Chemical engineering also involves extensive research and development in producing materials and perfecting techniques. Engineers are usually brought into the industry as "process engineers" and are responsible for producing high quality materials that are extremely important for running our industrial economy. These engineers are credited for producing products such as, fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, plastics, explosives, detergents, soap, shampoo, cleaning fluids, fragrances, flavorings, additives, dietary supplements and pharmaceuticals. The department of chemical engineering often overlaps with the environmental technology field that produces such products as petroleum, glass, paints, inks, glues, wood and food processing.

Chemical Engineering also combines chemistry with engineering to solve problems related to world hunger, pollution, the environment and our demands for energy.

1. Early education: George E. Davis lectures in 1887
2. First 4 year program: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
3. First Ph.D. awarded: University of Wisconsin to Oliver Patterson Watts in 1904
4. First professional organization: American Institute of Chemical Engineers
5. Unit operations: chemical reaction, mass transfer, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics
6. Modern applications: aerospace, automotive, biomedical, electronic, environmental, military applications

• Environmental engineering
• Biochemical engineering
• Biomolecular engineering
• Thermodynamics
• Fluid dynamics