(464c) IChemE Roadmap - Framing the Issues and Addressing the Challenges

What does society need; what are the desirable outcomes and how can chemical engineers work in partnership with others to make it happen?  These were the key questions addressed in the Roadmap for 21^st Century Chemical Engineering published by the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) on the 50^th anniversary of its Royal Charter in 2007.

Five years on, IChemE has conducted a detailed review of the key challenges facing humanity. In an updated report, Chemical Engineering Matters, due for publication in November 2012, the Institution aassesses the role of the chemical engineer in delivering process and product solutions that maintain and improve quality of life.  The challenges are well recognised: energy, food & nutrition, water, health and wellbeing, but the review also stresses that several key issues and concerns must to be taken into account.  These include safety and sustainability as well as the need for international and multidisciplinary collaboration. Education, training and research needs are also assessed.  The review clearly identifies the essential role of the fundamental aspects of chemical engineering science and the systems thinking upon which the discipline is founded.  It also asks the profession to directly confront the opportunities presented by advances in biotechnology.

In his presentation, Ed Daniels will offer an overview of the report’s key findings and recommendations. He will also assert that the capability of the professional chemical engineer to design, build, operate and manage process solution that will maintain or improve quality of life is shaped by external factors that lie beyond science and technology.  Drawing on nearly 25 years experience in the global energy business Ed will make the case for stronger engagement by chemical engineers and their professional bodies in wider public policy debate.