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Washington, D.C. -- Today Congressman David Wu successfully offered an amendment to the Green Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2005 (H.R. 1215). The amendment calls for the establishment of a program to create partnerships between companies in the chemical industry and colleges and universities to provide professional development training to practicing chemists and chemical engineers in the use of green chemistry concepts and strategies. Green Chemistry refers to the design of chemical products or processes that would reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous products.
"Very few chemists and chemical engineers are exposed to green chemistry in their undergraduate and graduate studies," said Congressman David Wu. "This lack of training becomes a barrier to the adoption and the use of safer industrial products or processes. My proposal will increase educational and training opportunities and ultimately will help in reducing hazardous waste."
The amendment tasks the agencies that carry out the coordinated green chemistry R&D program authorized by H.R. 1215 to establish a program to award grants to institutions of higher education to develop curricular materials and to design courses to provide appropriate retraining for chemists and chemical engineers.
The goal of the partnerships is to forge a close relationship between academic and industry partners to ensure that the courses of study that are put in place are relevant to industry and are designed to provide practicing chemists and chemical engineers with the skills and knowledge they will need to employ green chemistry concepts in their work. The requirement for cost sharing helps to reinforce the engagement and commitment of companies to the program.
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