AIChE Foundation Awards Grants to Seven Transformative Projects

The AIChE Foundation is pleased to announce that seven AIChE initiatives have been awarded grants for the 2017 first cycle of funding.  Bi-annually, the AIChE Foundation invites Operating Councils and Board Committees to submit funding proposals for impactful projects that further the Foundation’s Doing a World of Good campaign priorities and enable the profession of chemical engineering to have a greater impact in the world.

Thanks to the generous support of loyal AIChE Annual Fund donors, the AIChE Foundation Board of Trustees has awarded $82,890 in grant funding to support the seven transformative projects.

The next funding cycle will open on March 1, 2017. For more information, please contact giving@aiche.org and or call 646-495-1342.

2017 Funded Projects

Engineers Without Borders (EWB-USA) Student Grants for Sustainable Development Projects

The AIChE Foundation is pleased to have funded the EWB-USA projects since 2009 and supported the travel of 30 chemical engineering students doing humanitarian projects in over 10 countries, impacting the lives of 26,000 people. This robust program provides chemical engineers opportunities to participate in international projects and to collaborate with engineers from other disciplines. This year, AIChE/EWB chemical engineering student leaders working on two projects will attend and present their  life-changing work at the Institute meetings (Annual and Spring). This travel opportunity increases student engagement with AIChE, encourages students to develop leadership skills, and raises the visibility of AIChE as the global home for chemical engineers. For more information, click here.

2017 Global AIChE Global Undergraduate Student Video Competition

The AIChE Foundation is pleased to continue its support of the AIChE Global Undergraduate Student Video Competition. This engaging program gives student chapter teams the platform to create a 2-5 minute video that explains and inspires high school students and communities to learn more about chemical engineers and what they do. Each video will compete to win a judges choice award or a public choice award. The winners of each year’s competition are announced at the Annual Student Conference. The global reach of the competition allows the exchange of relevant knowledge between diverse communities, advances STEM education in a creative way, and fosters a dialogue on adaptation of process technology in different countries. For more information, click here.

Encouraging Global Engagement - 2017 Student Regional Conferences

In partnership with local Engineers Without Borders (EWB) student chapters, the Global Societal Initiatives Committee (GSIC) will coordinate a 3 multi-year education program in efforts to educate and bring awareness of global engagement at the AIChE Student Regional Conference. This dual collaboration includes a diverse array of panel presenters including AIChE professionals and chemical engineers, whom have participated in EWB. In 2015 and 2016, Foundation funding has supported this impactful initiative at the Mid Atlantic, North Central, Northeast, Rocky Mountain, Southwest and Western AIChE student regional conferences. For more information, click here.   

Men as Change Agents Workshop

At the Spring Meeting in San Antonio and in advancement of AIChE’s diversity and inclusion initiatives, the Societal Impact Operating Council (SIOC) is hosting a workshop to engage men as allies and change agents to lead efforts to bring greater diversity and inclusion to the workplace. The need for better engagement of men in inclusion efforts has been identified as a new key priority by a number of diversity organizations. The Institute is proud to collaborate with external partners in pioneering these efforts and addressing that gap.

High School & Middle School OutReach Program

The Fuels and Petrochemicals Division hosts annual K-12 OutReach Programs in Chicago and the AIChE Spring Meeting. The OutReach Program is targeted for local high school and middle schools and focuses on encouraging students to stay in school and study math and science, and especially to consider studying chemical engineering in college. This hands-on program gives high school students the opportunity to interact with industry professionals and includes presentations from keynote speakers, such as NASA Astronaut Dr. Al Sacco and other pioneer practicing chemical engineers doing a world of good. Thousands of high school and middle school students have participated since the inception of the program. The AIChE Foundation is delighted to have supported this meaningful program for two consecutive years. For more information, click here.  

AIChE Beer Brewing Competition (ABBC)

The Young Professionals Committee (YPC) will be launching the AIChE Beer Brewing Competition (ABBC) at the 2017 Annual Meeting. The competition will stimulate the collaboration of members of all ages and from varying industries. In addition, the competition will give Young Professionals a way to become involved in their Local Section and allow Young Professionals the opportunity to collaborate at the local level through their innovative competition teams. This ABBC is a new and exciting way to further engage AIChE members in chemical engineering principles and continue the lifecycle of leadership, knowledge, volunteerism, and sustainability for Local Sections. For more information, click here.

Minority Affairs Committee (MAC) – Minority Serving Institutions and Student Chapter Development

MAC continues to make great strides in increasing Diversity and Inclusion in the Institute and in the profession, starting in the classroom. As a part of MAC’s effort to engage the minority undergraduate community and to transition them to be active AIChE members upon graduation, in this 2 year project, MAC will build relationships and engage with members of student chapters at Minority Serving Institutions (MSI) and with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with Chemical Engineering Departments. The project will strengthen relationships between local student chapters and AIChE through mentoring and network building. For more information, click here.

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