GRADUATE STUDENT HANDBOOK
Department of Chemical Engineering
August 2006
Handbook
For
Chemical Engineering Graduate Students
Department of Chemical Engineering
The University of Texas at Austin
August 2006
Contents
1. Department of Chemical Engineering 1
1.1 Location and Size 1
1.2 Office and Laboratory Space 1
1.3 Keys and Access Control Card Information 1
1.4 Libraries 2
1.5 Department Chair 3
1.6 Graduate Advisor 3
1.7 Graduate Coordinator 3
1.8 Laser Printer Facilities 3
1.9 Copier Facilities 4
1.10 Fax Facilities 4
2. Selection of the Supervising Professor 4
3. Financial Support 4
3.1 Departmental Financial Aid 4
3.2 Fellowships 4
3.3 Graduate Research Assistantships 5
3.4 Teaching Assistantships 5
3.5 Graduate Student Loans 7
4. M. S. Candidates 8
4.1 Time Utilization and Course Load 8
4.2 Thesis 9
4.3 Form of Thesis 9
4.4 Graduate School Deadlines 9
4.5 Department Checkout 9
4.6 Useful Hints 9
5. Ph.D. Candidates 10
5.1 Steps to Earn the PhD Degree 10
5.2 Dissertation 12
5.3 Graduate School Deadlines 12
5.4 Form of Dissertation 13
5.5 Qualifying Examination 13
5.6 Research Proposal and Prelimary Oral Examination 14
5.7 Final Oral Examination 16
5.8 Department Checkout 16
6. Coursework and Seminars 18
6.1 Quality of Work 18
6.2 The Graduate School Catalog 18
6.3 Course Registration 18
6.4 Seminars 19
7. Equipment and Services 19
7.1 Stockroom 19
7.2 Purchasing and Procurement 19
7.3 Instrumentation and Repair Shop 19
7.4 Computer Facilities 20
7.5 Natural Sciences Department Facilities 23
7.6 Other Service and Supply Centers 23
8. Project Design Guidelines 24
9. Safety - Laboratory and Building 24
9.1 Laboratory Safety Guidelines 24
9.2 Building Safety 28
9.3 Procedures Which Are Not Allowed Under Any Circumstances 30
10. Professional Organizations for Chemical Engineers at the University 31
10.1 American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Student Chapter 31
10.2 Omega Chi Epsilon, Epsilon Chapter 31
10.3 Tau Beta Pi, Alpha Chapter of Texas 31
10.4 Sigma Xi, Texas Chapter 31
10.5 American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Balcones Fault Section 32
10.6 American Chemical Society, Central Texas Section 32
10.7 American Society of Chemical Engineering Education, UT Chapter 32
10.8 Society of Women Engineers 32
11. Graduate Student Councils 32
11.1 Graduate Engineering Council 33
11.2 Council of Graduate Students 33
11.3 Graduate Student Executive Committee 34
12. Guidelines for University Travel 35
13. Career Development Activities 36
13.1 Curriculum Vitae……………………………………………………….36
13.2 Gaining Experience in Academia…………………………………...….36
13.3 Gaining Industrial Experience………………………………………….36
14. Conference Room Scheduling 37
15. Department Truck 37
16. Appendix 38
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1. Department of Chemical Engineering
1.1 Location and Size
The Department is housed in the east half of the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Building (CPE). This area contains the undergraduate laboratories, three floors of graduate research laboratories, office and clerical space, a machine shop, a stockroom, and two computer terminal rooms. Additional research space for several faculty in the Department is located in other campus buildings as well as the J. J. Pickle Research Center.
An idea of the size of the Department is illustrated by the following approximate enrollment figures in 2004: Undergraduates – 650; Graduates-M.S. candidates -74 (includes many first and second year students who seek a Ph.D); Ph.D. candidates -117. There are 24 tenured faculty.
1.2 Office and Laboratory Space
The Department provides office and/or laboratory space for each full-time graduate student. When a student selects a supervisor, his or her research supervisor in cooperation with the Graduate Advisor will assign laboratory or office space. The Chairman of the Department assigns office space to teaching assistants and graders who do not have space otherwise provided.
