Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Advising

Tag: undergraduate research

What can I do to prepare myself for graduate school in engineering?

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There are things you can do now to prepare for graduate school.

Participate in undergraduate research

This is important. A PhD or thesis masters is a research degree, and doing research as an undergraduate can open many doors. This is true even if you eventually decide to do a coursework masters. We recommend looking for opportunities at Michigan Tech, and off-campus at another university, business, or research lab.

Take additional math classes

Graduate engineering classes are very math intensive and so additional math courses work can help prepare you. Statistics is useful in almost all areas. Dr. Morrison also has some recommendations.

Practice your writing and presenting skills

You need these skills to be successful in graduate school and your career. If you participate in undergraduate research there are opportunities to present a poster of your research during department events, campus events, and professional conferences.

Keep your books

Your books and notes will be useful for reviewing core engineering topics when you’re taking the more advanced graduate courses.

Attend research seminars and graduate defenses

These events happen on campus throughout the year and are open to the public. Look for posters and emails announcing them. Seek out presentations in areas that interest you, even if they are in other departments. Research is interdisciplinary and the things you learn and people you meet could help you in the future.

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How can I get involved in research?

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You just need to ask. You’ll need to find a faculty member who has a project you can work on with them. A good place to start is to look at the department faculty page and read about their research topics.

Find two or three who are doing research in an area that sounds interesting to you. Don’t worry about the jargon. You’ll be taught what you need to know as part of the project. Then reach out to them and ask if they have a project you can work on with them.

Introduce yourself and share what interests you about their work. If you’re willing to do the research for credit then you can begin work even if there isn’t funding to pay you. If the first person doesn’t work out then ask some else. You may need to talk to several faculty before finding someone.

There is also a great video on finding a research mentor on the Pavlis Honors College research workshop page.

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What information do I need to enroll in the research class?

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You will need the following information from your faculty supervisor.

Research Course

There are five different research courses. You will enroll in the one that matches your research project.

  • CM 4020, mineral processing
  • CM 4040, bioengineering, not biofuels
  • CM 4060, polymer engineering
  • CM 4080, biofuels
  • CM 4000, other topics

Semester

This is the semester you will be working on the research project.

Credits

The number of credits is based on your time commitment per week. You may earn up to 3 credits per semester.

  • One credit = 3 hrs/week
  • Two credits = 6 hrs/week
  • Three credits = 9 hrs/week

Title

You’ll need to provide a title of your project.

Abstract

You’ll need to provide a brief summary of your project.

Final Report

You’ll need to indicate the format of your final report. The report out options are:

  • written report
  • poster
  • oral presentation
  • none

Creating a poster is recommended even if it’s not required because it will allow you to participate in events to share your research experience at Michigan Tech and professional conferences. These are great career building opportunities.

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What do I need to know to plan out a minor in Alternative Energy Technology?

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Here is some additional scheduling information to help you plan. Go to the Registrar’s Office minor page for the most current list of requirements.

Thermodynamics Course

Check with the department offering the course for the expected planned schedule.

Circuits Course

Select one course below.

  • EE 3010 Circuits and Instrumentation for Cyber Physical Systems. This is the circuits course that most students take because it is an introductory course designed for non-EE majors. It is usually offered every fall, spring, and summer, in-person and/or online. This course includes a required lab.
  • EE 2111 Electric Circuits I is intended for EE majors and is usually offered every fall, spring, and summer.
  • EET 1121 Circuits I is usually offered every spring and requires an additional lab EET 1122.
  • EET 1141 Basic Electronics is intended for College of Computing majors and is usually offered every fall and spring.

Energy Technology Courses

Take three or more credits from this list.

  • CM/ENT 3979 Alternative Energy Technology and Processes is usually offered every fall.
  • EE 3120 Electric Energy Systems is usually offered every fall and spring, in-person and online.
  • EE/MEEM 4295 Intro to Propulsion Systems for Hybrid Electric Vehicles, and EE/MEEM 4296 Experimental Studies in Hybrid Electric Vehicles are usually offered every fall.
  • MEEM 4200 Principles of Energy Conversion, MEEM 4235 Wind Energy, and MEEM 4260 Fuel Cell Technology are usually offered every fall.

Energy & Society Courses

Take three or more credits from this list.

  • CM 3980 Sustainable Chemical Engineering is usually offered every fall and spring.
  • EC 4620 Energy Economics is usually offered every spring semester and can be also used as a HASS class. It is an upper-level HASS course and on the Social and Behavioral Science list. For chemical engineering students, this course usually has a time conflict with senior ChE classes.
  • ENG 4515 Introduction to Sustainability and Resilience is usually offered every fall.
  • ENG 4525 System Analysis for Sustainability and Resilience is usually offered every spring.
  • MEEM 4240 Combustion and Air Pollution is usually offered every fall.
  • MEEM 4685 Environmentally Responsible Design & Manufacturing has not been offered recently.
  • SS 3280 Anthropology of Energy is usually offered in the spring of even years and is a HASS course on the Social and Behavioral Science list.
  • SS 3800 Energy Policy & Technology is usually offered every spring and is a HASS course on the Social and Behavioral Science list. It’s also occasionally offered in the summer as an online course.
  • SS 3811 Energy Security and Justice and SS 3815 Energy and Society are usually offered fall of odd years and are HASS courses on the Social and Behavioral Science list.

Optional Elective Courses

Remaining credits can be additional courses from the Energy Technology and Energy & Society lists above or those listed below.

