Is an ee in chemistry a bad idea? What subjects are good for an ee?

[chemnerd]

So this Monday we were given a week to come up with our subject and topic preferences for our ee, and have been given a weak to answer a survey so they can start allocate supervisors and stuff. A week to decide on subject and general topic!!

I was originally thinking to do chemistry as it is my best subject (by a long run), and I kind of had an idea of doing something on the SNOX process or something similar that kind of chemically cleans the smoke after combustion to save the environment, but I wasn't sure if it was too hard to conduct my own experiments on it, and I really wanted to gain some first-hand knowledge through experiments. So today I talked to both our chemistry teachers who just straight out told me and my friend that we shouldn't do an ee in chemistry because they get marked down really badly, and now I'm just really confused.

My subjects are: English A Language and literature, maths hl, physics, chemistry, global politics and spanish ab initio.

I could do on in Global Politics, but I'm afraid it's going to be really boring, because I feel like all we do in that subject already is essays, and I also feel like all my research would be online and I wouldn't be as engaged.

So I guess my question is, is an ee in chemistry really such a bad idea? And if it is, what is then a good idea?

[kw0573]

I suggest you do it in your best subject, too.  I dont know the SNOX process but definitely pick something you can do in your lab.

The challenge with chemistry, in comparison to physics or biology, is that it requires a lot of knowledge, possibly outside of syllabus, possibly of topics you havent covered. For example, just about any reaction requires you knowledge of rates (for planning to know how long it takes) which may not be as straightforward as discussed in class, reasons for steps (some separation or reaction techniques have a lot of theory embedded), why the reaction happens, etc.

I would recommend that you modify an experiment designed for a class instead of coming up with one fresh, so you know others have ensured that it works. EE with mostly secondary data is intrinsically more difficult (hence not recommended) but it doesnt necessarily mean its impossible to score well.

Finally, the challenge is with the writing. Centralize the essay on these aspects: purpose, result, limitations. Any in depth explanation should be to these ends. Just because you used a new apparatus doesnt mean you have to describe it (unless if it leads to a source of error).

For your reference, my EE was in math, scored well: Math was my best subject. Some difference is that with math EE, if something doesnt work out, i just talk about something else (in EE where I generally discuss something, not trying to solve a long problem). But there needs to be significant, comprehensive planning for any group 4 EE, and if something goes wrong, it could be hard to find a back up plan.