How Interdisciplinary is Physics/Chem/ChemE Research?

DraconicSheep
Fri, 21 Dec 2012 21:11:10 +0000

Hi, this is somewhat a repost from the Science majors subforum, but it seems like the engineering community might also have some input. I’m leaning towards ChemE, anyways.

So, I’m a highschool upperclassmen (it’s a long way, I know, but looking at my options for the future excites me) interested in research, particularly academia.

Major-wise, I’m interested in Chem topics, particularly O-chem, O-metallic chem and synthetics (I like the idea of “engineering” things at the molecular level), but I also prefer the idea of doing applied research and development in applied technologies that would fall in the ChemE world, rather than, say, enzymology (no offense to any biochemists). But, I also have a profound interest in nanotechnology, quantum mechanics, relativity (I know this doesn’t have much engineering application yet) and other physics topics.

Assuming I enter college with about 12-14 AP courses taken (I understand AP Calc BC, AP Physics B, AP Chem and the like will probably not be credited) and plan to graduate in 4 years:

How interdisciplinary are research in these topics?
Would a double-major in Chem/ ChemE help me with research or REU/ grad school (PhD) programs?
How about the option of taking Chem/Physics classes as a ChemE major without a formal major/ minor? What might the advantages/ disadvantages be?
What about throwing in a minor in physics? Is there a convergence with ChemE/ Chem in research interest for QM and nanotechnology?
How much of a time commitment is UGrad research? Would I still be able to dedicate a healthy amount of time to research if I have a double-major + minor course load?
Would I have enough units left to take a course or 2 (with perhaps a certificate) in other topics that interest me, like Asian cultural studies or linguistics?

And, how feasible is such a course load for a highly motivated student? What am I getting myself into?

Thanks