Semester in Review, Spring 2016

This was it. My last semester at Cornell. I took the capstone ChemE class, a ChemE related elective, a non-ChemE related elective, and research.

Chemical Process Design – This is the capstone design class for Cornell Chemical Engineers. Each team of four is given a design problem, in my case increasing the value of a mixed hydrocarbon stream by reacting and separating it. We were then tasked with choosing the processes, equipment, operating conditions, and controls needed to achieve our goal. We also determined the economic feasibility of the project, but I was not our group’s money person. Every week, we reported our progress on the week’s assigned topics to our manager (professor) and supervisor (TA) at either a less formal round table meeting or a formal presentation. At the end of the semester, we made a final presentation to our professor, TA, and industry professionals. A worthwhile experience, though I’m not sure I can say I really enjoyed it . . . except for fancy dress day and finishing our last presentation.

Aerosols and Colloids – I needed a class to fulfill an elective slot and chose this class because apparently I couldn’t go an entire semester without a ChemE academic intensive class. [Senior design really focuses on being able to present information and defend the rationale behind your decisions.] I was interested in the material but I might have benefited from another semester of fluids, which, not coincidentally, I’ll be getting in the fall.

Research – In the fall, I started research late in the semester so I decided not to do it for credit. This spring, I took credit and used it as an elective. I mainly worked on chemical synthesis and perfecting my NMR technique, and it was a good complement to the research I had done over the summer. During the summer, I worked on programming and read lots of fun abstract papers about computational rheology. Then in the fall and spring, I returned to the lab and got more hands on experience.

Introduction to Wines – Unlike every other (non-PE) class I took at Cornell, I did not need these credits to graduate, however, I couldn’t miss out on this Cornell classic and senior favorite. Every week, with a few exceptions, all 700-plus of the students in the class met in the Statler auditorium to learn about a different wine region and taste five to seven wines. We were educated on the climate, geography, wine laws, history, and major varietals of France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Chile, and regions of the United States. I also learned that wine is made from grapes if I want tannins (found in red wines) I’d rather just eat grapes. In addition, we were introduced to the Finger Lakes specialty that is dry Riesling. This ranks as one of my favorite Cornell classes through all four years.

And with passing grades in each of the above classes, I finished everything I needed to graduate. Next semester I’ll be at another university in another state in a building that is not called Olin Hall.