Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Advising

Where can I learn more about the NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates program?

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The Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF), is a set of summer research programs hosted at at many universities, including Michigan Tech.  These are competitive programs and an excellent way to check out if you are interested in graduate school.  A good time to do an REU is the summer after you have completed the spring junior classes in chemical engineering.  If you can get one earlier than that, that’s great too, but the best time is just before senior year.

The REU programs are the opportunity to participate in a funded research program at a research university.  You will work with other REU undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs, and the professor in the program (0ften in a lab) on a real project that is aiming towards publication.  They are looking for bright students who may be interested in going to graduate school.  They will be showing you what graduate school and research is all about.  You will make friends and gain colleagues and you will gain research experience and skills. You will get the opportunity to live in a new place and in general check out the scene.  You may get to be on a publication.  If you are not sure about going to graduate school the REU experience will likely give you the experience you need to come to a decision.

The REU fellowships are well funded–you will have enough to live on and to enjoy your summer and to save up for college.  The deadlines for REU applications range from January to late March annually.  There may be some with later deadlines, but they are accepting people in February and March so if they fill up they fill up.

You may obtain more information about the REU program from the NSF website.  Undergraduate students sponsored with NSF funds must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its possessions.  NSF maintains a website that allows you to search by topic for REU programs throughout the country.  A contact person and contact information is listed for each site.

I highly recommend this program to students who are interested in research and/or graduate school.

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How should I prepare for a phone/web interview?

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First interviews over the phone or internet are increasingly common.  Here are some things to watch out for:

Content preparation:

  1. Develop good answers to the most common questions (google around to find a list of common questions).
  2. Have two questions prepared for when they ask if you have any questions (google around to see what questions folks suggest in your field).
  3. Know something about the organisation you’re interviewing with (do your homework).

Language and Image:

  1. Avoid minimising language in your answers (“I’d just like to say…”  “Maybe this is wrong, but…”  “I don’t know much about it but…“.  If you practice you’ll see that you can give the same answer (what you know about the topic) and can deliver it without the preface of “All I know about that is ...” or some other minimising language.
  2. Speak clearly.  If you tend to speak rapidly, slow down.  Make sure your answers do not run on and on-they likely have more to ask you.
  3. Avoid simple yes/no answers.  If you need time to think, say “Hmm, let me think about that for a minute.” to get yourself time and so they know why you’re not answering.  Don’t take longer than a minute.

Preparation and Setting:

  1. Be on time.  Don’t schedule any other appointment too close to the end of the interview; you do not want to have to cut it short.
  2. Be in a private space where you will not be interrupted.
  3. Have a paper and pen handy for taking notes; note down the name of your interviewer and address them formally until they invite you to do otherwise.
  4. Have your resume handy; they likey have it handy and are reading from it.  Mark up your copy with other topics/interests that branch from your resume in case there is an opportunity to talk about these.
  5. Try to project confidence and good will.  How to do this will depend on you, but give it some thought.

Technical advice:

  1. Use a land line for a phone interview to avoid technical problems; if this is not feasible think hard about how good your connection will be at the time of the interview.  If it’s a video interview use a good connection.
  2. If it’s a video interview, look at your camera, not at the image of your interviewer on the screen.  Dress professionally.  Check out the background behind you and choose it wisely.  Check out your technical connections early to avoid delays.

Good luck.  If you have any advice to add to this post, please send it to cmadvise@mtu.edu.

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What are recruiters looking for in 2018?

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For the answer to this question, let’s ask NACE, the National Association of Colleges and Employers.  Their article highlights these topics:

  • Trend : Recruiters are moving toward informal means of recruiting
  • Trend: Breaking down silos
  • Focus is on industry, not major
  • It’s not all about the technical skills
  • There’s improved communication across campus
  • Note an increased focus on diversity and inclusion
  • Predictions for STEM Recruiting in 2018

Which University does NACE use as their example in their introduction?  Well, Michigan Technological University, of course!  Go to the link to read NACE’s analysis of the 2018 recruiting season.