1.3 Keys and Access Control Card Information
All graduate students are eligible for proximity access I.D. cards for the Chemical Engineering building. See Kevin Haynes (CPE 1.450) or Jim Smitherman (CPE 1.402) to activate your I.D. card. Your EID is required to activate the card. When a student selects an advisor, he or she must obtain a key memorandum or email from the supervising professor or Graduate Advisor to be issued keys to the appropriate labs (some group labs or offices are set up with a common key). The student then takes this form to Kevin Haynnes (CPE 1.450B) or Jim Smitherman (CPE 1.402). The initialed and filled-out form is then taken to the Service Building (Lock and Key Services) where keys are issued. The Service Building is located on the north side of 24th Street between Speedway and San Jacinto. All keys must be returned in person to Kevin or Jim when the need for them is terminated, otherwise a bar on transcripts from UT may result.
Proximity Card access control is used to control the passage of authorized individuals into and/or out of the building after 6 PM and during weekends. After hours, you will be able to enter through the door on the east side of the building and you must exit through that door. If you exit through any other door, the alarm is tripped at the UT Police Department indicating that an unauthorized exit has taken place. Access into this area can be approved or denied by the electric lock.
Your Proximity I.D. card activates the lock when it is waved near the pressure pad. At that time the green light will flash a few times, and then come on steady. It is during that time while the light is constant that you need to enter. If the door is left open for any reason for more than 15 seconds, an alarm will sound at the Police Department.
Proximity I.D. cards should not be hole-punched. This will cause damage to the card and render it useless. Students should not allow “tailgating” when entering the building. Unknown persons should not be allowed in by you.
If you are on the upper levels and are preparing to leave, you need to return to the lobby. The most direct methods are via the elevator or Stair 4 (south stairway); if you use Stair 3 (by the Coke machine), use your Proximity Card to get to the main lobby. Once you are in the lobby area, you must exit from the access door. ® YOU MUST PRESS THE LARGE RED BUTTON ON THE RIGHT BEFORE YOU OPEN THE DOOR. ¬ You will again have a few seconds to clear the doorway. Failure to press the red button will set off the alarm, and you may have the opportunity to meet the University Police firsthand.
A historical record is created by the card usage, which can be examined at a later date if a security question arises concerning activity in the protected area. Lost or stolen I.D. cards or keys should be reported to Kevin or Jim so that replacements can be accounted for and reported. Invalidation of the card can be immediate and does not depend upon recovery of the card. There will be a replacement charge for the Proximity I.D. card.
1.4 Libraries
The Mallet (Chemistry) Library is in Welch Hall 2.132. Other branch libraries frequently used by graduate students are the Engineering (ECJ 1.300), Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy (RLM 4.200), Pharmacy (MAI 220), Life Sciences (MAI 220), and Geology (GEO 4.202). All of these libraries are located within a few blocks of the Chemical Engineering Department. Most journal articles are available electronically from UT Net CAT. Xeroxing privileges (copy cards) are available to ChE graduate students in these libraries. Copy cards may be obtained at the Perry-Castaneda Library (PCL 1.1020) Copier Service; they accept cash and University account numbers obtained from your supervising professor.
The Department also maintains a special library collection, the Kobe Collection, in honor of Professor Kenneth A. Kobe, a former chairman in the 1950's. The collection is in the Himmelblau Graduate Research Reference Room (CPE 4.446). Theses and dissertations of former chemical engineering graduate students are available there (keys for the cabinets which contain the thesis and dissertations may be obtained from the Graduate Coordinator). The Reference Room is not an official UT library but is maintained as a convenience for faculty and graduate students. Books are only to be used in the library room itself. This room is also used frequently for seminars and research group meetings. You should not interrupt such meetings. The schedule for this room is kept by Kay Costales-Swift (or Jody Lester) in CPE 2.802.
1.5 Department Chair
The Chair of the Chemical Engineering Department (Roger Bonnecaze) is responsible to the University Administration for the administration of the building and of the equipment and supplies contained within it. The Chair also sets policies on a variety of academic and research issues and administers the Department’s budget. The Department Executive Assistant reports to the Chair.
1.6 Graduate Advisor
The Graduate Advisor (Isaac C. Sanchez) is the representative of the Dean of the Graduate School in the Department of Chemical Engineering in all matters pertaining to the advising of graduate students who intend to obtain a degree in Chemical Engineering. The Graduate Advisor is appointed by the Department Chair. The Graduate Advisor is also the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee and is responsible for the graduate program in the Department. He/she registers each graduate student and acts on adds, drops, section changes and special examinations. You should contact the Graduate Advisor concerning information about graduate work, financial aid, and course scheduling.
