[drew1]

Congratulations & best of luck with your studies.

Not being an engineer or a chemist, I suggest you keep options open during your freshman year while taking low level classes. From my ignorance, I think organic chemistry deals with carbon molecules and since biochemistry ought to include many of the same compounds, there may be some higher level classes to help in both fields.

It seems that much of the chemical engineers work is making chemical reactions take place more effciently. This could involve different catalysts or even starting with different materials as some may become costly or unavailable due to world situations. Their work probably addresses quality, maybe things like blanketing with low pressure inert gases to keep elements in the atmoshere from contaminating the reactions. These are reasons some inorganic classes may be important.

Although thermodynamics is a deep field, I would take a mechanical engineering class introducing me to heat transfer. Time temperature relationship, you ought to get more of your compound with the same equipment if you can transfer heat more faster.

Also, I would take a class whose lab gives me some hands on with a polarizing microscope, Michel Levy Chart and McCrone Institute Atlas. Ideally, you would hope to sell your byproducts but some may have to be disposed of. Eviromentally, they need to be correctly identified to be disposed of properly. Crystaline compounds & many fibers can be identified or a least narrowed down (along with organics like starches) by their colors under crossed polarizers of the microscope. This would cut down on the expense and time of setting up experimental apparatus to start for a shot in the dark anylysis. You would have a good idea where to start.

Well this stuff from somebody who probaly knows less than you about the field, will at least bump you up so a chemical engineer will see and respond.