Session 3 – Central composite designs, second order models, ANOVA, blocking, qualitative factors An intensive practical course mainly for PhD-students on the use of designs of experiments (DOE) and response surface methodology (RSM) for optimization problems. The course covers relevant background, nomenclature and general theory of DOE and RSM modelling for factorial and optimisation designs in addition to practical exercises in Matlab. Due to time limitations, the course concentrates on linear and quadratic models on the k≤3 design dimension. This course is an ideal starting point for every experimental engineering wanting to work effectively, extract maximal information and predict the future behaviour of their system. Mikko Mäkelä (DSc, Tech) is a postdoctoral fellow at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Umeå, Sweden and is currently visiting the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Alicante. He is working in close cooperation with Paul Geladi, Professor of Chemometrics, and using DOE and RSM for process optimization mainly for the valorization of industrial wastes in laboratory and pilot scales.” Schedule and details: The course took place at the University of Alicante and would not had been possible without the support of the Instituto Universitario de Ingeniería de Procesos Químicos.