May 2009 by Chemical Institute of Canada

l’actualité chimique canadienne canadian chemical news ACCN

may|mai • 2009 • Vol. 61, No./n o 5

Promoting Chemistry Through Education A Publication of the Chemical Institute of Canada and Constituent Societies / Une publication de l’institut de chimie du canada et ses sociétés constituantes

Contents

may|mai • 2009 • Vol. 61, No./n o 5

7 Feature

Departments 4

Guest Column Chroniqueur invité

News Nouvelles

By Lucie Frigon

Industrial Briefs

Chemfusion

Recognition reconnaissance

Events Événements

Plastics Under Attack—The Other Side By Larry Erickson, Leonardo Simon, MCIC, and Frank Maine

Articles

Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics

Q & A with Pippa Lock, MCIC

Addressing the Problem of Plastics Persistence in the Environment By Andy Koutsandreas

By Desiree Garland

By Joe Schwarcz, MCIC

www.accn.ca

ACCN

Guest Column Chroniqueur invité

Executive Director/Directeur général Roland Andersson, MCIC Editor/Rédactrice en chef Terri Pavelic Staff Writer/rédacteur Chris Rogers Contributing writers/collaborateurs Larry Erickson Leonardo Simon Frank Maine Andy Koutsandreas

Professionals at Home and Around the World

Graphic Designer/Infographiste Krista Leroux

By Lucie Frigon

he professional status of chemists is one subject that interests the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) and its members. To deal with the issue the National Advisory Committee on the Profession of Chemist in Canada (NACPCC), which comprises leaders of each provincial body responsible for regulating the profession, was created. Its primary goal is to raise the profile of the chemical profession and determine the actions necessary to obtain official recognition of chemists as professionals. There are significant issues to deal with. For example, in 2008, the Ontario Ministry of the Environment approved amendments to the Qualified Persons (QP) provisions of Ontario Brownfields Regulations. As a consequence, chartered professional chemists are no longer recognized as QPs and cannot sign-off on remediation projects. Trying to solve this type of problem has brought the provincial bodies closer than ever and sparked unprecedented collaboration. The CSC is at the heart of the process and is confident that the many talented and dedicated contributors will help move the quest for recognition forward. The CSC is also leading the effort to find ways to comply with the Federal Government’s new labour mobility legislation. The new law states that any worker certified for an occupation by a regulatory authority of one province or territory (PT) shall be recognized as qualified to practice that occupation by all other PTs. This new legislation has introduced an urgent need to find common ground between the provinces. This is where the CSC accreditation program comes into play. The Society has lead a program for the accreditation of undergraduate chemistry programs in all provinces, except Quebec (with the exception of McGill University) for years. The program ensures that graduates are competent scientifically, and also helps maintain national educational standards. The Ordre des chimistes du Québec (OCQ) has the legal mandate to assess chemistry programs in Quebec and makes recommendations for approval to the Quebec government. The standards used by the CSC and the OCQ are different, but both sets aim to attest that graduates entering the workplace are competent. An interesting opportunity is now presented. Due to labour mobility, the CSC and the OCQ will collaborate to determine a common level on which to evaluate programs. Their work will form a solid base on which to assure that chemists from any province are “responsible and competent” to carry out their duties in any other province. A work session with all the players will take place during the 92nd Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition in Hamilton, ON. The strength of the CSC’s accreditation program is recognized internationally. The Society was invited to accredit programs abroad for the first time almost four years ago. The CSC Board, seeing a wonderful opportunity to share knowledge and secure a leading role in disseminating educational standards outside Canada, has endorsed the international accreditation program. Since then, undergraduate chemistry programs in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait have been granted CSC accreditation. The process is currently under way in Bahrain. Wherever it goes, the CSC Accreditation Team is respected and the accreditations it grants are highly valued. ACCN Lucie Frigon is the CIC communications manager.

