Professional Development Program
Sunday, June 4, 2023
This roundtable discussion, which is targeted to new analytical chemistry faculty and postdocs and senior graduate students interested in faculty positions, will provide attendees with the opportunity for informal chats with current analytical faculty, grant adjudicators, journal editors, and other members of the Canadian analytical community in informal roundtable discussions.
Intended Audience: Recently hired faculty, specifically in the field of analytical chemistry. Post-doctoral and senior grad students are welcome if the session is not at full capacity.
There is no charge, however, space for this event is limited.
This roundtable discussion will be held on Sunday, June 4 from 2 pm to 5 pm in Room 214.
Monday, June 5, 2023
Charina Cruz is a holistic Career Coach whose mission and purpose is to help people achieve Harmonious Success. Passionate about exploration & impactful development, her own journey took her across 6 continents, before settling back into Vancouver. She brings over 15 years of diverse experience helping a broad range of people, industries and organizations achieve their next level of growth. She loves partnering with clients across the spectrum of their careers – from new graduates and entrepreneurs to C-level executives, from non-profits to tech unicorns.
As one of Canada’s top career coaches, she gets interviewed by news outlets like CBC’s “The National” and The Globe and Mail. Combining supportive honesty and a good dose of humour, she strongly believes that cultivating a career and a life you deserve should be a fun adventure. She’s happiest connecting with people, providing value & positive impact.
The Resume and Cover Letter Building Workshop has been generously sponsored by Dupont.
This event will provide graduate students the opportunity to chat with current teaching members to explore careers path that led to teaching chemistry in post-secondary institutions. Topics will include, but are not limited to, teaching and learning opportunities in graduate programs, finding teaching positions to apply, applying and interviewing for teaching positions; how to prepare for your first class.
Panelists
Barb Morra
Barb Morra is an Associate Professor, Teaching Stream, in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. Barb translates her passion for chemistry through her educational leadership, which includes developing innovative teaching materials that inspire students to explore the applications of chemistry and by engaging in research-inspired activities. Barb’s extensive work in fostering teaching and learning communities includes engaging undergraduate and graduate students in pedagogical research and curriculum development. Provincially, her experience as the Ontario Chemistry Olympiad Director and Departmental Outreach Committee Chair has allowed her to mentor high school students as they discover their passion for chemistry. As an advocate of green and sustainable principles, Barb is committed to transforming chemistry education to equip students with the skills required to address today’s global challenges. At the University of Toronto, Barb has contributed to changing the way chemistry is taught and played a major role in becoming the first Canadian institution to join the Green Chemistry Commitment through Beyond Benign. At the International level, she is a member of the Leadership Committee for Beyond Benign’s Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community, and is a curriculum developer within the Toxicology for Chemists Program. She is also an assessment consultant for the ACS GCI’s Green Chemistry Education Module Development Project. All of Barb’s work reflects her commitment to providing an exceptional chemistry education that encourages students to think beyond the classroom.
Amanda Musgrove
Amanda Musgrove is an Associate Professor (Teaching) at the University of Calgary and current Vice-chair of the Chemical Education Division of the CSC. She started her studies at Medicine Hat College, then received her BSc from University of Alberta, MSc and PhD from the University of British Columbia (2006 & 2013 with Dan Bizzotto), along with postdoctoral work in chemical education (with Parisa Mehrkhodavandi) and BC Provincial Instructor Diploma (2014, Vancouver Community College). She taught as a sessional instructor at Vancouver Community College and University of the Fraser Valley before settling at the University of Calgary. At UCalgary, she has taught first-year general chemistry, analytical chemistry, and materials chemistry, at class sizes from 40-800.
In her home department, Amanda has coordinated the graduate teaching assistant training program and served as chair of the Teaching Development committee. Her scholarly work includes development of an open chemistry textbook, investigation into tenure practices in the teaching stream across Canada, and working to increase equity through teaching in chemistry courses as part of the CCSES network. She has received two university Teaching and Learning Grants, and supervised over 30 undergraduate students in chemical education related projects.
Montserrat Rueda-Becerril
Montserrat Rueda-Becerril works as a Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. She completed her bachelors in Chemistry at the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, and then went on to complete her PhD in Chemistry at The University of British Columbia in 2015. Since 2017 she has been the director of the upper-year teaching organic chemistry laboratories, and more recently has taken on the role of coordinator of all the sub-disciplines in the integrated chemistry laboratories. She has taught lecture courses in science communication, first-year and second-year organic chemistry.
