What challenges are at our doorstep, what opportunities should we cease in the near and distant future, what problems will we face? These questions will be discussed in a dozen or so lectures. Speakers from several knowledge institutions and companies will share their ideas, including two foreign guests: researcher Fatwa Firdaus Abdi of the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, and Professor Jef Poortmans of Leuven University and IMEC.

The day’s four themes are biobased economy, new fossil fuels, solar fuels, and recycling. There will be talks on the development of biobased polymers that may be used in plastic bottles. “We can make then, even commercialize them, but they just don’t have the right properties or strength yet”, says graduate student Roderigh Rohling of study association Japie, which co-organizes the symposium.

Shale gas and oil sands are two of the topics that will be discussed, days Rohling. They’ve also planned a more general lecture on the cradle-to-cradle concept, and doctoral candidates can participate in a poster contest sponsored by KIVI NIRIA Zuid.

The event is open to students from other departments, too. Although the themes all “find their origin in chemical engineering”, Rohling states they’re all presented in a social context. “You won’t be seeing graphs and data only. We’re interested in who, what, and why just as well.” The lectures are meant for doctoral candidates and graduate students, but undergraduates are most welcome, too.

The organization is hoping to welcome 130 participants. For more information and registration (before March 1), check the website.