IChemE Matters – July/August 2024

Women in Engineering

I’d like to reach out about my concern with the article Getting More Females into Engineering (p38, TCE 996). Although I’m sure Tegan meant well, and I understand the article’s aim, its headline and use of “females” and not “women” is inappropriate.

Females is a more biological word that reduces women to their reproductive organs and is often used in a sexist manner. Secondly, it is a far less inclusive word, as not all women may be biologically female.

I understand it can be a thorny issue, but this headline could be better. As a chemical engineer and a woman, I think it’s letting the side down. I hope the magazine, which is generally great, considers how it could improve.

Dáire Archbold

EDITOR: Thank you, we will certainly reflect on your feedback when it comes to future articles. We had gone back and forth during the editing process about how ‘women’ wasn’t quite right because the article also included how to engage school-age girls too. On reflection, “Getting More Women and Girls into Engineering” would have been the better compromise.

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Telling Stories

In May’s TCE, the feature on promoting literacy to chemistry students (p30) echoed my experience in industry. I was responsible for ensuring that the results of our environmental assessments and process safety risk analyses were properly considered, and acted upon in plant design and operations. If the reports were written in an academic style I found that no one read them. Obviously that could have serious consequences for the company if it led to environmental damage or a major accident. The reports had to be written as stories – reasonably short stories with a beginning, a middle, and an end. And they had to be well-written, without ambiguity, repetition, or deviation. I started a small library of novels and other books that were good examples of well-written stories and encouraged staff to read them. I believe the power of stories became encoded in human brains many thousands of years ago when there was no other way of communicating apart from basic art such as cave painting. We’ve never lost our trust in stories which is why they’re so important when it comes to getting your points over. So I think all engineers have something to learn from the project at St Olave’s School.

John Henderson

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Challenges Report

I was dismayed when I read IChemE’s Engineering a Sustainable World – The Chemical Engineering Challenge (p20, TCE 996). It is very well written and presented, but what does it provide for the practicing chemical engineer? My acid test is would I have a document on my desktop? In this case I would not. It is another IChemE top down document that engineers might read once.

I believe our members are far better served by producing guidance/technical information notes. For example, a chemical engineer working in the water and sanitation sector will be very aware of the need for sustainable people/profit/planet solutions. What the engineer needs is information about best practices, opportunities to be considered and case studies, not corporate fluff. They need a bottom-up report that they can refer to for specific guidance.

Tom Baxter

Working in the pharmaceutical industry, there is a dilemma that needs to be overcome. Products need to be manufactured and supplied such that products are safe and efficacious for the patient. Single-use manufacturing solutions are employed, often with little consideration of “environmental” impact. The report provides a good starting point to raise the discussion onto the agenda and hopefully help drive change. The industry needs to do better without impacting product quality, safety, and efficacy.

Gordon Scott

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Question: Is there any aspect of being more sustainable in your personal life that you find frustrating?

A lot of the plastic packaging is not recyclable or compost-worthy. Composite plastics are the worst.
Varsha Wylie, UK

One of the most significant challenges is the inconsistent and often misleading labeling on products. Many items claim to be “eco-friendly” or “sustainable,” but lack clear, standardised certifications or detailed information about their environmental impact.
Teo Chee Loong, Malaysia

My biggest frustration is living in a leasehold apartment with single-glazed windows, and not being allowed to change them by the leaseholder.
Yasmin Ali, UK

I would appreciate products being far easier to repair, with the “right to repair” being greatly extended in law. How might we improve the self-sufficiency of individuals, and small groups, using concepts such as micro-manufacturing on a shoestring, recycling on a shoestring or local FabLabs?
Peter Swanson, UK

Lack of infrastructure at local and municipal level. For example, residents can segregate waste but the waste ends up being incinerated when it could have been valorised.
Edward Peters, Sweden