Welcome
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- Kevin Dorfman
Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Department Head
Chemical engineering integrates knowledge and methods from chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics, to develop and optimize processing systems for the chemical, energy, materials, biotechnology and food industries. The curriculum builds on fundamental principles of thermodynamics, transport phenomena, and chemical rate processes, to address design of reaction and separation units, and ultimately, of entire processing plants using economic optimization. The discipline, deeply rooted in science, is intellectually rich and diverse, offering a unifying perspective on analyzing and designing physical, chemical and engineered systems, as disparate as the human body and a chemical plant. The field is at the forefront of scientific and technological advances towards solving energy, environment and health problems, and developing new and sustainable manufacturing processes.
The central concept of materials science and engineering is that innovations in materials are at the core of every major advance in technology. For example, high strength steel paved the way for the industrial revolution, and glass optical fibers and high purity silicon currently enable high speed communications and miniaturized circuits in the information age. Materials science and engineering uncovers unifying principles connecting processing, structure, properties and performance in all classes of materials (metals, ceramics, polymers, semiconductors, composites) and pursues the design of new forms of matter for the next wave of technology. The field necessarily integrates deep understanding of the connection between structure of matter over nanometer to millimeter length scales and overall performance in electrical, optical, magnetic, thermal, and structural applications.
Phone: 612-625-1313
Fax: 612-626-7246
Mail: 151 Amundson Hall, 421 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0132
Email:
Graduate Programs: cemsgrad@umn.edu
Permission Numbers for Undergraduate Courses
Undergraduate Programs: kgregers@umn.edu
General Inquiries: cemsdept@umn.edu