Last month, special recognition to water-related issues was given on March 22, the date designated by the United Nations as “World Water Day.” The first World Water Day was observed in 1993, and has been celebrated every year since. The…
In these times of fast-changing automation, more and more companies are talking about “going digital.” Converting to digital data is not new, but thanks to new, enabling technologies, today’s digital culture has evolved into something far beyond what could have…
The news making recent headlines in my local area is the announcement of the closing of the Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York State. Whether to keep the plant running or not has been a long-debated issue, with…
Every other year, Chemical Engineering honors the most-noteworthy chemical engineering technology that was commercialized anywhere in the world during the previous two years with the Kirkpatrick Chemical Engineering Achievement Award. The nominations for 2017 are now open. The Kirkpatrick Award…
December 2015 marked a landmark international agreement to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in order to limit the rise in global temperatures to less than 2°C above pre-industrial temperatures. This agreement, made at the 21st Conference of the Parties to…
Water is both a life-giving source and a potentially devastating force. Citing this range of water’s power during the opening session of Weftec (New Orleans; September 24–28; www.weftec.org), New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu described how the city has triumphed over…
With the prevalence of sophisticated mobile devices today, and the almost ubiquitous availability of WiFi — even on airplanes now— we can almost always be connected to each other and to our jobs. I, for one, enjoy the freedom that…
Last month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the approval of New York’s Clean Energy Standard, which according to the governor’s office is “the most comprehensive and ambitious clean energy mandate in the state’s history, to fight climate change, reduce…
Each year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA; Washington, D.C.; www. epa.gov) recognizes “green chemistry” achievements — innovative technologies that reduce hazards to humans and the environment, as well as the leading scientists who contribute to this end. These achievements…
Last month, the U.S. Congress passed the Frank Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. This bill, called “historic” by many, brings very significant changes to the 40-year-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This much-needed modernization of TSCA is…