The 101st Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition (CSC 2018), welcomed over 2200 delegates from 38 countries who participated in 92 technical sessions including 15 sessions addressing inclusion, diversity and equity and 13 industrial sessions.
The conference’s technical program and plenary lectures were accompanied by new initiatives, including subsidized childcare for conference delegates, the CSC President’s Event dedicated to inclusion, diversity, and equity, an increased focus on professional development programming, and a strong industrial program woven within the overall technical sessions.
Opening plenary speaker François Diederich, ETH, Zürich delivering insight into his research on the pursuit of a multi-dimensional approach towards deciphering and quantifying weak intermolecular interactions in chemical and biological system. Two equally inspiring plenary lectures were delivered by CIC Medal award winner André B. Charette, FCIC, Université de Montréal and Jeffrey Moore, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.
The chemistry education division once again challenged its audience at their symposium on Equity and Diversity in Chemistry, this year in honour of Margaret-Ann Armour, FCIC, CM, who was also the 2018 recipient of the CIC Award for Chemistry Education. Another session focused on Indigenization and Reconciliation in Chemistry Education.
The Professional Development Track at CSC 2018 featured workshops on effectively communicating research, green chemistry applications in industry and start-ups, and exploring career options in chemistry beyond academia. This year’s conference also brought back the popular Speed Networking Evening, bringing together graduate students and postdocs with representatives from industry, start-ups, and academia for a facilitated and lively networking session for attendees to make a fast impression on chemistry professionals and again exploring the theme of the various options that chemistry graduates have in terms of careers.
The CSC and CIC Annual General Meetings saw the election of several new board members for 2018-2019, including Deborah Nicoll-Griffith as CSC President and Neil Burford, FCIC, as CIC Chair.
In total, CSC 2018 saw over 1470 oral and 640 poster presentations in 92 technical sessions over five days and was a resounding success as the annual gathering of the Canadian chemistry community.
Western University will host next year’s 102nd Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in Quebec City, Quebec on Monday, June 3 – Friday June 7, 2019. Save the date and see you at CSC 2019!