Resources
Note that while on work term you have full access to the University of Waterloo library electronic resources. For off-campus access to resources that require a subscription you may have to sign-in to the library proxy server.
For chemical engineering-related resources, a good starting point has been set-up by the library. The Kirk Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology is an excellent place to start for many topics, and is a massive resource dedicated to chemical engineering topics.
Topics
If your work term situation does not result in a suitable topic for a report, consider the following suggestions:
- Your work term may suggest a topic (some problem or opportunity) that is interesting to you, but not so much for your employer.
- A previous work term may have involved some topic that you would like to pursue in more depth now.
- Is there some technology problem or opportunity that you’re interested in for future jobs or careers? This would be a way of developing some knowledge-base for the future.
- Browse through some of the chemical engineering trade journals. You might find some interesting topics to pursue further. University of Waterloo has a subscription to Chemical & Engineering News (see above for proxy server info). Other trade journals include Chemical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering Progress (note that these require subscriptions for full access).
- Ask an employer, colleague, etc., for some ideas. People often have ideas that they've wondered about, but haven't had time to follow-up.
Contact the chemical engineering undergraduate office. We can help you sort out some ideas.