Chemical process innovation, professional

Figure 11. Professional occupations in chemical process innovation. Activities in which professions intersect ( ).

At various times there appears to be a trend away from product innovations and toward process innovations, and vice versa. Should chemical professionals try to follow this shift in emphasis or should they retain professional integrity How should chemical professionals adapt to these trend changes ... 

There is a view commonly held that the chemical war, like other aspects of the scientific war of 1914-18, was more characterized by rapidity and size, than by innovation or inventiveness. Without denying speed and scale, this easy formula masks the complexity of the task that confronted industry. To neglect this is to downplay the significance of inventiveness and innovation of many kinds, and the skill-base of the people involved. Scaling up from untested designs took time and involved factors that tested ideas, procedures, and processes. Each has its importance in the history of applied science. If such issues are not viewed as sufficiently fundamental to be included in the history of science, this suggests a professional shortsightedness we must resist. 

---