Achievement

IGERT Trainees Eugene Wu and Justin Siefker were involved in the development of a laboratory module that illustrates several basic principles of chemical engineering, in particular, chemical reactor engineering. These laboratory setups, including functioning batch and tubular reactors (in which the same chemical reaction is carried out, and results are analyzed and compared), were built as a demonstration for 22 high school students visiting for a week long Summer program. Through these demonstrations, the students receive an introduction to engineering. The demonstration was so successful (based on the results and student reactions) that it has been expanded and turned into a laboratory for senior chemical engineering students, to be used in the Fall of 2012. While not directly related to Terahertz spectroscopy, it is an interesting educational experience, and it also adds to the infrastructure of the laboratory for educational purposes, from high school students to to seniors.