Concluding Remarks
Our objective has been to present a perspective of current educational
and research trends in chemical engineering with an eye on maintaining a
strong core. It is our position that a conscious effort to nurture core
areas of chemical engineering through both education and research would
be essential to perpetuate the success of chemical engineers in
contributing to society. Chemical engineering embraces analysis of
transport and chemical reaction on systems encompassing a wide spectrum
of spatio-temporal scales that offer unlimited opportunities for
synthesis, optimal design control, and scope for local and global
perspectives. The 2018 Nobel Prize of Arnold for deploying directed
evolution techniques to engineer new enzymes is a striking example of
what chemical engineering expertise can accomplish. Seinfeld’s
contributions to aerosol science and atmospheric chemistry have paved
the way for quality control regulations in the United States. Enormous
contributions have come about in the drug delivery area from
Langer,83 and Peppas.84
Preservation and growth of chemical engineering core areas cannot occur
without allocation of resources for teaching and research. Graduate
programs, regardless of their research thrusts, must invest in high
quality core teaching. The present situation does not appear conducive
in this regard as researchers dedicated to core areas have to find
sagacious means of survival.