This communication describes our initial experience modifying traditional (written and calculation-based) assignments in the surface and colloid chemistry course given as a part of the chemical engineering program. The new exercises contain a more relatable context that is easier to understand and remember in terms of future challenges in…

A hydroponics experiment growing microgreens was piloted by seniors where trials were conducted over 9-day growth periods and designed to test 12 different growth conditions in triplicate, including varying nutrient supply, nutrient flow rate, and seed density. Plant growth was assessed through changes in daily mass, height, and final dry weight.…

This paper reports the quantification of Ca, Mg, and Fe as micronutrients in different vegetables (spinach, sugar beets, and carrots) from raw and processed samples. Simple extraction procedures, titrations, and spectrophotometric analysis were used to determine the amounts of micronutrients before and after cooking. From the obtained results, an…

A laboratory experiment was performed using tetra-n-butylammonium bromide (TBAB) ionic semiclathrate hydrate, a crystalline compound. Ionic semiclathrate hydrates have unique properties, and hence, novel technologies utilizing the ionic semiclathrate hydrates have been proposed to date. Thus, students could learn fundamentals of functional…

Development of team skills is vital to becoming a successful and productive engineer. To prepare students for successful team-based work, they need a basic understanding of the organizational psychology underpinning teamwork and an introduction to tools and techniques to develop and sustain team effectiveness. The goal of this paper is to…

Organizing undergraduates in chemistry, energy engineering, and chemical engineering specialties to participate in an energy transformation experiment can encourage them to think about the impact of human activities on nature and stimulate them to learn more about the topic. This laboratory experiment demonstrates a general approach to the…

Solid lipid nanoparticles (SLNs) are exciting nanoparticles used for transporting therapeutic drugs into an organism. In this laboratory work, a simple experiment is performed to introduce master's students into the field of nanotechnology, here applied to health including the applications in the healthcare/pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry.…

During the SARS-2-COVID pandemic our institution sought to continue the teaching and learning of experimental laboratories by designing, assembling, and delivering a microscale chemistry kit to the students' homes. Thanks to this approach students were able to perform [approximately]25 experiments during each one of the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021…

This work presents a laboratory to help chemical-engineering students understand the basic concepts of corrosion. This laboratory has been performed since academic year 2011-2012 in the framework of the subject "Design of equipment and installations" for the third year of the Chemical Engineering Degree of the University of Castilla-La…

A virtual catalytic reactor laboratory (VCRL) experiment, which can be used in most browsers, is described. Students select feed conditions and use the VCRL to take data for a gas-phase catalytic reaction and fit kinetic parameters to a Langmuir-Hinshelwood rate expression. The VCRL contains instructions, equipment descriptions, an animated…

The development, testing, and classroom implementation of a low-cost, reproducible, desktop sized, highly visual double-pipe heat exchanger are presented. Quantitative measurements with the module reveal its usefulness for demonstrating basic and advanced convective heat transfer theory while worksheet-guided inquiries promote student engagement.…

In 2019 and 2020, third-year chemical engineering majors completed a concept inventory at the beginning and end of the semester in their thermodynamics course. Midway through spring semester of 2020, the course switched to emergency remote instruction, replacing hands-on inquiry-based laboratory activities (IBLAs) with short videos. Analysis of…

This work presents an outline for a full-quartile design-based learning laboratory-based course suitable for final year Bachelor's students. The course has been run for 5 years in the department of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. The course attempts to provide a complete laboratory experience for its students, including an authentic research…

The advance of digital technology presents an opportunity to equip students with relevant skill sets as "Scientists of the Future" who are able to utilize knowledge at the interface between various disciplines. In this technology report, an open source programming language is used to automate a simple laboratory experiment commonly…

A problem-based learning (PBL) methodology was implemented to a project, whose main objectives were to discuss and apply the Twelve Principles of Green Chemistry to the study of poly(vinyl alcohol)'s cross-linking reaction with dicarboxylic acids. The five participating students were oriented to be responsible for their own learning and the…