1.7 Graduate Coordinator
The Graduate Coordinator (“T” Stockman) is responsible for many of the administrative duties that involve official university forms, e.g., student appointments, adds/drops during class registration, and departmental correspondence regarding graduate students. The Coordinator also handles waivers for out-of-state tuition and payment of tuition by departmental and research accounts. The Coordinator maintains a file for each graduate student containing a record of each student's work, both for previous degrees and for work in progress. Copies of all official documents regarding graduate study should be given to the Graduate Coordinator. The Graduate Coordinator is in charge of answering inquiries about admission or financial aid from prospective students. The Coordinator reports to the Graduate Advisor.
1.8 Laser Printer Facilities
The Department has laser printers available for use by graduate students in the Graduate Office located in CPE 3.408 and also in some research groups. A color laser printer is located in CPE 3.408. Each printer is maintained by grant/contract funds of the faculty. The following guidelines have been established for their use.
1. It is permissible to use departmental PC’s or workstations to write a thesis or dissertation.
2. The laser printer may be used to print one copy of a dissertation, thesis, or resume. Multiple copies should be reproduced, at the student's expense, onto the proper paper at commercial printing/copy locations.
3. The laser printer should not be used to print multiple copies of any document. The copier in the Stockroom is capable of high quality reproductions at lower cost.
1.9 Copier Facilities
There is a copy machine available to graduate students. One such machine, built for bulk copying, is located in CPE 1.450B. These copiers require a pass code (provided by your advisor) for access. A smaller copier is located in CPE 3.408.
1.10 Fax Facilities
There is a fax machine available to graduate students located in CPE 3.408. The number for the fax machine is (512) 475-7824.
2. Selection of the Supervising Professor
Departmental rules require that all graduate students who enter in the Fall semester attend a series of presentations by the professors in the Department to become familiar with the research being carried out. This is usually held during the first and second week of classes. If a student's financial support consists of a research assistantship, follow-up interviews with those professors having appointments (i.e., a funded project) available are encouraged. Every effort is made to give students their first choice for supervisor. Students with fellowship support such as National Science Foundation may select a supervisor/project that does not have current funding. Supervisor selection is finalized at the end of September each year so that a research problem can be selected and a formal appointment made as soon as possible.
3. Financial Support
3.1 Departmental Financial Aid
All students who receive part or all of their financial support from fellowships, assistantships or grants are expected to make every attempt to guarantee the continuance of such support by discussing aid options with the supervising professor and by making application for all fellowships for which they are qualified. Generally, student support is provided by a variety of types of aid (fellowship, GRA, TA, grader). Every attempt is made to provide continuing financial support to students who are making satisfactory progress in their course work and research.
3.2 Fellowships
Outside fellowships (i.e., NSF, Homeland Security, etc.) are granted on a competitive basis, and qualified students are encouraged to apply. These fellowships usually cover tuition and fees, and provide a stipend for the fellow. Fellows do not receive employee benefits such as health insurance because they are not considered State of Texas employees. However, fellows may arrange to purchase a health insurance policy through the university and should speak to their advisors about it. Fellowship stipends are taxable and fellowship recipients must arrange to pay their taxes quarterly since their stipends are not subject to withholding tax. The proper tax form is the 1040-ES/V, which can be downloaded from the IRS web page (www.irs.gov).
In addition to outside fellowships, there are also supplemental fellowships provided to qualified students by the College of Engineering. These fellowships range from $1000 to $9000 and may or may not be renewable on an annual basis.
3.3 Graduate Research Assistantships
Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs)have a nominal appointment of 20 hours/week (half-time) and the rate of pay (per month) is based on your previous degree and years of experience, and is determined by your supervising professor. GRAs are normally funded through faculty research projects sponsored by government or industry. GRA appointees also receive health insurance benefits. The stipend is taxable and subject to withholding. Tuition and fees of GRAs are paid by faculty research accounts. The stipend amount for continuing students is reviewed by the faculty every year, and policies on raising the stipend each year are determined in consultation with the Dean of Engineering and the Provost, subject to availability of funds.