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Chemical and Petroleum Graduate Student Handbook

April 2011

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WELCOME

On behalf of the graduate students and staff of the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

department in the “Schulich School of Engineering” at “the University of Calgary”, we would

like to extend a warm welcome to you, whether you are new to the university or continuing in

your graduate studies here at the University of Calgary. We hope this handbook will be

assistance to you for your future steps. We would appreciate your comments and suggestions and

look forward to helping you with your graduate experiences in the future.

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Table of Contents

Cover Page 1

WELCOME 2

Table of Contents 3

University of Calgary 5

Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering 7

Graduate Studies in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering 8

Research Centers within the Department 9

Alberta Ingenuity Centre for In Situ Energy (AICISE) 9

Centre for Environmental Engineering Research and Education (CEERE) 10

Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility (PPRF) 10

Tomographic Imaging and Porous Media (TIPM) Laboratory 10

Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy 10

The chemical and Petroleum Engineering Graduate Student’s Association (CPEG)

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CPEG Objectives 12

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About Calgary 13

Essential Points for New Students 14

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University of Calgary

The University of Calgary is a comprehensive research university, ranked one of Canada’s top

seven research universities and a member of the 13 most research intensive universities in

Canada (the G13), combining the best of long-established university traditions with the city of

Calgary’s vibrant energy and diversity. Founded in 1966, the University of Calgary operates

under the authority of Alberta's Post-secondary Learning Act.

213-hectare campus provides a beautiful and dynamic setting for our scholars and students. The

U of C has 15 faculties with more than 60 departments and over 30 research institutes and

centers. Our 2,761 academic staff are actively engaged in research and scholarship.

More than 29,000 students, including over 1,500 international students from 100 countries, are

enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. The U of C has more than

135,000 alumni including the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper and Canadian astronaut

Robert Thirsk.

The university’s academic foundations are prevalent in all the university’s work. They are:

student success, excellence in research, scholarship and creative activity, interdisciplinary

education and research, and return to community.

The main campus features over 20 academic buildings—many of which are interconnected by

enclosed walkways. The Mac Ewan Student Centre is a hub of activity at the university, with a

food court, wellness centre and large concert hall. There is also a museum and art gallery, four

performance theatres, two childcare centers and residences for single students and students with

families.

The U of C has over 1,800 academic staff actively engaged in research, scholarship and teaching

in Canada and around the world, and about 2,200 support staff. The university produces an

economic impact of $1 billion in the Calgary area alone.

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Figure 1: the University of Calgary Campus Map

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Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

The Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department (CPED) at the University of Calgary is home to many researchers, professors, undergraduate and graduate students. The important contact information of technical staff and academic staff which usually graduate students need to contact them are as follow:

Department and Associate Head

Ultandaraman Sundararaj Department Head ut@ucalgary.ca

Jalel Azaiez Associate Head Graduate Studies azaiez@ucalgary.ca

Administrative Staff

Jyoti Sharma Administrative Manager sharmaj@ucalgary.ca

Andrea Cortes Graduate Program Advisor acortes@ucalgary.ca

Zura Hilderman International Administrative Coordinator zhilderm@ucalgary.ca

Jinny Kim Administrative Coordinator jikim@ucalgary.ca

Katrina New Administrative Assistant knew@ucalgary.ca

Dolly Parmar Admin Assistant Undergraduate Studies uparmar@ucalgary.ca

Arlene Wallwork Accounts Administrator wallwork@ucalgary.ca

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Graduate Studies in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

The University of Calgary ranks among the top seven research-intensive universities in Canada. The strength of the graduate student population reflects the research of the faculty, the high quality laboratories and research facilities available, innovative teaching methods, and interdisciplinary academic and research brilliance. The Schulich School of Engineering's graduate enrollment currently exceeds 1,000 students.

In 2008, the Schulich School of Engineering was ranked the top school in Canada for teaching sustainable engineering. The survey of 37 engineering schools across the country was part of the annual Corporate Knights magazine ranking of social progress at business, engineering and law schools.

The Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering is internationally known for its research in areas such as biomedical engineering, chemical processing, energy, environment, and advanced materials, and attracts over $15 million per year in research funding.

