2011–2012 UNIVERSITY CATALOG - Florida Institute of Technology

Areas of Specialization
The student may select electives and the thesis topic to provide an
emphasis in any of the following areas that include environmental
engineering; materials synthesis, processing and characterization;
transport and separation processes; computer-aided modeling,
processing and control or biomedical engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering applies engineering and science methodologies
to the analysis of biological and physiological problems and the
delivery of healthcare. The biomedical engineer serves as an interface
between traditional engineering disciplines and living systems,
and may focus on either, applying the patterns of living organisms to
engineering design or engineering new approaches to human health.
A biomedical engineer may use his/her knowledge of engineering to
create new equipment or environments for such purposes as maximizing
human performance or providing non-invasive diagnostic
tools. Students can choose elective courses in their area of interest
offered by other engineering disciplines.
The minimum requirements include those outlined above and 15
credit hours (five courses) as outlined below:
Required Courses
BIO 5210 Applied Physiology
BME 5702 Biomedical Applications in Physiology
Three courses from the following:
BME 5103 Transport Processes in Bioengineering
BME 5259 Medical Imaging
BME 5569 Biomaterials and Tissue Regeneration
BME 5710 Orthopedic Biomechanics
BME 5720 Biomedical Instrumentation
Chemical Engineering, Ph.D. ___________________
Major Code: 9033 Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy
Age Restriction: N Admission Status: graduate
Delivery Mode/s: classroom only Location/s: main campus
Admission Materials: 3 letters of
recommendation, résumé, objectives
The doctoral program is primarily for students who wish to develop
independent research or problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.
Research areas must be related to the faculty’s interests.
Admission Requirements
General admission requirements and the application process are
covered in the Academic Overview section.
Admission to the doctoral program normally requires the completion
of a master’s degree in chemical engineering. However, students
enrolled in the Florida Tech master’s program may apply to be
admitted directly to the doctoral program after completing 18 credit
hours with a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or more, if there
is evidence of the ability to pursue problems independently.
Doctoral applicants must demonstrate outstanding scholastic
achievements and aptitude, provide letters of recommendation from
previous professors, including the M.S. thesis adviser and provide
results of a recent GRE test including both the General Test and
Subject Test in Engineering.
Degree Requirements
The doctor of philosophy degree is recognition of one’s independent
creative ability to research, delineate and solve novel, significant
scientific and/or engineering problems. Results of such work must
be publishable in refereed journals. Coursework is also included in
support of these objectives.
98 Florida Tech
Each student is expected to complete an approved program of
study, pass both oral and written examinations, propose and complete
an original research project, and write and defend a dissertation
on the research work.
The Ph.D. in chemical engineering requires a minimum of 72
credit hours (42 credit hours after the completion of a master’s
degree), including at least 18 credit hours of formal coursework in
chemical engineering (six after the master’s degree) and six credit
hours in mathematics, and satisfaction of the general doctoral
degree requirements presented in the Academic Overview section.
The written examination covers chemical engineering and related
mathematical, physical and chemical sciences. The oral examination
includes the presentation of a research proposition developed
independently by the student to demonstrate ability to create and
develop a research idea. The written and oral examinations are
normally taken before the end of the fourth academic semester,
counted from the semester of admission to the doctoral program.
The dissertation may be theoretical, computational, experimental
or a combination of the three in any of the areas of specialization
shown for the master’s degree.
RESEARCH
Current research activities are within the scope of the areas of
specialization previously stated.
Environmental engineering: Projects include development of a
new bioreactor to produce micro-algae for applications in aquaculture
and design of systems for controlling contaminants in spacecraft
atmospheres. Most projects focus on development of renewable
resources, especially alternative sources of energy.
Materials synthesis, processing and modeling: Ongoing activities
are primarily in development of new membranes for hydrogen
purification, including porous silicon and metal hydride/templated
porous carbon composites. Work is being done using molten
salt electrolysis for metals production. Other activities include
development of polymer/carbon composites for applications in gas
sensing and modeling of transport properties in porous media.
Transport and separation processes: Current projects include
development of computer simulation algorithms for estimating
transport properties of porous and composite materials, especially
fibrous media, and modeling transport and reaction in polymer
electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Other recent projects have examined
membrane separation of gases and the use of supercritical
fluids for extraction of citrus oils.
Computer-aided modeling, processing and control: Research
is ongoing in the area of adaptive control for both single loop and
multivariable applications. Neural networks are being investigated
for use in nonlinear control as well as other areas of model development
in which traditional models are constrained. Modeling,
analysis and simulation of chemical process for in situ resource
use on the moon and Mars are also being conducted to aid NASA’s
effort in space exploration. Other topics of research interest include
using neural networks in nonlinear control and other areas of model
development in which traditional models are constrained.