When preparing the Technical Memo

When preparing the Technical Memo, assume that the audience is a Chemical Engineer but perhaps not one who is an expert in the area of relevance (or has been sitting at a desk for a long time). That is, they are familiar with the specific concepts but need some refreshing.

Grading and comments (also see body of document)
Rating
Rated Items
Rate the presentation and quality of the…
0 – 5 Summary (the Summary should be a clear and concise summary of the scope of the study, ~150 words max. Please include: relevant background and motivation of the study, a summary of only the most important findings, and a concise statement of the conclusion and recommendations)
0 – 10 Introduction (The Introduction should serve as the rationale/justification for the study, i.e., ‘why should one care about what you are going to present?’; be sure to provide: a clearly presented and relevant definition of the problem and its importance, explicit purpose and scope of study, a brief presentation of only the most relevant theory. If you have hypotheses, this is where they should be stated.)
0 – 10 Methodology (The Methodology section gives a general account of how you performed the study in general terms, i.e., using broad strokes. You do not need to provide the level of detail needed to replicate the work; however, do provide a brief description of the set up and basic procedures, as well as a summary of the conditions examined using a table, if appropriate. Provide a schematic, but save details like any calibrations performed for the Appendix. Briefly discuss how was error determined).
0 – 20 Results and Discussion (the R&D section should capture the most important outcomes of your analyzed results – not just raw data – as well as a detailed discussion to explanation of significant results and tell the reader ‘why’ you obtained that results that you did, e.g., discuss what is the physical/chemical basis responsible for the observed phenomena. Be sure to make good use of plots/tables/figures to discuss your findings and provide error estimates on your included data. State all relevant assumptions made in your analysis. Discuss trends or patterns in the data, compare findings with predictions/theory/literature values, include plausible explanations for discrepancies, relate the findings to the problem statement and objectives. Organize this section in a logical manner that builds towards supporting or refuting your hypothesis and/or fulfilling the outlined objectives of the study)

0 – 10 Conclusions and Recommendations (the C&R section should concisely summarize only the key points and findings; 3-4 sentences max. Also provide recommendations for future studies/work/improvements to the experiment, approach, or study)
0 – 5 References (correct format used, use of appropriate sources and no ‘questionable’ websites, all references cited in the text, at least 5 different references cited)

0 – 15 Technical analysis (clarity and depth of presentation, error analysis performed and error bars included on data, addressed the question of ‘why’ certain results were obtained, sophistication of analytical and numerical analysis, sufficiency of theory utilized, explicit integration of concepts from earlier coursework, no math errors, sample calculations and supporting findings/results included in the Appendix and correctness)
0 – 10 Tables and Figures (appropriate captions, all figures and tables cited to in the text by number, axes labeled with units, appropriate level of ‘zoom’, no backgrounds on Figures, effective use of symbols, convey the key points efficiently and provide useful comparisons).
0 – 5 Demonstrated Effort (overall effort demonstrated in lab as well as in the report preparation. Did the students push themselves in the lab or did they just complete the minimum required rexperiments? Other examples include the thoroughness of the study, inclusion of controls, comparison of results to literature values, and thoughtfulness when interpreting key results)

0 – 10 Overall Effectiveness and Professionalism (professional in look, tone, style, vocabulary, consistent use of terms, matched to audience and goals, structure of paragraphs, spelling, grammar. Space is at a premium in the memo, so: Was an ‘economy of words’ used? Was space dedicated to the most important items/findings?)
TOTAL (100 pts. Possible)

MEMORANDUM

Summary

Technical Memo should be ~5 pages in length plus references, not including figures/tables
(be sure to delete this)

Introduction

Methodology

Results and Discussion

Conclusions and Recommendations

Acknowledgments

(if any)

References

Use correct format of AIChE Journal. Sample format:

Journal:
Heibel AK, Vergeldt FJ, van As H, Kapteijn F, Moulijn J, Boger T.Gas and liquid distribution in the monolith film flow reactor. AIChE Journal. 2003; 49:3007-­-3017.

Book:
Givan AL. Flow cytometry: first principles (2nd edition). New York:John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2001.

Book Chapter:
Luketich JD, Ginsberg RJ. Diagnosis and staging of lung cancer. In: Johnson BE, Johnson DH. Lung cancer. New York: Wiley-­-Liss, Inc., 1995:161-­-73.
(be sure to delete this)