It is with great sadness that the Department of Chemistry announces the passing of Professor Emeritus Arthur Saul Perlin on Wednesday, May 6, 2020, just a few days short of his 97th birthday. Professor Perlin was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia and spent all of his early years in the Maritimes, many of them working on the family farm, The Sanitary Dairy. He eventually came to McGill to study Chemistry and Music, where he obtained his M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees.
For the first time ever, McGill University will run a summer-semester version of CHEM 181, its enormously popular course on the chemistry of food.
Enrolments are now open for a June 2020 edition of the course that has been taken by tens of thousands of students over its nearly 40-year history.
Making sense of food
Researchers at McGill University have discovered a new, energy-efficient way to make key ingredients for the production of pharmaceuticals, polymers and fine chemicals.
The Chemistry Outreach Group has taken home the Principal’s Prize for Public Engagement through Media, winning the inaugural 'Collaboration' category for groups of undergraduate or graduate students that engage with the external community and/or the media.
The Prize recognizes the vital role outreach groups play in supporting the University’s commitment to being of service to society and engaging with the broader community.
With the federal ban of single-use plastics planned for this year, the demand for alternatives to everyday plastic products, such as straws, is set to increase. TreeMaTech, a startup company born through a collaboration between chemistry professors from McGill and Lakehead University, is betting on cellulose for making drinking straws that don’t suck for the environment.
On February 5, at Hôtel Château Laurier Québec, the Association Québécoise de la Production d’Énergie renouvelable (AQPER) held the 3 Minutes to Change the World student competition during its 2020 symposium. Jeremy Dawkins from the Mauzeroll group won the 1st prize money with his presentation on Li-Ion Batteries. Congratulations Jeremy!
Scientists have been looking at pollution affecting the air, land and water around the Athabasca Oil Sands for some time. After looking at contaminants in snow taken from up-to 25 km away from the oil sands, a McGill-led scientific team now suggests that oil sand pollution is also affecting the weather patterns in the surrounding regions.
McGill University researchers have gained tantalizing new insights into the properties of perovskites, one of the world’s most promising materials in the quest to produce a more efficient, robust and cheaper solar cell.
Joan F. Power (1958-2019)
Associate Professor of Chemistry, McGill University. Joan was the first woman faculty member to serve in the Department of Chemistry.
Beloved daughter of Bernard Power and the late Pauline M. Power (Coty), sister of Michael Power (Ruth) of White Horse, Yukon, Christine of Ottawa, and Mark (Mariette) of Blainville, Quebec.
Department members Tara Sprules, manager of the national high-field NMR facility QANUC, and Robin Stein, chemistry department (MC2) NMR/EPR manager, have just had an article published in the CIC newsletter about helium. Together, they use about 2900 L of helium annually to make their eight NMR spectrometers function, and recent cost increases have left them feeling nervous about the future.
Crowdmark – an online grading tool developed especially to handle large classes – has been attracting a growing following across North America, with members of McGill’s own Faculty of Science among its most ardent enthusiasts. Kira Smith, reporter-at-large for the OSE, went undercover to find out more.
The IUPAC-Zhejiang NHU International Award for Advancements in Green Chemistry is a collaborative award established to encourage young and experienced chemists, and to emphasize the importance of advancements in Green Chemistry and the value of sciences to human progress. Mingxin is one of the 3 awardees in the junior category
This year, the department was recognized by 4 prizes and awards from the Canadian Society for Chemistry and Chemical Institute of Canada to highlight the excellent of our researchers. Congratulation to profs. Lumb, Ariya, Barrett and Friscic for your remarkable successes:
1) JP Lumb – Keith Fagnou Award in organic chemistry (link: https://www.cheminst.ca/awards/csc-awards/keith-fagnou-award)
Canada’s first female general surgeon of First Nations descent, a cultural visionary, and a co-founder of Vancouver’s Amnesty International chapter are among 10 distinguished individuals to receive honorary degrees in 2019 from Simon Fraser University.
The Principal’s Prize for Public Engagement through Media was created to recognize those who go beyond their studies and research to engage with the media or the public. The department of chemistry was doubly recognized this year, as two of its members received awards.