Editorial: CEP on the Go

Last month I wrote about some of the personal benefits of volunteering — such as better emotional and physical health, a lower risk of cognitive impairment as you age, and a perception of having more time on your hands — as well as the positive impacts volunteering can have on your career. And last month’s Your AIChE Benefits article (Aug. 2017, p. 75) explained the concept of micro-volunteering — i.e., quick, easy tasks that do not require a large investment of time.

This month I want to tell you about some CEP-related micro-volunteering opportunities available through AIChE’s Volunteer Central (www.aiche.org/volunteer). The first is a CEP App Promoter.

If you are reading this in the print magazine and holding the issue like an open book, in your left hand you see the official unveiling of our brand-new CEP mobile app. AIChE staff, the CEP Editorial Advisory Board, and the AIChE Publication Committee have been beta-testing it for the past few months, and we’re now ready to go public. We are excited to announce that you can now read CEP on your smartphone or tablet. Download the free app from the App Store or Google Play, log in with your AIChE username and password, and take CEP with you wherever you go.

You’ll have all our content at your fingertips — from the latest research and development news and new products, to Back to Basics articles on such topics as air-cooled heat exchangers (January), compressors (February) and compressed air (May), and adsorption (July and August). From an On the Horizon introduction to data science (February) and a Critical Issues discussion of produce contamination (May), to special sections on plant synthetic biology (April), concentrating solar energy (July), and the AIChE 35 Under 35 Award winners (August).

Of course, you’ll also have access to CEP’s mainstay tutorial articles, such as: an overview of laboratory fire codes (July); guidance on industrial cyber security (June); tips to improve your technical writing (April) and achieve work-life balance (March); troubleshooting pointers (January); and much, much more. We’re especially excited to present the results of AIChE’s biennial salary survey (June) in a format you can access whenever you want and wherever you are.

We hope you enjoy the app and find it valuable, and that you will micro-volunteer as a CEP App Promoter to help spread the word about this newest benefit exclusively for AIChE members. Sign up at www.aiche.org/volunteer, download and use the app, then post about it on your social media.

Another micro-volunteering opportunity seeks young professionals and students to brainstorm ideas for the Young Professionals Point of View (YPOV) column. Read some of the recent YPOV articles, and suggest a topic or topics that you would like to see covered in future issues.

Volunteer Central has other CEP-related opportunities, too. For example, you can offer to write a book review, become an AIChE Engage discussion kickstarter, or submit a letter to the editor. In the near future, we’ll be forming a CEP Reader Panel whose members will receive a short survey approximately once per quarter that we will use to help us better meet your needs. Visit Volunteer Central on AIChE Engage today and often, as we continue to add additional opportunities. We look forward to engaging with you.