Seeking Solutions For Society - The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) issued a poster in the 1980s, extolling the virtues of chemical engineering. The narrative went something like this:

"If you don't wash, or use deodorant, shave, or wear cosmetics, eat, feed your pets, work on a farm, wear wellies, drive a car, play music, go on holiday - or stay at home, sleep on a mattress, take medicine, comb your hair, or wear a hat, go to the movies, watch television, listen to the radio, buy books, or read magazines, drink water, or breathe then ... chemical engineering doesn't affect your life!"

The effectiveness of this promotional campaign was limited in an era when the best engineering graduates were often seduced by highly paid jobs in the financial sector. Nonetheless, the central message remains true: Chemical engineering matters.

Talent Pipeline in Crisis

UK chemical engineering was facing a crisis by the mid-1990s. Applications to study the subject were forecast to plummet and many departments were struggling to secure students with the good A-level grades that are a prerequisite for success on a demanding degree course. Urgent intervention was called for and a new campaign, dubbed "whynotchemeng", was launched in 2001 with substantial backing from industry and many UK universities. The campaign highlighted the product and lifestyle outcomes supported by chemical engineering. Based on careful market research, whynotchemeng was both focused and targeted, features that are often lacking in many science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers campaigns. Whynotchemeng has triggered substantial growth in the number of young people applying to study chemical engineering in the UK Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) reported a record number of applications in 2011, with 2,201 chemical engineering students commencing their studies last September. This increase represents growth of 134% since the launch of whynotchemeng and an improvement that surpasses other mainstream engineering disciplines. New programs have been launched, or are under consideration, at Lancaster and Liverpool John Moores, adding to recent additions at Aberdeen, Bradford and Hull, while other departments have expanded intake numbers. Meanwhile, the quality threshold for applicants has soared. At undergraduate level, the UK's chemical engineering talent pipeline has never been in better shape.

Public Understanding

Despite this positive backdrop, chemical engineering remains opaque to the wider public, as well as among opinion formers and policymakers. Opinion research carried out for IChemE consistently reveals that less than a third of the public claim any real understanding of what chemical engineers do. Ignorance is never bliss, however, and IChemE continues to work through its 38,000 members to improve public understanding of chemical engineering and science and technology more generally. Engagement with others to promote the development and use of chemical engineering and the appreciation of its importance is a key component of the institution's plan and one that is fully aligned with its charter obligation to act with integrity and in the public interest.

What Does Society Need?

IChemE celebrated the 50th anniversary of the granting of its Royal Charter in 2007. This presented an ideal opportunity to take stock and to scope out the role of the discipline in delivering sustainable solutions to the challenges confronting humanity. IChemE published the "Roadmap for 21st Century Chemical Engineering", and this report, which was widely welcomed, addressed a simple compelling question, "What does society need - what are the desirable outcomes and how chemical engineers can work in partnership with others to make it happen?" The report set out 20 goals, underpinned by a series of action plans that would need IChemE support.

The report was written before the onset of the global financial crisis. Iraq was still under military occupation and the Arab Spring lay around the corner. The events at Fukushima and in the Gulf of Mexico were yet to unfold. The potential of shale gas was still not fully understood, and concerns around access to rare earth metals and other strategically important resources had not materialized. Predicting the future is a risky business, but despite the uncertainties of geopolitics and its influence on the world of chemical engineering, IChemE has made progress since 2007 and a good deal of the ambition set out in the report has been realized.

Predictably, some weaknesses were identified in the original report. Insufficient prominence was given to wealth creation. The essential role of the chemical engineer in food production and industrial biotechnology was understated and some stakeholders viewed the action plans as too narrow or too vague. Further work was needed to build on the "Roadmap for 21st Century Chemical Engineering" and five years on, the time had come to re-evaluate the report, assess its fitness for purpose and outline new ideas for the next period.

Chemical Engineering and Quality of Life

IChemE's review of its technical strategy was published in January 2013. "Chemical Engineering Matters" has moved away from the traditional roadmap approach in favor of a more open-ended look at options for progress. The new report is an exploration of possibilities and a vivid illustration of the versatility and wide-ranging application of chemical process solutions to human challenges. It positions the discipline as a vital piece of the jigsaw that is the quest for sustainable living in the 21st century. The work is organized around delivering solutions in four challenge areas: food and nutrition, health and well-being, water, and energy. At the same time, attention is drawn to the need to embrace a series of essential issues and concerns in every aspect of chemical engineering practice, including sustainability, process safety, education and training, fundamental science, collaborative working, and the need to accelerate the transformation to a "bio" economy.

The report contains four vista diagrams - one for each challenge area. The diagrams seek to capture the current status and some specific challenges under each heading and propose some options for action by chemical engineers and others. External factors are also addressed in the context of the four challenges. The vistas represent the beginning of a process, rather than an end. They are intended to provoke debate and stimulate target-setting. Individuals and organizations with an interest in science and technology are invited to download the report, which examines a number of contentious issues, including shale gas, carbon capture, water reuse, food security and bioengineering.

Reaching A Wider Audience

In addition to an analysis of the technical contribution that chemical engineers can make to secure, maintain and improve quality of life all over the world, the report also examines the relationship between the profession and policymakers and the public at large. The whynotchemeng campaign has already done much to raise the visibility of chemical engineering as a career choice; "Chemical Engineering Matters" seeks to continue that work by enhancing the reputation of the profession more widely.

IChemE is politically neutral. However, the institution recognizes that government decisions, including those that affect funding and the regulatory framework within which chemical engineers must operate, should be evidence-based and supported by the strongest possible input from engineers. The report commits the institution to work with its members to develop coherent policy goals that will form the basis of engagement with opinion-formers and policymakers all over the world.

"Chemical Engineering Matters" also challenges IChemE to rethink its public engagement work. The chemical and process industries support many of the technological advances that have improved the lives of millions of people in the UK However, lifestyle commentary and media reports present chemicals as something that can be avoided or eliminated. The reality is very different. Everything is made of chemicals, and people are often anxious without reason. IChemE will encourage its members to engage productively in the public conversation about the influence of chemical processes and products. The institution will work with science media centers and other nongovernmental organizations to address the disconnect between lifestyle commentary and chemical realities.