The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) announced that Maria K. Burka, program director in the Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental and Transport Systems Division of the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Virginia, will become president of the 40,000 member organization in 2011. Burka is the second woman to hold the presidency since AIChE’s founding in 1908.

ChEnected launched in February of 2010. Since then the site has grown into a community of more than 40 authors and contributors and more than 6,000 unique monthly visitors. As we begin a promising 2010, we'd like to take a moment to reflect on all that's gone into making ChEnected.

ChEnected's success is owed to the chemical engineers and other professionals who spent many hours writing, producing, and engaging with great content. Watch this video made with Pummelvision that flashes all ChEnected photos before your eyes in 142 seconds.

Towards the end of the year, I typically read quite a few top 10, 20, or 50 lists of music, books, or movies. One list that I read, however, was more unique – Time Magazine’s “50 Best Inventions of the Year.” It struck me because not only was it interesting, it was one that involved chemical and biomolecular engineering, a subject near and dear to my heart.

Michael Strommen is the Wind Blade Composites Program Leader at 3M and helps spearhead the company's efforts to create coatings and films for green technologies. He attended the E3 Conference in St. Paul, MN where he was able to speak with ChEnected about 3M's focus on wind, energy, and solar conservation.

Researchers have engineered a strain of yeast that can be used to produce ethanol far more efficiently than previously possible. The new yeast's potential lies in its ability to simultaneously consume two types of sugar—glucose and xylose—from biomass.

Is turning waste and inefficiency into profit and opportunity too much to wish for? Not if you're one of finalists competing for the Imagine H2O Prize. The competition will award the most innovative and effective water-related startups that save natural resources, particularly in the areas of sourcing, distributing, treating, and disposing of water.