ChemE

Massachusetts Institute
of Technology

Department of
Chemical
Engineering

Undergraduate
Program
“Chemical engineering prepares
you for solving big picture
problems while still being aware
of what’s happening on
the molecular scale.”
Paula Hammond
David H. Koch Professor in Engineering
Why ChemE?

The world today faces many challenges.

Even when it comes to our most basic
needs – from the foods we eat to the
medicines we take, the clothes we wear
and the energy we use – the world is
ready and waiting for new ideas.
And chemical engineers are uniquely prepared not only to come up with new
ideas, but also to turn them into real solutions.

Chemical engineers solve problems at the most fundamental levels. By combining

mastery in traditional engineering, including physics, mathematics and modeling,
with expertise in chemistry, the ability to put molecules to work, chemical
engineers have a view of the world like no other. When they see a waterproof
jacket, they don’t see the color or fit, they see the coating, the mesh of materials –
the magical molecular mix – that makes that jacket repel water.

There has never been a more exciting time to be a chemical engineer. With
the advent of biotechnology and the power of modern computer technology,
chemical engineers play a role in almost every industry and they collaborate
with all types of engineers and scientists. They make new materials that make
computers smaller, clothes warmer and medicines more effective. They design
new processes to make food healthier and drug production more efficient.
They even put viruses to work not just to produce energy, but also to help
assemble new materials that make solar cells more powerful.

Want to learn more?

Turn the pages and explore our world of chemical engineering.
MIT Chemical Engineering. We put molecules to work.
 What is ChemE?

How many chemical Live Wire.

engineers does it take to Professor Paula Hammond
coat an M&M? Answer: 5 is layering nanotubes with
In 1991, a team of 4 MIT viruses and proteins to
chemical engineering create new kinds of
undergrads worked with materials that make solar
professor Jeffrey Feerer to cells more efficient.
understand the coatings
and suggest improvements.

Wound, heal thyself.

Assistant professor Bradley
Olsen is developing smart
bandages that stop bleeding
instantly and use bio-inspired
materials that help the body
heal itself.

Because we can. In 1921, a lab

in MIT chemical engineering
alumnus Arthur D. Little’s
company reduced 100 pounds
of sows’ ears into ten pounds
of glue, added chrome, alum
and acetone to make gelatin,
and spun that into silk.
“Not very good silk,” said the
company report. But they had
made a silk purse of a sow’s ear.
Nature’s chemical factory.
“The future is bright for chemi-
Associate professor Kristala
cal engineers. Think about the
Prather is turning single-
world today. We need to feed
celled organisms into minia-
and clothe billions of people,
ture chemical plants
we have to find new energy
by embedding multiple
sources, and we want to help
enzymatic pathways inside
people live longer and healthier.
the bacteria cell walls.
These are all things chemical
engineers are involved in.
Molecular interactions are the
root of everything. In chemical
engineering, we teach our
students to translate these
molecular interactions into
Plastics. everyday – and not so every-
Chemical engineers are day – products and processes.
finding ways to harvest As a result, they go off in many
biodegradable plastics from directions, creating and
bacterial strains that store improving pharmaceuticals,
excess energy in the form of fuels, polymers, plastics,
polymers instead of fats. cosmetics, cereals and more.”

Klavs Jensen, Department Head

and Warren K. Lewis Professor of
Chemical Engineering
On Being a Chemical Engineer

Wear your Metabolism on Cancer-seeking Missiles.

Your Sleeve. Institute professor Robert
MIT chemical engineering Langer’s lab helped create
professors are developing drug-carrying nanoparticles
tattoos made of fluorescent, designed to specifically seek
glucose-detecting nanopar- out prostate tumor cells and
ticles that may soon help destroy them.
diabetics monitor blood-
sugar levels.

Wrap it Up. DIY Energy.

Novel plastic bags, envi- Think like a chemical engi-
sioned by professor Paula neer and imagine a world
Hammond, may help pre- with self-powered iPads,
serve the casava harvest spray-on virus-based bat-
in Africa by blocking out teries, and self-healing solar
oxygen, a food spoiler, and cells.
consuming the oxygen
already inside the bag.
 ChemE
Experience

