Internet Resource Guide
A Collection of Online Resources for
Penn State Chemical Engineering Majors
2015
By: Jessica Slavejkov
Table of Contents:
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………….…..3
Preface………………………………………………………………………….……..3
Content and Material……………………………………………………………3
Intended Audience……………………………………………………………….3
Assumptions about the Reader……………………………………………...3
Organization and Navigation………………………………………………...3
Tips for Using the Guide………………………………………………………..4
Section 1. General Resources……………………..………………………….…..……5
eCareer……………………………………………………………………………..….6
American Institute of Chemical Engineers……………………….….....7
Statistical Abstract of the United States…………………………………8
Section 2. Resources for Chemistry Classes……………………………………...9
SciFinder Scholar……………………………………………………………..…10
Engineering Village………………………………………………………….…11
Section 3. Resources for Engineering Classes…………………………………12
Perry’s Handbook for Chemical Engineers………………………......13
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications………………………….…..14
Physics Forums…………………………………………………………………..15
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Preface
The objective of this guide is to provide resources to assist chemical engineering students during their
academic career. The following sections will be helpful in discovering how to use the guide.
Content and Material
Included in the manual is a compilation of mainly internet resources which focus on themes related to
chemical engineering.
Intended Audience
The guide is directed toward current chemical engineering students studying at Penn State University.
However, this does not mean other chemical engineering students or even professional chemical
engineers cannot utilize this document. There are a few resources where access is limited but overall
the guide will provide great direction to all those connected to the chemical engineering field. There are
also many resources that could prove to be useful to students in related majors such as chemistry,
biochemistry, or other engineering disciplines. Many topics studied in these majors are overlapping and
resources dedicated to them can be found in the guide.
Assumptions about the Reader
Since the guide is mainly comprised of resources containing scientific journals and relevant tools for
chemical engineers, it is assumed that the reader has a familiarity with technical terminology associated
with the natural sciences. The guide does not go into great detail, but if one has had basic chemistry
and physics classes they should be able to understand the guide. If someone is more educated in these
areas it would provide greater insight in understanding how and where the resources might be useful.
Organization and Navigation
The guide is formatted in a way that easily directs readers to their desired interests. There are
three sections divided by how the resources will be most useful for different levels of chemical
engineers. The first section is directed towards all chemical engineers, whereas the second and third are
more specific to students in chemistry and engineering classes, respectively. Not all resources are
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exclusive to students. Every source has a subheading located under the web address to indicate if a
Penn State student access code is required.
Tips for Using the Guide
The guide contains many features allowing users to quickly sift through the guide to find what they
need. The sections are a good way to start the search and are located on the table of contents. Each
section has a page in the guide with a short summary to further describe the resources. Furthermore, on
each section page there is a small table located at the bottom to assist users in deciding which source
they want to look at more. The table contains a brief summary of each source. The most efficient way
to find what you are looking for is to take advantage of all the shortcuts offered.
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Section 1: General Resources
Resources useful for Chemical Engineers of all levels
Resource
Description
Page
eCareer
American Institute of
Chemical Engineers
Statistical Abstract of the
United States
Job search engine for engineering students
6
Global organization for chemical engineers
7
Database of political, economical, and social
statistics
8
5
eCareer
Website
engr.psu.edu
Penn State Access ID Required
Description
eCareer is a website offered by Penn State that is helpful engineering and science students find jobs.
The site contains job listings posted by employers that students can apply for online. Many of these postings
are from employers who plan to visit the campus and will have on-site interviews. This is a great tool for
students of all years because listings include offers for full-time jobs, internships, and co-ops. The postings
include information about the position which includes location, description, and salary. Many of these
employers also come to the career fairs offered at Penn State so if you spoke to them there they sometimes ask
you to apply on eCareer so they can view your resume there. Overall this is a resource that not many college
students have and while at school it’s a great thing to take advantage of.
Tips
 It is beneficial to create an account and upload your resume and important documents before you begin
applying because eCareer takes one to two days to review each document, and if there is something
wrong you will have to resubmit it with corrections.
