CSM Offers Degrees in Biochemical Engineering
Published Jan 06, 2009
Colorado School of Mines now offers a B.S. degree in biochemical engineering.
Colorado School of Mines has long been identified with energy and materials sciences, as well as stewardship of the earth and its resources. In fall 2007, the college launched a degree program that will add more brainpower to the development of sustainable, alternative fuels: a bachelor of science in chemical and biochemical engineering.
So what’s the difference between this degree and a B.S. in chemical engineering, which CSM also offers?
Typically, chemical engineering uses inorganic compounds to produce materials. Biochemical engineering, on the other hand, emphasizes the use of biological raw materials and biochemical processes in the production of new compounds.
This means biochemical engineering students examine biofuels, biologically based polymers, biological processes such as fermentation – basically, biochemical applications to fuels and materials, explains Dr. Nigel Middleton, provost and senior vice president for strategic enterprises at CSM.
Chemical and biochemical engineering students at CSM are riding a wave of employment opportunities in a wide range of fields. “The school added this degree program because people with this degree are sought after for positions in this growing and varied industry – from food to pharmaceuticals. Our emphasis here at Colorado School of Mines is on fuels and materials,” Middleton says.
He further notes that the new degree intersects with many of the school’s existing programs, including environmental studies, soft tissue materials engineering and musculoskeletal biomechanics with potential medical applications, and – an emerging field of importance – the microbiology of the geological environment.
A number of exciting research initiatives and partnership opportunities accompany the new program, and students are enthusiastic about the possibilities.
“We’ve got a terrific enrollment of students,” Middleton says. “We’ve had a very, very strong response.”
Story by Carol Cowan
Photo by Antony Boshier
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