Jimmy Lowe
Jimmy Lowe is a faculty member at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and Co-chair of the CIC Vancouver Local Section. He completed his BSc (Co-op) and PhD (conducting polymers with Steven Holdcroft, 1998) at Simon Fraser University. He was doing research at the Technical University of Eindhoven (The Netherlands) for his post-doctoral fellowship (supramolecular chemistry with Bert (E.W.) Meijer).
He was a sessional instructor at SFU and some of the local colleges before finding his position at BCIT. Besides teaching chemistry (general, organic and polymer) in different BCIT programs, Jimmy worked at Terramera (2019-20) as part of his professional development leave. His interest in helping students transition to post-secondary studies lead to instructing the ‘Skills for Success’ course for the Technology Entry Program for the past 14 years.
Jimmy enjoys being an active member of College Chemistry Canada (C3) which is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of the teaching of chemistry primarily at the college and university level. He also supports STEM public outreach by hosting high school classes, doing chemistry shows or the BCIT Open House events. He is learning lots this spring as he competes his last course in the Green Chemistry and Chemical Stewardship Certificate.
Organizers
Lydia Chen, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, McMaster University
Anthony Chibba, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, McMaster University
Sharonna Greenberg, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, McMaster University
Tuesday, June 6, 2023
This is a special session focusing on the intersection of environmental chemistry and society,
including invited speakers and panel discussion on the themes of climate change, marine
contaminants, citizen science, and indigenous perspectives.
The professional headshot booth is back by popular demand. Our attendees want up-to-date executive headshots to help them shine in the online world!
This session will provide an overview of the results of the Discovery Grant 2023 competition. News from NSERC, including Alliance grants, as well as resources for the Discovery Grant application process will also be presented.
Panelists
Rachel Desrochers is the Manager for the Chemistry Evaluation Group of the Discovery Grants program at the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). She has been working at NSERC since 2019 in different roles supporting the Research Tools and Instruments program, the Discovery Grants program as well as the Alliance program. Prior to joining NSERC, Rachel worked as a Research Grants Officer in a non-for-profit research institution in the United States.
Rachel Klassen is the Lead Program Officer for the Chemistry Evaluation Group of the Discovery Grants program at the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). She has been working at NSERC for 1 year, bringing prior program experience from interdisciplinary Tri-Agency programs as well as the Canadian and international research communities.
Note: Lunch will not be provided at this session
Why do we need change in our culture of safety? What is an ideal (future) state? Why is change so hard? How can we affect change? Join us as we discuss the current state of safety in labs and how creating a culture of safety will give you an edge in chemistry.
Safety is for everyone! This is a casual, open discussion, for all levels of academic and industrial experience.
Panelists
Dr. Amanda Musgrove (she/her)
Amanda Musgrove is an Associate Professor (Teaching) and Interim Associate Head (Safety) at the University of Calgary and Vice-chair of the Chemical Education Division of the CSC. She received her BSc from University of Alberta, and MSc and PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of British Columbia (2006 & 2013 with Dan Bizzotto), along with postdoctoral work in chemical education (with Parisa Mehrkhodavandi). Amanda has served on the UCalgary Safety Improvement Team since 2016, has led the updating and maintenance of the undergraduate safety training program since 2015, and supported graduate safety training, especially related to teaching labs, throughout this time. As part of her department’s Culture of Safety initiative, she is also working to improve safety communication at the Department and Faculty levels, and increase access to specific safety plans and supporting information for students and faculty.
Michel Gravel
Michel Gravel obtained his B.Sc. (Pharmaceutical Chemistry) at the Université de Sherbrooke and his Ph.D. at the University of Alberta under the supervision of Prof. Dennis G. Hall. He then joined the group of Prof. Viresh H. Rawal at The University of Chicago for an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship. He joined the Department of Chemistry at the University of Saskatchewan in 2006 as an assistant professor, was promoted to associate professor in 2011, then to full professor in 2018. His research interests are in the areas of organocatalysis, conjugated molecules, and computational chemistry. He has received the College of Arts & Science Teaching Excellence Award (2011) and the UofS Chemistry Students’ Society Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award (2011, 2016).
