My son is deciding between URI and UMaine where he was accepted into their Chemical Engineering and Honors programs. He likes the engineering lab facilities at UMaine where it is very hands on. When touring URI it seemed that the current lab facilities are limited and students don’t experience lab time until Junior year versus UMaine it would be from the start of Freshman year. Although URI is building a new Engineering facility which will be available by the time he’s a sophomore, no one could really tell us what the facility would contain from a lab perspective. None of the classrooms where open during the open house so it was difficult to get insight as to what the experience in the engineering program would be at URI.
Looking to see if anyone has insight and details as to the engineering program experience at both schools. Also is there displacement/disruption to the engineering program at URI due to construction?
@sapphire1971 There hasn’t been any disruption to the engineering program at URI. The new 125 million dollar facility is going to be state of the art with cross discipline projects available. https://web.uri.edu/elecomp-capstone/new-engineering-building/ Here is the layout. After the new facility is finished there will be a phase 2 and another 25 million spent on the historical engineering building. What is your instate location? Freshmen year is usually spent knocking out your general eds and foundation courses. Additioanlly, there is a brand new Chemistry building at URI. https://web.uri.edu/catalog/chemistry-and-forensic-chemistry/ You where unable to visit the Chemistry labs? I don’t see Chemical Engineering labs listed for UMaine until Junior year? What lab time are you talking about? I only see Chemistry labs.
UMaine
https://umaine.edu/chb/wp-content/uploads/sites/206/2016/08/BS_CHE_Curriculum-1.pdf
URI
https://web.uri.edu/engineering/files/CHE-Curriculum-Sheet-Class-of-2021.pdf
Instate location is Mass. When we attended admitted students day at UMaine, they brought us to the lab area that basically mirrored a manufacturing setting and the head of the department made it seem like from day one they would be working on projects in the facility for area companies.The whole day was focused on engineering and very informative. Atlthough my son has done the campus tour twice at URI, the Engineering tour wasn’t available to select from. We were hoping to get more information at the admitted student day but we were in an auditotium where they focused more on the IEP program than anything else. We then went to the Engineering Open house held in one of the engineering buildings but the classrooms were locked and the two student reps there didn’t have any first hand knowledge on the engineering labs and facilities because they were a freshman and a sophomore. The advisor was there but he basically just said you don’t want to live in Orono Maine.
He saw first hand the engineering facilities at UMaine but is having a hard time visualising what the engineering experinece would be at URI with limited exposure and just the website to go on.He knows kids at UMaine so they are able to give him their first hand perspective. He liked the URI campus but is hestitant on the engineering program even though they have a good reputation and work with various companies for internships and job placement.
Instate loation is Mass. We attended the admitted students day at UMaine where the head of the department gave us a tour of the Chemical Engineering facility and from the presentation it seemed as though from day one the students would be working in the engineering plant facility hands on for projects for local companies. The entire day was focued on Engineering and was very informative.
We then attended URI’s admitted student day. Although my son has toured the campus twice, both times he scheduled the tour, there wasn’t an opportunity to tour the engineering department. With one of the sessions at admitted day on engineering, we thought we would get the same information about what they would actually experience. The session was held in an auditorium where the majority of the focus was on the IEP program. We then went to the Engineering Fair held in one of the Engineering buildings with the classrooms locked and the two students present with no information on the engineering labs because with being a freshman and sophomore hadn’t taken any engineering labs or projects. The advisor couldn’t elaborate on much of the new building and just said you don’t want to live in Maine.
While he likes the URI campus he is having a hard time visualizing what he will get out of the URI experience given he has little exposure to what the students experience where UMaine was able to show him what he would be working on as an engineering major. He knows they have good internship programs and job placements, but wants to understand what the experience would be like
@sapphire1971 This are what the new chemistry labs at URI look like in case you didn’t get over there. A four storied building with two floors of classes and two floors of research/labs. Same philosophy as the new engineering building. Inter connected multi-discipline labs and two hands-on classrooms and active learning classroom on the research floor. Classroom etc, on other floors.
Chemical Engineering starts with chemistry.
@gearmom Thank you for all the information - very helpful!
@sapphire1971 No problem. Accepted student days can be hectic.
@sapphire1971 Sounds like you didn’t have the right people providing info at URI. Probably awkward with the building a year out from completion. As a Chem E major, I would have had you tour both the chemistry and pharmacy building which was built in 2012, so it is pretty new. https://www.payette.com/news/uri-celebrates-opening-new-pharmacy-building/.
For Freshman year, engineering students live in the engineering quad which is close to the new engineering and chemistry areas. So for your guy’s freshman year, he’d have classes and labs in the new chemistry building for both semesters. I don’t know where he’ll be for his math classes or gen. eds. I think they have Engineering Foundations in the old chemistry building which was repurposed as interim classrooms for the construction process (funding was provided for this). As each new building complex is built they seem to be using this building. Not sure where the physics is being held. The current students aren’t affected adversely but there will be an incremental improvement when that new building is finished with cool new opportunities. I want to see the capstone lab. I will likely have another engineering student there Fall 2019. It should be awesome.
UMaine just got a $10 million gift for a new engineering center, but not sure when it will be ready. Here is an article about the program: https://www.pressherald.com/2018/03/19/umaine-receives-10-million-gift-for-new-engineering-building/