Chemical Engineers are
involved in almost every industrial process in our society. The Chemical
Engineer designs, develops, builds, operates, improves, and discovers industrial
processes that involve change in chemical composition, physical nature,
or energy content of materials. Chemical Engineers are also heavily involved
in environmental issues. Process changes minimize environmental impact.
Chemical processing is almost always required when cleaning up a spill
or historical disposal site.
Chemical Engineers therefore
impact heavily on our daily life, from the production of the cereal we
eat in the morning to the toothpaste we use at night, as well as helping
supply the fuel for our cars and furnaces and the electricity we use for
lighting. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find anything you are using,
at any time of day, that a Chemical Engineer did not help in its design
or production.
With the skills to work in almost any
industry, Chemical Engineers are readily employable. Labor forecasts indicate
a shortage of Chemical Engineers. Current starting salaries for BS Chemical
Engineers are around $55,000.
For a history of chemical engineering, go to History