tools for developing empirical mathematical models which accurately describe physical and chemical processes. They are readily applied to production plant, pilot plant, and laboratory systems, and should be part of every practicing engineer’s repertoire. Topics include fundamental statistics; the statistical basis for recognizing real effects in noisy data; statistical tests and reference distributions; analysis of variance; construction, application, and analysis of factorial and fractional factorial designs; screening design; response surface and optimization methods; and application to plant operations.
Staff
545.451 Introduction to Colloids and Surface Science
The course provides an overview of colloid and surface science. Topics include surface and interfacial tension and surface energies (definitions and methods of measurement), interactions at solid-liquid interfaces, thermodynamics of fluid interfaces, phenomenology of colloidal systems (classification, preparation and morphology), sedimentation and diffusion of fine particles in dispersed systems, and rheology of colloidal systems.
Middleton, Stebe
