Chemical engineers develop and apply technology to improve people’s lives. But there are many people who live in dismal circumstances, who are outside of the sphere of influence of typical chemical engineering. Due to their extreme poverty and living situations, they do not experience the benefits afforded by the availability of gasoline, batteries, faster computers, or more generally by the types of products to which chemical engineers contribute. Can uniquely chemical engineering technology be used to provide immediate assistance to such marginalized people? Does the consideration of such people and their difficulties relate to our professional ethics, and the role of universities in educating chemical engineers? This article describes large chemical engineering projects led by universities in Myanmar and the Philippines that are motivated by the goal of helping marginalized members of society. That these projects are based on environmentally friendly processes that convert waste to useful products is a bonus. It then discuss how ethics and engineering intersect, both narrowly and broadly, and the role of universities in training students in this regard.
Humanitarian Chemical Engineering,
April, 2015