About

Jim Baygents is an Associate Professor of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Arizona and a member of the Graduate Faculty. His research encompasses a range of topics within chemical and environmental engineering, including electrohydrodynamics, electro-osmotic flow, fluid motion driven by electric fields, and free-boundary problems such as stalactite and icicle growth. His work also involves the simulation and modeling of electrophoretic separations and bacterial deposition, contributing to the understanding of fluid dynamics and transport phenomena in complex systems.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Pedagogy
• Medicine
• Engineering management
• Engineering
• Business
• Mathematics education
• Medical education
• Marketing

Selected publications

• Factors Affecting Hydroxide Ion Concentrations in Bipolar Membranes

  UA Campus Repository (The University of Arizona) · 2021-10-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  The useful lifetime of bipolar ion exchange membranes is often limited by nucleophilic attack by hydroxide ions on the ionic groups and polymer backbone in the anion exchange layers (AELs). This is especially problematic in water treatment applications for making acid and base from salt solutions. This research investigated the effect of bulk electrolyte composition, current density, membrane thickness, ion exchange capacity, and bulk solution pH value on hydroxide ion concentrations inside the AELs of a bipolar membrane. Onedimensional Nernst-Plank equations were solved for the species Na+, Cl-, OH- and H+ within 20-100 μm thick anion and cation exchange layers with fixed charged densities ranging from 0.5-2.0 eq/L. In 1 M NaCl solutions at neutral pH values, hydroxide concentrations in the AEL reached as high as 2.2 M at a current density of 100 mA/cm2. In 1 M NaOH solutions, hydroxide ion concentrations reached as high as 3.77 M. Hydroxide concentrations in the AEL were significantly affected by the ratio of Cl- to hydroxide ions in the bulk electrolyte. Where hydroxide concentrations in the bulk electrolyte were an order of magnitude lower than chloride concentrations, membrane hydroxide concentrations were nearly proportional to the current density. Increases in ion exchange capacity and AEL thickness resulted in increased membrane hydroxide ion concentrations. Membrane concentrations of hydroxide ions can be minimized by operation at low current densities, with high background electrolyte concentrations using thin membranes with low ion exchange capacities and producing base concentrations less than 0.1 M. © 2021 Amirkabir University of Technology - Membrane Processes Research Laboratory. All rights reserved.

  PublisherDOI

• Development of the Supply Chain: An AP Engineering Experience for High School Students at the State Level

  2020-09-04 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Development of the Supply Chain—an AP Engineering Experience for High School Students at the State LevelIn this presentation, we describe a pilot project in which a college of engineering at a majorpublic research university offers their Introduction to Engineering course at high schoolsthroughout the State. At the high school (HS), the course is taught by HS teachers who areappointed adjunct instructors by the college. The participating instructors typically haveexperience teaching AP calculus or science or, alternatively, CTE engineering courses. Theadjuncts receive two-weeks training from university faculty members who have offered the on-campus version of the class, hereafter referred to as ENGR 102. Curriculum is supplied by thecollege and the HS instructors are given the freedom to supplement the curriculum with theirown materials (most do). The HS students are admitted to the university as non-degree-seekingstudents and register for three units of credit. Students are recruited into the class by the HSinstructor acting locally. The course is targeted toward HS seniors who have previouslyexhibited an interest and proficiency in math and science. Tuition is assessed, though at a greatlyreduced rate (~75% discount). College algebra and trigonometry are required as co-requisites forenrollment, and many of the students have had, or are co-enrolled in, calculus and AP science.Financial support for the project comes from the state department of education, with subsidiaryfunding from two industrial benefactors. To prove the concept, ENGR 102 was initially offeredin one suburban HS, approximately 100 miles from the university campus; one of the industrialpartners help supply funding for this first step in AY08-09. The network of participating highschools has since grown from one to six (AY09-10) to 16 (AY10-11), encompassing sevendifferent school districts and three population centers. The HS diversity is significant.Partnering schools range from affluent, largely-white suburban campuses, to rural and urbanschools comprised almost entirely of underrepresented minorities of modest financial means. HSenrollments in ENGR 102 have grown from approximately 20 to 80 to 160.Three methods are used to assess the work, viz. a standard university course evaluation, a studentself-efficacy survey and a survey prescribed by the state department of education. The goal ofthe program is to reduce the number “false positive” and “false negative” students that are seenat the University. A false positive is a student that thinks that they want to do engineering, butwhen they actually see what it involves, they transfer out. This goal can be achieved by offeringa class where engineering is portrayed honestly by a teacher with credibility and such a class willalso preserve “true positives”. A false negative is a student that never tries engineering, yet theywould have been happy, strong, and successful in an engineering program. This can be achievedby offering the class at the HS level in an accommodating academic environment—there arefamiliar teachers, surroundings and expectations, and ENGR 102 is spread over two semesters inthe HS. The postulate is that students are more likely to explore when asked by the familiar HSteacher as compared to being asked by a university advisor/instructor.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Effects of High School Dual-Credit Introduction to Engineering Course on First-year Engineering Student Self-efficacy and the Freshman Experience

