NXplorers: Equipping young chemical engineers to build a sustainable world

YOUNG chemical engineers were given the chance to solve real-world problems with systems thinking, at an IChemE-hosted NXplorers workshop earlier this month. “The purpose is to empower young people and equip them with the tools and the thinking so that they can create the sustainable solutions that the world needs,” explained Tariq Hussain, NXplorers lead at Shell.

Shell launched NXplorers six years ago. The educational programme aims to help young people develop critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills throughout their school, college, university and professional lives.

“[Engineers] are front and centre of solving some of the world's biggest challenges, and [in order] to do that they need more than just the knowledge that their engineering brings them,” said Hussain. “They need to think more strategically and think more systemically about the challenges…It's more important that we equip them with this way of thinking.”

Explore, create, change

Over the two days of the workshop at IChemE’s Rugby, UK headquarters, Hussain guided the young chemical engineering delegates through a three-part problem-solving process.

“The first module is exploring [the problem] deeply. The second module is then on taking that understanding and thinking ‘how can we create the future scenarios and ideas that will address the problem?’ And then the third element is, ‘how do we then take those ideas and turn them into a real plan for change?’ So, it's explore, create, change.”

Using what they had learned, the delegates ultimately gave group presentations on solutions to help build a more sustainable future. The four groups discussed meeting demand for plastics in a sustainable way, eliminating plastic pollution in the ocean, ensuring equal and diverse opportunities for young people, and persuading industries to move away from carbon-intensive processes despite a lack of initial benefit.

Lessons to take away

The delegates each received a certificate to recognise their participation. However, Hussain said he hopes the young chemical engineers also take away an understanding of “the types of thinking that they need to continue to develop; to take the learning from the workshop and actually continue to practise it and start to embed that way of thinking in everything that they do”.

Osamagbe Eruogun, first year student at Imperial College London, said: “I think it's really useful to think of things in terms of systems. I think I’ll definitely have to apply it in my day-to-day.”

Sam Smith, currently 18 months into a graduate scheme at Air Products, also enjoyed the chance to better understand systems thinking. He said: “I’ve always known of systems thinking but I've never really sat down to think of what each different aspect represents, what aspects I might be good at and what I need to improve specifically, to then increase my overall strengths in that area.”

He said it was “really good” to get the chance to do so.

Meanwhile, Cynthia Nantume, in the final year of her integrated master’s at the University of Nottingham, UK, was happy for the chance to improve her problem-solving skills. She said that a highlight for her during the workshop was “figuring out that sometimes my definition of a problem may not be the real problem”.

Similarly, Blake Rowan, third-year chemical engineer at the University of Birmingham, UK said he enjoyed “talking about how you approach problems and the different challenges and misconceptions people might have about problem-solving”.

Delegates also said that they benefited from the opportunity to network with other young chemical engineers.

Since its launch, NXplorers has been delivered to 2,500 people at Shell. It can also be delivered to children aged 10–13 (NXplorers Junior), 14–18 (NXplorers Senior), as well as undergraduates and professional (NXplorers Pro).