The Edmonton CIC Local Section started off 2016 by hosting two educational events for its members, focusing on careers in chemistry and the chemistry of scotch. In late January they held their first CIC Local Section Professional Development Session, which welcomed a sold-out audience of 70 young chemical scientists and local section members. Industrial speakers from organizations such as Optimal Science Consulting, TEC Edmonton, Wilson Analytical and multinational chemicals company INEOS discussed their experiences with industry and offered career advice to attendees. Recruitment personnel from Gilead were also on site to provide career insights to young chemical professionals.
The educational fun continued later in January, when a packed house of more than 90 lovers of chemistry, music, single malts and Scottish heritage came together for “Café CIC: A wee dram of chemistry, culture, and scotch.” Held on Robbie Burns weekend, the café was co-sponsored by the Edmonton local section and King’s University College chemistry and music departments. Attendees sampled scotches from the different whisky-producing regions of Scotland and immersed themselves in Scottish culture, which included a sampling of haggis and oat cakes. Chemists Peter Mahaffy, FCIC, of The King’s University and Dietmar Kennepohl, FCIC, of Athabasca University discussed the complex chemical fingerprints of single malts produced from different stills, malts and casks.