AIChE Foundation Awards Grants to Twelve Distinct Projects

We are pleased to announce that the AIChE Foundation has awarded 12 project grants for the second funding cycle of 2017. 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 our loyal donors to the Annual Fund, the AIChE Foundation Board of Trustees has awarded $133,768 in grant funding this cycle.

The next grant funding cycle will open on October 2. For more information, please contact giving@aiche.org and or call 646-495-1342.
 

Funded Projects
 

AIChE Chemical Engineers for Good Challenge

The Global Societal Impact Committee (GSIC) will run an annual competition called the AIChE Chemical Engineers for Good Challenge (ACE4G) to encourage the involvement of chemical engineers and  chemical engineering principles in international service projects. The competition will be open to Engineers Without Borders (EWB-USA) student chapters and AIChE International Student Chapters.  Teams will submit a sustainable chemical engineering solution to improve the quality of life in the developing world and compete for cash prizes for their projects. Examples of projects are water treatment, alternate energy sources, energy efficiency, and preservation/production of crops and foods. For more information, contact sioc@aiche.org. 

AIChE Entrepreneurs’ Interview Series

The Center of Innovation and Entrepreneuring Excellence (CIEE) is launching an interview series of roundtable discussions on Facebook Live & YouTube Live with Entrepreneurs, Investors, Women in Management, LGBT Engineers, Executives that have started unique business and product solutions answering current and up-coming problems. The entrepreneurs will provide students and professionals with insight on the evolution of their careers, lessons learned and best practices. For more information, contact Nemoy Rau, nemoyrau@gmail.com.

AIChE Leadership Reception for LGBTQ Members and Allies at the 2017 AIChE Annual 

The Societal Impact Operating Council (SIOC) held the inaugural reception at the 2016 Annual Meeting in San Francisco which led to the development of a new series of LGBTQ members on ChEnected.  SIOC continues to place AIChE in a prominent leadership role in welcoming, engaging and retaining LGBTQ talent in the engineering profession. This year, SIOC seeks to expand involvement and expressions of support from AIChE leadership and add a programmatic or entertainment element to build community. For more information, contact sioc@aiche.org.

International Student Leadership Travel Grants

The AIChE Foundation is delighted to have supported this transformative program for three consecutive years. The development of AIChE’s international undergraduate Student Chapters is one of the cornerstone initiatives in AIChE’s plan to increase its global presence, recruit international members and serve the profession as it is practiced throughout the world. The International Student Chapter Leadership Development Travel Grant is awarded on the basis of leadership involvement in student chapter activities, academic achievement, and financial need. The grant awards provide students the opportunity to interact with other young chemical engineers, develop leadership skills and gain access to an audience of high-level professionals. For more information, click here.

Meet the Executives: Innovating for a Sustainable Future

The Meet the Executives panel will be held at the 2017 Annual Meeting in Minneapolis. The panel will feature four executives of major companies including The Dow Chemical Company, Cargill and Owens Corning. The executives will cover how their respective companies innovate for a sustainable future, touching on topics such as renewable fuels, biotechnology, commodity chemicals, pharmaceuticals and more. The session will also provide insight into the keys to a sustainable future through sustainable processes and the necessity of innovation towards sustainable growth. For more information, click here.
 

Meet the Industry Poster Reception

In order to better serve the needs of graduate student members, the Executive Board of the Program Committee (EBPC) is working to develop a "Meet the Industry" session that parallels the Meet the Faculty session. A majority of graduate students go on to work in industry, rather than academia. Yet, there is no established in-person forum within AIChE to connect these graduate students to industrial recruiters or talent scouts. To fill this gap, EBPC will pilot a small scale poster reception at the AIChE Southwest Process Technology Conference (SPTC) in Galveston, TX.  For more information, contact programming@aiche.org. 
 

Microbiomes and Microbial Communities- 2017 Annual Topical Conference

Microorganisms exist in virtually every environment on earth from the soil and all accessible surfaces of animals, plants, insects, and people. This topical conference aims to understanding and engineering microbiomes and microbial communities. The three sessions will feature academic and industrial talks, with a focus on advancing tools to probe and control microbial communities and on applications in human health, agriculture, and energy. For more information, click here.
 

National Academies Study on ChemE- Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st Century

The National Academies will develop a new report to articulate and transform the chemical engineering profession, guiding its vision of future research, innovation, and education. This study will recognize the changing needs of industry in the 21st century; develop ways to engage more effectively with others from complementary fields to integrate the applied chemical/biological/physical sciences and technologies; anticipate undesirable societal and environmental impacts and contribute desirable impacts, including through public policy; strengthen diversity of the chemical engineering field and community; re-shape the educational curriculum; and encompass the international sweep of the profession.  For more information, contact programming@aiche.org. 
 

NH3 Energy+- A Topical Conference at the 2017 AIChE Annual

NH3 Energy+ is the most affordable, efficient path to a hydrogen economy. This versatile chemical can be used as one of the most cost-effective means to store and transport, excess and stranded renewable energy, a key issue for greater market penetration for wind, solar, and other intermittent renewable resources. The objective of this symposium is to introduce the impressive story of NH3 Energy+ to a wider audience. For more information, click here.
 

USA Science and Engineering Festival - AIChE Booth

The USA Science and Engineering Festival is a bi-annual week-long science-based exposition that exposes upwards of 200,000 students and adults to the presence of science and engineering in the world and the opportunities that exist in pursuing careers in those fields. As one of over 700 presenters at the Festival, AIChE has the opportunity to engage a large number of students in an environment conducive to influencing them to consider future careers in chemical engineering. In fact at the 2016 Festival, the AIChE booth had over 1,000 visitors. The AIChE Foundation is pleased to have supported this educational program for two consecutive years. For more information on the 2017 Festival, click here.

Uncovering and Minimizing Unconscious Biases in the Workplace

The Women's Initiatives Committee (WIC) is hosting a three hour workshop at the 2018 AIChE Spring Meeting to raise awareness of unconscious bias and offer training to identify and build skills to overcome these biases. Using panel discussion and activity-based learning, participants will be able to develop a deeper understanding of the filters through which they view and interpret themselves and others, and identify patterns in their own ways of evaluating and assessing other people. The workshop will also provide participants with tools and techniques to override bias and restructure their thinking to become more inclusive and effective.  For more information, contact the WIC chair, Selma Mededovic, at smededov@clarkson.edu. 
 

Disability Unity Community Convocation Forum

The Societal Impact Operating Council (SIOC) will be hosting the Disability Unity Convocation Forum at the 2017 Annual Meeting in Minneapolis and 2018 AIChE Spring Meeting in Orlando. As a continuation from the 2016 Annual Meeting, the forum aims to raise awareness within the AIChE community about the needs and contributions of people with disabilities and AIChE members in particular. In addition, how best to extend the Institute's inclusion efforts to members with disabilities with specific actions and programs will be discussed. The AIChE Foundation is delighted to have supported this educational program for two consecutive years. For more information, contact sioc@aiche.org.

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