The Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science - at a glance

The Department of Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science is the ‘crème de la crème’ department of Shah Jalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh. Founded in 1993 under the School of Applied Science and Technology, it started it’s maiden voyage on 27^th January 1994 with a faculty member of four, leading by Prof. M.Z. Abedin, and 28 students.  Now the department is flourished with it’s 28 faculty members, 350 students and 10 laboratory & office staffs.

The syllabus of this department is designed to make specialized graduates in two special areas: Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science. Studying in Chemical Engineering is not new in our country, but the main specialty of this department is that offers a lot of Polymer Science and Engineering courses (theoretical, sessional and research)  in addition to the Chemical Engineering core courses.

Chemical Engineering courses are designed to build expertise graduates who can play a big role in the development process of industrial sector. Areas of specialized research and support for undergraduate students include thermodynamic and transport properties of materials, environmental transport and management of hazardous wastes, process design and synthesis based on waste minimization, arsenic removal process development etc.

The use of advanced polymeric materials, such as thermoplastic and thermoset polymers, reinforced plastic or metal composites, inter metallic alloys, ceramic and composites, in the manufacture of durable goods and devices, has presented us an easiest and convenient life to maintain than ever. The study plan for polymer science is based on the study of the physical, chemical and mechanical aspects of the properties and production processes of various polymeric materials for their in the engineering fields. Students apply their knowledge to the synthesis and processing of polymers into useful products by controlling and improving their properties. Areas of specialized researches are processing and study of polymer rheology, thermodynamic and transport properties of polymer solutions and melts, deformation and fracture at elevated temperature, effects of processing on mechanical properties, influence of macrostructure on fatigue, fracture, toughness, stress cracking, and corrosion, non destructive mechanical testing of composites, surface coating of polymeric materials , radiation therapy on polymers etc.

The department has an Instrumental Analysis Lab., which facilitates the chemical analyses with its modern instruments like, gas chromatography (GC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), UV-spectrophotometer, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS) and other small instruments. The unit operation laboratory is furnished with modern equipments like drying unit, ion exchange unit, heat exchanger unit, distillation unit etc. The department is also well set with the laboratories of fluid mechanics, polymer characterization, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, reaction engineering, physical chemistry, and fuel & energy .The department is well equipped with computing facilities, which include personal computer, workstations, and access to the university network, which is turn enables to the Internet.

Other than studying, the students of this department also participate in various cultural functions like debate, acting, singing, recitation etc. A good number of students also have showed their predominance in different sports. The CEP Fraternity, an association of the department, organizes a lot of inter and intra departmental functions.

The department has an excellent national and International reputation for the quality of its research and educational program. It maintains close collaborative ties with many national and international research institute, universities, training centers, and industries. Students and teachers have the opportunity to spend part of their research in these organizations. George Foster Institute of Chemistry, Germany, and Saga University, Japan offer scholarship on this linkage program. Every year several students are sent atomic Energy Commission and Science Laboratory for sixth months to complete their research project. Every student of fourth year first semester is sent to Training Institute for Chemical Industries (TICI) for a month long intensive training to become familiar with the actual industrial production environment. All the students of the department are also sent to different Government and Private Industries in their different Semester as a part of their curriculum. It is gratifying matter that the Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science Department (CEP) is carrying through three projects under the Ministry of Science, Information and Communication technology of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

A career in Chemical Engineering and Polymer Science Department is synonymous with a career in a competitive industry where innovation and small margins require exceptional performances from the key players. A Chemical Engineer must reckon with the public’s demand for low price, high quality, zero waste, and zero danger, i.e., be concerned with the development and implementation of innovate production process and machinery, which enables the safe and cost effective manufacture of products in an environmentally friendly manner. The graduate of the department may enter the fields of fuels and petroleum processing, Pharmaceutical chemicals, natural and synthetic rubbers and plastics, pulp and papers, cement and building materials, surface coatings, textile and fibers, food processing and products, disposal of chemical plants wastes, atomic energy processes, environmental control and medical systems, and the general field of  biotechnology. A lot of graduate of this department are now conducting their career in Petrobangla, Gas Transmission Company Limited (GTCL), Atomic Energy Commission, Export Processing Zone (EPZ), Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC), and in different government and private organizations.

The ultimate goal of this department is not to provide skilled manpower only, but to participate directly in the welfare of human being by exploring the new era of science and technology too. We strongly believe that the technology is the only way to reach the acme of life by chasing all types of economical and social poverty. So, it is your responsibility to bring the ecstasy of our distressed motherland by your talent, commitment, patriotism, and sprit of youth.