“If the defining difference between undergraduate and graduate study is the presence and preeminence of research, why doesn’t every department offer a graduate course to define research and to teach the mechanics of writing proposals (hypotheses) and papers (results)?” (David Ollis, Chemical Engineering Education, Fall 1995; 222-229)
Dr. David Ollis, Distinguished University Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, will present on his “Research Proposition” courses in the CBE graduate curriculum. During the presentation, he will summarize 25 years of experience in writing and oral presentation instruction for formal graduate education in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. These courses are structured so that within the first two years of PhD study, the prospective doctoral student writes three proposals and gives four oral presentations, each of which describes a progressively deeper involvement in research and communication. To date, more than 300 departmental PhD students have completed these propose-and-present exercises.