CHALLENGES IN ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICAL SCIENCE

Breakout questions What are the major discoveries and challenges related to energy and transportation at the interfaces between chemis-try/chemical engineering and such areas as biology, environmental science, materials science, medicine, and physics How broad is the scope of the chemical sciences in this area How has research in the chemical sciences been influenced by advances in other areas, such as biology, materials, and physics ... 

A broad array of research challenges face the chemical sciences, both in areas of fundamental understanding and for specific environmental problems. 

Christopher Hamlin. Challenge to Public Policy between Knowledge and Action Themes in the History of Environmental Chemistry. Chemical Sciences in the Modem World. Seymour H. Mauskopf, ed. Philadelphia University of Pennsylvania Press, (1993) 296-321. 

Understand the complex chemistry of the earth, including land, sea, atmosphere, and biosphere, so we can maintain its livability. This is a fundamental challenge to the natural science of our field, and it is key to helping design policies that will prevent environmental degradation. In addition, chemical scientists will use this understanding to create new methods to deal with pollution and other threats to our earth. 

This report is intended to reflect the concepts discussed and opinions expressed at the Workshop on the Environment and is not intended to be a comprehensive overview of all of the potential challenges that exist for the chemical sciences in the areas of environmental science and technology. The organizing committee has used this input from workshop participants as a basis for the conclusions expressed in this report. However, sole responsibility for these conclusions rests with the organizing committee. 

Infrastructure What are the issues at the intersection of environmental studies and the chemical sciences for which there are structural challenges and opportunities—in teaching, research, equipment, codes and software, facilities, and personnel ... 

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