For almost 50 years, one of the major events for chemistry students to strut their stuff is the annual Southern Ontario Undergraduate Student Chemistry Conference (SOUSCC), the largest such gathering in the province. This year’s edition, the 47th, took place on March 30 at the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), drawing in participants from as far away as Sudbury, Ottawa, and Windsor. All told there were almost 200 attendees, including university faculty and industry representatives.
The conference opened with a plenary lecture delivered by Professor Myrna Simpson, a member of UTSC’s Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences and associate director of the university’s environmental nuclear magnetic resonance centre. There were also 110 student presentations covering eight symposium topics: analytical chemistry, biological & medicinal chemistry, chemistry education, environmental chemistry, green chemistry, inorganic & materials chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical/computational/theoretical chemistry. In addition to oral presentations, the conference featured a vibrant collection of 40 scientific posters.
Undergraduate students present their research at SOUSCC 2019. Photo credit: Janvi Patel.
The conference organizers expressed their gratitude to the many sponsors, in particular the CIC, which offered support through the Chemical Education Fund as well as various Subject Divisions and Local Sections. The event’s success also depended on a small army of undergraduate and graduate student volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. Faculty judges likewise donated their time and expertise to evaluate the many student presentations.
SOUSCC attendees celebrate a succesful conference and the achievements of Ontario undergraduate researchers at the awards banquet. Photo credit: Gord Restivo.
The organizers offer their congratulations to all the award winners listed below. Go to the SOUSCC 2019 website for pictures of them at the event. We look forward to seeing everyone next year for SOUSCC 2020 at Ryerson University!
Analytical Chemistry
1st place (oral): Jacob Bothen, Trent University
2nd place (oral): Talia Ho, University of Toronto Scarborough
3rd place (oral): Helen Chen, McMaster University
Biological & Medicinal Chemistry
1st place (oral): Adam Greasley, Laurentian University
2nd place (oral): Jenna Daypuk, Laurentian University
3rd place (oral): Rodion Gordzevich, Trent University
Chemistry Education
1st place (oral): Tsuimy Shao, University of Toronto Scarborough
2nd place (oral): Sun Min Kristy Lee, University of Toronto Mississauga
3rd place (oral): Kevin Roy, University of Ottawa
Environmental Chemistry
1st place (oral): Batual Abdul Hussain, University of Toronto Scarborough
2nd place (oral): Zhizhen Zhang, University of Toronto Scarborough
Green Chemistry
1st place (oral): Madison Mooney, Trent University
Inorganic & Materials Chemistry
1st place (oral): Tiffany Lai, Western University
2nd place (oral): Farroq Raouf, University of Guelph
3rd place (oral) – tied: Benjamin Katzman, Western University
3rd place (oral) – tied: Alina Trofimova, University of Toronto
Organic Chemistry
1st place (oral): Michael Czuczola, Western University
2nd place (oral): Ifrodet Giorgees, University of Ontario Institute of Technology
3rd place (oral): Jacob Rothera, University of Windsor
Physical, Computational & Theoretical Chemistry
1st place (oral): Salena Hoesterey, Western University
2nd place (oral): Tzu-Ching Yen, University of Toronto
3rd place (oral): Reynolds Dziobek-Garrett, University of Toronto
Poster Presentations
1st place: Zainab Mirza, University of Toronto Scarborough
2nd place: Andrew Folkerson, University of Toronto
3rd place: Xinyang Guo, University of Toronto