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Vol. 27 No. 2
March-April 2005

Welcome to Beijing!

by Chunli Bai

On behalf of the Chinese Chemical Society and the Organizing Committee for the 40th IUPAC Congress, it is my pleasure to earnestly and warmly invite you to Beijing this coming August.

The 40th IUPAC World Chemistry Congress will be held in Beijing, China, 14–19 August 2005. The biennial Congress is one of the major international conferences in chemistry. It takes place in a different country each time it is held. In recent years, the Congress was held in Berlin, Germany (1999); Brisbane, Australia (2001); and most recently Ottawa, Canada (2003). The IUPAC Congress is a well-established event and is a significant feature on the global chemistry calendar.

The IUPAC Congress is also one of the few, major international congresses with an interdisciplinary approach to chemistry. IUPAC Congresses are dedicated to exploring “Frontiers in Chemistry”—especially the intersections of cutting-edge chemistry with other disciplines.

View a one-page advertisement for the Congress (pdf, 358KB)

The importance of the Congress is also evident from the number of lecturers who are Nobel Prize winners. In 1999, four out of the eight plenary lecturers were Nobel Prize laureates: T.R. Cech, R. Hoffmann, J.E. Walker, and R. Huber. Nobel Prize laureates Y.T. Lee, J.M. Lehn, and F.S. Rowland spoke at the 2001 Congress. And in 2003, J.C. Polanyi addressed the Congress in Ottawa. This year, four Nobel Prize laureates will present plenary lectures at the Congress: Alan J. Heeger, 2000 Nobel Laureate (University of California at Santa Barbara, USA); William N. Lipscomb, 1976 Nobel Laureate (Harvard University, USA); John E. Walker, 1997 Nobel Laureate (University of Cambridge, UK); and Kurt Wüthrich, 2002 Nobel Laureate (ETH Hönggerberg, Switzerland).

The other plenary lecturers are Jiming Wang (SINOPEC, China), Charles M. Lieber (Harvard University, USA), Akira Fujishima (University of Tokyo, Japan), Yuri Oganessian (Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, Russia), and Jianguo Hou (University of Science and Technology of China).

This year in Beijing, the specific theme for the Congress is “Innovation in Chemistry.” Congress attendees will learn of advances and innovations in the following parallel sessions:

  • Environmental Chemistry and Green Chemistry
  • Chemistry in the Life Sciences and Chemical Biology
  • Materials Chemistry, Supermolecular Chemistry, and Nanochemistry
  • Information Technology in Chemistry and Computational Chemistry
  • Innovation in Physical Chemistry and Biophysical Chemistry, Research Methods and Techniques
  • Innovation in Methodology, Techniques, and Instrumentation in Analytical Chemistry
  • Innovation in Chemical Education and Teaching Methods
  • Innovation in the Chemical and Petrochemical Industries and the “Responsible Care” movement

Each session will feature 8 to 10 invited speakers who have made substantial contributions to their fields. The detailed program and schedule is available on the Congress Web site.

The IUPAC Congress was last held in Beijing in 1993. However, since then China has welcomed many chemists to IUPAC-sponsored conferences. Just in the past few years, China hosted the World Polymer Congress-MACRO 2002, the 17th International Conference on Chemical Education, the 5th IUPAC/UNESCO Workshop on Safety in Chemical Production (SINOPEC Corporation), the 17th IUPAC Conference on Physical Organic Chemistry, the 18th IUPAC Conference on Chemical Thermodynamics, the 7th International Conference on Heteroatom Chemistry, the International Symposium on Biological Polyesters, and the ISMOM 2004—Environmental Significance of Mineral-Organic Component-Microorganism Interactions in Terrestrial Systems.

Like in Ottawa in 2003 and Brisbane in 2001, the Congress will be held concurrently with the biennial IUPAC General Assembly (GA). The GA is a meeting of the statutory bodies of the Union, specifically the Council, Bureau, Division Committees, and Standing Committees. As a member of the IUPAC Executive Committee, it is therefore an honor and a pleasure to welcome in advance all members of IUPAC bodies and to wish them fruitful meetings.

Young chemists are especially encouraged to participate in the 40th IUPAC Congress and also as observers to the GA. IUPAC and the Congress organizers have established programs for young chemists to facilitate their participation. Also in Beijing, we will welcome and award the most recent 2004 and 2005 IUPAC Prizes for Young Chemists.

The Congress will also offer an exhibition of scientific instruments and equipment from leading manufacturers, as well as books and journals. The Congress and GA will be held at the Beijing International Convention Center. The nearly 69 000 square-meter convention center is one of China’s biggest facilities specifically designed for conferences and exhibitions. Nearby hotels (five to three stars and a less expensive one for students) are within 10- to 20-minute walking distance and a shopping center is about a 10-minute walk from the convention center.

Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, serves as the center of politics and culture, with an area of 16 800-square km and a population of 13 million. As the capital of seven ancient dynasties, Beijing has numerous imperial gardens and a great cultural heritage, including the famous Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Ming Tombs, and Great Wall. Beijing is also known for it traditional handicrafts; Cloisonné and silk flowers are popular examples. Following the rapid development of tourism and transportation in the last decade, especially as a result of its successful bid to host the 2008 Olympics, Beijing has now become a world-famous, modern metropolitan city.

A few post- and pre-conference tours, as well as accompanying person tours, have been arranged through Beijing North Star International Tourism, Co. Please visit its Web site for details
<www.chinatravelreference.com>.

For further information or to register, please visit the Web site (below) or contact the conference secretary Xibai Qiu: E-mail:[email protected]; Tel: +86(10)62568157, +86(10)62564020; Fax: +86(10)62568157.

Chunli Bai <[email protected]> is an elected member of the IUPAC Executive Committee and Bureau, and president of the Chinese Chemical Society and the 40th IUPAC Congress.


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