With sights set on the future — and an objective of reimaging the chemical engineering profession — the organizers of the 2024 AIChE Annual Meeting (October 27–31 in San Diego, California) are drafting a slate of events that aim to guide the community along new and opportune paths.
In one of those efforts, leaders of AIChE’s Fellows network, along with representatives of the Science History Institute (SHI; www.sciencehistory.org), are envisioning “Chemical Engineers Stepping Up to Lead the Energy Transition.” At that session, scheduled for October 30, interdisciplinary thought leaders will reflect on the transition from current to future energy needs. Annual Meeting attendees will join the discussion on how chemical engineers can play an influential role during this transition.
In explaining the impetus for the “Stepping Up” session, Gayle Gibson, an AIChE Fellow and an organizer of the session, described the world’s changing energy picture, with industry’s interests ranging from renewable sources to new regulations, and from economics to new technology and tools. “With chemical engineers equipped to be at the forefront of the energy transition,” said Gibson, “learnings from transitions of the past can help us with the current and future challenges. That includes the importance of engaging all stakeholders and seeking multidisciplinary solutions.”
In addition to remarks by leaders from AIChE and SHI, the session will feature perspectives from government and academia. Speakers will include Maressa Brennan, a member of the Portfolio Strategy team in the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations; and Donna Riley, Dean of the School of Engineering at the University of New Mexico. The session will culminate in a “fireside chat” with all stakeholders.
Gibson said that AIChE tapped its Fellows to steer this particular effort because of their career accomplishments and their expansive networks, and because, collectively, AIChE Fellows “touch the many intersections of chemical engineering in different markets, processes, and technologies.”
The October issue of CEP magazine will include an article about the energy transition co-written by AIChE Fellow Zenaida Gephardt (Rowan University) and Roger Turner, a historian and curator at SHI who will also participate in the Annual Meeting session.
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About AIChE: AIChE is a professional society of more than 60,000 members in more than 110 countries. Its members work in corporations, universities and government using their knowledge of chemical processes to develop safe and useful products for the benefit of society. Through its varied programs, AIChE continues to be a focal point for information exchange on the frontier of chemical engineering research in such areas as nanotechnology, sustainability, hydrogen fuels, biological and environmental engineering, and chemical plant safety and security. More information about AIChE is available at www.aiche.org.