  2020 ASEE Virtual Annual Conference Content Access Proceedings · 2020-09-08 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  of Arizona. ENGR 102 HS is an AP-type, dual credit college level, introductory engineering course offered to high school students. In 2014, the ENGR 102 HS program won the ASEE best practices in K-12 and University partnerships award. Over the years Rogers has developed K-12 science summer camps, conducted K-12 educational research, developed engineering curricula

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Grand Challenges DELI (Discover, Explore, Learn, Imagine) Project Update

  2020-09-03 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Abstract Grand Challenges DELI (Discover, Explore, Learn & Imagine) Project UpdateIn August, 2011, researchers in the College of Engineering at a public Research I university inthe southwest United States received an NSF Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM(TUES) Type I grant for a project titled “Transforming the Undergraduate EngineeringExperience: Using the Cyberinfrastructure to Introduce the Grand Challenges for Engineering”.At the core of this project, since renamed the GC DELI (Grand Challenges Discover, Explore,Learn and Imagine), is the development of novel, learner-centered, internet-based lines of study,for a required entry-level engineering course. The strategy is to give students an opportunity tochoose an area of particular interest and to provide innovative education materials through whichthey can explore important, contemporary engineering topics. Each four-week line of study isknown as a Unit. The topics for the Units are tied to the Grand Challenges for Engineering, andwere selected based on a survey conducted in the entry-level course. The six GC DELI Units are:  Energy, Water & the Environment (pilot Unit)  Make Solar Energy Economical  Provide Access to Clean Water  Engineer Better Human Health  Engineer the Tools of Scientific Discovery  Restore and Improve Urban InfrastructureThe Unit on Energy, Water and the Environment was developed and refined over severalsemesters that preceded the TUES award. The five new Units were: modeled after the originalUnit; developed by faculty members with research and professional expertise in the selectedtopics; and successfully piloted in two sections of the introductory engineering course in Spring2012. All of the Units use a wide variety of tools and strategies to encourage students to takecontrol of their learning while they explore the societal, global, environmental and economiccontext of the problems that captured their interest. Results from the Spring 2012 pilot areencouraging, with two thirds of the students indicating that the opportunity to choose a topic toexplore had a positive impact on their learning. Moreover, a significant number of studentsindicated an increase in commitment to engineering, following the completion of the Units.Student surveys and focus group discussions following the pilot uncovered some problems withthe workload for two of the Units. Students enrolled in these two Units spent considerably moretime on the assigned tasks than students enrolled in other Units. Furthermore, some of the taskswere perceived to be “busy work”. This imbalance seemed to negatively impact students’attitudes toward the two Units and engineering in general. Based on these formative evaluations,a number of important refinements are underway and the updated Units will be launched ineleven sections of the course in Fall 2012. In a parallel effort, the Units are being adapted for ahigh school version of the course taught to approximately 400 students distributed across twenty-three high schools in the southwest United States. In the paper to be presented, we will report onthe salient findings that stem from these continued curricular offerings and modifications. Inparticular, we will examine the effect of the Units on student commitment to engineering. Withthe larger number of participants in the full-scale implementation of the GC DELI, we expect tohave sufficient data to test our original hypothesis that women and Hispanic students'commitment to engineering will increase more than that of students who are notunderrepresented in engineering.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Alkaline Stability of Novel Aminated Polyphenylene-Based Polymers in Bipolar Membranes

