The Canadian Society for Chemistry’s Inorganic Chemistry Division announces its graduate and undergraduate award winners.  

The 2015 Award for Undergraduate Research in Inorganic Chemistry (AURIC) was awarded to Jackson Knott from the University of Lethbridge. Hailing from Crowsnest Pass, Alta., Knott has worked on several projects in organometallic and coordination chemistry of the rare earth elements with his supervisor Paul Hayes and has industrial experience through a 12-month work term with NOVA Chemicals. Knott plans to continue in the field of organometallic chemistry and will be starting graduate work this May. 

The Inorganic Chemistry Division also named winners of the 2015 and 2016 Awards for Graduate Research in Inorganic Chemistry (AGWIC). The 2015 winner is Marc-André Courtemanche from Université Laval. Courtemanche attained his PhD in 2015 under the supervision of Frédéric-Georges Fontaine, where he undertook research on metal-free strategies for carbon dioxide activation. Courtemanche is currently a postdoctoral researcher at MIT under the supervision of Kit Cummins.

The 2016 AGWIC recipient, Marcus Drover, is currently enrolled in the PhD program at the University of British Columbia. Working under supervisors Laurel Schafer and Jennifer Love, Drover’s doctoral research focuses on mechanistic studies of N,O-chelated late transition metal complexes. Award recipients will present their lectures at the upcoming 99th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in Halifax.