Chemical engineers help save lives!
Where do chemical engineers work? Given that we are in the energy capital of Canada, your first thought may be that chemical engineers only work in the oil and gas industry. They do find great jobs in the energy sector, but the fact is, chemical engineers have the tools and skills to contribute to a broad array of industries.
Did you know, for example, that many chemical engineers choose to work in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries? They contribute to healthcare through the design of processes and equipment to produce life-saving drugs. They are involved in designing all aspects of drug production, from small-scale lab studies, through to commercial-scale drug production, purification and packaging while ensuring that the entire process is safe, sustainable, and cost-effective, and that the final product is of high quality and meets clinical specifications.
Recent examples of how chemical engineers contribute to healthcare can be found in their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. When the pandemic started, chemical engineers all over the world joined the race and used their skills to produce life-saving drugs, sanitizers, masks, and advance the research and development of new therapeutics and vaccines. In fact, chemical engineers led the work for developing and manufacturing the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
At the Schulich School of Engineering, chemical engineers used their skills and expertise to swiftly transition their research programs and ventures to directly address pandemic needs. For example:
EnviCore, a University of Calgary’s spin-off company co-founded by Dr. Milana Trifkovic, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering and Scientific Director of EnviCore, produced hand sanitizer that was donated to parents of children staying at the Alberta Children’s Hospital at a time when disruption of supply chains worldwide caused a critical scarcity of sanitizer, as well as many other basic medical supplies.
Dr. Md Kibria and Dr. Jinguang Hu, both Assistant Professors of Chemical Engineering, collaborated with other engineers and scientists to develop light-activated nanoparticles which can degrade organic pollutants and disinfect surfaces and wastewater.
Dr. Giovanniantonio Natale, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, developed optimal designs for 3D printed nasopharyngeal swabs for COVID‑19 detection.
Dr. Edward (Ted) Roberts, a Professor of Chemical Engineering collaborated with BioMedica Diagnostics, Dr. Milana Trifkovic and Dr. Elise Fear for the development of a point-of-care diagnostic test strip for at home diagnosis of COVID-19.
Chemical engineers will continue to play a key role in moving the world past the COVID-19 pandemic, and will keep making key contributions to healthcare in general. The innovative spirit of chemical engineers save millions of lives every year. For example, Margaret Hutchinson Rousseau, a chemical engineer, designed the first commercial penicillin production process, a drug which is estimated to have saved at least 200 million lives since first being used as a medicine in 1942.
Today, chemical engineers are responsible for designing and optimizing large-scale manufacturing processes for all antibiotics, and virtually all other commercially available drugs. They also get to work on an array of other interesting projects such as those involving new vaccine development and production, gene therapy, adult stem cell therapies, immunotherapy, and the development of devices for diagnosing and managing diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
Chemical engineering has unlimited potential to make a positive change. Whether you choose to work in the healthcare sector or apply your skills in the multitude of other interesting industries in which chemical engineers work, a degree in chemical engineering will enable you to make meaningful contributions to society and become a future changemaker!