Introducing K-12 students to the field of pharmaceutical engineering

Abstract

The design, development, and engineering of drugs provide chemical engineers with many opportunities and challenges in the pharmaceutical industry. In an effort to engage the surrounding communities, New York City public and private high school students were introduced to the field of pharmaceutical engineering over the course of six weeks. Through the use of lectures, teamwork activities, and laboratory experiments, students learned about the fundamentals of oral solid dosage forms, drug dissolution, and experimental design. Examples of experiments performed include building their own "in-house" drug dissolution devices, studying the effect of impeller geometry and velocity on dissolution rates, and obtaining drug dissolution profiles for various oral solid dosage forms containing Ibuprofen using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Students were also trained in communication skills, such as writing a technical report and giving an oral presentation. In this paper, an overview of the program, suggested laboratory exercises, and in-class teamwork activities are provided for those who might consider developing a similar K-12 outreach program focused on pharmaceutical engineering. In addition, examples of perceived enhanced learning by the high school students are provided. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2013.