ASEAN ChE Community Unites for AUCheEdS 2014

by Christelle Navarette

             In celebration of the Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers’ (PiChE) Diamond year, PIChE Metro-Manila Academe Chapter and the PIChE College of Fellows organized the ASEAN Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Education Summit (AUChEEDS) 2014 in Manila, Philippines last July 17-19 with a theme, “Educating the New Generation of ASEAN Chemical Engineers”. The event was attended by almost 450 faculty and student participants from 10 local and 2 international universities and colleges that are members of the ASEAN University Network/Southeast Asia Engineering Education Development Network (AUN/SEED-Net).

AUChEEds Banner (Photo from Philippine Institute of Chemical Engineers)

            Prominent speakers on Chemical Engineering Education identified from previous Asian Pacific Community of Chemical and Process Engineers and Industrial Chemists (APCChE) and World Congress were invited on the first day of the summit held at the Henry Sy Hall of De La Salle University to present Chemical Engineering’s shift from a conventional to outcomes-based education (OBE). 

             Prof. Philipina Marcelo, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Univeristy of Santo Tomas, discussed OBE in a comparative approach between bioguided food processing and innovative engineering education. Dr. Richard Felder, renowned for his textbook, Elementary Principles of Chemical Processes, discussed through a webinar Prof. Duncan Fraser’s study on shaping Chemical Engineering curricula to meet the demands of the 21st century. The suggested curriculum proposes the mastery of theoretical concepts in Chemical Engineering and application of this knowledge to activities and projects to be assigned to the students.

               One of the keynote speakers, Dr. Miki Chitoshi, explained the objectives and goals of the AUN/SEED-Net, a human resource network that currently consists of 26 leading institutions from 10 ASEAN countries and is supported by 14 leading Universities in Japan. On the other hand, plenary speakers namely, Prof. David Shallcross, Prof. Jae-Jin Shim, Prof. Ir Mei-Fong Chong and Dr. Noel Kristian discussed about interactive e-books and materials, development of Chemical Engineering education and Accreditation Board for Engineering Education in Korea (ABEEK), “Year 1 Assessment Week” in Malaysia and experiential activities that engage students to apply engineering concepts in determining problems and solutions in a certain community. A student from Adamson University, Joachin Victorino Mari Armonio, presented the results of his study regarding the factors that would affect the learning capability of Chemical Engineering students and the practices that would aid in their faster learning. 

               An international quiz bowl held at San Martin de Porres Auditorium, University of Santo Tomas took place on the second day of the summit. Teams from 11 various universities and colleges competed for the 500 USD prize by analyzing theories and solving problems related to Chemical Engineering. De La Salle University won the brain battle while UP Diliman and Malayan Colleges-Laguna bagged the second and third places, respectively. A campus tour and a parallel open laboratory demonstration of various equipment particularly a continuous stirred tank reactor, a sieve tray distillation tower and a process control rig, were prepared by the UST Chemical Engineering Society after the competition. A fellowship dinner to promote social interaction among the participants concluded the second day of the event.

            Culminating rites were conducted in Malayan Colleges-Laguna and were followed by a trip to Taal Lake and Volcano and a luncheon in Tagaytay City.

           Typhoon Glenda hit the Philippines during the summit but it was not powerful enough to stop the raging desire of ASEAN Chemical Engineering group of professionals and students to learn and experience AuChEEDS 2014 like no other.