How does a blind student work within a team in an advanced chemical engineering design course? Bob Beitle had never considered that question until he met Noel Romey, a senior at the University of Arkansas and the only chemical engineering student in the country who's been blind from birth.

"I started wondering how sighted students convey information to Noel and vice versa," said Beitle. "It obviously requires adaptation on both parts, but I wondered how the group as a whole would communicate and whether the group working with Noel would develop and retain any special skills."

So Beitle applied for and received a SGER (Small Grant for Exploratory Research) grant from the National Science Foundation. The program is designed to quickly provide small grants for exploratory research with a sense of urgency. Beitle is working with U of A colleague Doug Behrend, department chair, psychology, and Mike Chung, professor, chemical engineering, University of Akron, to study the lasting effects on sighted students after working with Romey.

Studying the way the group relayed information effectively is particularly relevant because more work in the chemical engineering profession is being done by telephone and email. "No matter how sophisticated the communication capabilities are, it still comes down to basic technical communication skills," said Beitle.

Converting visual diagrams as well as the proliferation of graphical user interface, or GUI, systems in the industry is another factor working against non-sighted students. The software lets engineers think more and program less, but the point-and-click method works against the non-sighted. The team is working to overcome the GUI issue. And Noel will put the NSF-sponsored research into practice with an internship at a chemical engineering design firm.

"My livelihood is very dependent on my eyesight and I started to wonder what I would do if I had an accident or lost my sight," said Beitle. "This project really hits home."