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…
Chemical Engineering has been a leading source for technology and news for the chemical process industries (CPI) since the launch of our magazine in 1902. Additionally, we seek to bring recognition to, and to help advance, the chemical engineering profession.…
Language evolves. As the needs of the users change, language adapts to meet those needs. One way to adapt is to add new words. “Selfie,” for example, now a well-known word, has only been in popular use for a few…
When I was studying for my degrees in chemical engineering, I had the option to take several elective courses. Two that I chose were biochemical engineering and biomedical engineering. During the biomedical engineering course, I was fascinated with the ways…
Many, if not most, of us have heard of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). Simply stated, it refers to the manufacturing application of the Internet of Things, or the interconnectedness of “smart” machines. Similar to what we see with…