COURSES

ID 110 Concepts in Engineering Design Fall 2006, 2007 and 2008

This class exposes freshmen to problems that have no departmental boundaries. A broad goal of this class is to attempt to make engineering (and science) fun and remove boundaries between the two. Students in the class get to design -list of topics here.

I taught lectures on

• Making artificial organs (heart, liver, joints) & contact lens
• Making fuel from the sun
• Central Dogma in biology
• Making connections between the above topics using structure-property relations, chemical bonds etc.

ID602 Research Methodology Fall 2006 and Spring 2008

Two lectures dealing with trying very hard problems, dealing with large failure associated with it and the few success stories.

CH303 Mass Transfer Summer 2007

Applying concepts to problems on hydrogen generation, fuel cells and atmospheric temperatures, scrubbing of chemicals, subtleties of ion-exchange and evaporation of ocean water.

Learning to formulate problems involving use of "new" and "old" equipment. Designing equipments to solve problems. You will solve problems from various sources including but not limited to process industries, chemical companies, financial and services sector. We will use skills learnt in process calculations, thermodynamics, momentum transfer, mass transfer, chemical reaction engineering and heat transfer.

Your evaluation will include

• A one-on-one interview with me on all your projects in this class.
• Your team will evaluate you and you will evaluate other members in your team.
• Your team's attempts, success and failure at solving a problem. I will not penalize a wrong answer. There will be penalty for shoddy attempts and laziness.
• Your class's contribution to lectures and problems involving larger teams.
• Presentation skills in the form of a seminar. You could choose versions - demonstrate your problem solving skills in the form of a play, skit etc. as well.
• Written skills in the form of a scientific report.
• Your creativity.

CH 352 Heat and Mass Transfer Laboratory Spring 2007

Experiments demonstrating concepts learned in class. Students are also asked to design their own experiment that could be a modification of a previous experiment or design and demonstrate a new experiment emphasizing a concept.

CH 417 Catalyst Science and Technology Spring 2007

This class dealt with historical evolution of industrial catalysts, scaling criteria for decoupling transport and reaction, preparation and characterization of catalysts emphasizing concepts in ion exchange and mass transfer, application of scanning probe and electron microscopies in the development of catalysts, fuels and energy conversion devices (fuel cells, solar cells) and the UBI-QEP formalism.

CH 451 Chemical Reaction Engineering Lab Fall 2008 and Fall 2009

Four experiments involving Tracer studies and homogeneous single step reactions in Stirred, Batch and Plug flow reactors. An experiment on synthesis of heterogeneous catalysts using concepts in adsorption, ion exchange and diffusion. One experiment on an
industrial scale pilot plant catalytic reactor to get mass transfer free kinetic data following the work of Boudart, Wei and Weisz. We thank Chevron who paid for the experimental set-up on synthesis and analysis of heterogeneous catalysts.

CH 502 Experimental and Analytical Methods in Chemical Engineering Fall 2006

I taught the experimental aspects of this class emphasizing fundamental aspects and conceptual understanding of Diffraction (X-ray and Electron), Spectroscopy (UV-Visible, IR, Raman, Xray-Photoelectron, Auger Electron), Microscopy (Optical, Scanning electron, Transmission electron), Titrations (Acid-base) and Chromatography (Liquid, Gas, Thin Layer and High Pressure)

CH531 Molecular Science and Engineering Fall 2007

This course will be of interest to students in all disciplines (science and engineering) and aims to demonstrate the use molecular processes and basic laws of science as tools to solve real problems. The approach taken will involve construction of appropriate theories and models to suit and analyze problems. The course will help relate experiences in different disciplines by examples chosen from everyday experience.

Structure and Bonding -Lewis dot structures to Density Functional Theory; Symmetry and structure-property relationships; Figures of Merit-Relevant order of magnitude in sciences (inflationary theory, molecules, nanoscale materials, supramolecular structures) and engineering (roads, bridges, buildings and chemical plants); case studies in physical sciences (catalysis, electricity, magnetism, ion-exchange) and life sciences (drug delivery, central dogma in biology); Problem solving in industries