My favorite class so far has been CHE 444a, a 2-unit chemical engineering lab class. Although required for my major, I found this class to be super fun because of the interesting labs and flexible schedule. We started the semester with 3-4 weeks of 1 lecture every week. Then, we had labs for 3 weeks, lectures for 3 weeks, and lab for 3 weeks. This flexibility helped my classmates and I balance this lab class with our other classes without feeling super overwhelmed. In our lectures, we learned basic lab safety procedures, and the chemical engineering theory behind each lab. We also spent class time and homeworks practicing the calculations we would need for our lab reports. Our professor, Dr. Jincai Chang gave us plenty of resources so that we could enter the labs feeling confident and ready.
Once we entered the lab, we got to do so many cool things! From performing distillation and liquid-liquid extraction to studying diffusion through a membrane, the labs were always interesting. There were some waiting periods like when we had to watch water and ethanol boil (yes, definitely boring), but my lab partners and I kept each other entertained. We played music, shared stories, and vented about our classes. We also had different TAs for each lab and were able to learn about so many different experiences of chemical engineering grad students.
The lab reports were a bit daunting because of the calculations and analysis we had to include- they ended up being 20 pages long minimum. However, I split up the work with my lab group members so we could all do our best to contribute to the report equally. We also didn’t have to write a lab report every single week of the semester, which was nice.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but CHE 444a gave me a foundation that’s already paid off in internships. I knew how to organize findings clearly, back them up with data, and translate technical results into meaningful conclusions. I also know I’ll be able to use my technical writing skills for future research or other lab reports. The chemical engineering department at USC does a great job of preparing students for post-grad life in industry or research by helping us develop the technical and critical thinking skills necessary to succeed. Developing my technical writing skills and experiencing fun hands-on labs is why CHE 444a has been my favorite class so far.
