Jamal Chaouki of Polytechnique Montréal gave his plenary lecture, “Yesterday, waste was a problem. Today, it is a valuable resource,” at CSChE 2016. Photo credit: Krista Leroux
More than 1,100 chemical engineers from around the world gathered in Québec City Oct. 16-19 for the 66th Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference (CSChE 2016), themed “Sustainability and Prosperity.” Hosted by Université Laval, attendees enjoyed not only Quebec’s gorgeous autumn colours but numerous guest lecturers from around the globe. These included such luminaries as Jean-Luc Dubois, Scientific Director of Arkema specialty chemicals in France, Jamal Chaouki of Polytechnique Montréal, Guy Marin of Belgium’s Ghent University and Shiping Zhu, FCIC, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont.
In addition to a packed technical program, the Consortium de recherche et innovations en bioprocédés industriels au Québec (CRIBIQ) hosted a joint meeting with CSChE 2016 on bioproducts. The event was so popular that it had to be moved to a larger room in order to accommodate its audience.
The CSChE 2016 student program featured an array of competitions and workshops that dealt with both the technical and non-technical aspects of chemical engineering. Guest speakers included Andrew Biksa of BASF, Richard Schofield of Enerkem Inc., Amanda Sistilli of ERCO Worldwide and Parnian Jadidian of Global Risk Consultants. Students also participated in the inaugural Minerva-CIAC Responsible Care Case Study Competition, which received high praise from both conference organizers and attendees.
At the 51st Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) Annual General Meeting, a record-breaking 100 attendees gave their input to their board. CSChE president Santiago Faucher of Hatch Ltd. introduced the CSChE Strategic Initiatives Committee, a multidisciplinary and diverse team that is tasked with building a complete Canadian chemical engineering community through engagement and program development.
The conference concluded with the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) and CSChE Awards Banquet, held at the Pierre Lassonde Pavilion of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec. The 2016 CIC Fellowships and CSChE awards were handed out and Faucher passed both his presidency and the CSChE golden hard hat to Uttandaraman Sundararaj of the University of Calgary. Faucher’s favourite aspect of his presidency? “Working with all the amazing people in the society and seeing the passion that they have, and the future that we can create together.”
Next year’s CSChE conference takes place in Edmonton from October 22-25.