The 15 Asian Chemical Congress (15 ACC) makes its way back to Singapore after nearly three decades. The prestigious biennial event has been hosted across Asia since its inauguration in Singapore in 1985 and has been instrumental in bridging the links between major chemistry societies in the East and West. This year’s hallmark event will also feature many firsts which pay tribute to past and present scientific talent, and lays the foundation for nurturing future scientists.
1. Singapore, 20 August 2013 – With three Nobel Laureates in Chemistry , more than half a dozen heads of major regional and international chemistry societies, editors from leading chemistry-based journals and the participation of local junior college students, Singapore’s 15 ACC is set to be one of the most watched chemistry conferences this year. Some 1,600 scientists from across the globe will be joined by more than 100 Singapore students who will present their research projects to seasoned scientists during the conference organised by the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC). A*STAR’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) and Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) lend support as co-organisers of the conference together with local universities and regional chemical societies.
2. The conference has been hosted over 14 times in countries around the Asian region and Australia. This year’s conference will focus on the driving force behind chemistry innovations – the research talents of the past, present and the future. The 15 ACC will feature for the first time, lectures by ‘Pioneers of Asia’, ‘Asian Rising Stars’, and an ‘Editors’ Forum’ featuring editors of major chemistry-related journals. Also, unique to such conferences, the ‘1st Asian Chemistry Research Fair' will be held to showcase some 100 poster research projects by budding secondary school, junior college and polytechnic ‘scientists’ from across Singapore. In addition, the event will host the ‘Asia America Chemical Symposium’, jointly organised by an intercontinental committee from the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS).
3. The conference is a timely reminder of the importance that chemistry plays in daily life and how it can advance the future of technologies. Chemistry is an essential element in creating anything from shampoos to the latest light emitting diode (LED) TVs or in the distillation of raw petroleum to power the world. More than that, advances in chemistry have given it a new role in shaping the future by tackling current global challenges such as the need for better healthcare, sustainability and ‘green’ research. New chemistry has allowed the development of organic solar cells for harnessing power, water treatment technologies via filtration and desalination, and new building materials that have less raw materials, are stronger but are lighter and can withstand extreme conditions.
4. “The earth is under great stress. Chemistry is the underpinning science that could provide solutions for three of the biggest challenges facing the world today – energy, environment and health – which makes the value of this conference much more evident,” said conference chairperson, Professor Andy Hor, President of SNIC and Executive Director of A*STAR’s IMRE. “The return of the prestigious ACC to its birthplace after more than 20 years is a milestone and a testament to how far this nation has gone in terms of science and research.”
5. "Singapore has always had a high regard for the Asian Chemical Congress as it has always provided a platform for us to come together and to look forward, examining how the latest discoveries in chemistry can enable us to address the many challenges facing society in Singapore and around the world,” said Dr Keith Carpenter, Executive Director of A*STAR’s ICES, which is also a co-organiser of this conference.
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Encl. Annex A: Corporate Profiles
Annex B: About 15 ACC
For media enquiries, contact:
Mr Eugene Low
Manager, Corporate Communications
for Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE)
3, Research Link
Singapore 117602
DID +65 6874 8491
Mobile +65 9230 9235
Email [email protected]
For conference enquiries, contact:
Dr Zong Yun
Member, 15 ACC Organising Committee;
Scientist III, Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE)
3, Research Link
Singapore 117602
DID +65 6874 8042
E-mail [email protected]
Annex A – Corporate Profiles
About the Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC)
The Singapore National Institute of Chemistry (SNIC) was established in March 1970 as a national body for the chemical profession in Singapore. The chemical Profession was in earlier years linked to the Royal Institute of Chemistry (RIC) in London through RIC Malaya Section and later RIC Singapore Section. With a growing number of graduates from the then University of Singapore and Nanyang University and with increasing industry activity requiring the services of qualified chemists, there was a real need for a local organisation to serve the interests of chemists and to maintain a high standard of professional competence and ethical practice. The Singapore National Institute of Chemistry was founded to meet this need. Please visit http://www.snic.org.sg.
