Bassam Shakhashiri of the University of Winsconsin.

Bassam Shakhashiri of the University of Winsconsin.

More than 450 delegates from 40 nations attended the IUPAC 23rd International Conference on Chemistry Education, held in Toronto this past July. “The technical program was very strong and was a great showcase for Canadian chemistry education,” says Judith Poë, FCIC, who co-chaired the conference with Andrew Dicks, both of the University of Toronto. Plenary lecturers included U of T Nobel laureate John Polanyi, HFCIC, Bassam Shakhashiri of the University of Wisconsin and past president of the American Chemical Society, whose address was highlighted by the vibrant demonstrations pictured above. Other lectures were presented by Hsin-Kai Wu of the National Taiwan Normal University, Diane Bunce of the Catholic University of America, who was the recipient of the ACS George C. Pimentel Award for Chemical Education, and Jorge Ibáñez of the Universidad Iberoamericana, who is the founder of the Mexican Green and Microscale Chemistry Center. The conference included 26 symposia, eight keynote speakers, workshops, posters and exhibitors.