Dr. Brenna Brown
Dr. Brenna Brown is the National Laboratory Services Manager for Brenntag Canada Inc. After earning her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Alberta, Dr. Brown has been building chemistry laboratory businesses in the Calgary area. She joined Brenntag Canada in 2018, bringing her experience in organic, analytical, and environmental chemistries along with her management experience. Dr. Brown has established a strong reputation for building Cultures of Safety within chemistry laboratories and is well-known for her expertise in the safe handling of hazardous chemicals. Of her many accomplishments, Dr. Brown is most proud of her Leadership Award from the Canadian Council of Independent Laboratories.
Join the conversation! This panel will showcase career options for chemists curious about applying their skills and training outside of the traditional academia or industry paths.
Panelists
Emily Seo
Emily Seo holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of British Columbia and completed a research fellowship at the University of Edinburgh. She then moved to Germany to work as an Associate Editor for two chemistry journals before returning to Vancouver, where she ran a multidisciplinary science facility. Her experimentation with words resulted in her debut novel, The Science of Boys. She is also the author of Our World: Japan and The Perfect Sushi. She currently lives in Richmond, BC, with her husband and two young children.
Jonathan Moir
Jonathon (he/him) is a passionate scientific researcher and professional with a keen interest in chemistry education and advancing sustainability and green chemistry across all levels of pedagogy and learning. He received his B.Sc.H. from Queen’s University in 2010 and his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto in 2016 in Inorganic Chemistry with a focus on Nanomaterials and Electrochemistry.
During his doctoral studies, Jonathon was a founding member of the Green Chemistry Initiative (GCI), a group of graduate students dedicated to promoting green chemistry principles and practices within the Department of Chemistry at the University of Toronto. In addition to co-leading the GCI’s regular green chemistry seminar series and its 2015 annual symposium, Jonathon redeveloped a third-year undergraduate organic chemistry lab in collaboration with Professor Andy Dicks to include more concepts related to green chemistry, and later attended the ACS Green Chemistry Summer School in 2016. Following graduate school, Jonathon transitioned to the not-for-profit sector, where he has helped manage and support the development of international, interdisciplinary research programs, scientific projects, workshops and symposia as well as a national scholarship program in Canada for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows pursuing research in Canada’s Arctic and northern regions.
Jonathon is excited to be working together with Beyond Benign and the ACS GCI to lead the development of the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community set to launch in summer 2023. Jonathon currently lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and enjoys sports of all kinds including swimming, skiing, rowing, cycling and weightlifting.
Josh Barringer
An ultrarunner / scientist / writer / baker / metal guitarist born and raised in Louisiana but now living at the edge of the wilderness in British Columbia, Josh is currently a senior copywriter at lululemon, overseeing the concepting and messaging for recommerce, sustainability, and social impact programs.
After receiving his B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University and M.S. in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering from Clemson University, Josh spent time as a researcher creating polymeric supports for synthetic oligonucleotides and developing assays for liquid biopsies.
Following a passion for storytelling, Josh pursued a career in creative and marketing writing within outdoor and apparel. Recent publication highlights include the 2022 lululemon Impact Report, the lululemon Earth Day 2023 campaign featuring plant-based nylon, and “Razed in the Wild”—the cover story in volume 13 of the UK-based adventure magazine Sidetracked.
Dr. Kazim Agha
Dr. Kazim Agha (PhD in Chemistry) is partner and patent agent at Ridout & Maybee LLP. Kazim is also the Director of Local Sections of the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC), sitting on as a Board Member of the Chemical Society of Canada (CSC). He is also engaged with the American Chemical Society (ACS), being part of the International Activities Committee (IAC) and the Committee on Patent Related Matters (CPRM). On the intellectual property side, Kazim regularly presents and teaches on IP, particularly patents, and is Chair of the Patent Agent Training Committee (PATC) of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada (IPIC), and a member of the Standing Advisory Committee before the European Patent Office (SACEPO).