 If you fill out a profile about yourself eCareer will give you a listing of relevant jobs with the
percentage your profile matches the job description. This helps narrow down the listing of jobs to
apply to.
 Be sure to read the description to see if employers want you to also apply on their website to be
considered for candidacy.
6
American Institute of Chemical Engineers
Professional Organization
aiche.org
No access code required
Description
The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AICHE) is an organization dedicated to the world’s
chemical engineers with over 45,000 members. Becoming a member is free and it won’t waste your time.
AICHE provides benefits in education, networking, and conferences to all members. Members range from
aspiring to current chemical engineering students all the way up to a retired chemical engineer. AICHE offers
online courses, as well as technical courses taught onsite around the country. They also offer discounts on
major chemical engineering books and publications. Overall there is no reason to not be a member of AICHE
if you are pursuing chemical engineering. They provide many benefits without any cost and it is also a great
connecting point on your resume with other AICHE members.
Tips
 If you are a Penn State student, there is an AICHE club that is involved in organizing many different
networking receptions on campus. This is a great way to make connections with recruiters since many
of them are AICHE members.
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Statistical Abstract of the United States
Website
census.gov/compendia/statab/
No access code required
Description
The Statistical Abstract of the United States is a summary of political, economic, and social conditions
within the United States. The data is pulled from Federal agencies such as the Census Bureau and the Bureau of
Economic Analysis. The information contained is very useful to students including average salaries, job
outlook, college statistics, and much more. The database can also be used by engineering professionals who
might be interested in energy, science and technology, and economic statistics.
Tips

The U.S. Census Bureau terminated the collection of data in 2011 and an updated version of the
statistics has not been released since 2012. It is good to be aware that the data you are using is out of
date which could make it less useful for your purposes. For example, as inflation changes each year,
average salaries today could look different than they did in 2012.
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Section 2: Resources for Chemistry Classes
Resources useful for Chemical Engineering students taking higher level
chemistry courses
Resource
Description
Page
SciFinder Scholar
Engineering Village
Online journal with a focus on chemical reactions
Engineering based bibliographic index
10
11
9
SciFinder Scholar
Website
scifinder.cas.org
Penn State Access ID Required
Description
SciFinder Scholar is an electronic database containing published scientific journals focused on
reactions in chemistry and related sciences. The website specifically contains a large collection of information
on substances, reactions, and references from both journals and patents. It is updated daily by scientists and
researchers and therefore always contains information on the latest discoveries. The website allows you to
search by traditional methods such as topic, author, and keywords, but also has a feature where you can search
by chemical reaction, compound structure, and reaction properties. These tools are very useful if describing the
reaction verbally is difficult. For organic chemistry classes and labs this database will come in handy since
main focus is organic molecules and their reactions. In Chem 213 you are required to write three formal lab
reports and it is essential that you are able to understand each reaction’s history and function. Reliable
information cannot just be found using Google which is why SciFinder is extremely beneficial for students,
chemists, and related scientists because it contains more specific, trustworthy results.
Tips
 Searching by keyword will not always provide the exact result you may be looking for in databases
like SciFinder. If you don’t know how to navigate it, you can find yourself spending time sifting
through many journals that don’t pertain to your topic. The ‘Search by Structure’ feature is a great tool
because it allows you to find the exact compound you are looking for as well as the way it is utilized in
your reaction. SciFinder allows you to choose whether the structure is a product or reactant, and from
there other things specific to reaction conditions such as temperature or catalyst can be specified to
narrow the search even more.
 Something to be careful of when using SciFinder is that not all journals are in English. Searching by
language will help control the amount of unusable results.
Relevant Classes
Chem 210
Chem 212
Chem 213
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Engineering Village
Website
engineeringvillage.com
Penn State Access ID Required
Description
Engineering Village is an online engineering bibliographic index containing over 16.3 million records
of literature ranging from the dates 1884-present. Founded in 1970, the database adds almost a million records
annually. These records are updated weekly and include journals, conferences, and trade publications. This
database is mostly useful for engineering students in higher-level classes and professional engineers. The
documents available are useful for research required in upper level classes and labs for written reports. Fulltext formats of the publications are available for download on the site in Pdf or HTML format.