Joel Schneider ’15 Alissa Borshchenko ’16

A Wealth of Opportunities The Community of Course X
When he arrived at MIT, Joel Schneider was Biology and chemistry were Alissa Borshchenko’s
interested in both chemistry and favorite classes in high school, but
mathematics, and found chemi- she says, “the idea of engineering
cal engineering to fit his goals was new to me.” She had heard
since “it takes principles from that engineering was fast-paced
chemistry and applies them to and hands-on, but the prospect of
real world problems while using learning about large scale pro-
applied math to model how everything works.” cesses and how they worked excited her. “Course
He says that chemical engineering stands out X has opened up a wide variety of opportunities
because of the wide range of careers and fields – most recently my summer internship at Biogen
in which the major is applicable. “I’ve met people Idec. In working under the manufacturing branch of
with chemical engineering degrees working in the company, I have seen a lot of the topics I have
oil, nanotechnology, materials, computational learned in my classes come to life,” Alissa states. “My
modeling, biotechnology, and manufacturing, just experience in the department has prepared me
to name a few. Majoring in chemical engineering well for my experience in terms of content, problem
really leaves your options wide open upon gradu- solving methods, and leadership skills.”
ation!”
It’s more than just the curriculum that has helped
Soon after joining Course X, he found another Alissa develop her skills. “ The thing that has stood
opportunity to broaden his experience, through out the most for me in the department is the fac-
the student chapter of the American Institute of ulty. From professors to the advisors to the admin-
Chemical Engineers. “By being on the leadership istrators in Course X, everyone has been so open,
board, I’ve been able to help shape the relation- welcoming and willing to help. I truly feel like I am
ship between the department and the students,” cared for as a student and that I am in good hands
says Joel. “It’s been a lot of fun getting to know my in the department.”
peers as well as the ChemE faculty and staff, and
I’ve learned a lot through helping organize and
plan all of our fun times.”

“The coursework is often challenging, but between the faculty, staff, classmates, and TAs, there will
always be people alongside you to encourage you and help make what you’re learning rewarding,”
says Joel Schneider ’15. “With the events put on by AIChE and the department, widely attended
office hours, and smaller classes and lab groups, Course X is very close-knit.”
 • New energy technologies, • Biotechnology for
including photovoltaics, fuel therapeutics and biofuels.

Current
cells, biofuel refinement, and gas
to liquid transformations. • New approaches to pharma-
ceutical manufacturing.
• Biomedical devices and

Research methods including cancer and

AIDS research.

• Materials for electronic, optical,

• Process design and control for
chemical, energy-conversion
and materials processes.

medical, and energy-conversion

devices.

Kristala Jones Prather William Tisdale

Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering
Unnatural, Made by Nature Energy Efficiency
About 6,000 years ago, brewers In the search for renewable energy
in Sumeria used fermentation – sources, solar technologies have
a natural chemical process shown great promise in helping
carried out by enzymes inside to meet the growing needs of our
of bacteria – to turn grain into planet. In fact, the energy from
ethanol. In contrast, says Kristala the sun is so powerful that today’s
Prather, “we’re trying to make compounds biology silicon solar cell is only able to capture about a third
doesn’t make naturally.” For instance, the of it: the highest solar energy, called “hot electrons,”
compound called 3-hydroxybutryolactone, an is too great to be converted into usable electricity
intermediate molecule used in pharmaceutical and is lost as heat. Will Tisdale’s lab is using quan-
manufacturing to make cholesterol-lowering tum dots to develop a technology to capture those
statins, is not produced by any known microbe. hot electrons and quickly cool them down, allow-
So Prather is using genetic engineering tools ing them to be captured and used. The next step is
and chemical engineering know-how to build to make this technology viable on the global scale,
one herself. which means the processing method for these
nanomaterials must be low-cost and scalable.
Undergraduates in Prather’s lab learn the
techniques of science – from genetic cloning Tisdale, winner of MIT’s only teaching award that
to protein gels – and what it means to be an is nominated and selected entirely by students,
engineer who can scale a process up and evaluate understands the importance of hands-on and
its productivity levels. “It’s exciting,” says Prather, immersive education for undergraduates. He uses
who has companies looking to her to find the same collaborative approach of his laboratory
biological alternatives to chemicals that, for in the classroom, where Course X undergraduates
example, traditionally come from petroleum. learn the principles of transport processes. Stated
“It’s a great opportunity for my students to tap one of his students, “Professor Tisdale brings out
into the downstream applications and to see the ebst in individuals and inspires them to want to
their research turn into a product.” learn and gain understanding.”

