What Is CEOC?

By: Diane Spencer The Career and Education Operating Council (CEOC) focuses on the educational, professional, and financial needs of AIChE members and stakeholders. Essentially it touches all AIChE members in some capacity. Committees that the CEOC oversees are listed below with a brief description of what they do. Young Professionals Committee (aka YPAB) The Young Professionals Committee was created to make sure we have programs that meet the needs of members under 35 years and to give them a voice in AIChE. We can hear you now! Fellows Committee Everywhere you turn you will likely connect with one of the AIChE Fellows. The Fellows are distinguished members of AIChE due to their accomplishments in engineering and professional attainment. They have volunteered throughout AIChE and many are very interested in working with our young professionals. Take advantage of them! Local Section Committee The Local Section Committee, as the name implies, oversees and supports the local sections. Presently they are organizing a workshop for local section leaders to be held on the weekend before the Spring Meeting in Houston. YPs are welcome! Student Chapters Committee The Student Chapters Committee coordinates student chapter activities- including Chem-E-Car - recommends new Student Chapter charters (which are on the rise!), and presents nominations of Student Chapter advisors to the Board of Directors. One of their recent challenges is to figure out how do we classify fifth- year student member attending a university overseas (charge them like a grad student or like an undergrad?). Another is, how do we go international with Chem-E-Car? International Committee The International Committee promotes expanding AIChE's missions internationally and facilitates collaborative relationships with related organizations. This committee has been doing a terrific job in creating new local sections and student chapters beyond the US borders. Membership Committee The Membership Committee is tasked with establishing programs that increase membership. Technician Affairs Committee The Technician Affairs Committee develops programs that help technicians contribute to the profession and advises schools on curriculum. Education Services Committee, Blue Ribbon Committee on E-Learning, Webinar Advisory Committee AIChE is bringing several education related committees under one umbrella, the Education Services Committee. Its focus is to provide training and classes to professionals and includes face-to-face learning, e-learning, and webinars. Are there topics you are interested in? Let us know in the comments area below. SAChE (Safety & Chemical Engineering Education) SAChE is a program under the auspices of the Center for Chemical Process Safety. It develops curriculum materials that are used by over 140 universities to introduce process safety into chemical engineering courses. You were most likely introduced to SAChE as an undergraduate. Education and Accreditation Committee Education and Accreditation Committee serves as the Institute's authority on the status of chemical engineering education, advise schools on methods and standards of chemical engineering education, and inspect ChE programs for ABET. The committee consists of very motivated and highly trained volunteers. In addition, AIChE participates in several committees within the engineering community, and those committee volunteers report the status to the CEOC. These committees include:

  • Three PE licensure committees:
    • NCEES Masters or Equivalent
    • Licensure that Works
    • American Association of Engineering Society (AAES) Licensure Committee
  • NCEES PE Exam Review Committee
  • AAES Working Group on Engineering Education

So what are we doing with three PE licensing committees? They are all a little different. Did you know that there is a major push to require either a master's degree or the equivalent (30 semester hours training) in order to take the PE exam? AIChE feels that a 4-yr BS degree is sufficient for a practicing chemical engineer. The chemical engineers on these committees are working hard to push back on this onslaught. AIChE also sends a representative to the NCEES PE Review Committee to work with other chemical engineers to write the chemical engineering PE exam and the Fundamentals exam. (NCEES is the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying.) AIChE also has a representative with the AAES Working Group on Engineering Education, which is a newly formed organization. Its mission is to coordinate activities of member societies to enhance the quality of undergrad and grad engineering programs in the U.S. The group is charged with seeking better content & methodology for improving the engineering education experience to prepare graduates for addressing the grand challenges of the 21st century. If you are interested in learning more about CEOC or wish to become involved in one of its committees, please contact Diane Spencer, CEOC Chair, at spencer22@llnl.gov.