Dr. Gilda Barabino delivers 9th annual Amundson Lecture

We were pleased to welcome Dr. Gilda Barabino, President of Olin College of Engineering, to the department as the 9th annual Amundson Lecturer last week. She delivered her seminar, "Impact-Centered Research and Education: View from a Chemical Engineer," on April 13. The concept of impact-centered research and education is focused on creating real-world authentic impact in service of society and making the world a better place. It’s an approach that decenters the individual and develops an individual’s capacity for execution and completion in a manner that enables creating value in the world. Historically, as a discipline and as a profession, chemical engineering has been impactful, having helped transform society and improved the wellbeing of individuals and nations. In 1988, the National Academies published the report, “Frontiers in Chemical Engineering: Research Needs and Opportunities.” Commonly referred to as the “Amundson Report,” this landmark publication was instrumental in modernizing the field. Now some 35 years later, chemical engineering as it stands today and where it is best headed in the future, is addressed in the recent National Academies Report, “New Directions for Chemical Engineering.” This report recognizes chemical engineering as an enabling discipline with a bright future.

The continued evolution of chemical engineering in keeping with the ever-changing world landscape and increasingly complex global challenges, demands new and relevant approaches to research and education in order to sustain the long-term success and impact of the field. To that end, a focus on impact in preparing the next generation of well-equipped chemical engineers holds great promise.

The Amundson Lecture was established to honor the tenets of Professor Neal R. Amundson in scholarship and innovation in the fields of chemical engineering and materials science. Amundson, department head from 1949-1974, was a visionary leader who pioneered the application of mathematics in chemical engineering.

Share