in Industrial Chemistry Jerry P. Jasinski Keene State College, Keene, NH 03431 A new undergraduate program leading to a B. S. degree in industrial chemistry was instituted a t Keene State College (KSC) in the fall semester. 1981. The orimarvobiective of the program was to prepare students to work upon graduation in the industrial chemical field as chief chemists in oroduction plants, as chemists in analytical laboratories or in sales, management, or public relations functions within chemical firms. T o accomplish this objective, the program was designed to develop a close, ongoing relationship among the industrial community, KSC faculty, and students. During the planning stages. 85 firms were contacted bv letter and their inout was sol%ted on program design and dhjectives, interest and participation in our internship program, and potential market .. . for graduates. The response was strongly pbsitive and many unexpected comments suggested some industry dissatisfaction with traditional "academic chemistry" graduates. Our experience suggests that a successful industrial chemistry program can be offered a t small, relatively rural schools lacking large university research facilities. Keene State College, founded in 1909 and a member of the University System of New Hampshire, is a coeducational college of 3700 full- and part-time undergraduate students set on a 58-acre campus. The primary focus of the Chemistry Department of KSC is associated with an industrial viewpoint; however, a more traditional B.A. with a chemistrv minor is offered. The chemistry department is composed of four faculty and one staff member with a wide varietv of teaching. research. and industrial experience. One faculty member was hired specifically for the program and has some 20 years of industry experience in areas of production, quality control, and analytical chemistrv. Maior department instrumentation and e a u i ~ m e n t includes-seveial s~ectrophotometersincluding atomic ahsorption, infrared and visible-ultraviolet, cas and liauid chr&natographs, a nuclear magnetic resonan;; spertrom&er, high-temperature fwnacrs, n vnrirtv of rlistillina columns, and numerous analytic and synthetic devices com&only used in the industrial community. Also available are a variety of miniand microcomputers including VAX 111780, VAX 11/750, DEC, Apple, and Tektronix systems, some with instrumental interface capabilities and others with graphics, data processing, and programming applications. The e m u s is located near the center of Keene. nooulation within 22,000. he amount of established chemical ind& the reeion is considerable and relates well to the oroeram as currethy established. Located near the geographic center of southern New Eneland. Keene is within a 100-mile radius of the cities of ~ a n c h e s t e r Nashua, , and Portsmouth in New Hampshire; Boston, Worcester, and Springfield in Massachusetts; Hartford, Connecticut; Albany, New York, and Providence, Rhode Island. Approximately 20% of entering students are from the cities listed above, as well as from urban areas of New York and New Jersey. We find that many students from their nrens want to "go away to schud" UI a more rural residential campus like Keene State but that they plan to return to their wb& homes for career opportunities in iocal
industry. We are also finding these industries receptive to internship arrangements with "home-town kids." Thus, while Keene State's small size and rural location might seem a weakness and do create some logisticalproblems, we find that these characteristics are actuallv streneths of the nroeram. The broad based program proGides industrialbr applied chemistrv within the traditional framework of a -nersnective . . chemistry major. The unifying theme of cost effectivenessand economics of scale are emohasized and examnles are given which relate to a variety of applied areas such a;biochemhy, nharmaceuticals. medicine.. ~ . e t r o l e u mand environmental icience, and puhlic relariuns or managerial functions within rhrmical firms. The elective summer internship prwidei students with hands-on experience in industriesbfinterest and enhances employment opportunities upon maduation. \Vhileemphasis has been plac&Ion many of the applied areas of the chemical profession, the proaram providrs flexibility in design so tha; thr student can emphas-ine career intcres& and general and strengths through prudent choice of e1ectit.e~ college requirements in the humanities and social science areas. The program builds upon a liberal arts and science basis to providc a p&am prnvi&ng entry into meaningful ocrupations. Faculty advising at the early stares of the pn~gram is strongly keyed to the siudent's interestsand the job market prospects. Elective courses in management, economics, and computer science are strongly recommended in this regard. I t also includes the necessary preparation for most graduate work. Both upper and lower division chemistry courses in the industrial chemistry curriculum are offered in the evening program as well as during the day on a rotating basis to encourage enrollment of non-traditional and part-time students in the working community. The program is still in its early stages, but the number of declared majors is presentlv about ten. Average enrollment in the upper ievel industrial chemvear and istry courses has also been about ten durine the past . . a half, the first time most of the specializeb courses were offered. Internships are beingarranged as qualified students become available. Our firsttwo interns were placed with the Vermont Yankee Power Corporation and the Virginia Chemical Company, respectively. Both were judged a complete success by all involved. As ~ r e s e n t l vdeveloned. the B. S. in Industrial Chemistrv requiies 126 credit hours including a minimum of 57 credk hours in chemistry. A total of 17 credit hours are in laboratory, 11credit hours in mathematics, 12 credit hours in physics, and 3 credit hours in computer science. The college requires a basic core of knowledge in English (6 credit hours), humanities (12 credit hours). and social sciences (12 credit hours). Our program differs from the traditional undergraduate approach in chemistrv that emphasizes theorv and basic .. principle:, in preparation tor grnduate work. It integrates a series of four industrlalls related chcmistrv "core" courses into the traditional core b i highlighting topics, techniques and experiences generally encountered by the student in their first year of employment in the chemical industry. Some techVolume 61 Number 11 November 1964
