A one day workshop on USA/German Collaboration in Research and Education: Chemical Engineering, is proposed to be held in conjunction with the 1992 Spring meeting of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers in New Orleans. The workshop is in conjunction with a similar workshop proposed by Professor Fletcher of Texas A&M mechanical engineering. The goals of the workshop are to survey existing academic chemical engineering programs and to catalyze a dialog among members of the US chemical engineering academic community directed toward documenting existing mechanisms for US/German student exchanges in cooperative education and research, while obtaining input from the involved community regarding impediments to collaborative German/US exchanges. The workshop will initiate an exploration of new methods for enhancing collaborative projects. The products to this workshop and accompanying final report will include: A catalog of current US/German interactions; a tabulation of current successful and ideal models for US/German academic cooperation; identification of structural impediments and possible solutions to cooperation; plans for encouragement and implementation of US/German cooperation. The report of this workshop will be widely distributed. It is the intent of the workshop to sensitize participants and readers of the final report to the international nature of chemical engineering so that of chemical engineering programs throughout the United States will be encouraged to participate in exchange programs to develop the cultural skills necessary to interact well with German trained engineers throughout the world. The German University education and research system emphasizes close collaboration with industry. US students and faculty will gain insight into the German view of engineering and may be better able to help their US companies to be competitive in foreign markets. These students should be able to work more effectively for US companies overseas, or (in the US) for German companies with subsidiaries in the US, and feel equally comfortable in these different environments.
