Sneakers As A First Step In Chemical Engineering

Exploring Engineering is a required course for all first-year engineers at Bucknell University. This course provides students with an overview of the engineering disciplines, a first experience in engineering design, and an introduction to professional responsibility. Within this course, students elect to take three different three-week seminars, each focusing on a particular discipline. While these seminars provide depth in a given area, they must also contribute to the overall course objective: that students will develop an appreciation for the commonalities of all engineering disciplines. “Engineering Athletics” is the chemical engineering seminar, in which students learn about polymer science, materials science, material balances and the design/manufacturing process within the context of designing a better sneaker. This paper describes the integrated series of classroom and laboratory sessions which comprise this project-based seminar. Briefly, student teams measure the material properties of a variety of commercially-available shoes. Students then develop a formulation for condensing solid rubber from liquid latex with the goal of producing a product that has properties which match or surpass those of polymers used in existing shoes. Finally, students attempt to “mass produce” this formulation to match specifications based upon the properties of their desired product. This project is an excellent fit for a first-year course because it introduces key concepts in chemical engineering while emphasizing the interconnectedness of the engineering disciplines. Because many students are interested in sports equipment, the seminar works well as both an introduction for future chemical engineers and as a “taste” for those going on to other majors.