  Journal of membrane science and research · 2020-04-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  This research investigated stability of two novel aminated polyphenylene polymers as anion exchange layers in bipolar membranes. Bipolar membrane stability was tested under operating conditions of 50 mA/cm2, and under conditions of soaking in room temperature 1 M NaOH. The stability of the custom made bipolar membranes was compared with those for two commercial membranes. For the polyphenylene-based membranes, there was no measurable increase in operating voltage when run continuously at a current density of 50 mA/cm2. For the two commercial membranes, the operating voltages increased by 3.2 to 4.4 mV per day when operated continuously over an 85 day testing period. Commercial membrane degradation in 1 M NaOH was similar to that under real operating conditions, with average rates of voltage increase of 3.2 to 3.5 mV/d. The custom made membrane containing a quaternary ammonium-tethered poly(biphenylalkylene) (PBPA) anion exchange layer did not show any loss in performance in either stability test. Density functional theory (DFT) simulations were used to calculate activation barriers and reaction energies for nucleophilic attack on the polymer backbones and cation functional groups on each of the four anion exchange polymers. Cation loss from all four polymers was thermodynamically favorable, with activation barriers ranging from 64 to 138 kJ/mol. The two commercial polysulfone-based anion exchange membranes were susceptible to cleavage of the ether bonds. However, the polyphenylene-based anion exchange polymers were considerably more stable with respect to backbone cleavage. The DFT calculations showing that the PBPA polymer was the most stable confirmed the results of the stability tests.

  PublisherDOI

• Grand Challenges DELI (Discover, Explore, Learn, Imagine) Project

  2020-09-11 · 4 citations

  articleSenior author

  Abstract Grand Challenges DELI (Discover, Explore, Learn, Imagine) Project In Fall 2011, researchers in the College of Engineering at a public Research I university in the southwestUnited States received an NSF Transforming Undergraduate Education in STEM (TUES) grant to developlearner-centered materials and strategies for an existing engineering course required of entry-level students.The strategy for the project is to give freshmen engineering and prospective engineering students—some ofwhom are still in high school—an opportunity to explore interesting and relevant topics of their choice. Fiveunique web-based lines of study, referred to as Elective Units, are designed to capture the interests of studentswith diverse backgrounds while encouraging higher-level thinking. The goals of the project are to increase thecommitment of freshman engineering students to the pursuit of engineering as an academic major and aprofession; and to increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities matriculating intoengineering. Prior to submission of the NSF TUES proposal, a pilot Elective Unit on Energy, Water & the Environmentwas developed and successfully incorporated into the course through a Learner Centered Course RedesignInnovation Grant funded by a state agency. The pilot was deemed successful because students performed wellon the graded homework assignments, quizzes and tests and, for the most part, found the material interestingand the activities worthwhile. For example, when asked what they liked best, students responded, “Diverselook at many different aspects of the current crises facing engineers”, “Interesting topics, especially renewableenergy”, “I felt like I was really enjoying what I was doing. I completed the assignments with enthusiasm” and“The best part of this was the relevancy to my world and the connections I was able to make between learningand my future.” In addition, students liked the online aspect of the Unit commenting that it was “self-paced”,“convenient”, “allowed for independent learning”, “helped me practice searching for online data within websites”and “everything was online, right in front of me”. When the TUES project was funded, participating engineering faculty members, with expertise in selectedtopical areas, proceeded to develop the five additional Elective Units, which were modeled loosely after thepilot Unit. The selection of topics for the Units was based on a Grand Challenges Interest Survey that wasadministered to 100+ students enrolled in the introductory course in Spring 2010. Students were asked toinvestigate the fourteen Grand Challenges for Engineering as established by the National Academy ofEngineering and to indicate which Grand Challenges they found most compelling as prospective engineers.Based on the results of the survey, the following Elective Units were established: 1.) Provide access to cleanwater, 2.) Make solar energy economical, 3.) Engineer better health, 4.) Restore and improve urbaninfrastructure, and 5.) Engineer the tools of scientific discovery. Video vignettes for each Elective Unit describethe engineering challenge and emphasize the important role that engineers play in solving these problems.Interviews with leading experts, shown in these vignettes, help students decide which Elective Unit(s) theywish to study for the four-week period. The preferred course management application at the university, Desire-2-Learn, provides access to a variety of educational experiences that appeal to a wide range of learning styles.With these tools, students take advantage of existing cyberinfrastructures, as well as newly-developedmaterials produced by the faculty members in association with their colleagues. The five new Elective Units will be piloted in Spring 2011 in two sections of the introductory courseinvolving approximately 90 students. Resulting student feedback and assessment will be used to enhance andrefine the Elective Units. During Summer 2012, a workshop will be conducted to educate the team ofinstructors on the benefits of learner-centered education strategies, as well as the technology and tools thatare available to enhance student learning through the Elective Units. The new materials will be launched in allon-campus sections, which encompass 600 students, in Fall 2012. Subsequently, the Elective Units will beadapted to the high school environment and introduced to ~400 additional students who take the course in apartnering network of high schools. Student performance on assignments, projects, quizzes and tests will beevaluated to assess the effectiveness of the teaching methodologies. In addition, students will be surveyed toevaluate whether their commitment to engineering is enhanced as a result of the Elective Units. Enhancedcommitment to engineering should help to achieve the long-term goal to increase the recruitment and retentionof students, particularly underrepresented students, in the College of Engineering.

