DOHA, Qatar -- Texas A&M University at Qatar: The Texas A&M University at Qatar chemical engineering program in collaboration with ORYX GTL has launched the ORYX GTL Excellence Seminar Series in Chemical Engineering. Professor Rafiqul Gani, of the Chemical & Biochemical Engineering Department at the Technical University of Denmark and a world-leading scientist on process systems design, delivered the inaugural lecture of this series.
Gani is the head and co-founder of the Computer Aided Process Engineering Center (CAPEC), the scientific vice president of the EFCE (European Federation of Chemical Engineering), and the president-elect of the EFCE for the 2014-2016 term. His lecture entitled "A New Paradigm for Chemical Engineering?" placed an emphasis on the sustainability of the chemical industry processes and the role of chemical engineers in minimizing the raw material, energy usage and waste generation without compromising the economic value of the enterprise.
His expert presentation focused on the necessity of fundamentally rethinking the chemical engineering field and its curriculum. Using simple illustrations, he reviewed the current status of chemical engineering as a discipline, and proposed the necessity for a paradigm shift for sustainable and environmentally favorable processes and technologies.
Ioannis Economou, professor of chemical engineering at Texas A&M at Qatar, commented on Gani's lecture, saying; "It provided a good overview of the chemical engineering profession and how it has evolved over recent years. More importantly, he gave a well justified link between global challenges related to energy and other natural resources and the solutions that chemical engineers can offer. Prof. Gani's talk was very inspiring, especially for the young generation of chemical engineering students, but also engineering students from other disciplines."
Michele D'Lima, chemical engineering graduate student, commented on the diversity of the topics covered in the lecture, "Professor Gani also discussed the ORYX GTL process and how it is shaping Qatar's future. He placed an emphasis on further research to be conducted in the area of carbon dioxide emissions and sequestration, as well as water treatment."
Faiha Al-Qahtani, a senior chemical engineering student, explained the environmental element of the lecture, saying, "Dr. Gani has a new vision of chemical engineering, which is to implement the concept of sustainability in academia. He encourages the future engineers to not only consider the production and the profit aspect of the process, but also to consider the environmental impact of the technology."
"This lecture went beyond the traditional concepts of unit operations that we learn in the classroom," said Moiz Bohra, a senior chemical engineering student. "Gani's focus on process sustainability and modularization of processes made us rethink our approach to chemical plant design, and inspired us to consider these elements in our future careers."
The ORYX GTL Excellence Seminar in Chemical Engineering is a bi-monthly seminar series sponsored by ORYX GTL to cover a variety of topics that reflect the role of engineering and industrial chemistry in our lives. These seminars are delivered by world leading scientists and engineers from academia and industry and topics will be of direct relevance to ORYX GTL such as gas processing technologies, the petrochemical industry, safety and environmental processes, At the same time, they will address topics of local and global interest including alternative energy fields, the pharmaceutical and food industries and other related areas. This unique industry-sponsored seminar series is aimed to educate the community in Qatar including Texas A&M at Qatar students, research staff and faculty while extending an open invitation to the public.
About Texas A&M University at Qatar
Texas A&M University, recognized as having one of the premier engineering programs in the world, has offered undergraduate degrees in chemical, electrical, mechanical and petroleum engineering at Qatar Foundation's Education City campus since 2003, and graduate courses in chemical engineering since fall 2011. Over 400 engineers have graduated from Texas A&M at Qatar since 2007. In addition to engineering courses, Texas A&M at Qatar provides classes in science, mathematics, liberal arts and the humanities. All four of the engineering programs offered at Texas A&M at Qatar are accredited by ABET. The curricula offered at Texas A&M at Qatar are materially identical to those offered at the main campus in College Station, Texas, and courses are taught in English in a co-educational setting. The reputation for excellence is the same, as is the commitment to equip engineers to lead the next generation of engineering advancement. Faculty from around the world are attracted to Texas A&M at Qatar to provide this educational experience and to participate in research activities now valued at over $159 million, and that address issues important to the State of Qatar. Visit www.qatar.tamu.edu.
For information contact:
Nehal Maher
Texas A&M University at Qatar
Nehal.maher@qatar.tamu.edu
+974.4423.0540
+974.5542.8289
© Press Release 2013
