The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) honored Merck & Co., Inc. and the Procter & Gamble Company along with those companies’ leaders for exemplifying the good works that apply chemical engineering expertise to benefit society at its annual gala held in New York City on Tuesday, December 3.
Merck was honored “for leadership in developing innovative therapies to advance the prevention and treatment of diseases” — including cancer, HIV, hepatitis C, cardiovascular diseases, antibiotic-resistant infection, Alzheimer’s disease and Ebola. The honor for Merck was accepted by Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman and chief executive officer.
Procter & Gamble Company was recognized for “demonstrated leadership and achievements in sustainability” — in particular for helping to address the world’s plastic waste challenge and developing technologies to make recovery and recycling of plastic waste easier. Procter & Gamble’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer David S. Taylor accepted the award on behalf of the company.
The gala also honored Jay D. Keasling, director of the University of California, Berkeley’s Synthetic Biology Engineering Research Center and the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, who received the AIChE Foundation’s Doing a World of Good Medal, a prize that salutes the achievements of an individual who has advanced the societal contributions of engineers. Keasling was honored for his groundbreaking contributions to resource sustainability and human welfare as well as for his commitment to fostering inclusive educational and working environments for people of all backgrounds.
The 2019 AIChE gala raised approximately $725,000 to support the advancement of the chemical engineering profession, including efforts to expand programs to help recruit, retain and promote the equitable inclusion of women and other underrepresented groups in their pursuit of careers in STEM said AIChE Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer June Wispelwey.
The annual gala supports priorities of the AIChE Foundation and its Doing a World of Good campaign, which focus on advancing chemical engineering and bringing that expertise to bear for the good of society. To date, the campaign has raised more than $15 million in its initial phase toward these objectives and has recently embarked on $5 million initiative: All For Good: Engineering for Inclusion — dedicated to attracting and retaining the best engineering talent from the classroom to the boardroom.
For more information, visit www.aiche.org