Hands-on Learning

Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Programs

Chemical and biomedical students at the University of Wyoming have the opportunity to gain extensive hands-on experience through internships, undergraduate research, state-of-the-art laboratory work, and an intensive senior design experience. Our students can participate for academic credit through industry internships and can receive personalized faculty mentorship through undergraduate research projects, often as early as the second-year in the program. Our courses feature immersive lab components, utilizing the Unit Operations Lab, the Bioengineering Teaching Lab, a modern Process Control Lab, and a Process Control Simulation Lab, all supported by industry partners. In their senior year, students complete a capstone design project that simulates real-world engineering challenges, including process and product design. We believe these opportunities supply our graduates with strong technical skills and practical experience for careers in industry, research, and advanced study.

Hands-on opportunities

The list below encompasses the hands-on learning opportunities available to undergraduate students in the chemical and biomedical engineering program at the University of Wyoming.

A female student wearing safety goggles, green chemical-resistant gloves, and a blue lab coat works in a laboratory fume hood. She is handling laboratory glassware and chemical bottles, smiling slightly while engaged in a hands-on research activity.

Chemical and biomedical engineering students have taken academic-year and summer internships with industry partners like Chevron, ExxonMobil, WE Soda, National Laboratories, and more. Students interested in applying for academic credit with an internship should inquire at the department office (Engineering 4055) for procedures and forms.

Chemical and biomedical engineering students have the unique opportunity to work one-on-one with our faculty on cutting-edge undergraduate research projects and receive personalized mentorship. Students interested in applying for academic credit with an internship should inquire at the department office (Engineering 4055) for procedures and forms.

The Unit Operations Laboratory offers our students hands-on exposure to process engineeering and bioengineering equipment through a one-year, two-course intensive laboratory experience.

The Process Control Laboratory is a cutting-edge, industry supported facility that gives our students real-world experience with process control instrumentation and control systems. The Process Simulation Laboratory replicates a control-room enviornment to give our students the experience responding in real time to dynamic process conditions.

To facilitate hands-on learning at the interface of engineering and biology, the CBE department developed the Bioengineering Teaching Laboratory. Outfitted with the same equipment used in research labs, students can use this space to design, test, and experiment to learn bioengineering concepts.

The required senior design project lets students tackle open-ended, real-world problems, requiring them to design, analyze, and implement solutions under faculty and industry guidance. Recent projects have included PFAS destruction for wastewater, sustainable aviation fuel production, direct lithium extraction from brine, and graphite production from Wyoming coal.