Research Special Facilities

The Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering has many unique and state-of-the-art academic and research facilities to serve the needs of our students, faculty and collaborators. Strong institutional and alumni support will permit the continued advancement of our laboratories and learning center capabilities. Selected examples of our advanced capabilities can be found below.

George A. Davidson, Jr. Laboratories

The department has substantially increased the number of major experimental procedures that each undergraduate conducts prior to graduation. The undergraduate curriculum offers extensive "hands-on" laboratory experience, with lab experiment associated with each chemical engineering course, in addition to the senior lab classes. This extra real world experience is enhancing our students' capabilities and marketability. Typically, each undergraduate performs 20 to 25 experiments prior to graduation. In addition, the George A. Davidsion, Jr. Design & Simulation Lab is the only university lab in the country that offers process simulation (Aspen), process evaluation (Icarus), and 3-D process design software (Cadcentre).

Center for Molecular and Materials Simulations

Through a joint venture with the Departments of Chemistry and Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, we are bringing together the research efforts of students and faculty in science and engineering, for theoretical studies on the properties of complex molecules and materials. Using a cluster of 25 IBM RS/6000 computers in the new Center for Molecular and Materials Simulations, researchers are tackling a wide range of scientific problems. Computer simulations on nanotubes—carbon tubes that are 10,000 times thinner than a human hair—are of particular interest to researchers at IBM. Real world applications for nanotubes range from pushing the physical limits on the miniaturization of transistors on computer chips, to creating safer materials to store energy that will power cars of the future. The center is supported by grants from IBM and the NSF.

Areas of Research

• Biotechnology
• Catalysis
• Energy and Environment
• Materials
• Multi-Scale Modeling
  

Research Facilities

State-of-the-art academic laboratories and centers