What areas do you find the most interesting?

I'm looking to study further, and i don't really know where to begin. Ive taken some basics, and read a few organic texts. I'm starting a P-chem book, but as far as I can tell, there are so many subdivisions of physical chemistry that it doesn't really count as a grouping. A theoretical area would be fine, as I don't have access to a lab. Tell me, what fields interest you?

7/7/2009 3:44:43 PM

The SI sessions are why i signed up for chemistry. That and i love taking tests on wooden mousepads.

Also, the sound of calculators hitting concrete floors is what motivates me most to go to class.

[Edited on July 7, 2009 at 3:53 PM. Reason : on a more serious note, i'm a CHE degree. I didn't enjoy organic much but ch201 was a good time.]

7/7/2009 3:51:59 PM

^ Why was it a good time and why are you a CHE major?

7/7/2009 4:00:03 PM

it was easy and i understood it naturally. I'm CHE because i love engineering, will be guranteed a job, and make at least $60K/hr out of college. pretty easy decision for me.

7/7/2009 4:04:58 PM

Quote :

"$60K/hr"

holy shit man, I'm in the wrong field

7/7/2009 9:20:20 PM

Look into nanotechnology:

Shear-thickening fluids (body armor)

Carbon nanotubes

Conductive polymers

microfluidics

Nanoparticle applications (cure cancer, targeted drugs)

surfactants

all of it is fucking cool

7/7/2009 10:51:51 PM

^ Good advice, thanks! What is your background, if you don't mind me asking?

7/8/2009 10:55:34 AM

Going into my senior year in CHE, hoping to pursue nanotech stuff. I've done research with electrospinning (polymer nanofibers), polymer nanotube supercapacitors, making silver nanoparticles, and right now working with digital microfluidics (electrowetting). Last semester was kind of an extra semester (did co-op so 5 year plan) so I took three nanoelectives. One was on nanomaterials, one was wet nanotech (colloids, surfactants, microfluidics) and one was dry nanotech (little bit of polymers, some lab work in nanoscale coatings)

I've just been really interested in the field. I'm trying to do the shear thickening body armor for my senior design, I just need a certain professor to do something about it...

7/8/2009 12:55:45 PM

well, you know what

MEs get to make pliers and tape measures and shit

so there!

7/8/2009 2:13:11 PM

^ don't forget we only had to take one chem.

7/8/2009 3:20:26 PM

Same with us civils, though we don't make as much as the other engineering fields.

That's not true for where I'm about to start work, but it's cool. You have more field opportunities as a civil, which is nice if you like sunlight.

7/8/2009 9:45:49 PM

If you want to make money, do the chemistry & CHE double. Unless you get a PhD in Chemistry, you won't make great money otherwise. And even PhD level jobs are hard to get right now.

Don't get me wrong though, you can fine with just a BS chem degree, but it can take a while to get into a good job.


As far as interesting, I enjoyed organic & polymers.

7/11/2009 7:22:01 PM

I've never heard of chemistry coupled with CHE being a more valuable degree plan. If you placed out of a ton of CH courses, then its fine to do, but if you're having to start at CH 101 (like I did) then the extra work will probably put you into another semester.

Regardless, from what I've seen and heard the chemistry side does nothing for your typical CHE bachelor job prospects, where you mostly pursue industrial jobs working with process maintenance (being around to troubleshoot when the process fucks up). Unless you go to grad school, where you learn more chemistry and CHE material anyway.

[Edited on July 13, 2009 at 12:26 PM. Reason : in comparison to a regular CHE degree, that is]

[Edited on July 13, 2009 at 12:27 PM. Reason : i do concur that bachelors in chemistry is set sail for fail in the $$ department]

7/13/2009 12:24:12 PM

i've always liked solar energy and that's what im studying right now


in college though I learned a lot about electronics and instrumentation and thought that was pretty cool too.

If I went back and did college all over again and went to a school that had an engineering dept, i'd consider doing ChE and getting my business degree.

how did my school not have either of those??? jeeez

7/14/2009 11:46:57 AM