SFU announces 2019 Honorary Degree recipients - Dr. Joe Schwarcz

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.

Two chemists recognized at the Principal’s Prize for Public Engagement through Media

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.

Researchs make a new kind of plastic from crustacean and insect shells

Thomas Di Nardo (MSc) and Audrey Moores discovered a new method, based on mechanochemistry and aging, allowing to turn chitin into a new, long molecular weight chitosan. This new material has interesting mechanical properties and is envisaged for applications to biomedical, food packaging and high value fibers. This discovery was covered in a number of news outlets:

Better CRISPR Through Chemistry and Collaboration

CRISPR has jumped to the forefront of gene editing, with game-changing applications like gene therapy, GMO-free designer crops, and synthetic organisms. It makes precise engineering and control of nearly any genome possible. But CRISPR is not perfect and its continued development relies on understanding and modifying the naturally occurring enzymes.

Two McGill Women Chemists Awarded!

Aurélie Lacroix (currently PhD student in Dr Hanadi Sleiman lab) and Dr Maryam Habibian (former student from Dr Masad Damha lab and currently postdoc fellow at Stanford in Dr Eric Kool laboratory) were both awarded the Chu Family Foundation Scholarships for Early Career Women in Science.The award by The International Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides & Nucleic Acids (IS3NA

Grinding enzymes to break down cellulose

Cellulose, one of the three major components of plants, is showing great promise as a renewable source for many convenience products. It is made of glucose, a molecule which can be fermented by microorganisms into virtually any desired small molecule of interest. More especially it can be converted to ethanol to make sustainable biofuels.

Watching energy flow in solids with ultrafast electron bursts

The way individual atoms and molecules move in materials has important consequences on properties such as electrical conductivity, heat capacity and acoustics.  Even in solids, atoms are always moving back and forth about some average position, and this motion occurs through specific wave-like modes called phonons.

Linking Localized Corrosion of Stainless Steel to Titanium

McGill University researchers have discovered the consequence of adding titanium and other stabilizing agents to high performing stainless steel on the material’s localized corrosion mechanism.

In a study published in npj Materials Degradation, the researchers describe a suite of electrochemical techniques used to characterize the material’s corrosion properties both on the macro and micro scale. 

Congratulations to the ChemPhoto Exhibition!

The first edition of the ChemPhoto: McGill Department of Chemistry Photo Exhibition took place in February and March 2018. The winners were selected by popular vote  (total votes: 266) and are:

McGill Chemistry Graduate Emily Cranston gave the Kavli Foundation Emerging Leader in Chemistry Lecture at ACS New Orleans 2018

Two Kavli Lectures are held at every ACS national meeting as the result of collaboration between ACS and The Kavli Foundation, an internationally recognized philanthropic organization known for its support of basic scientific innovation in astrophysics, nanoscience, neuroscience, and theoretical physics.

Congratulations to Alexandra Gellé on winning first place in the #RSCNano category of The Royal Society of Chemistry Twitter Conference 2018

The Royal Society of Chemistry Twitter Poster Conferences are the biggest chemistry conferences ever organized as they are held entirely over Twitter. Chemists are invited to join this online conference by tweeting they poster, allowing people all over the word to share they research and engage with the scientific research community, without having to travel!

Congratulations to Hanadi Sleiman and CJ Li for securing major Canadian Society for Chemistry awards

In 2018, Hanadi Sleiman will receive the R.U. Lemieux Award and CJ Li the Alfred Bader Award.

These awards will be presented to them during the 101st Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition which is taking place in Edmonton from May 27-31, 2018.   

ChemPhoto: McGill Department of Chemistry Photo Exhibition

The McGill Chemistry Outreach is proud to launch the first “ChemPhoto”, a photo exhibition of chemistry to coincide with Nuit Blanche on March 3 2018. The chemistry-themed photo exhibition is open to students and staff in the Department of Chemistry at McGill University. The purpose of the exhibition is to showcase the beauty of science and to foster interest in chemistry to the general public.

Congratulations to Richard Lincoln for receiving the 2017 Gerhard Closs Award from the Inter-American Photochemical Society

Richard Lincoln in the Cosa group received the 2017 Gerhard Closs Award from the Inter-American Photochemical Society in Florida in the New Year, where he gave an award lecture entitled “Lighting and Enlightening the Chemistry of the Cell”. This award was set in remembrance of Professor Gerhard L.