R. P. T. Tomkins and J. A. Moore Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NewYork 12181
Many schwls have recently implemented some form of vear . Droeram. a 4-1-4 calendar for the academic . - The main purpose of this schedule is to create a one month semester (the "Januarv Term" at Rensselaer) when stimulating ed"cational experiences or activities can be offered which are not easily accommodated in the usual term. At Rensselaer we have developed a unique total immersion course which attempts to provide dialogue between industrial chemists and a group of undergraduate chemistry majors. Basically the course, entitled: "Chemists in Industry," involved teams of industrial chemists spending one day on campus, coupled with visits by the students t o nearby industrial facilities, during the month of January. The idea for this program originated from informal discussions with students during which i t became clear that a large number of chemistry majors had no clear concepts of the objectives, organization, and scope of the industrial world. The possibility of making a reasonably intelligent decision reeardine a future career in the industrial environment, eHpeciaiiy a t the BS level, seemed unlikely because of the lack of pertinent background information. The January term provided an ideal opportunity for conducting this course in that its format of total immersion insured the continuity needed to formulate a coher-
Chemists in Industry A minisemester course ent overview of the relative attributes of a group of industrial corporations, research institutes, and laboratories. The reports required of the students at the end of the course included a comparison of the general impressions made by various companies, specific insights or new ideas obtained as a result of the course, etc. The main goals of this course were to generate an exchange of ideas hetween industrial chemists and undergraduate students in an informal atmosphere, and at the same time to inform the students of the variety of possibilities (professional and personal) available to the BS, MS, or PhD chemist in areas such as research, development, production, quality control, and technical sales. Concurrent with the attainment of these goals the students gained the flavor of what the different activities entail and were able to appreciate the goals and objectives of representative industrial companies. The visits to corporate centers enabled the students to see a variety of facilities and functions in operation. There are several additional benefits derived from this course, including the exposure that the industrial community can get to a group of students in a nonrecmiting atmosphere, as well as contact with current trends in university education. Each visit was planned to include dis-
Program of Course for "Chemists in industry" Aotivity
Activity
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a.m. oriwtation p.m. Vieit to Norton Coinwny. Waterdiet. N.Y.
Development of a procees Presentations by Msrek, Sharp and Dohms, Rahway, N.J. Animal drug metaboliem and radiochemistry Proe- control I"d"8trial sales Visit to Schenectady Chemicals, Schen&dy, N.Y. (coated wirea, specialty chemicals) Discussions and report preparation P r e m t a t l o m by Olin Corporation, New Haven, Conn. Role of the analyst in industry Opportunities in technical sales and marketing Visit to Imperial Chemical and Color. Division of Herdcul, Glens Falls. N.Y. (pigments) Presentations by Sterling Winthrop Research 1nstit"te and Wiathrop Laboratories, R-her, N.Y. The "he& in synthetic organic r-rch The analytical chemist in industry Scaling up a chemical reaction The chemist in ~rodurtion
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Infrared and mass spectrometer analysis Biochemical conversion of waste cetiulose to protein Presentations by Eastman Kodsk Company, Rochester, N.Y. Photographic technology Product coordinstion in synthetic ehemieals Analvtieal chemistrv Preentation by General Electrio Company, Silicone Pmduets Deoartment. Waterford. N.Y. ~ " b b e r,"irk& Quality control Product development Visit to General Electric Company, Silicone Products Department, Waterford. N.Y. RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizing Rubber) facility Intermediates buildin. Pollution control plant Presentations by IBM. Armonk. N.Y. and Endieott. N.Y. The chemist part of the tesm Chemistry in data processing machine Hardware manufacturing Chemistry in circuit board manufacturing proceases
ions by E. I. DuPont DeNemours and Company,
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resenta at ions
by Union Carbide corporation, South Charler
ton,W. Va. and 7Pslrrtown. N.Y.
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Development Center. SchenRtady, N.Y. General role of the chemist in industrial research and how it differsfrom university academic research Batteries Use of nmr in indvetrial chemical researeh Solvent crazing and polymers Visit to General Electric Company, Research and Development Center. Schenectsdv. .. N.Y. General tour Chemical synthesis boildin.
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process chemistry Engineering statistics and experimental design Sales and marketing liaison with the synthetic fiberindustry Research and development On-site r-rch and development adminiattation Presentations by Celanese Fibers Company, Charlotte, N.C. and GreenviUe, S.C. Analytical methods in cigarette smoke and tar chemistry Textile manufacturing Textile sales Polymer synthesis Visit to watervtiet Amens1 Research Laboratories, Watervliet,
cussions between the visitors and the department chairman and representative groups of faculty. Course Program Details of this month-long course are eiven in the table. A total of 63 industrial p&onnel, representing 14 companies or laboratories, participated in the course and were selected from both large and small corporations with all degree levels being represented. The majority of speakers had backgrounds in chemistry, although there were some chemical engineers, one mechanical engineer, and one lawyer participating. Since this was a pilot program the enrollment was restricted and 23 sophomore and junior chemistry majors (20 male and 3 female) attended the course. The meetings or excursions were usuallv half-dav sessions. No examrnations were given but the studen& were expected to attend most of the meetings and submit reports a t the conclusiou of the program in order to qualify for "January .Term Certification," as required by the Institute. Analysis of the Course The feedback from all the students participating in this course indicated that it was an invaluable experience overall and succeeded well in conveying a clear impression of the environment in which an industrial chemist works. In many cases they were surprised a t the variety of pathways for advancement which could arise in industry and ideas of being "bench chemists'' for the remainder of their lives were quickly dispelled. It was apparently a new idea to many of the students that considerable "job-hopping" (inter- and intra-company) might occur before a chemist "settled down," if indeed he or she ever did, with one company. Many of the students now have a better understanding of the role of an industrial chemist and the types of opportunities available. The guidance and suggestions by the visitors for planning elective courses in their curricula as an aid to later employment were welcomed. These recommendations included courses in industrial relations, unit processing, accounting, etc.
The various characteristics demanded of the industrial chemist, such as good communication skills and personal relations, were stressed throughout this course and the students benefited from realizing that these qualities were of paramount importance,in the industrial environment. Surprisingly, the students showed little interest in the ideas of salary or fringe benefits beyond asking what the various levels of remuneration were. Once thev were made aware of the various continuing education programs sponsored bv the com~anies. some students indicated that they w&e now se;iously' considering taking jobs at the bachelor's Level and going to school part time. A criticism of the course was that i t suffered from some repetition of ideas, but nowhere near as much as might have been expected, since each company had its individual characteristics. Most of the class would have welcomed participation from the areas of agricultural chemistry, forensic science, and chemistry in a Federal Government laboratory. Suggestions for other corporations were also made. Most students felt that having company literature outlining the interests of the corporations in advance would have been useful. The visits to industrial facilities were enjoyed by the whole moup since thev were able to get a feeling of the atmospheri in which -a chemist works and to gee first hand examples of how processes are scaled up in the pilot plant. The enthusiasm and encouragement of all the participants in this course were excellent and we feel strongly that this type of activity is extremely important for the undergraduate chemist and, with certain modifications, we plan to repeat the course a t regular intervals under the more broadened title, "The Professional Chemist.'' Acknowledgment The participation of all the corporations cited in the table is acknowledged with pleasure. We thank the department chairman (Professor Kevin T. Potts) for his encouragement and for providing necessary financial assistance.
Volume 52, Number 5. May 1975
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