National Capital Section News --January 1999

Date and time: Wednesday, January 27, 6pm; Location: Far East Restaurant, Rockville, MD; Reservations: Call Victoria Guvanasen at 703/736-4544.

The U.S. Chemical Industry has been developing a roadmap for the next century. A report, “TECHNOLOGY VISION 2020: The U.S. Chemical Industry” was published in late 1996, which represents the initial steps toward the development of a full roadmap for the chemical industry. The Council for Chemical Research has assumed the responsibility to develop a detailed roadmap. A steering group and six technology task groups have been formed to identify basic science and engineering advances needed in each of these six areas. One of the task groups is concerned with chemical measurements.

This presentation will outline the VISION 2020 Roadmap development. Critical challenges, specific research needs, and proposed action plans for the future of chemical measurements into the next millennium will be described. NIST programs addressing measurement needs and other technology areas identified in the roadmap will also be discussed.

Dr. Semerjian has been the Director of the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory (CSTL), at NIST since 1992. He is responsible for chemical engineering, biotechnology, analytical chemistry, process technology, and physical chemistry research activities at NIST. CSTL has a total staff of about 450, and an annual budget of about $50 M.

Dr. Semerjian received his B.Sc. with honors in Mechanical Engineering from Robert College (Turkey) in 1966, and his M.Sc. (1968) and Ph.D. (1972) in Engineering from Brown University. He served as a Lecturer and Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in the Chemistry Department at the University of Toronto. He then joined the research staff of Pratt & Whitney Aircraft Division of United Technologies Corp. in East Hartford, CT. In 1977, Dr. Semerjian joined the National Bureau of Standards (now National Institute of Standards and Technology). Awards he has received include AM&F Corp. Fellowship at Robert College, the Fullbright Fellowship, C.B. Keen Fellowship at Brown, the U.S. Department of Commerce Meritorious Federal Service (Silver Medal) Award in 1984, and the U.S. Department of Commerce Distinguished Achievement in Federal Service (Gold Medal) Award in 1995; he was also selected as the DoC "Federal Engineer of the Year" in 1991. In 1996, he was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. In 1997, he received the Brown Engineering Alumni Medal. Dr. Semerjian served as Acting Deputy Director, NIST, January through October, 1997.

Meeting Time/Location: This dinner meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 27th, at the Far East Restaurant, 5055 Nicholson Lane, Rockville, MD. The restaurant is about 4 blocks off the Rockville Pike, and just north of White Flint Plaza. The meeting begins at 6pm with a cash bar; dinner begins at 6:30pm, and Dr. Semerjian’s talk will commence at 7pm.

Menu/Reservations: The menu will be family style and dinner will cost $20. We have a private room, which is upstairs at the restaurant. Please call NCS Treasurer Victoria Guvanasen (ph: 703/736-4544; fax: 703/471- 4180; e-mail: vmg@hgl.com) before noon Monday, January 26th for reservations.

Workforce trends suggest that the increasing job mobility of engineers and scientists, together with the growing numbers that work for small firms and in contract and self-employment arrangements, is adversely affecting their pension coverage, growth, and portability.

In order to gain a better understanding of the pension needs of engineers and scientists, AIChE and other engineering and scientific societies will survey a joint sample of members to determine the nature and extent of current and anticipated gaps in their pension security. The market study is being coordinated by the American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) and managed by its Engineers and Scientists Joint Committee on Pensions (ESJCP). Other societies participating in the effort include IEEE, ASME, ACS, ASCE, and NSPE.

Gerhard J. Frohlich, incoming president of AIChE and chair of the ESJCP, stressed the value of this study to Institute members. “Our members have told us that vesting standards, portability obstacles, and contribution and income limits are important issues. And it’s clear that the employment picture for many of our members is changing. But we don’t know yet how their changing employment patterns affect various savings vehicles, whether small gaps or large rifts exist, and exactly what role professional societies should play.”

“Ultimately, we envision the creation of an innovative, privately run, non-employer-based pension system that could link engineers and scientists—individually or by employment sector—to a pooled retirement savings network,” Frohlich explained. “This network could provide a product tailored to engineers and scientists, accept multiple employer and employee contributions, and guarantee full portability. Such a plan conceivably could be sponsored by a group of engineering and scientific societies.”

Mathew Greenwald & Associates and Woodruff Consulting will conduct the expert study, which will also include an analysis of external data sources and a separate telephone poll of employers. It should be completed in April. “Come next spring, we will know a lot more about the needs of our members on this important issue and whether societies should pursue a prototype retirement vehicle that can meet these needs,” said Tom Price, Executive Director of AAES. “The results will also better position the engineering and scientific community to shape pension reform legislation expected to move forward during the 106th Congress.”

-- Brian Dougherty, AIChE Government Outreach Director, Washington, DC

The nominees are evaluated on a number of criteria. The student should have good academic standing in class, though grade point average is not the primary factor. The individual should be an active participant in the profession, for example, as a member of and contributor to the Student Chapter of AIChE in some capacity, perhaps as an officer or volunteer for Chapter or Department functions.

Involvement in general school activities is important. Participation in collegiate activities indicates a well- rounded individual who can manage academic and social priorities and who demonstrates leadership abilities. Examples of appropriate activities include representation on University committees, editing of school newsletters, playing varsity sports, serving on school debate teams, participating in drama clubs, etc.

Achievements outside the school environment show an important social consciousness that can highlight the accomplishments of chemical engineers in many facets of life. These activities can be in local, state, or federal government, in volunteer work in local communities such as high school tutoring, or as personal achievements such as awards or prizes in academic or talent competitions. The individuals selected for this award can proudly carry the banner of all chemical engineering students. Nominations for this award may originate from faculty, another student, or even by self-nomination. Undergraduate and graduate chemical engineering students are eligible.

Awards are generally presented in the Spring semester and a plaque representing the award is presented to the student by a representative of NCS at the school's annual award night. The awards for 1998 went to Tracey Squires of the University of Maryland and Leshawanda Larkin of Howard University. The NCS is presently seeking corporate sponsorship of this award.

-- Robert J. Lutz, Awards & Nominations