Tips
 There is a feature that allows you to save searches. This is useful when looking through many journals
because it is difficult to lose track of which ones you found applicable. It prevents you from having to
go back and reread the journals.
 The site can be directly accessed from the Penn State Library website
Relevant Classes
Chem 213
Chem 457
CHE 470
CHE 480W
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Section 3: Resources for Engineering Classes
Resources focused on fundamental engineering concepts that will be useful for
students in more specific chemical engineering and physics classes
Resource
Description
Page
Perry’s Handbook for
Chemical Engineers
Catalog of U.S. Government
Publications
A guide filled with equations, tables, and concepts
relevant to all areas of chemical engineering
13
Compilation of federal documents
14
Forum for students to receive help in math, physics,
and engineering courses
15
Physics Forums
12
Perry’s Handbook for Chemical Engineers
Print/e-book
accessengineeringlibrary.com/perrys-chemical-engineers-handbook-eighth-edition
No access code required
Description
For both current and aspiring Chemical Engineers, Perry’s Handbook may be the most useful thing
they will ever come across. It has everything from controls processes to cost estimation to thermodynamics. If
there is anything you are looking for just turn to the index and you will probably find it. It also has many
formulas, conversions, and tables that will be useful to reference in chemical engineering classes. Since it
contains so much information, much of it is condensed and therefore the explanation of theories and equations
aren’t as in depth as one might find in a textbook dedicated to specific topics. The book itself weighs around
eight pounds so a good idea would be to invest in an online e-book so you access it from your laptop or phone
without having to carry the book with you all the time.
Tips
 The best way to find anything in this book is to use the index. Do not try to sift through pages.
 As beneficial as it may sound to using the online book over the printed version you should be aware
before you make a purchase that not all information is included in the e-book as in the hard copy.
There have also been complaints that some of the tables were not well formatted to fit a screen.
Relevant Classes
All CHE courses
13
Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
Website
catalog.gpo.gov
No access code required
Description
The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications is an online compilation of over 500,000 Federal
documents that cover a broad span of topics. The reports are very easy to locate and a simple keyword search
should lead you to the desired documents. This site is useful for labs where documented reports can help you in
writing final reports. It is a great resource because it is very different from most other trustworthy online
databases you will use. It contains full written reports that read more like a story rather than a scientific paper
making it easier to use in that way. It is also accessible to everyone making it an ideal resource for both
students and professionals.
Example
A sample document from this database can be found by doing a keyword search on “Chemical
Engineering”. A report entitled ‘Dispersion of crude oil and petroleum products in freshwater’ SuDoc: EP
11.2:600/R-08/037 appears as one of the results. SuDoc is shorthand for the Superintendent Documents
Classification System and the document can be searched for directly using the number. The document
discusses the chemical dispersion of crude oil in freshwater to help determine more information on the
surfactant’s composition. This document would be very useful for chemical engineers focusing on petroleum or
environmental engineering as it is relevant to that field.
Relevant Classes
Chem 457
CHE 470
CHE 480W
14
Physics Forums
Website
physicsforums.com
No access code required
Description
Physics Forums is an online forum dedicated to homework and coursework help in science and math
subjects. The forum is most useful for students as it contains live forums that they can join to help them with
homework problems. The site also contains online textbook access as well as forums on general physics which
is a good place to go for anyone generally interested in hot topics in physics. Along with the homework
guidance, the site offers career and academic guidance for students and aspiring students. It’s very useful
because you get to speak to students similar in age to you who can tell you the ins and outs of a finding a job or
school. The website is very useful for the introductory physics classes as well as many of the upper level
calculus classes.
Tips
 The most popular forums are highlighted in blue at the top of each list.
 Before using this as a source, one should recognize that a forum is an open discussion to anyone on the
internet. This means that you should always double check what people are saying on the discussions
because you can never be sure someone else is 100$ correct.
Relevant Classes
Math 140
Math 141
Math 251
Math 230
Phys 210
Phys 212
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