Comment A ChemE's Point of View (Score 1) 321
I'm a Chemical Engineering major at Rose-Hulman and I'd like to say that I agree wholeheartedly with the policy of requiring laptops of all entering freshman. As all freshmen in a class purchase the same model of laptop, have versus have-not does not really come into play. Financial aid is always available for those that qualify.
For example, in one recent class of Organic Chemistry we created molecular models of aromatic compounds. From those models we could see, in full 3-D, the higher areas of electron density that determined the reactivity of a certain species. We use our computers in Kinetics to determine rate laws of reactions by plotting relationships of data. In Material Balances exams we have been required to solve 15 equations for 15 unknowns around a certain chemical process.
For me, it is not a matter of making work easier as it is one of making news ways of learning possible.
For example, in one recent class of Organic Chemistry we created molecular models of aromatic compounds. From those models we could see, in full 3-D, the higher areas of electron density that determined the reactivity of a certain species. We use our computers in Kinetics to determine rate laws of reactions by plotting relationships of data. In Material Balances exams we have been required to solve 15 equations for 15 unknowns around a certain chemical process.
For me, it is not a matter of making work easier as it is one of making news ways of learning possible.