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How can I get a job, internship, or co-op? What’s the method these days?

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Career Services at Michigan Tech is designed and operated to help you get a job, internship, or co-op.  As soon as you arrive on campus as a first-year student, transfer student, or graduate student, you should visit Career Services and check out their programs and sign up for the ones you need.

Their main events are the fall and spring Career Fairs.  You should go to these every year you are at Tech.  Even if you’re not looking for a job, you should go and see how it is done, get your materials into the system, and learn from watching and participating in Career Fair.  Our Career Fair is one of the best in the nation.

Currently Career Services uses Handshake as the portal for connecting students with recruiters.  Every Michigan Tech student has a Handshake account.  Go to the Handshake login site, log in, and take a look at what there is on offer.

In 2018 I went to an interesting session put on by Career Services.  They said that these days more than 70% of folks (up to 85% by some estimates) get their jobs from personal contacts.  They say the right way to approach Career Fair is to go to the events that precede Career Fair.  These events are less crowded, you don’t have to dress up, and you can give out your resume and talk to the person receiving it. These events are happening the week before Career Fair and throughout the year (info sessions, company presentations, Industry Days, and things like that).  Second, when you go to Career Fair, don’t spend your time in long lines. Go to the smaller companies where you can actually talk to someone and show them who you are. Always bring an up-to-date copy of your resume.  Career Services can help you to improve your resume.

I also learned that the job-search success rates for folks with GPA between 2.5 and 3.0 IS THE SAME as the success rate of folks with GPA between 3.0 and 3.5.  So you can get that job.  You just need to follow this advice and put in the leg work to meet people who may want to give you a job.  Good luck!

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May I take both CM 3410 and HU 3120?

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No, that is not permitted.  CM 3410 is required for graduation with a degree in chemical engineering from Michigan Tech.  You may take HU 3120 as a substitute course for CM 3410.  Because HU 3120 functions as an equivalent course to CM 3410, you may not take them both.

 

CM 3410 – Technical Communication for Chemical Engineering
Study of the purposes, genres, and applications of technical communication in chemical engineering professions, including written, oral, visual, and graphic communication. Assignments may include memos, progress reports, procedures, memo and formal reports, research citations, and job-seeking requirements. Emphasizes organization, support, coherence, usefulness, ethics, and professionalism.
Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (3-0-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore, Senior
Pre-Requisite(s): UN 1015

 

HU 3120 – Technical and Professional Communication
A study of written and oral communication in technical and scientific environments; emphasizes audience, writing processes, genres of scientific and technical discourse, visual communication, collaboration, professional responsibility, clear and correct expression. Students write and revise several documents and give oral report(s). Computer Intensive.
Credits: 3.0
Lec-Rec-Lab: (0-3-0)
Semesters Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer
Restrictions: May not be enrolled in one of the following Class(es): Freshman, Sophomore
Pre-Requisite(s): UN 1015 and (UN 1025 or Modern Language – 3000 level or higher)

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Which Enterprise project work course should I take?

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If you are a first-year chemical engineering student, you may take ENT 1960.

If you are a second-year student, you should take one or both of these classes:

  • ENT 2950 – Enterprise Project Work I, 1 cr (not open to freshmen)
  • ENT 2960 – Enterprise Project Work II, same as above

If you are junior, you should take one or both of these classes:

  • ENT 3950 – Enterprise Project Work III, 1 cr, must be junior or senior
  • ENT 3960 – Enterprise Project Work IV, same as above

If you are a junior who has taken both ENT 3950 and ENT 3960 and are not senior-design ready, but still want to do Enterprise, take this class:

  • ENT 3980 – Pre-Capstone Enterprise Project Work, 1 cr, repeatable up to 2cr (not open to freshmen, sophomores), Pre-Requisite(s): ENT 3950 and ENT 3960. You’ll need permission from your academic advisor to enroll in this class.