“UROP opportunities at MIT and Course X are invaluable,” says Amanda Lanza ’08. “There are
significant mentorship benefits from working with motivated graduate students as well as faculty
outside of the classroom.”
Our Faculty

One-third of our thirty-five faculty But perhaps more important, our faculty work
with our students. Our faculty will be your
members are members of the instructors in chemical engineering classes and
National Academy of Engineering. supervisors in research projects. They will help
you select your subjects and guide your
Several are members of the National Academy of professional growth as you prepare for your
Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and career beyond your years of undergraduate
Sciences. Over the years, professors Martin Ba- study at MIT.
zant, Michael Strano and J. Christopher Love have
all been named one of Popular Science’s annual
“Brilliant 10.” Institute Professor Robert Langer has “If you ever have an issue, the faculty
won the National Medal of Science, the Charles and staff help you handle it,” says
Stark Draper Prize, the 2008 Millennium Prize, and
the Priestly Medal, chemistry’s highest honor. The Mark Kalinich ’13. “Mid-term advising
list goes on and on. meetings help keep you on track.
The advisors work hard to make sure
Our faculty also do cutting-edge research. They
collaborate on projects within and outside the students are happy in their academic
Department and also in MIT-wide efforts such as and personal lives and have all the
the Broad Institute, the DuPont-MIT Alliance, the
support they need.”
Deshpande Center for Innovation, the Institute
for Soldier Nanotechnology, the Koch Institute for
Integrative Cancer Research, the MIT Energy
Initiative and more.
ChemE Degree Options
Course 10: Course 10B: Course 10-ENG:
Bachelor of Science in Bachelor of Science in Bachelor of Science with
Chemical Engineering Chemical-Biological Concentration
Engineering
This degree is for students who This flexible degree incorporates
seek a broad education in the This degree is for students who many of the core components
application of chemical engi- are specifically interested in of the traditional chemical engi-
neering to a variety of specific the application of chemical neering degree, while providing
areas, including energy and the engineering in the areas of concentrations for specific
environment, nanotechnology, biochemical and biomedical relevant areas in the field, which
polymers and colloids, surface technologies. Degree require- can be designed from a set of
science, catalysis and reaction ments include core chemical courses offered by departments
engineering, systems and engineering subjects and addi- across the Institute. Students
process design, and biotech- tional subjects in biological sci- can choose one of four estab-
nology. Degree requirements ences and applied biology. This lished concentrations (energy,
include the core chemical degree is excellent preparation biomedical engineering,
engineering subjects with a for students also considering materials design and process-
chemistry emphasis. the biomedical engineering ing, or environmental studies) or
minor or medical school. work with advisors to develop
individualized programs.

5.310 7.02 or 10.702 Capstone

10.32 7.03
10.26 or 10.28 7.06 Concentration Track
Elective Lab 10.28 or 10.29 (4 Subjects)

Foundation
(3 Subjects)

5.07 or 7.05
5.12
ICE Sequence

18.03
5.60
10.10
10.213
10.301
10.302
10.37

MIT Science and HASS GIRs

 “It became clear to me in my job search
that the breadth of knowledge I had
from my undergraduate studies made
me qualified for positions outside my

Career Options graduate focus. The experiences I had at

MIT made me confident to pursue those
positions – I knew that I could learn,
adapt and thrive if given the opportunity.”

Amanda Lanza ’08

“In high school, I didn’t understand

what I could do as a chemical
engineer. Then I read an article
about a ChemE intern whose
summer job was to make tomato-
stain-proof tupperware. For me,
that was a practical, hands-on
example of what chemical
engineers can do.”

