The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Town Hall and Coffee Break

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Town Hall: Chemical Engineering in the 21st Century

Chemical engineers apply molecular sciences to create life’s essentials and enhance its quality. Using not only chemical sciences, but also mathematics, physics, materials science, biology, and data science, chemical engineers play key roles in such areas as health care, energy development, waste management, food processing, and national security.

In 1988, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine laid out an important vision for the field in the report titled Frontiers in Chemical Engineering: Research Needs and Opportunities, also known as the “Amundson Report”. The report outlined a roadmap for turning promising research opportunities into reality, while guiding university educational efforts to embrace new frontiers.

Over the past three decades, chemical engineering has seen tremendous change and advancement. These changes have and will continue to affect how we might view research priorities, education, and the practice of chemical engineering. A new study led by the National Academies, Chemical Engineering in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities, will address the changing needs of industry in the 21st century; develop ways to more effectively engage with and learn from related fields; discuss approaches for anticipating potential consequences (unintended as well as intended) that affect society and the environment; develop ways to strengthen diversity within the chemical engineering community; point the way to a modern educational curriculum; and account for the international sweep of the profession. 

During this session, we will provide an overview of the Academies study process, with a specific focus on ways that members of the chemical engineering community can get involved. This interactive session will be the first among many opportunities for AIChE members to provide input to the study.

The session will also feature a coffee break.

Confirmed speakers

• Eric W. Kaler, Professor of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and President Emeritus, University of Minnesota
• Maggie L. Walser, Senior Program Officer, Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

This initiative is supported by the AIChE's Foundation's Doing a World of Good Campaign.