Sir William appointed new IChemE president

 Sir William Wakeham, former vice chancellor of Southampton University, UK has been appointed as the 70th president of IChemE (the Institution of Chemical Engineers). He succeeds Desmond King in the post and used his presidential address in London yesterday to highlight the impact that an increasingly diverse membership base will have on the future of IChemE.

Sir William explained to an audience of IChemE members and invited guests that as the location, industry sector and education background of the membership changes, the Institution must evolve: “IChemE is a global organisation with members in 120 countries. But those members are working in a wider range of sectors than ever before and not all of them have what might be called a ‘traditional chemical engineering’ background.

”This trend is going to become increasingly frequent and it’s important that the services, support structure and governance of IChemE meets the needs of a diverse and wide-ranging membership base,” said Sir William.

The presidential address, Thinking outside the pipe – unlocking potential, delivering chemical engineering futures highlighted IChemE’s significant recent growth in China, India, Malaysia, Singapore and North America as well as its established bases in both the UK and Australia.

Sir William also discussed the wide range of industry sectors in which chemical engineers and IChemE members can now be found and explained that members are not necessarily coming from a traditional chemical engineering background.

Sir William retired as vice-chancellor at Southampton University in 2009 following eight years in the post. He previously served at Imperial College London for over 30 years. Sir William was knighted in 2009 for services to chemical engineering and higher education.

A physicist by training who was educated at Exeter University, Sir William has spent much of his career in chemical engineering. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Electrical Engineers and the Institute of Physics.

Sir William also paid tribute to outgoing president, King and said that he was looking forward to the year ahead: “I follow in the footsteps of a successful and committed president and many more of chemical engineering’s finest before him. It will be a busy year and I look forward to meeting and working with as many IChemE members as I can.”

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Nobel laureate William Lipscomb dies at 91

A Harvard University professor who won the Nobel chemistry prize in 1976 for work on chemical bonding has died. William Nunn Lipscomb Jr. was 91.

His son, James Lipscomb, said Friday that Lipscomb died Thursday night at a Cambridge, Mass., hospital of pneumonia and complications from a fall.

Several of his students also have won Nobels. Yale University professor Thomas Steitz, who shared the 2009 chemistry prize, says Lipscomb was an inspiring teacher who encouraged creative thinking.

The Ohio native grew up in Lexington, Ky., and students affectionately referred to him as "Colonel" in reference to his upbringing. He graduated from the University of Kentucky and got a doctorate at the California Institute of Technology under Nobel laureate Linus Pauling.

Lipscomb is survived by his wife and three children.

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