Mariah Hoover ’08, MSCEP ’12

MIT ChemE - Real World Experiences
Mariah Hoover ’08, MSCEP ’12 Amanda Lanza ’08 Mark Kalinich ’13
Global, Applicable, Practical Knowledge Looking Inward
Eclectic from the Beginning As a freshman in Course X, Mark
Kalinich worked in the laboratory of
Mariah Hoover set out to be a As part of Bristol-Myers Squibb’s
Institute Professor Robert Langer,
chemical engineer because she Biologics Development team,
which helped him appreciate how
wanted her work to make a Amanda Lanza presently focuses on
chemical engineering principles
difference in people’s lives. In her upstream process development of
can be leveraged to solve biomedi-
short career, Mariah has done a lot. early, mid and late stage biologi-
cal problems. “Besides learning me
After her bachelor’s, she worked cal molecules to aid immunology
basic lab techniques, I practiced
on air fresheners in England. The and oncology therapies. “The skills
understanding, analyzing, and
appeal? “Consumer products have a that I acquired through Course X
questioning the experiments I
quick turnaround. You can work on touch upon all aspects on my job,”
performed and the science I read.
something, and see it in the grocery she says. “I can directly apply the
My two graduate student mentors
store 6 months later,” she says. content from my classes when I am
were amazingly patient, helpful, and
Next, she helped clean up a chemi- operating bioreactors and purifying
knowledgeable, and their guidance
cal weapons site in Washington, protein product.”
played a huge role in my decision to
D.C., work that really drew upon
pursue an M.D./Ph.D.”
her training as a chemical engineer. A larger portion of what Amanda
“We had to figure out how to find learned can be applied indirectly
Now in the Harvard-MIT combined
the weapons in the ground, and to in her job when she designs new
M.D./Ph.D. program, Mark uses basic
calculate exposure risks dermally, experiments, prepares techni-
chemical engineering principles
from inhalation, and long-term,” she cal documents, or evaluates the
every day. “Course X has provided
says. “It was really exciting.” scientific proposals of colleagues.
an amazing framework for under-
“The programming experience I
standing the human body,” he says.
During her master’s degree, Mariah gained through my Intro to Chemi-
“Fluid mechanics explains how our
worked at Novartis in San Francisco, cal Engineering class, and reinforced
.6-pound heart pumps 1900 gallons
her first foray into pharmaceuticals throughout Course X’s core courses,
of blood a day through a maze of
despite her emphasis on biology as has been extremely beneficial,
blood vessels to the tissues that
an undergrad, as well as at Cabot, a enabling me to rapidly implement
need it. Mass transport is every-
chemical company. Her next step? automated computational tools
where: the lungs are ultra-efficient
“I’m working for Shell Oil,” she says. that save time and make my group’s
gas exchangers; our kidneys act
“I’ll be working on introducing new workflow more efficient.”
as some of the most advanced
technologies into refineries across
filtration units on the planet. Fluid
North America. I can’t wait to
flows, mass and energy balances,
get started.”
and transport processes are present
throughout human physiology.”
Student Life/
Resources
 Ask our students, alumni and faculty and
they will all tell you the same thing:

“Course X is hard, but it’s also fun

“Everyone really knows each and everyone is here to help.”
other and spends time with
each other,” says Saloni Jain Our department isn’t just a collection of people who study
the same thing. We are a community. That means we work
’12 and Vice President of MIT’s together, we solve problems together, and we celebrate
AIChE chapter, which arrang- together.
es study groups, seminars,
As an example, we surveyed students and recent alumni
company tours and student/ and learned that they wanted a degree program that leaves
faculty lunches. “It ends up room for interdisciplinary studies. So we created one. We also
being really close knit.” built in a support system to help students design their own
paths through this new flexible curriculum.

“All the ChemE students Because chemical engineering provides so many career
take all of their core classes options, our faculty help all students stay on track
during mid-term advising meetings. Upperclassmen also
together at the same time, get involved by becoming Associate Advisors who help each
which creates a very strong sophomore navigate his or her way through the major.
sense of community among
And the student office is always available to provide students
the students and it makes it with a listening ear and helping hand. Staff members help
easier to make friends,” says students plan events, find funding to support projects,
Joshua Cohen ’12. “And the coordinate schedules and make connections. The office also
manages the annual holiday baking contest and Holiday
professors are open and ap- Party, two memorable highlights of each academic year.
proachable, so you can ask
questions during class and
approach them after class.”

“I wouldn’t have made it

through MIT without my
chemical engineering class
- all 60-something of us.
Although it was a long, wind-
ing, and p-set laden road,
I wouldn’t choose to spend
those 4 years with anyone
else,” says Mark Kalinich ’13.
Let Us Wow You
You’ve probably heard that Chemical
Engineering at MIT has been ranked #1 by US
News and World Report for 23 years running.
You’ve probably also heard that MIT chemical
engineering is one of the largest chemical
engineering departments the country, which
means that, no matter what you want to do in
ChemE, there is someone here at MIT who is
teaching it or researching it or, at the very least,
wants to start.
That’s the great thing about MIT. It’s filled with energy.
A different kind of energy. MIT attracts bright people who
have a passion for turning ideas into reality. MIT is a place
where students and professors are also innovators and life-long
learners. It is a place where people are more interested in
moving forward together than being competitive separately.
It’s a place where people love to learn and discover.

And MIT is a place where people have a lot of fun.

Maybe it’s chemistry. Maybe the place is engineered for

innovation. In Course X, no doubt, it’s a little bit of both.

MIT Chemical Engineering. We put molecules to work.

For more information visit: http://mit.edu/cheme/

MIT ChemE
Course X
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department of Chemical Engineering

Building 66
25 Ames Street
Cambridge MA 02139 USA
tel: 617.452.2162
fax: 617.253.9695

http://mit.edu/cheme/
MITChemEng
MITChemE

08/14