If you are a senior doing Enterprise for senior design, you should take both of these classes:

  • ENT 4950 – Enterprise Project Work V Capstone, 2cr, must be engineering senior design ready
  • ENT 4960 – Enterprise Project Work VI Capstone, 2cr, must be senior, pre-requisite ENT 4950

If you complete ENT 4950 and ENT4960 and wish to take another Enterprise project class, you may take this one:

  • ENT 4961 – Enterprise Project Work VII, 1cr, pre-requisites: ENT 3950, 3960, 4950, 4960

There are two other Enterprise project classes, but no chemical engineering major can take these courses; they are for non-engineers:

  • ENT 4900 – Senior Enterprise Project Work V Non-Capstone, 2cr, must be senior, must NOT be College of Engineering
  • ENT 4910 – Senior Enterprise Project Work VI Non-Capstone, same as above
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Do I have to take CH 2420 (Organic II)?

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To earn a BS degree in chemical engineering from Michigan Tech you must take CH 2420 Organic II or you may take a substitute course.  The current substitute courses are:

  1. CH 2420 – Organic Chemistry II, 3 credits, offered Spring and Summer; Pre-Requisite(s): CH 2410
  2. BL 2100 Principles of Biochemistry; 3 credits, offered in the Fall, Pre-Requisites BL 1020 or BL 1040 or BE 2400 and CH 1112 or (CH 1150 and CH 1151)
  3. CM 4740 – Hydrometallurgy/Pyrometallurgy, 4 credits, offered in the Spring, Pre-Requisite(s): CH 1122 or (CH 1160 and CH 1161)

If you take CM 4740, the extra credit may count as core technical elective.  To choose the substitute class simply register for the class–there is no additional paperwork.

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I ran my degree audit and now at the last minute I need extra courses! What do I do?

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Hold on, don’t panic.  Maybe everything is ok.

You may have made the common error of running a “what-if” audit.  Here’s how it happens.

The degree audit page has a drop down list to choose your degree program. There are directions on the page that tell you to *only* choose your degree program
if you are changing majors but this is frequently missed. So what happens is, a student will pick their major from the drop down list and instead of running
the audit with their correct catalog term, and they accidentally run a “what-if”audit that uses the newest catalog term.  The newest catalog term includes changes made to the chem eng degree  since you started, and you do not usually want to use the newest catalog term.

If you run your degree audit with the correct catalog term, labeled as “latest” perhaps (most likely) everything is ok.  If you run the “latest” audit and still have classes missing, these are classes you need, and you may need to come see an advisor.

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I’m planning to transfer in prerequisites but I cannot register! What should I do?

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To register for a class you must either have

  1. Credit for all prerequisites,
  2. Be registered at Michigan Tech for all prerequisites, or
  3. Be registered at some other institution for prerequisites.  For Michigan Tech to know that you are registered for a prerequisite you are taking off campus, you must go to the Michigan Tech Registrar’s office and request that your off campus course be recorded as “in progress.”  This should be done before registration so that you can make use of your registration slot.
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I’m confused about registering for CM3215 Transport Lab!

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This is a bit confusing; sorry about that.

The CM3215 Transport Lab meets on Monday for a one-hour lecture, and has two more meetings, a two-hour meeting on Tuesday (or sometimes on Thursday) and an additional one-hour lab meeting on Wednesday.

To sign up for CM3215 you must sign up for the lecture (section 0A) which is on Mondays, and for the lab, which has two meetings, Tuesday (or Thursday) and Wednesday  (the lab will be L01, L02, etc.).

If you do not sign up for both parts, you will get a “linked course error” telling you that you have missed one of the parts.

To recap, you will attend class on Monday and Wednesday at the same time of day in a classroom with everyone who is taking the class. In addition, you will be in the Brozzo Laboratory (19-103) for a two-hour session one day a week, at a time that depends on which lab section you take.

best wishes,
Dr. Morrison

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