Chemical Engineering Laboratory Innovations

Authors

  • Tracy Carter Northeastern University
  • Andrew Maxson The Ohio State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18260/2-1-370.660-141029

Abstract

In this article, we describe the history of chemical engineering laboratories from the perspective of the undergraduate engineering and chemical engineering education literature. We also describe several innovative approaches to teaching laboratory in the chemical engineering curriculum based on what is taught, how it is taught, and how learning can be assessed.

Author Biographies

Tracy Carter, Northeastern University

Tracy Carter is a part-time faculty member in the Chemical Engineering Department at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. She earned a BS, MS and PhD in Chemical Engineering and worked five years in R&D designing medical devices for the treatment of pain and Parkinson’s disease. Joining Northeastern University in 2011, she taught Chemical Engineering Laboratory for over ten years. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic she co-led the AIChE Virtual Community of Practice which brought together faculty teaching lab across the globe to identify methods and best practices to teach lab during the pandemic. This group continues to meet every other week to share best teaching practices.

Andrew Maxson, The Ohio State University

Andy Maxson is a Professional Practice Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at The Ohio State University. He earned his BS degree at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and worked in the automotive and appliance manufacturing industries before attending graduate school at Ohio State to earn his PhD in chemical engineering. Since joining the faculty at OSU in 2017, he has taught the Unit Operations Laboratory course for nine years.

Cover for the Spring 2026 issue

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Published

2026-05-11

Issue

Vol. 60 No. 2 (2026): Spring 2026

Section

60th Anniversary Special Section