Beyond the Molecular Frontier: Challenges for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (2003)
Chapter: Appendix B: Statement of Task
B
Statement of Task
The overview report will identify recent advances and current challenges in fundamental understanding of the basic science, and it will explore the impact beyond the chemical sciences that these advances have had in the past. It will also explore the possibilities for such impact in the future, recognizing that such developments are frequently serendipitous. Issues to be addressed include:
-
Discovery: Identify major discoveries or advances in the chemical sciences during the last several decades, and evaluate their impact—including the length of time for impact beyond basic chemical sciences to be realized.
-
Interfaces: Identify the major discoveries and challenges at the interfaces between chemistry/chemical engineering and such areas as biology, environmental science, materials science, medicine, and physics.
-
Challenges: Identify the grand challenges that exist in the chemical sciences today. Explore how advances at the interfaces create new challenges in the core disciplines.
-
Infrastructure: Identify infrastructure that will be required to allow the potential of future advances in the chemical sciences to be realized. Identify opportunities that exist to integrate research and teaching, broaden the participation of underrepresented groups, improve the infrastructure for research and education, and demonstrate the value of these activities to society.
