OPPORTUNITIES, CHALLENGES, AND NEEDS

A report (1981) entitled "Polymer Science and Engineering Challenges, Needs, and Opportunities," issued by the National... 

Challenges, Needs and Opportunities for Development of New Antimicrobial Agents... 

The AMPP represents a major response to the needs and opportunities spelled out in the materials science and engineering (MS E) report (i). Major opportunities exist for scientific breakthroughs in materials science, and many of them, perhaps most, will need chemists for the key finding or concept. Everyone who thinks about chemistry and materials can generate her or his own list. Some ideas and possibilities that seem particularly challenging and ripe for plucking by chemists are in the areas of polymers, biomolecular materials, and electronics—photonics. 

Analytical needs and opportunities in this area are challenging, particularly for pollutants of emerging concern such as endocrine disrupting compounds and pharmaceutical derivatives. Direct spectroscopic measurements of the sort than can be used for atmospheric measurements are not usually applicable. Sample collection, preparation, and analysis typically have been carried out in separate steps. Consequently, the development of techniques for in situ measurement capability, remote sensing and detection, and sensors for monitoring in soil and water would afford significant progress. 

How can chemical engineering departments implement this broader curriculum as well as aggressively respond to new research challenges and opportunities A bold step is needed. The committee recommends that universities conduct a one-time expansion of chemical engineering departments over the next 5 years, exercising a preference for new faculty capable of research at interdisciplinaiy frontiers. 

Although high-performance TFTs are needed for several electronic applications, the potential for printed, inorganic electronics encompasses other devices and applications. A major opportunity is in optoelectronic applications, which impose different requirements, challenges, and opportunities (see Chapters 6, 7, 9, and 11 for discussion of solution-processed solar cells and other printed optical devices). 

Real-time monitoring techniques for organic compounds encompass many disciplines. Many problems have been solved, and yet more need further investigation. With the development of related science and technologies, real-time monitoring techniques will continue to develop. There are still many challenges and opportunities to researchers in the related research areas. 

Success does not come without effort. If you truly want to be successful, make a commitment to spend the time you need to improve your chemistry skills. When you achieve chemistry success, you have laid the foundation for future challenges and opportunities. 

A recent EDA white paper entitled Challenge and Opportunity on the Critical Path to New Medical Products (PDA, March 2004) states that We need to make the effort required to create better tools for developing medical technologies , and ...there is hope that greater predictive power may be obtained from in silico (computer modeling) analyses. ... Some believe that extensive use of in silico technologies could reduce the overall cost of drug development by as much as 50 percent . 

The papers in this volume are the authors own versions of their presentations, and the discussion comments were taken from a transcript of the workshop. The workshop did not attempt to establish any conclusions or recommendations about needs and future directions, focusing instead on individual problems and challenges identified by the speakers. By providing an opportunity for leaders in each of the areas to share their experience and vision, we intended that the other workshop participants—as well... 

---