  PublisherDOI

• Impact of an Engineering Service Learning Program on Dual Credit High School Student Interests in Engineering (Evaluation)

  2020-09-10

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  ENGR 102 HS is an AP-type, dual credit college level, introductory engineering course offered to high school students. In 2014, the ENGR 102 HS program won the ASEE best practices in K-12 and University partnerships award. Over the years Rogers has developed K-12 science summer camps, conducted K-12 educational research, developed engineering curricula

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Longitudinal Evaluation of an AP Type, Dual-Enrollment Introduction to Engineering Course: Examining Teacher Effect on Student Self-Efficacy and Interest in Engineering (Evaluation)

  2020-09-10 · 3 citations

  articleSenior author

  Abstract A Longitudinal Evaluation of an AP Type, Dual Enrollment Introduction to Engineering Course: Examining Teacher Effect on Student Self Efficacy and Interest in Engineering (Evaluation) Abstract ENGR 102 HS is an introduction to engineering course taught by 37 high school teachers in both public and private high school classrooms. This university level, dual enrollment course offers high school students three units of credit towards an engineering degree. Unlike an Advanced Placement (AP) class, students who successfully complete the course receive a university transcript. In the ten years since the initial pilot, more than four thousand high school students have taken the course and of those, 2704 students have enrolled and received college credit. With a nearly identical core curriculum as the semester long, ENGR 102 on campus course, the high school program runs for a full school year and thus provides students with increased contact time. Extra classroom time in the high school program allows students to participate in service learning projects, online modules and multiple teacher-designed hands-on projects. Each spring students in the program are asked questions about multiple topics as part of a course evaluation survey. In this longitudinal evaluation, we examine seven years of survey data and report on changes over time in teacher (n=66) effectiveness and explore how teachers influence student self-efficacy and interest in pursuing a career in engineering. The effects of teacher/student gender match was also explored. Teachers with engineering degrees were compared to teachers without and no significant differences were found in effectiveness, course quality or student interest in engineering. However, when students were divided by gender, results showed that female students preferred teachers without the master’s in engineering whereas teachers with the master’s in engineering were preferred by male students.

  PublisherDOI

• Early Engineering through Service-learning: Adapting a University Model to High School

  2020 · 6 citations

  • Sociology
  • Engineering
  • Pedagogy

  Abstract Early Engineering Through Service-Learning: Adapting A University Model to High SchoolThe challenges of this next century require a new generation of engineering talent. In the United States,interest in engineering has remained flat and many groups within remain underrepresented relative to theoverall population, specifically women and ethnic minorities. Attracting the next generation of diverseengineers requires a diverse set of pre-college experiences to connect diverse pathways leading to anengineering degree. The report from the National Academy of Engineering, Changing the Conversation,called for rethinking how engineering is portrayed to young people and our society at large. To meet thegoals of a diverse population, new and innovative approaches are needed to supplement the traditionalengineering pre-college programs.One exciting pathway that adheres to the recommendations described in the report from the NationalAcademy is the use of service-learning to expose students to design and engineering. Service-learning isa form of experiential learning through the integration of traditional classroom teaching with structuredcommunity service. Service-learning has been well established in many disciplines with positive impactson interest, motivation, student satisfaction, personal success, desire, and retention of students whoparticipated in service-learning projects. It has not been well-integrated into STEM or, more specifically,engineering. Service-learning is pedagogically consistent with literature on the recruitment and retentionof women and other underrepresented groups in science and engineering. At the university level, service-learning programs have shown to attract higher numbers of women and diverse students. Pre-collegeprograms have the potential to attract more diverse students to engineering and engage them in pathwaysthat will lead to degrees in engineering.These benefits have been studied at the higher education level and show promise for pre-college as well.Service-learning connected to engineering has an enormous potential for capitalizing on the wave ofinterest in community engagement among teenagers nationally. While interest in engineering hasremained relatively flat, interest in community service, service-learning and engagement has exploded.Many schools have service-learning or community service requirements, often for the highest diplomas,but rarely are these connected to STEM topics or engineering in particular. Connecting service to ourcommunity with engineering aligns perfectly with the National Academy’s Changing the Conversation.This paper will describe the adaptation of a successful university model to high schools. This model issupported by universities and industry professionals. The program has been disseminated to more than 50schools in 10 states. This paper will highlight high school programs that have been integrated into theschool day and are supported by a large Midwestern university and two large Southwestern universities.The paper will discuss how training and support of teacher can be regionalized. Example projects will bedescribed as well as the academic structure and teacher training processes.Data will be presented including the demographics which include over 40% female students and over30% students from groups traditionally underrepresented in engineering. Data shows that students arebecoming more interested in engineering as a result of their experience in the service-learning programsfor a variety of reasons, including recognition of the connection with engineering and its ability to helppeople.