  • CM 4080 Undergraduate Research in Biofuels Engineering is offered on demand. If you are interested in doing undergraduate research in the chemical engineering department then you will need to talk to the faculty who are doing research in the biofuels engineering area to see if they have a project that you can work on with them. The chemical engineering faculty currently doing research in this area are Dr. Ong and Dr. Shonnard.
  • EE 4219 Intro to Electric Machinery and Drives is usually offered every spring, in-person and online.
  • EE 4226 Power Engineering Lab is usually offered every spring and occasionally summer and requires instructor permission to enroll.
  • EE 4227 Power Electronics is usually offered every fall, in-person and online.
  • EET 3390 Power Systems is usually offered every fall.
  • Enterprise Project Work with the Alternative Energy Enterprise team is approved for the minor. Project work in the alternative energy area with other Enterprise teams may also be approved. Email a brief description of your project to the chemical engineering advisor for approval.
  • MEEM 4220 Internal Combustion Engines I is usually offered every fall.
  • MEEM 4250 Heating/Ventilation/Air Conditioning is usually offered spring of odd years.
  • MEEM 4820 Intro to Aeropace Propulsion is usually offered every spring.
  • MET 4350 Principles and Application of Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Systems is usually offered every spring.
  • MET 4390 Internal Combustion Engines is usually offered every fall.
  • MSE 4410 Science of Ceramic Materials is usually offered every spring.
  • Undergraduate Research in the alternative energy area from other departments may be approved. Email a brief description of your research to the chemical engineering advisor for approval. 

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Are there any upcoming peer mentoring workshops?

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Yes! Here’s the current schedule for this semester. These are informal chats. Leave early, come late as your schedule permits.

Fall 2022

*Subscribe to the ChE advising events calendar for the most current date/time/location information.

Topic Date* Time* Location*
Student Organizations: Learn about how and why to involved in student orgs. Wednesday, September 7th 6:30 pm Chem Sci 215
Resumes: Bring your resume, even if it’s just a draft. Wednesday, September 14th 6:30 pm Chem Sci 215
Co-ops/Internships: What it’s like to do a co-op/internships and interview tips. Monday, September19th 7:00 pm Chem Sci 215
Preparing for Exams: Learn about campus resources to help you prepare for mid-terms. Tuesday, September 27th 6:30 pm Chem Sci 215
Enterprise: What it’s like to be on an Enterprise team. Wednesday, October 5th 5:00 pm Chem Sci 310
Registration: Start preparing for spring registration with tips on how to plan your schedule. Wednesday, October 12th 6:30 pm Chem Sci 215
Minors: Minor options and how to fit it in with your major requirements. Wednesday, October 19th 6:30 pm Chem Sci 215
Junior ChE Courses: If you’ll be taking junior-level ChE classes next semester then stop by for help planning your classes. Tuesday, October 25th 5:00 pm Chem Sci 310
Sophomore ChE Courses: If you’ll be taking sophomore-level ChE classes next semester then stop by for help planning your classes. Wednesday, October 26th 5:00 pm Chem Sci 310
First-year Courses: If you’ll be taking first-year classes next semester then stop by for help planning your classes. Tuesday, November 1st 5:00 pm Chem Sci 310
Research: What it’s like to do undergraduate research with a faculty member and how to find a research mentor. Tuesday, November 29th 6:30 pm Chem Sci 215
First-Semester Recap: How did your first semester go? Tell us about it. Tuesday, December 6th 5:00 pm Chem Sci 310

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What do I need to know to plan out a mineral processing minor?

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Here is some additional information to help you plan. Go to the Registrar’s Office minor page for the most current list of requirements.

Required Mineral Processing and Mineralogy Courses

You need to take all three of these courses.

  • CM 2200 Intro to Minerals and Materials is usually offered every fall semester.
  • CM 3830 Mineral Processing and Extraction Lab is usually offered every spring semester.
  • GE 2300 Mineral Science is usually offered every fall semester. This course includes a lecture and laboratory.

Thermodynamics Courses

You need to take one course on the list. Check with the department offering the course for the expected planned schedule.

Elective Courses

You need to take at least seven credits from this list.

  • CM 3825 Sampling, Statistics, and Instrumentation has not been offered recently.
  • CM 4020 Undergrad Research in Mineral Processing Engineering is offered on demand. If you are interested in doing undergraduate research then you will need to talk to the faculty who are doing research in the mineral processing area to see if they have a project that you can work on with them. The faculty currently doing research in this area is Dr. Eisele and Dr. Pan.
  • CM 4505 Particle Technology is usually offered every other spring during even years, such as Spring ’22, Spring ’24, etc.
  • CM 4510 Interfacial Engineering is usually offered every other spring during odd years, such as Spring ’23, Spring ’25, etc.
  • CM/MSE 4740 Hydrometallurgy/Pyrometallurgy is usually offered every spring.
  • EC 4630 Mineral Industry Economics is usually offered every other spring semester and requires principles of economics as a prereq. However it hasn’t been offered recently and so you’ll need to check with the College of Business to see when it will be available next.
  • ENT XXXX Enterprise Project Work. If you are doing work in Enterprise that is in the mineral processing area then up to three credits of Enterprise may be approved to use towards the minor. Email a brief description of your project for each of the semesters that you wish to be considered for approval to the chemical engineering advisor.
  • GE 3400 Drilling and Blasting is usually offered every fall and requires additional prerequisites. However, if you have already completed both PH 2100 University Physics I and CM 2200 Intro to Minerals and Materials, then you might be able to get permission to enroll in the class. Contact the instructor of the course for consideration.
  • GE 4360 Bulk Material Dynamics and Engineering is usually offered every spring and requires additional prerequisites. However, if you are a chemical engineering student who has already completed both PH 2100 University Physics I and CM 3110 Transport & Unit Operations I, then you might be able to get permission to enroll in the class. Contact the instructor of the course for consideration.
  • MSE 3120 Materials Characterization I are offered every spring and require additional prerequisites and so you’ll need to plan ahead.
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