Strategies for Creative Problem Solving

A Systematic, Proven Approach to Problem Solving–Now Fully Updated with New Examples and Interactive Resources

Strategies for Creative Problem Solving, Second Edition, will help you sharpen your “street smarts” and leverage your creative skills to find better solutions for virtually any technical problem. Drawing on advanced, National Science Foundation-funded research, it introduces a start-to-finish problem-solving framework that integrates proven strategies from today’s most effective technical organizations. Using its hands-on techniques and exercises, you’ll learn how to gather data, systematically identify problems, generate superior alternatives, choose and implement the best solution, evaluate what you learn, and use that knowledge to create even better outcomes.

The first edition of Strategies for Creative Problem Solving won the prestigious American Society for Engineering Education Meriam/Wiley Distinguished Author Award. This new edition has been systematically updated and revised, offering even greater value to every engineer, technical practitioner, and student. Among its many improvements: 

• Dozens of new examples, plus two detailed real-world case studies
• Better, more coherent organization, reflecting feedback from thousands of students and professionals
• New coverage of team-based problem solving, including conflict resolution
• More coverage of critical thinking, including the use of the Socratic method
• An introduction to the powerful TRIZ technique for resolving contradictions
• Proven troubleshooting algorithms for identifying root causes of equipment and process problems 

All-New CD-ROM and Web Site

The CD-ROM and Web site contain numerous enrichment opportunities for both students and instructors including 

• Interactive Computer Modules: Seven simulations, which are linked to the book’s content and are designed to deepen your expertise with every stage of the problem-solving process.
• Summary Notes: Chapter-specific material that highlights important points in each chapter–excellent for classroom presentations and concept review.
• Learning Resources: Thoughts on problem solving; closed-ended and open-ended problem-solving heuristics.
• Professional Reference Shelf: Additional examples and problem-solving material.
• Additional Study Materials: Course syllabi and Web links to related material.

H. Scott Fogler is the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor, Vennema Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan. His research interests include flow and reaction in porous media, fused chemical relations, gellation kinetics, and chemical reaction engineering problems in the petroleum industry. He has graduated 37 Ph.D. students and has more than 200 refereed publications in these areas. Fogler is the AIChE 2008 President-elect. He has chaired ASEE’s Chemical Engineering Division, served as director of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, earned the Warren K. Lewis Award from AIChE for contributions to chemical engineering education, and received the Chemical Manufacturers Association’s National Catalyst Award. He is the author of the classic Elements of Chemical Reaction Engineering, Fourth Edition (Prentice Hall, 2006).

Steven E. LeBlanc is Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Toledo. He chaired the Chemical and Environmental Engineering Department for ten years, chaired the ASEE Chemical Engineering Education Division, and co-chaired the 2007 ASEE Chemical Engineering Summer School for Faculty.