  PublisherDOI

• ENGR 102 for High School: An Introduction to Engineering, AP type course taught in high schools by high school teachers

  2020 · 6 citations

  • Mathematics education
  • Medical education
  • Psychology

  Abstract ENGR 102 for High School: An Introduction to Engineering, AP type course taught in high schools by high school teachers AbstractIn fall 2008, twenty one students from _________ High School in __________, AZ participatedin a University of ________ pilot program and were enrolled in an AP type course called ENGR102 HS. This introductory engineering course offers students three units of credit towards anEngineering degree from any Arizona institution of higher learning. Since the initial pilot, 1214high school students have enrolled and received college credit for the course. With a nearlyidentical core curriculum as the semester long, on campus version of ENGR 102, the high schoolprogram runs for a full school year and thus provides the increased contact time and teacherassistance many high school students require. Extra classroom time in the high school programallows students to participate in service learning projects, online modules and teacher designed,hands on projects.High School teachers that are selected to teach ENGR 102 HS tend to have engineeringbackgrounds; however, many of the most successful teachers in the program teach AP math orAP science at their high school and succeed due to a personal enthusiasm for the topic. A weeklong teacher training workshop is held each summer to prepare new teachers to deliver the corecurriculum. Returning teachers attend an annual three-day training to share ideas, mentor newteachers, receive new classroom content and to strengthen the dynamic ENGR 102 HScommunity of engineering educators. Based on student course evaluations from the last twoschool years (2011 to 2013), 91% of students rated their teacher as almost always or usuallyeffective (n = 514). With the percent of students rating their teacher as almost always effectiverising by over 10% over these two years.Seed funding for ENGR 102 HS program development and logistical sustainability was obtainedthrough grant awards during the first four years of the program. Now in its sixth year, ENGR 102HS operates primarily on tuition dollars and has programs operating in two states, 29 diversehigh schools, with in 15 different school districts and 30 teachers deliver the course to over 450students. Of the 450 students in the 2013-14 cohort, 310 took ENGR 102 HS for University of________ credit. Since fall 2009, 183 students from the high school course have enrolled asfreshman engineering students at the University of _________. This paper will discuss ENGR102 HS program mission and history, spin off research and development, teacher training,program logistics, keys to success and program outcomes. ENGR 102 HS Program Growth and Outcomes From pilot in AY2008-09 to AY2013-14 08-09 09-10 10-11 11-12 12-13 13-14 ENGR 102 HS 21 82 197 294 310 ~310 Enrollment No. of Freshman ENGR majors to 5 25 37 51 65 _ University of ___ High Schools 1 6 14 20 23 29 School Districts 1 5 (+1) 8(+2) 13(+2) 14(+4) 15(+5) (+ private)

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• James Farrell

  University of Arizona

  19 shared

• Yitshak Zohar

  University of Arizona

  12 shared

• Ronald L. Heimark

  11 shared

• Yingying Chen

  11 shared

• J. Jill Rogers

  University of California, San Diego

  11 shared

• Roberto Guzmán

  9 shared

• Raymond E. Goldstein

  University of Cambridge

  9 shared

• Jake R. Davis

  University of Arizona

  9 shared