The department offers masters and doctoral degrees with specializations in chemical engineering, petroleum engineering, energy and environmental engineering, and biomedical engineering. 325 graduate students are currently enrolled in the department: 135 MEng, 110 MSc, and 80 PhD students.

A large number of unclassified students are also registered in various undergraduate and graduate courses. A significant percentage of these unclassified students are engineers working in industry who have registered in various courses related to thermodynamics, natural gas processing, reservoir engineering, oil recovery, well completions etc.

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Research Centers within the Department

The research programs in the department of chemical and petroleum engineering are recognized internationally for advances in key areas of science and technology. Over 30 faculty members and 300 graduate students work on research teams dedicated to finding solutions and advancing knowledge within four primary research areas.

Chemical Processes and Materials

Biomedical

Energy

Environment

Chemical and Petroleum Engineering department (CPED) is influential in providing superiority in education and research based on two important strategies:

Leading Innovation in Energy and the Environment

Advancing Health and Wellness

Supporting these strategies are several advanced research centers and laboratories defined within the department:

Alberta Ingenuity Centre for In Situ Energy (AICISE)

Co-Directors: Dr Pedro Pereira-Almao and Dr. Steve Larter Website : http://www.aicise.ca/

Development of an underground refinery to recover and upgrade the oil sands is the objective of this centre. There should be virtually no greenhouse gas emissions, limited consumption of natural gas and negligible water and diluents requirements. The research focuses on the development and ultra dispersion of nanoparticle-sized catalysts within the reservoir. The key will be providing the optimum temperature for the catalysts to generate hydrogen from steam or some of the bitumen. This will require the development of innovative monitoring of the underground conditions through fluid chemistry, seismic and geochemistry techniques. The Ingenuity Centre is part of the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy.

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Centre for Environmental Engineering Research and Education (CEERE)

Director: Dr. Anil Mehrotra Website: http://www.schulich.ucalgary.ca/ceere/

Environmental Engineering is a multidisciplinary field of research that spans chemical, civil, mechanical and petroleum engineering disciplines and involves collaborative research efforts and co-supervision of graduate students. Dispersion of pollutants and remediation, including the expanding field of bioremediation, is focus areas for these researchers.

Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility (PPRF)

Director: Dr. Leo Behie Website: http://www.pprf.ca/

The Pharmaceutical Production Research Facility (PPRF) is a state-of-the-art level II tissue culture laboratory with an attached pilot plant. Researchers have an extensive and impressive amount of experience in a multitude of bioengineering areas, including the development of human viral vaccines, protein expression, pharmaceutical scale-up, modeling cell behaviour and the development of bioreactor related technologies. More recently the focus has shifted to stem-cell bioengineering.

Tomographic Imaging and Porous Media (TIPM) Laboratory

Director: Dr. Apostolos Kantzas Website: http://www.ucalgary.ca/tipm/

TIPM Laboratory is a University of Calgary affiliate that conducts research in the areas of flow through porous media, chemical reactor engineering, environmental engineering and bioengineering. This facility is one of the largest tomographic analysis laboratories in North America. Research highlights include enhanced oil and gas recovery, magnetic resonance sensor development for the oil and gas industry and the environmental industry, and research on multiphase flow phenomena in chemical reactors. The institute has patented technology on magnetic resonance multi-phase metering and wastewater treatment using a photocatalytic reactor.

Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy

Executive Director: Dr. David Layzell Website: http://www.iseee.ca/

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The institute was established in 2003 to provide leadership and coordination for developing and implementing energy- and environment-related initiatives at the university. It aims to be a global leader in generating multi-disciplinary insights and technologies to inform policy and investment decisions that will lead to more sustainable energy systems.

The chemical and Petroleum Engineering Graduate Student’s Association (CPEG)

The chemical and Petroleum Engineering Graduate Student’s Association of the University of Calgary (CPEG) was established in summer 2005 to further enhance a smooth and enjoyable experience for the students during their program. As the name implies, this is an association consisting of all the over 300 graduate students in the department. All full-time and part-time graduate students in the department are members of CPEG and are not required to pay any fees or membership dues.

