Hey everyone and welcome to the 2021 instalment of the Chemical and Materials Engineering (aka CHEMMAT) blog! I’m Sophie and to kick things of I thought I’d do a quick Q & A so you can get to know a bit about me and the CHEMMAT specialisation.
What do I get up to in my spare time? I love to exercise. You could say I’m a bit of a gym junkie and I’m also keen on running. I did heaps of triathlon throughout school but have been transformed into more of a runner since I’ve moved to the big city from little old Napier. I also love cooking and baking (ask my flatmates!) so I’m very excited to learn a bit more about food processing as I go through my degree.
What was my favourite part I course? Like a lot of CHEMMAT students I’ve got to say CHEMMAT 121 was my fav. Sad to say we only have one materials paper in part II though. ENGGEN 140 was the most fundamental part I course for CHEMMAT so you’ve definitely got to enjoy that course too as you’re gonna see a lot flow diagrams in part II.
Why did I choose CHEMMAT? I came into engineering always thinking I was going to choose CHEMMAT just due to the fact I loved chemistry at high school and was pretty good at maths and wanted a practical, hands-on degree. After those two CHEMMAT papers in first year being my favs I knew it would be the right choice for me and I’ve got no regrets with my decision so far.
What actually is a Chemical Engineer? I get asked this question a lot by all my non-engineer friends and family, so I’ve had a lot of practise at trying to explain it. Even though the degree is called chemical and materials, it’s primarily process engineering. Chemical process engineering is essentially answering the question ‘how do we make stuff?’ This involves developing the engineering specifications (product, process, safety, costs) to transform raw materials into higher value products.
So, throughout this semester I’ll hopefully give you some insight into what life is like as a CHEMMAT student, give you some tips and tricks to get through your courses and help you decide if CHEMMAT is the right specialisation for you. In the meantime, if you’ve got any questions feel free to flick me a Facebook message (Sophie Hogan) or come and have a chat if you see me around campus.