Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference

Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference
Name	Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference
Abbreviation	CChEC
Status	Active
Genre	Scientific conference
Date	Annual
Frequency	Annual
Location	Various locations across Canada
Country	Canada
First	1950s
Organizer	Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering

Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference The Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference is an annual professional meeting drawing participants from major institutions such as University of Toronto, McGill University, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, and McMaster University as well as industrial organizations like Imperial Oil, Suncor Energy, Shell Canada, BASF, and Dow Chemical Company. The conference serves as a nexus between researchers affiliated with Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, practitioners from PCL Construction, policy advisers connected to National Research Council Canada, and representatives from agencies including Environment and Climate Change Canada and Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. Attendees often include fellows from societies such as Royal Society of Canada, awardees of NSERC E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, and members of boards like the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research.

History

The conference traces roots to postwar gatherings influenced by institutions including University of Waterloo, Queen's University, Université de Montréal, Dalhousie University, and University of Saskatchewan and by industrial labs such as Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, Canadian Pacific Railway, Alberta Research Council, Syncrude, and National Research Council Canada. Early meetings featured speakers from organizations like Society of Chemical Industry, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, Institution of Chemical Engineers, Royal Society of London, and British Columbia Innovation Council. Milestones included themed symposia reflecting advances related to companies such as Nortel Networks and government projects like Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy and collaborations with institutes including Perimeter Institute and Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Organization and Governance

The conference is organized by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering with oversight from committees populated by faculty from University of Calgary, University of Ottawa, Concordia University, University of Victoria, and Université Laval as well as industry delegates from ExxonMobil, Teck Resources, Enbridge, Golder Associates, and Terasaki Research. Governance involves liaison with bodies such as Engineers Canada, Canadian Academy of Engineering, Association of Canadian Faculties of Engineering, Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and funding agencies including Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Genome Canada. Corporate partners have included General Electric, Siemens, 3M, ABB Group, and Bayer.

Conferences and Locations

Past conference locations have alternated among cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Halifax, Winnipeg, Saskatoon, and Quebec City with venues tied to universities including Ryerson University, Laval University, University of New Brunswick, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and University of Guelph. Satellite events and workshops have been held in research hubs such as Kitchener–Waterloo, Silicon Valley, Boston, Cambridge (UK), and Munich through partnership agreements with entities like Chemical Institute of Canada, AIChE, IChemE, European Federation of Chemical Engineering, and International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

Technical Program and Sessions

Programs include plenary lectures by scholars from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, and Imperial College London as well as panel sessions featuring representatives from Canadian Natural Resources Limited, Petro-Canada, Bayer AG, Procter & Gamble, and Kimberly-Clark. Thematic tracks cover topics tied to labs such as TRIUMF, Sudbury Neutrino Observatory, and Canadian Light Source and align with initiatives like Clean Growth Program, Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change, Hydrogen Strategy for Canada, Carbon Pricing, and collaborations with Sustainable Development Technology Canada. Workshops often involve standards organizations such as CSA Group, ISO, ANSI, and ASTM International.

Awards and Recognition

The conference hosts awards administered by organizations including Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, Royal Society of Canada, Engineers Canada, NSERC, and Canada Research Chairs programs; honors often reference prizes like the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship, Flavelle Medal, Order of Canada, Killam Prize, and Canada Gairdner Awards. Industry recognition has included acknowledgments from Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Canadian Innovation Exchange, Business Development Bank of Canada, and corporate awards from Suncor, Shell, BASF, and 3M.

Industry and Academic Participation

Academic participation spans faculties at University of Toronto, McGill University, University of British Columbia, McMaster University, Imperial College London visiting scholars, and postdoctoral fellows funded by NSERC and CIHR; industry attendance includes engineers, managers, and researchers from Imperial Oil, Suncor Energy, Teck Resources, Enbridge, and multinational firms such as ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical Company, BASF, and DuPont. Recruitment activities connect students with employers including BlackBerry, Bombardier, CAE Inc., Magna International, and consulting firms like WSP Global and Stantec.

Impact and Contributions to Chemical Engineering in Canada

The conference has influenced research directions at institutions such as University of Alberta, McGill University, University of Waterloo, Université de Montréal, and McMaster University and has catalyzed partnerships with agencies including NSERC, Canada Foundation for Innovation, Natural Resources Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, and Environment and Climate Change Canada. Outcomes include technology transfer agreements with corporations like Suncor Energy, Syncrude, Teck Resources, Bombardier, and ABB Group and scholarly outputs published in journals such as Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Chemical Engineering Science, AIChE Journal, Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, and Energy & Environmental Science leading to patents filed with Canadian Intellectual Property Office and collaborations with consortia like Canadian Photonics Fabrication Centre.

Category:Engineering conferences Category:Chemical engineering