CPEG currently has a set of executive members that have been selected through the election to get the association up and running. The members are:

President Shauheen Etminian sretmina@ucalgary.ca

Treasurer Ehsan Panjeshahi

Communications Officer Bikky Kumar bkumar@ucalgary.ca

Academic Representative Hashem Salari

Student Representative Mohammad Fazaelizadeh mfazaeli@ucalgary.ca

Communication Representative Pawan Agrawal pagrawal@ucalgary.ca

Event Coordinator Louis Liu wingliu@ucalgary.ca

Event Coordinator Parnian Haghighat

Graduate Representative Council

(GRC)

Arshad Islam arshad.islam@ucalgary.ca

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CPEG Objectives CPEG Objectives include improving the overall quality of graduate students’ educational

experience while they are at the Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Department (CPED). This

includes providing information on procedures and helpful tools available to students, organizing

social events, field trips and sport activities, facilitating graduate students’ conferences, inviting

speakers and lecturers from academia and industry, staying in touch with alumni, and giving

feedback of student concerns to the CPED faculty.

CPEG welcome any ideas, feedbacks and looks forward to receiving your emails through CPEG

direct Email cpeg@ucalgary.ca. Any of the members of the executive can be contacted by their

Email given above.

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About Calgary

Calgary is Canada's energy capital and the city with the second highest number of corporate head offices in the country. It is situated on the confluence of two rivers, has numerous walking and cycling trails, and is just an hour and a half from the international destination of Banff and the Rocky Mountains.

Calgary's prosperity and vibrancy has attracted citizens from across the country and around the world. With a population of one million people, there are 23 cultural festivals that celebrate the diversity of the people who call Calgary home.

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Essential Points for New Students

Map

You can get the campus map:

From the main office in ENB 210

Through the Calgary website at: http://www.ucalgary.ca/map/.

Also, you are able to take a transit map from:

The ticket centre in Mac Ewan room 290,

Visit Google Maps

Mapquest.com

University ID

If you are going to get your student ID, you can go to the Mac Ewan Hall room 260 which is called safety and security Services. You should bring your photo ID (Passport) and proof of your online registration to the University.

Register

If you want to register, you can go to the http://www.ucalgary.ca/registrar/. You might need to take your UCID (U of C ID number) which was sent along with your acceptance letter. You can actually do this even before you come to Calgary. In addition, you might register for your courses based on the guidelines; you have received from your supervisor.

Social insurance number

The nearest office to take SIN is located at 1816 Crow Child Trail N.W. You can also go to downtown to the Harry Hays Building where is placed 220- 4 Avenue S.E. You ought to bring your passport; study Permit and offer of employment (Contract, Ask Andrea Cortes).Office hours normally are 8:30 to 16:30. You can take route 73, 9 and 119. The following are the map for both office locations in the city for Social Insurance Number.

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Bus Pass (U-Pass)

Upon payment of your general fees, you have the right to receive your UP sticker. You can pick up your UP at Campus Ticket Centre where is located in Mac Ewan Student Centre or any other designated location in the city.

Make sure to register as a student online before you are going for the UP sticker. The u-pass allows you to use Calgary Transit (bus and C-Train) free of charge. If caught without the proper sticker, you would be fined $150.

You will have to renew the sticker before January, May and September each year. For additional information you can check this website http://www.ucalgary.ca/UPASS/.

Open a bank account

Banks in Canada charge different fees for the same type of service. You should research which bank best matches the services that you need. Things to ask about are: monthly service charges, telephone and computer banking options, transaction charges, and interest. Ask the bank for the best type of account for a student. Also, for getting more information, it is better to check this website http://www.ucalgary.ca/cissa/intlstudents/living/Banking.

We strongly recommend you to get a bank account in one of the banks having an ATM machine on the campus which are included; TD Bank, Royal Bank (RBC), Bank of Montreal (BMO), Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC).

In addition, you have to bring two pieces of ID which might be passport, university ID, study permit and also take your University of Calgary official admission letter..

