Professor Ariel Chan (ChemE) has been chosen as the 2022 recipient of the Wighton Fellowship. Awarded by the Sandford Fleming Foundation to just one recipient nationwide each year, the fellowship recognizes excellence in the development and teaching of laboratory-based courses in undergraduate engineering programs.
An assistant professor in the teaching stream, Chan has made exceptional contributions in modernizing undergraduate laboratory education at U of T Engineering. She is the primary instructor for two key lab courses that consolidate lab components from all third-year chemical engineering core courses. Chan completely redeveloped these courses so that the labs integrate concepts that students have learned in the classroom to date. She also pivoted from traditional ‘recipe-driven’ lab exercises into open-ended, problem-based projects conducted over several weeks.
Chan created more than 40 inquiry-based lab projects covering five major chemical engineering concepts. These are based on real-life consulting assignments, projects co-developed with industrial partners, field trips or on-site university chemical operation facilities. She incorporates computer-aided design and drafting software, familiarizing students with modern engineering tools they will likely be using in their future careers.
Read the full U of T Engineering News story.