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The need for grid-scale energy storage has never been greater. As utilities, manufacturers, and industrial facilities deploy energy storage installations, these systems are becoming an increasingly familiar part of the chemical process industries. The August 2026 special section explores how the chemical industry is navigating the integration of renewable-powered operations and large-scale energy storage.

Process engineers drive innovation and efficiency in industries like petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, and more. In this series, we spotlight the dedicated professionals who solve complex challenges and shape the future of these vital sectors. The Community of Process Engineers is AIChE's most active discussion group, connecting experts who make a real impact. Interested in being featured? Learn more and join the conversation at aiche.org/CPE.

The Langer Prize for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Excellence supports researchers pursuing bold ideas with the potential to generate meaningful technical and commercial advances. Ashish Kulkarni, the 2024 Langer Prize winner and a professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is advancing that vision through research at the intersection of biomaterials, nanotechnology, and immunoengineering.

“It ain’t what you don’t know that gets you into trouble. It’s what you know for sure that just ain’t so.” — Mark Twain. In process safety, lack of important information can clearly be a big problem. If we haven’t properly identified our hazards or are lacking other significant information about our processes, the results can be potentially catastrophic. But Twain’s observation is equally important.

Chemical engineering is evolving rapidly, and the challenges facing the profession are more interconnected than ever. AI, sustainability, shifting supply chains, and emerging technologies are reshaping how engineers work and where they can make the biggest impact.

Process safety education plays a critical role at every stage of an engineer’s career. In this three-part series, experts from the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) explore how engineers can build and strengthen the knowledge, judgment, and habits needed to manage risk and support safer operations. Below, Louisa A.

Chemical engineers, student leaders, and professionals at all career stages are at the heart of AIChE’s mission to advance the profession and make a lasting impact on society. In this series, we spotlight members whose passion, leadership, and service help shape the future of chemical engineering while strengthening the AIChE community. This month, we’re excited to introduce Albert T. Liu, Forum Chair of AIChE’s Nanoscale Science and Engineering Forum (NSEF).

As hydrogen technologies continue to expand, strong safety practices remain essential to building confidence and supporting responsible deployment. Leading that effort is AIChE’s Center for Hydrogen Safety (CHS), a global, non-profit community dedicated to advancing hydrogen safety and best practices worldwide. A key part of that work is the Hydrogen Safety Panel, a group of experts who identify risks, share lessons learned, and guide safer hydrogen projects across the industry.

Let’s talk about resilience. In materials science, it is known as the modulus of resilience, or the maximum amount of energy a material can absorb before it permanently deforms. The concept was first used in the timber industry to explain why some types of wood could withstand sudden, severe loads without breaking, and later became a means of comparing how different materials perform across applications.

Every year, the University of Washington welcomes thousands of elementary and middle school students to Engineering Discovery Days, where hands-on activities spark curiosity about engineering. This year, the Department of Chemical Engineering showcased a variety of interactive exhibits that gave students a closer look at the field in action. One featured activity, Edible Alginate Product Engineering, used edible boba to introduce students to product design and process engineering.