Alberta Health Care

You must register for Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan (AHCIP) within months of arrival in Alberta. This plan is currently free of charge for Albertans and guarantee that they receive universal access to medical services. For more information on health care system in Alberta check out: http://www.health.alberta.ca/. If you want to apply for your Alberta health card you can go to 100- 530 8 Avenue, S.W or you might call to 403-2495533.

You have to bring an invoice or bill that shows you are living in Calgary, so you can ask your bank when you open your account, and also you need to take your passport and study permit.

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Complementary Health and Dental plan (HD)

You need the HD since Alberta Health Care Plan does not cover all possible medical services that are include partial coverage in dentist and some specialists.

Graduate Students Association (GSA) offers a supplementary Health and Dental Plan for all the graduate students. If you already have another plan, you can opt out, but you must provide proof of alternate health coverage. Opt out forms are available online at: http://www.ucalgary.ca/GSA/services/student/health-and-dental/index.htm

Payment of fees

Fee office is situated in Mac kimmie Library Block room 122.You will need to fill out a fee assessment form and pay your tuition fees based on it through the following methods:

Online Banking

Cheque or Money order/Bank Draft

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In person at the Service Stop

Campus Recreation (CR)

The Wellness Centre offers excellence in the provision of services and resources that are central to all students meeting their potential for well-being, mind, body and spirit.

Upon payment of tuition, all full-time and part-time University of Calgary Students have full access to the recreational facilities through CR programs and services.

Facilities are included a Fitness and Lifestyle Centre (Gym), a 6-lane, 200m indoor track, 3 gymnasia (play indoor sports), a 50m poll and diving towers, aquatic Centre, 13 squash, 4 racquetball courts, the Outdoor program Centre (Outdoor instructions, rentals and climbing walls) and a 400m Olympic Oval. Campus recreation is located in the Kinesiology building on the west side of the campus.

You must present your ID at the equipment room (Kinesiology A-104) to obtain a wristband to access any of the facilities. For more information you can visit: http://www.ucalgary.ca/campusrec/ or you can call 403-220-7749.

International Student Centre (CISSA)

International Student Centre (CISSA) is located at Mac Ewan Student Centre room 275.You can get a copy of the international Hand Book there.

Join the mailing list to get the information related to local and regional trips, movie nights, informative sessions on immigration, renewing study permit and working off-campus and many other activities.

Important information handouts on a variety of interesting items such as things to do in Calgary, low budget shopping, banking in Canada, looking for a job on-campus. Also, you can visit their website: http://www.ucalgary.ca/CISSA/.

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Residence Service

Residence services offer a great place to live for students who wish to stay on campus during the school year. As well, residence services offer great accommodation for those who wish to live on campus during the summer months from one to four months.

Graduate Residence

The graduate student applicants may live in apartment-style accommodation in Castle Hall, Glacier Hall, or Global Village. Rooms are offered out on a first come first serve basis. There are many steps in the University of Calgary residence application, so it is recommended that students read over how to apply prior to applying to make applying easier. For more information you can check this website: http://www.ucalgary.ca/residence/graduate.

Student Family Housing

Residence Services offers on-campus accommodations for student families. The community includes 250 unfurnished townhouses built in a series of 12 individual, private and landscaped courts that have been specially designed for family living.

There are mostly 2-bedroom houses, as well as some 1-bedroom and 3-bedroom houses. They include a kitchen, bathroom, living / dining room, patio and basement. Heat, electricity and water are included. There is currently no fee for parking, if the vehicle is registered in your name. Telephone, internet and cable television services are not included.

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Aside from the obvious proximity to the main campus, hospital services, public transit, Market Mall and much more, there are a variety of benefits to living at Student Family Housing. The rental contracts are monthly periodic agreements, which gives residents greater flexibility about how long they can stay and when they can move out. The community is extremely diverse, including for example over 20 different first languages. There is a significant residence life program, with regular activities for children, families and adults. Residents can also borrow or use a wide range of resources through the Family Housing Office. Student Family Housing is located at 3735 32nd Avenue NW, Calgary, Alberta T3B 2X1. Also, you can call at this number if you have any question (403) 220-7227, F (403) 289-2587, or you can contact online family.housing@ucalgary.ca.