American Institute of Chemical Engineers' 2016 Gala to Showcase Excellence in Innovation, Honor Exemplary Leaders

NEW YORK, July 12, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) will honor Inge G. Thulin, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of 3M; Wayne T. Smith, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of BASF Corp.; and George A. Scangos, Chief Executive Officer of Biogen, at its 2016 Gala, which will spotlight excellence in innovation.

The gala also will feature the presentation of the Hoover Medal; a prize sponsored by U.S. engineering societies for outstanding civic and humanitarian achievements in engineering, to Robert S. Langer, the David H. Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The gala will be held Nov. 28 at the JW Marriott Essex House in New York City.

In announcing the event, AIChE Executive Director June Wispelwey said, "AIChE is thrilled to be recognizing and celebrating these three innovative companies and their exemplary leaders. Innovation is a hallmark of chemical engineering. Chemical engineers have brought, and are bringing, their knowledge, imagination and versatility to efforts to improve the quality of life and address the critical challenges society faces."

The 2016 Gala dinner chairs are: Mo Hossain, Managing Partner and Founder, Ennovance Group; Rosalind Hudnell, Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer, Intel; Ashish K. Khandpur, Senior Vice President, Research and Development, and Chief Technology Officer, 3M; Andreas C. Kramvis, Vice Chairman, Honeywell; Teressa Szelest-Shah, President, Market and Business Development North America, BASF Corp.; John Y. Televantos, Partner, Arsenal Capital Partners; and S. Shariq Yosufzai, Vice President for Global Diversity, Ombuds and University Affairs, Chevron.

The gala will raise funds to support the international growth of AIChE's undergraduate Chem-E-Car Competition^®, a "futures" program for high-achieving young researchers, and an initiative that fosters manufacturing innovation through modular chemical process intensification. Such projects are part of the AIChE Foundation's "Doing a World of Good" campaign, which promotes research and innovation in chemical engineering as well as the profession's positive impact on society.

For more information about the 2016 AIChE Gala, visit www.aiche.org/gala.

About AIChE
AIChE is a professional society of more than 53,000 chemical engineers in 110 countries. Its members work in corporations, universities and government using their knowledge of chemical processes to develop safe and useful products for the benefit of society. Through its varied programs, AIChE continues to be a focal point for information exchange on the frontiers of chemical engineering research in such areas as energy, sustainability, biological and environmental engineering, nanotechnology and chemical plant safety and security. More information about AIChE is available at www.aiche.org.

Contact: Steve Kratz
Phone: (717) 214-2200
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE American Institute of Chemical Engineers