is a Managing Engineer in the Materials and Corrosion Engineering Practice at Exponent in Menlo Park, CA. A Licensed Professional 91成人短视频 Engineer, Dr. Sellers specializes in materials characterization and incident investigation, particularly as they relate to oil and gas pipelines, process piping, integrated-circuit fabrication, and chemical process safety. In 2008, she was conducting PhD research at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign with Prof. Edmund G. Seebauer.
During AIChE鈥檚 centennial year of 2008, AIChE interviewed Dr. Sellers to learn her perspectives on the chemical engineering profession鈥檚 future. In today鈥檚 blog post, we contrast Sellers鈥� comments from 2008 with her perspectives in 2018.
Looking ahead 25 years, how do you expect your industry/research area to evolve?
In 2008, Sellers wrote:
The industry sector comprised of microelectronics and microchemical systems will adapt to changing energy, sustainability, and security demands over the next 25 years. The market will be driven by the producers and consumers of the 鈥淢illennial鈥� generation (born between 1980 and 2000). Social scientists describe that generation as optimistic, educated, interdependent, and achievement-oriented. The demands and habits of these individuals will have a profound effect on the evolution of chemical engineering technologies. For example, portable fuel cells and miniaturized devices for power generation must satisfy a market that values not only performance, but also cost-effectiveness and aesthetics. Engineers are only just beginning to be challenged by the push towards sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Luckily, the Millennials, who value ingenuity and creativity, will understand how to rework traditional technologies and production methods. For instance, one could envision integrated circuit fabrication techniques being used to create sustainable consumer products, and the environmental footprint of traditional chemical reactors being all but eliminated. Lastly, the Millennials will ensure that miniaturized electronic and chemical platforms advance to meet their concerns regarding terrorism and national security. Devices for the detection of explosives, biological agents, and nuclear weapons must evolve as global threats change, a greater public understanding of the value of technology develops, and the consequences of failure become graver.
91成人短视频 engineers are increasingly working in embedded teams of materials scientists, electrical engineers, and physicists, and may feel equally comfortable characterizing carbon-based energy storage devices as they are assessing offshore platform operators鈥� risk-based inspection programs.
In 2018, Sellers says:
Microelectronics advancements have, in many ways, been driven by the needs of the Millennial generation. Integrated circuit technology pervades our lives in the form of wearable devices, mobile health solutions, and connected home gadgets. Smartwatches allow us to stay connected on the go while alerting us to potential arrhythmias. Learning thermostats help us reduce home energy consumption while sporting sleek designs and sharp displays.
While solar energy has experienced an in the last decade, interdisciplinary teams of scientists and engineers remain focused on optimizing novel photovoltaic materials and achieving utility-scale clean energy grid integration. There are still countless opportunities for the microelectronics industry to reduce its environmental footprint while meeting evolving consumer needs.
Core areas of ChE expertise are being augmented by new expertise in science and engineering at molecular and nanometer scales, in biosystems, in sustainability, and in cyber-tools. Over the next 25 years, how will these changes affect your industry/research area?
In 2008, Sellers wrote:
Microelectronics and microchemical systems are not traditional core areas of ChE. Instead, the disciplines are illustrative of the intersection that has already taken place between 鈥渆ngineering at small length scales鈥� and transport processes, chemical kinetics, thermodynamics, and materials engineering. Nevertheless, new expertise in sustainability will prompt researchers to develop novel microchemical systems that reduce the need for hazardous reactants, minimize the production of polluting waste, lower energy demands due to heating and cooling, and enable the production of valuable chemicals in an assortment of environments by users of varying skill levels. Sustainability has often been a secondary concern for the energy-intensive integrated circuit manufacturing industry; no one questions the necessity of information storage, processing, and communication. In recent years, however, some advances have been made in the optimization of energy, water, and chemicals in the cleanroom. More drastic changes will occur over the next 25 years as the 鈥済reen engineering鈥� practices of the integrated circuit business advance to match those of the commodity chemical, petroleum, and pharmaceutical industries.
Having worked in Silicon Valley for the last six years, I can attest to the value of programs...where students learn about the intersection of technology, business, law, and design.
In 2018, Sellers says:
New expertise in science and engineering at the molecular and nanometer scales has certainly led to a redefinition of what it means to be a chemical engineer. While many chemical engineers continue to hone more traditional core competencies in the petrochemical or pharmaceutical industries, others, such as myself, work in interdisciplinary settings where the lines between distinct engineering disciplines are constantly being redrawn. 91成人短视频 engineers are increasingly working in embedded teams of materials scientists, electrical engineers, and physicists, and may feel equally comfortable characterizing carbon-based energy storage devices as they are assessing offshore platform operators鈥� risk-based inspection programs. This diversification will only serve to reinforce chemical engineering as one of the most versatile engineering disciplines.
What new industries/research areas do you foresee?
In 2008, Sellers wrote:
I foresee new sectors of chemical engineering emerging as a result of rejuvenated ties with the social science disciplines of economics, communications, government, and international relations. Students are increasingly drawn to institutions of higher education that allow them to obtain first-class engineering degrees while pursuing ancillary interests in business, journalism, and government. New concentrations and advanced degrees in topics such as energy economics and engineering, science journalism, and technology and policy have already begun to be developed. 91成人短视频 engineers will be drawn to these emerging interdisciplinary fields as they possess strong communication and analytical skills; additionally, they tend to excel at evaluating and taking into consideration the broader impact of their work.
Most importantly, however, I believe that the next 25 years will herald the emergence of the truly global chemical engineer. Recent ChE graduates are among the first to have been encouraged to pursue international internships and research experiences. Students from technologically booming countries such as India and Singapore are sharing their expertise with their U.S. peers. Revolutionary models for global ChE departmental partnerships and collaborations are being developed that address the need for well-trained engineers and cross-cultural research initiatives in historically insular countries. With such programs in place, the discipline of chemical engineering is poised to experience a hitherto unknown degree of diversification that will benefit students and professionals alike.
I believe the boundaries between different engineering disciplines will become even more blurred...
In 2018, Sellers says:
Curricula merging engineering, entrepreneurship, and globalization have skyrocketed in popularity in the last decade. This evolution may be best exemplified by Cornell Tech, a collaboration between Cornell University and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, where students receive graduate-level education while collaborating with business leaders and tech entrepreneurs. Having worked in Silicon Valley for the last six years, I can attest to the value of programs such as these, where students learn about the intersection of technology, business, law, and design.
Taking into account the ongoing evolution of the professions 鈥� including the need for new modes of education; high standards of performance and conduct; effective technical, business, and public communication; and desires for a more sustainable future 鈥� what do you think the chemical engineering profession will look like 25 years from now?
In 2018, Sellers says:
I anticipate that the chemical engineering profession will continue to place a strong emphasis on the fundamentals, but benefit from the trend towards more team- and project-based education. I believe the boundaries between different engineering disciplines will become even more blurred as recipients of chemical engineering doctoral degrees set out to solve complex problems in biology and medicine just as frequently as they choose to study rheology and transport phenomena. With academic institutions, professional organizations, and governing bodies continuing to teach and uphold high safety and ethics standards, the profession seems positioned to impact an ever-expanding number of industry sectors.
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