A DegreeBy Larry Borowskyof ChangeLet’s get one thing straight:Biochemical engineering has nothing<strong>to</strong> do with cloning.“That’s the sort of thing peopleau<strong>to</strong>matically think of when theyhear that buzzword ‘bio,’” laughsJim Ely, head of the Departmen<strong>to</strong>f Chemical Engineering. “Cloning,protein manipulation, genesplicing—that’s not what biochemicalengineers do.”Nor is that the focus of Mines’new Chemical and BiochemicalEngineering undergraduatedegree program, which waslaunched this fall. Rather, the newcurriculum emphasizes “industrialbiotechnology,” the most recentwave of a scientific revolution that isalready transforming medicine andagriculture. “That’s where the futureof chemical engineering lies,” Elysays, “and where <strong>to</strong>day’s studentsmay find the best job opportunities.”So what, exactly, is industrialbiotechnology?Alternatives Offeredby <strong>New</strong> BiochemicalEngineeringProgram22 Fall 2007
“Any seriousuniversity inthis day andage needs <strong>to</strong> bestrong on thebiological side”“Traditionally,” Ely explains, “chemical engineers have startedwith an extractable material such as petroleum, and processed itin<strong>to</strong> a synthesized material—a polymer, for example. By contrast,a biochemical process begins with an organic material like cornand processes it in<strong>to</strong> ethanol or some other light organic chemical.Both of these operations require chemical engineering expertise,but one involves biological raw materials and processes andthe other doesn’t.”The example is fitting because it applies <strong>to</strong> the energy industry,one of two sec<strong>to</strong>rs (along with materials) traditionally identifiedwith Mines’ chemical engineering program. Both of those sec<strong>to</strong>rsare evolving, incorporating new biotechnological processes andtechniques. Mines is evolving accordingly.“By 2030,” Ely says, “thirty percent of liquid fuels will comefrom renewable sources. That translates in<strong>to</strong> a current-day equivalen<strong>to</strong>f 60 billion gallons per year of ethanol, although it is likely<strong>to</strong> be some other bio-based fuel. We currentlyproduce about six billion gallons of ethanol ayear, so we’re talking about a tenfold increase.Who’s going <strong>to</strong> build and operate all those newbiofuel plants? Biochemical engineers. That’swhat we’re training these students for. It’s a degreefor the future.”Biotechnology has taken on such significance,both financially and scientifically, that the AccreditationBoard for Engineering and Technologyrecently altered its program guidelines for chemicalengineering programs. ABET now requires allchemical engineering programs <strong>to</strong> include biologicalcontent.“Any serious university in this day and ageneeds <strong>to</strong> be strong on the biological side,” saysJohn Persichetti, a lecturer in chemical engineering.“That has been a missing component at Mines. The CBCE(chemical and biochemical engineering)program, along with supportinggrowth in other Mines’ programs, is one way <strong>to</strong> help usbridge that gap.”“The idea is not <strong>to</strong> redefine chemical engineering at Mines,” Elysays. “The idea is <strong>to</strong> expand its scope and <strong>to</strong> better prepare ourstudents for the workplace of the future.”The new degree program will augment, rather than replace, traditionalchemical engineering; Mines will continue <strong>to</strong> offer a standardCE degree along with the new CBCE major. The new degreeentails a couple of curriculum changes. First, all chemical engineeringstudents (whether pursuing a CBCE degree or a standardCE degree) will take a new required course called Biological andEnvironmental Systems. It will debut in the Spring ’08 semesterand replace a course known as Earth and Environmental Systems.Second, CBCE students will take a special version of EPICS 251called Introduction <strong>to</strong> Biochemical Engineering.Ely doesn’t think the new degree will be a <strong>to</strong>ugh sell.“I surveyed more than 400 students,” he says, “both currentMines undergraduates and high school students who are consideringMines. Based on those surveys, I would expect an initial <strong>to</strong>talof about 35 CBCE graduates a year. It’s going <strong>to</strong> be a great degreein terms of opportunities. Employers and recruiters consistentlysay they need help with biochemical engineering-type problems.The way companies currently deal with those problems is <strong>to</strong> take abiologist who works for the company and try <strong>to</strong> train that personin the basics of chemical engineering. But what they really wantare chemical engineers who understand biochemical processes.”“The whole food and beverage sec<strong>to</strong>r opens up <strong>to</strong> students witha CBCE degree,” adds Persichetti. “Anything that’s using enzymaticprocesses or microbes; anything involving fermentation.”Persichetti’s own career illustrates the evolution that’s takingplace in chemical engineering. During the 1980s and 1990s hiswork focused on straightforward chemical engineering operationssuch as petroleum refining and natural gas processing. But in thisdecade his focus has shifted; he now works on thermochemicalconversions of biomass and the production ofalternative fuels via enzymatic activity.“One of my consulting clients, Coors BrewingCompany, is actually selling ethanol thatthey produce from their waste—from sub-gradebatches of beer,” Persichetti says. “Their energyrecovery philosophy seems like a naturalpartnership for our program. We even have discussedwith them the possibility of establishinga bioprocess engineering lab either on campusor at the Coors plant where our students canwork hands-on with ethanol production, fermentationand other biological reactions. Ourenthusiasm with the new CBCE program comes,in part, from the enthusiastic response we’vereceived from Coors and several other companies.”The program will also foster partnership opportunities withNREL, which is home <strong>to</strong> the National Bioenergy <strong>Center</strong>, while reinforcingthe School’s own Colorado Energy Resources Institute.Similarly, this program naturally complements Mines’ participationin the Colorado <strong>Center</strong> for Biorefining and Biofuels (C2B2), aprogram that connects researchers at Mines, CU, CSU and NREL,whose common goal is <strong>to</strong> improve fundamental understanding anddevelop new technologies in these areas. Ely notes that there isonly one ABET-accredited biochemical engineering program in thewestern United States, and only a handful nationwide. By rollingthe new degree out now, Mines maintains its position at the headof the curve and reinforces its long-standing affinity with the energysec<strong>to</strong>r.“These changes are being driven by knowledge growth,” Elysays. “We’ve learned that there are other ways of doing things.Incorporating that new knowledge in<strong>to</strong> our program is consistentwith Mines’ mission. You could even say it’s necessary <strong>to</strong> fulfill ourmission. There has been a paradigm shift in chemical engineering,and this degree program is going <strong>to</strong> help us stay on <strong>to</strong>p ofthings.”Colorado School of Mines 23
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