Dr. Love-Ese Chile
Dr. Love-Ese Chile is Managing Owner at Regenerative Waste Labs, a circular bioeconomy research consulting firm. In 2017 she completed her Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of British Columbia. She studied new catalysts to transform biomass into valuable green materials. In 2020, she co-founded her start-up company, which works at the intersection of circular bioproducts, circular economy policy and sustainable waste recovery. With her scientific background, Love-Ese has taken her expertise into the industry and is passionate about sharing her knowledge and empowering others. She believes in creating new opportunities and initiatives that add value to our communities while promoting sustainability. Love-Ese has worked with all levels of government, nonprofits and businesses to facilitate action that drives the use and recovery of circular bioproducts within the Canadian economy.
Molly Brewis
Molly is an environmental chemist (P.Chem.) based in Vancouver, BC. Her diverse career has taken her out of the lab and to many interesting corners of the world – from a military site remediation on Baffin Island, to working with a marine conservation organization in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to a stint with the United Nations Environment Programme’s disasters and conflicts group in Switzerland.
She now works for BC Hydro, where she spent 5 years leading the physical environment portfolio of the Site C Clean Energy Project. This involved monitoring and mitigation programs for water quality, air quality, contaminated sites, and noise associated with the construction of a large hydroelectric dam and generating station. More recently, she has pivoted to a role supporting the utility’s Senior Vice-President, Safety and Chief Compliance Officer.
Mingle with Elsevier, Dupont, and other industry representatives at this event. One drink ticket per person, space is limited.
The Meet and Greet – Industry x Early Career Talent mixer has been generously sponsored by Elsevier and Dupont.
Wednesday, June 7, 2023
- David Laviska (ACS GCI)
- Nimrat Obhi (Beyond Benign)
- Jonathon Moir (Beyond Benign)
- Phil Jessop (Queen’s University)
- Joelle Pelletier (Université de Montréal)
- Primary: students (primarily graduate) and postdoctoral fellows
- Secondary: faculty and educators, industry stakeholders
It is critical that students have a foundational understanding of green and sustainable chemistry principles and practices. This is due to the growing importance of green and sustainable chemistry skills in the workforce, not only as a way to address global sustainability challenges and targets such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs), but also as a way to improve safety and decrease waste while saving on costs. These skills are applicable across all subdisciplines of the chemical sciences (including organic, inorganic, physical, materials, and analytical chemistry) and can also be applied in academic research labs, national labs, industrial settings, and more. Join our workshop for students, postdocs, and early-career faculty to learn about the fundamentals of green chemistry and why these skills are important for the integration of green chemistry across the educational spectrum and chemistry workforce. The first half of the workshop will focus on an introduction to green chemistry as well as a hands-on protocol evaluation, while the second half will involve a presentation from industry scientists on the importance of green chemistry skills for those moving into industry and a hands-on activity looking at examples of green chemistry in industry.
The NSERC panel event will bring together members of the Canadian chemistry community who are current or former members of the NSERC Discovery Grant Evaluation Group (1504 – Chemistry) as well as members of the NSERC Chemistry Liaison Committee (NCLC). Evaluation Group members will discuss the process of NSERC DG (Discovery Grants) application and review, with the aim to provide tips on how to develop a successful DG proposal and navigate the review process. NCLC committee members will be on hand to gather input and provide an avenue through which to make our voices heard at NSERC.
Note: Lunch will not be provided at this session
Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) were widely used in electrical equipment until the late 1970s, when production was banned due to toxicity and environmental concerns. Canadian utilities have been given a mandate to stop using electrical equipment exceeding 50 ppm Total PCBs by 2025. Powertech Labs has developed a unique solution to sample potentially contaminated oil from energized pole-mounted transformers, avoiding customer electricity interruptions. The samples are then sent to Powertech’s Applied Chemistry department for PCB analysis. Ultimately, only transformers exceeding the federal threshold need to be replaced, resulting in significant cost savings for Canadian utilities.
During your visit to Powertech, you will learn more about our integrated approach to sampling and testing transformer oil for PCBs. There will be an opportunity to tour our chemistry laboratories to see how the samples are analyzed, as well as some of our other labs where industry-leading testing is performed for energy companies around the globe.
Register for the Industry Tour in the CSC Registration portal. If you have already registered for the conference and would still like to register for the Industry Tour, please reach out to cscconference@cheminst.ca. Spots are limited.
Thursday, June 8, 2023
During this symposium, we will hear about the technologies and successes behind Canadian startups within varying industries and at various stages of development.
