Welcome message

On behalf of the Chemeca 2011 organising committee, it is my pleasure to welcome you to Sydney. In a conference that brings together the very best in industry and academia, we will embrace this year's conference theme Engineering a Better World and present a conference that reflects the goals of Engineering Australia's Year of Humanitarian Engineering and IUPAC's International Year of Chemistry. Observing these ideals, we will explore the role of science and technology to address current global challenges in a responsible, sustainable and equitable manner.

Sir William Wakeham, President of IChemE, reflects on these ideas in our first plenary session, examining how our profession addresses key challenges facing humanity, and will argue that the profession must continually expand its boundaries. Prof Maria Flytzani-Stephanopoulos from Tufts University in the USA will then present her lecture on nanocatalysts for sustainable energy, a topic of great interest that brings together chemists and engineers in exciting, cross-disciplinary research.

The 2011 Chemeca medallist will open day two of our conference, followed by a plenary address from Mr Bill Hoyle, Are we learning from disasters? Lessons from Texas City, Buncefield and the Deepwater Horizon. Challenges facing industry will continue to be the focus on day two, with an industry leader plenary session. Speakers include Jim McIlvenny, group senior vice-president for mega projects at the Dow Chemical Company, Julian Segal, managing director and chief executive officer of Caltex Australia and Ross McCann, executive chairman of Qenos and 2010 Chemeca medallist.

Also on Tuesday we will honour the life time contributions of the late Professor David Trimm, with sessions on Applied Heterogeneous Catalysis dedicated to his memory. The day will end with a celebration of the achievements of Chemical Engineers and Industrial Chemists at the Chemeca dinner and Awards of Excellence presentations in the evening.

Day three sees a return to research-oriented presentations, with two plenary speakers throughout the morning; Professors Hugh Durrant Whyte and Martyn Poliakoff will share their vast experiences in robotics and green chemistry, respectively.

Other highlights of Chemeca 2011 include the Chem-E-Car competition - where undergraduate engineers compete to design a small care powered by a chemical reaction, a special Young Chemical Engineers/Scientist session on Monday, and Poster Sessions on Monday and Tuesday. afternoon.

I hope that your stay in Sydney is enjoyable with enough opportunity to discover this beautiful harbour city, its beaches, culture and vibrant city life.

Rose Amal
Conference Chair, CHEMECA 2011