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niques used include the following: use of various standard methods such ASTM, AOAC, and EPA as analytical industrial methods; generation and use of real samples; construction and evaluation of apparatus commonly found in the industrial laboratory, such as vacuum lines, chromatographic columns, and temperature-dependent systems; use of quality control methods on small-scale industrially oriented systems; evaluation of behavior of polymeric substances by varying physical parameters; and use of analytical instrumentation (including atomic absorption, nuclear magnetic resonance, gas chromatography, and visible-ultraviolet-infraredspectroscopy) to evaluate and characterize substances synthesized andlor generated in the program. A unifying theme of cost effectiveness versus performance and efficiency is applied to routine activities in both lecture and laboratory. Some experiences encountered include: beginning a project and carrying it to a significant degree of completion in the time frame of a semester; dealing with mishaps and breakdowns in route to successful delivery of real and meaningful results; learning to apply experiences and acquired knowledge toward a productive and fruitful conclusion; and understanding the value of team work, patience, and communication skills in an assessment of the final outcome of a project. The unique industrial chemistry course topics include: an introduction to industrial chemistry; polymers: synthesis and separation techniques; inorganic processes and organic processes. A detailed description of these courses is provided elsewhere ( I ) . The teaching approach generally used in these areas includes an emphasis on basic skills in the laboratory, project-oriented laboratory problems involving small groups of students working on prearranged topics of industrial significance, and both an oral and written presentation of their results and materials in a seminar. In getting away from the traditional examination procedure in these courses a number of students have chosen to continue many of their projects or become involved in new or related projects through the elective independent study course option designed to encourage sucb student involvement. Often these independent study projects encompass a significant amount of interdisciplinary activity with students and faculty from sucb disciplines as industrial technology, computer science, management, biology, and environmental studies. The experiences realized by our students from this approach generally include the following: (1) they have gained marketable skills through a "hands-on" approach in the laboratory; (2) they have integrated related areas of practical interest to the industrial chemist such as engineering, management, and economics; (3) they have increased their awareness and exposure to industrial prohlem-solving techniques including searches of literature and patents, and (4) they have developed communication skills including report writing, oral preparations, and presentations. Significant features of our program are its marketability in preparing students for work in the most flourishing of markets for chemists, namely industry, and its "uniqueness" the fact there are only a few such programs that we know of in the United States. Some other industrial chemistry programs are located a t Canisius College (2),the University of
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Journal of Chemical Education
Lowell (3), the University of Southern Maine (3). the Universitv of North Alabama (3). New York University (3). western CArolina University (3),Washington and .Jefferson CoUeee - (3). . and the Universitv of Wvominr (4). Our a ~ ~ r o a c h differ8somewhat from the r&omm~ndatl'onsof the A~:SInvitational Educational Worksho~(51, which sugeested a sinele course in industrial chemistry' Single coursesin industrial chemistry have been added to the curriculum a t St. Lawrence University and Eastern Michigan University. At KSC the four industrial chemistry courses cover most of the topics emphasized in the ACSrecommendation. An added emphasis on industrially related and classical topics in many of the traditional courses such as organic chemistry, physical chemistry, quantitative analysis, and instrumental analysis has provided additional strength and relevance to the program in an effective manner. Alsoincluded in the KSC curriculum are courses in occupational health and safety, computer science, statistics, and electronics, which provide emphasis on safetv and technical skills.' To insure the success of the industrial cooperation segment of this Dronram. the chemistry department is currently in the process oforganizing a liaison wiih industry through-the estahlishment of an industrial chemistry council. This council should serve toacquaint industrial chemists with the college, estahlish a variety of contacts in industry to enhance the cooperative internship portion of the program, enhance the numher of research upponunitiesavailahle between industry and the students and facultv at the colleee. strenmhen the resources of the chemistry dipartment thro"gh th;; offering of industriallv related short courses for studenb and induntrv personnel, and open new areas of interest and research for the facultv. weare aware of only a few graduate programs in industrial chemistw in the United States. These include MS. Droerams a t the ~ n i v e r s iof t ~Central Florida ( 6 ) .Atlanta ~niv&sity (3), New York University (3), and newly established Ph.D. programs a t the University of Texas, Arlington (7) and the University of Texas, Dallas (8).Graduates from our undergraduate B.S. program should be well suited to enter any of these programs leading to an advanced degree.
(1) J W , Jary P..and M'ier, Robert E.,'"M~tnalcheeistn: ASc~ciiifN~CoVMl At The UadergraduatPLeuel," accepted, J. CHEW EouC. (2) Bieron. J. F., "An Induetrid Chemistry Model Program for CoUegn in a Chemical IndvaVieaSctting."presented elthe 1Brd ACS National Mceting. L a V p , Nevada, Chem. Eng N e w , 52 (Fcb.15,1982). (3) '"The College BlueBook." lSthed., MaeMillan Pub.Ca. Inc., New Yak, 1581.
(4) Nckon, D.A,. Holt, S. L.,Archer.V. S.,Hurtubi8e.R. J.. and Ba~3en.R.E., J. C m . L ' L C 53. I48 1976,.
MKl..lland. A. L..'l'hcCrasFenilim~inn ofChemutrv and rhrmical E n m n e r w Cdr,#culn." Fmal RPP(I!I d !he l9Pl l n ~ t l B l # ~ nM s l U ~ BUI ~I Ir .k~~ h ~ ~ ~ i ~ m ~ o m r P d h) the Ex(wr#men~.l FdurallvnC,mmtturelthr m e r l n n I'hl~mlcnlSx ? t y . S ! . Louis, Missouri. 1980. (6) Mattson, G.,and Goptan, L,J. CHEM. EDUC.,60.124 (1981) (71 Chem. Eng. New,32-33 (June 7,1982). (8) Chrm. Eng. NOW,28 (June 14.1982). (5,
Requests for copies of syllabi for any of these courses as well as additional informationabout the program are available upon request.
