Researchers at the University of Saskatchewan are working on an air filter to destroy viruses like the one that causes COVID-19. The idea is to capture airborne water droplets after someone coughs or sneezes, and to render viruses inside the droplets harmless by oxidizing them.
Read More >>An international collaboration used machine-learning to create an open-access virtual catalogue of some 300,000 organic compounds, opening doors for a range of future applications from materials to drugs. The project, called Kraken, represents teamwork by Alán Aspuru-Guzik’s Matter Lab at the University of Toronto, the Sigman Research Group at the University of Utah, Technische Universität Berlin, the Karlsruhe Institute...
Read More >>Scientists began reporting microplastic pollution in the ocean as far back as the 1970s but our understanding of these tiny particles’ impact on fish is only just catching up. Their harm is due to factors not generally considered in toxicology testing – the plastics’ size, shape and chemical makeup.
Read More >>More than a year into a pandemic that has brought the world to its knees, the need to quickly and easily detect pathogens is indisputable. University of New Brunswick chemists examine the use of electrochemical sensors to quickly detect highly contagious diseases and biological weapons.
Read More >>The Canadians Working for Inclusivity in the Chemical Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (CWIC) Network, an MRG for the CIC, are premiering their My STEM Stories YouTube Channel on May 5 from 6 – 7 PM EST. Here, graduate students across Canada had the chance to tell a story about their experience working in STEM, and...
Read More >>On 9 February 2021, diverse people from around the world came together to celebrate the third International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Global Women’s Breakfast (GWB). The purpose of these GWB events is to promote diversity in science by bringing people from various organizations together. As mentioned by IUPAC, the last two GWB have established that there is a need to build a network of both women and men who can work together to address the barriers and inequalities faced by women in science. Keeping this in mind, the theme of GWB 2021 was kept as “Empowering Diversity in Science”.
Read More >>The toll of pandemic-related plastic waste from discarded PPE is mounting at an alarming rate. Health Canada estimates that between June 2020 and June 2021, 63,000 tons of COVID-19 related PPE will end up as landfill waste. Researchers are investigating possibilities for disinfecting and reusing single-use PPE, including medical gloves and hospital gowns.
Read More >>In 2020 David Schlachter, a chemical engineering graduate student at Polytechnique Montréal, attended the Canadian Science Policy Conference on behalf of the CIC. At the conference David attended a panel discussion on the social contract between science and the public, and he has shared the highlights of this panel discussion.
Read More >>When something fails to pass the ‘sniff test’ – whether it’s a plan of action or the milk in the back of the fridge – it’s often best to leave it be. But when it comes to unpleasant odours in the air, we don’t have much choice. We have to breathe.
Read More >>Join CIC Talks on Wednesday, October 7th for a presentation by Paulette Vincent-Ruz, a postdoctoral associate in chemistry education at the University of Michigan. She will be exploring the subtleties of chemical thinking, an important variation of critical thinking that she insists must be informed by an appreciation of the socio-cultural nature of science. She...
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