The design and manufacturing of a chemical product and its process involve a spectrum of physical and chemical phenomena, over characteristic scales that cover many orders of magnitude, from molecular design at 0.1 nm to global warming at 104 km. An individual chemical engineer may specialize in the science and engineering of only one of these scales, such as mixing and uniformity; however the design team must have experts to provide an appropriately designed structure at each of the six scales. The leadership of the entire enterprise must provide the skillful integration of all these multi-scale structures together. The challenge to the chemical engineering curriculum is the preparation of students for such leadership positions. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.