Teaching coupled transport and rate processes

The use of nonequilibrium thermodynamic (NET) in teaching various coupled processes from physical and biological systems in the transport phenomena II graduate course at Virginia Tech. is discussed. The concept of nonequilibrium systems and the NET theory is suggested to provide students with the basic fundamentals of coupling. It is suggested that partial differential equations obtained from the NET theory can provide a unified approach to describe coupled phenomena and organized structures and other processes in physical, chemical, and biological systems. The NET formulations within a suitable graduate transport phenomena textbook are suggested to be useful to teach coupled transport and rate processes.