About the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE)
The Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) is a research institute of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). The Institute has capabilities in materials analysis & characterisation, design & growth, patterning & fabrication, and synthesis & integration. We house a range of state-of-the-art equipment for materials research including development, processing and characterisation. IMRE conducts a wide range of research, which includes novel materials for sensors & Transducers, consumer care, organic solar cells, photovoltaics, printed electronics, catalysis, bio-mimetics, microfluidics, quantum dots, heterostructures, sustainable materials, atom technology, etc. We collaborate actively with other research institutes, universities, public bodies, and a wide spectrum of industrial companies, both globally and locally. For more information about IMRE, please visit www.imre.a-star.edu.sg.
About the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES)
Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences (ICES) is a member of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). Established in 2002, its mission is to support economic growth in Singapore through world class scientific research, developing novel technology and nurturing creative scientists and engineers. The research area covers chemistry and chemical engineering science, combined with advanced analytical characterisation and measurement to develop state of the art technology for the petrochemical, general chemical, fine chemical and pharmaceutical industries. For more information, visit www.ices.a-star.edu.sg
Annex B – About 15 ACC
The Asian Chemical Congress (ACC) is held at two yearly intervals hosted by the members of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS) which comprises 30 chemical societies of countries and territories in the Asia Pacific. 15 ACC @ Singapore will be an exciting conference in chemistry for the Asian community to strengthen current networks and to establish new collaborative links within Asian community and also with the rest of the world. The scientific program comprises sessions that illustrate the relevance and value of chemistry in modern science and technology.
Plenary Speakers @ 15ACC
NTU CBC Plenary Lecture
Akira Suzuki
Hokkaido University
Sapporo, Japan
Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2010)
MRS-S Plenary Lecture
Ei-ichi Negishi
Purdue University
West Lafayette, USA
Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2010) NTU CBC Plenary
Lecture
Barry Trost
Stanford University
Palo Alto, USA
Tamaki Professor of Humanities and Sciences at Stanford University SNAS Plenary Lecture
Aaron Ciechanover
Technion-Israel Institute
of Technology
Haifa, Israel
Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2004)
Editors’ Forum
This is a forum at 15 ACC to introduce selected experienced editors of prestigious journals to share their experiences as editors, and give advice to many young & new authors especially in Asia. It would also give a chance for the conference delegates to meet the editors face-to-face to discuss issues relating to publishing papers in the top journals in the world. After the lecture, the editors will also take part in a special interactive forum created for the conference participants. They may of course take this opportunity to introduce the unique features of their Journal (& Society) to our participants who often face difficult decisions in deciding where they can publish their best works. The editors who will speak include those from Nature Chemistry, Angewandte Chemie, and Journal of The American Chemical Society, Green Chemistry. The session will include a panel discussion session with editors from Australian Journal of Chemistry, Chemical Letters and the Bulletin of the Chemicals Society of Japan.
“Pioneers from Asia” Lectures
The 22 “Pioneers from Asia” lectures at the 15th Asian Chemical Congress are delivered by the most eminent scientists who were either educated in Asia or whose work are conducted in Asia especially in the member countries and regions of Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS). They are typically pioneers of their field of specialization over a broad range of topics in chemistry. They were selected among the nominees of peers, members of the 15th ACC organising committee and member societies of FACS. They are role models of established scientists who aspire to be world-class leaders in their fields. They are comparable with the best in the world.
“Asian Rising Stars” Lectures
The 51 thematic lectures on “Asian Rising Stars” at the 15th Asian Chemical Congress are delivered by a new generation of the most promising scientists typically of age 40 and below working in Asia especially in the member countries of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS). Their lectures will cover a broad but significant range of contemporary topics in chemical science. They were selected among the nominees of peers, members of the 15th ACC organising committee and member societies of FACS.
1st Asian Chemistry Research Fair (ACRF-1)
The 1st Asian Chemistry Research Fair (ACRF-1) is a premium education and school research initiative at 15th ACC held in Singapore on 20 Aug 2013. ACRF-1 is established to provide opportunities for selected students in the JCs, IPs and Secondary school students to present their research work in a dedicated forum at the 15th Asian Chemical Congress. The conference, with a central theme on “Chemistry at the Centre of Molecular Science & Nanotechnology”, will be held at Resorts World Sentosa, Singapore on 20 – 23 August 2013. ACRF-1 is a showcase of selected school projects from Singapore. All projects will be presented as posters on the first day of the ACC-15 Congress (20th Aug 2013).
