(372i) The Link between Spatial Visualization and Chemical Engineering Problem-Solving

The problems of the future are complicated and interconnected. For example, how do we ensure an increasing world population has access to clean, plentiful water? There are many competing needs for the water itself, from agriculture to sanitation to personal consumption, but in addition, there are impacts on the environment to be considered as well as societal impacts between the countries in the developed world and those in the developing world. Not to mention the merely technical issues, e.g., how do we draw the saline out of seawater? This is the messy realm occupied by engineers. They are expected find a path through the complexity and interconnectedness of this and the many other grand challenges of the future. They are expected to be accomplished, insightful problem solvers.

In addition to their reputation as problem-solvers, engineers are also known for their excellent spatial skills. In tests with more than 30,000 professionals, engineers demonstrated the highest level of spatial visualization skills, followed closely by architects and other STEM professionals. A recent study showed a strong correlation between spatial visualization skills and creativity and technical innovation.

It is posited that possessing advanced spatial abilities allows an individual to construct robust mental representations of problems. These representations are known to be critical in solving all manners of problems but particularly in the case of "insight" problems where overcoming an impasse is necessary. Dealing with an impasse in a problem often necessitates re-representing the problem situation so that a different approach may be adopted.

Approximately 60 undergraduate students in chemical engineering were administered a test of spatial cognition (the Mental Cutting Test, or MCT). They were also given 12 “typical” chemical engineering problems to solve. Problem sets were administered during a class period in Thermodynamics, a third-year course in the program, but the topics tested in the problems are typically covered in a second-year course in chemical engineering. Since the students were all given the same amount of time, those who were better at problem-solving would likely solve a larger number of problems compared to weaker students.

A strong positive correlation (R=0.59, p<0.00001) between spatial skills test scores and the number of problems successfully solved by the students was found. Problems where spatial skills appear to play a role were identified and will be further described in the presentation.

Previous studies have shown links between spatial skills and overall success in engineering. Through this work, specific types of problems in chemical engineering were identified where spatial skills appear to play a role in solving them. This has implications in curriculum design within undergraduate chemical engineering programs.