The Institution of Chemical Engineers

The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) has held its first ever meeting in North America this week as a new survey shows a growing desire for IChemE to establish a Member Group in the region.

The event – held in Houston, Texas, on 15 July 2013 – was hosted by IChemE’s immediate past president, Russell Scott, and IChemE’s senior ambassador for the US, Maurice Wilkins.  Around 30 IChemE members and guests attended the event which included the latest news on IChemE's new Professional Process Safety Engineer registration.

To coincide with the meeting a survey of nearly 650 IChemE members based in North America revealed strong support for the formation of a Member Group.  Over three quarters of respondents (76 per cent) supported the idea and over half (53 per cent) were willing to volunteer to help establish a fledgling group.

IChemE’s immediate past president, Russell Scott, also gave a presentation on IChemE’s new technical strategy - Chemical Engineering Matters. The strategy outlines ten major actions chemical engineers can take over the next five years to address challenges on issues including food, water, health and energy – a topic particularly relevant to chemical engineers in North America.

Co-meeting host Maurice Wilkins said: “Our aim is to improve support for IChemE members in North America and our first meeting, with the support of Russell Scott, has been an excellent start.

“There was a lot of enthusiasm and strong support for the work IChemE is doing, especially their new international and pan-engineering safety qualification and Chemical Engineering Matters, which is helping to guide and drive forward the chemical engineering profession across the world.

“It was especially pleasing to see the scale of support for an IChemE Member Group in North America. Priorities will include developing strong links with partners in the region and organising a regular series of events. I am pleased to say that work is already underway for a second meeting in the autumn and we hope to echo the success of other similar IChemE Member Groups across the world.”