Communications manager/ Directrice des communications Lucie Frigon Marketing Manager/ Directrice du marketing Bernadette Dacey Awards and Local Sections Manager/ Directrice des prix et des sections locales Gale Thirlwall Editorial Board/Conseil de rédaction Joe Schwarcz, MCIC, chair/président Cathleen Crudden, MCIC John Margeson, MCIC Milena Sejnoha, MCIC Bernard West, MCIC Editorial Office/ Bureau de la rédaction 130, rue Slater Street, Suite/bureau 550 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 613-232-6252 • Fax/Téléc. 613-232-5862 editorial@accn.ca • www.accn.ca Advertising/Publicité advertising@accn.ca Subscription Rates/Tarifs d’abonnement Non CIC members/Non-membres de l’ICC : in/au Canada CAN$60; outside/à l’extérieur du Canada US$60. Single copy/Un exemplaire CAN$10 or US$10. L’Actualité chimique canadienne/Canadian Chemical News (ACCN) is published 10 times a year by the Chemical Institute of Canada / est publié 10 fois par année par l’Institut de chimie du Canada. www.cheminst.ca. Recommended by the Chemical Institute of Canada, the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering, and the Canadian Society for Chemical Technology. Views expressed do not necessarily represent the official position of the Institute or of the societies that recommend the magazine. Recommandé par l’Institut de chimie du Canada, la Société canadienne de chimie, la Société canadienne de génie chimique et la Société canadienne de technologie chimique. Les opinions exprimées ne reflètent pas nécessairement la position officielle de l’Institut ou des sociétés qui soutiennent le magazine. Change of Address/ Changement d’adresse circulation@cheminst.ca Printed in Canada by Gilmore Printing Services Inc. and postage paid in Ottawa, ON./ Imprimé au Canada par Gilmore Printing Services Inc. et port payé à Ottawa, ON. Publications Mail Agreement Number/ No de convention de la Poste-publications : 40021620. (USPS# 0007-718) Indexed in the Canadian Business Index and available on-line in the Canadian Business and Current Affairs database. / Répertorié dans la Canadian Business Index et accessible en ligne dans la banque de données Canadian Business and Current Affairs. ISSN 0823-5228

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News Nouvelles

Vineland enables industries’ efforts to build agri-science research cluster Neil Branda and Byron Gates, Canada Research Chairs and material scientists, are receiving $884,106 from Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) to enhance Simon Fraser University’s capability for materials design and development at 4D LABS. WD awards federal funding for research development that fosters economic growth and diversification in western Canada. WD Minister of State Lynne Yelich announced the new funding for 4D LABS, a multi-disciplinary, international research team advancing nanotechnology for application in health, information and energy technology development. Branda and Gates, academic heavyweights in nanotechnology, are using their WD award to build a maskwriting facility, the first of its kind in Canada, for 4D LABS’ nanofabrication laboratory. Through lithographic and maskmaking processes scientists pattern materials with nanofeatures that are the foundation of new technology platforms. For example, nanofeatures could form the critical components in electronic and biomedical diagnostic devices. Currently, scientists in British Columbia have to get masks with micronscale features (from 500 nanometres to more than 100 micrometres in size or about the diametre of a human hair strand) manufactured in Alberta. It has the closest facility for this kind of work. 4D LABS’ new maskwriting facility will enable B.C. scientists to readily create nanoand micronscale features and structures under 20 nanometres (about 10,000 times smaller than the diametre of a human hair strand) in size. Researchers will also be able to rapidly and directly write features onto materials and structures. This will eliminate the need for extensive lithographic patterning and allow for the creation of 3D nanoscale features. Researchers are already lining up to use 4D LABS’ new equipment. Micro-structured fuel cell manufacturers such as Ballard Power Systems, Angstrom Power Inc. and Sweet Power and biotechnical consortiums such as The Centre for Drug Research and Development in Vancouver are among potential clients. Simon Fraser University

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Research on Alzheimer’s disease wins grade 12 Surrey student entry to national biotech competition Innovative research by a 17-year-old Surrey BC, Sands Secondary School student that could lead to an improved treatment for Alzheimer’s disease has earned first place in the 2009 Sanofi-Aventis BioTalent Challenge (SABC) in the British Columbia region. Grade 12 student Yang (Linda) Liu won the $3,000 cash prize with a study into the tangling of a protein that causes Alzheimer’s and many other neurological diseases. She will travel to Ottawa to compete in the national SABC competition May 5 to be judged by a panel of experts at the National Research Council. The national winners will be announced at a ceremony in Ottawa on May 6. Liu discovered that rhubarb extract possesses the ability to inhibit the clumping of a tau protein. Aggregation of this tau protein is implicated in the cause of many neurological diseases, among them Alzheimer’s, ALS, Parkinson’s, and others and this research has potential applications in their treatment. This is the second consecutive win for Liu in the competition, having placed second in 2008 as a member of a team that performed research on human melanoma cells. Cash prizes were also awarded to: 2nd place ($2,500): Perri Tutleman, R.C. Palmer Secondary School, Richmond, for a project that examines the effects of combination therapies in breast cancer with a view to providing more effective, lower doses of cancer drugs; 3rd place ($2,000): Claire Edgcumbe, Kitsilano Secondary School, Vancouver, for a project that examines the effect of antiepileptic drugs on the growth of neurons in the developing brain; 4th place ($1,500): Forson Chan, St. George’s School, Vancouver, for a project that examines the mechanism of antibiotic resistance and antibiotic efficacy; 5th place ($1,000): Jamuna Yoganathan and Joey Chan, J.N. Burnett Secondary School, Richmond, for a

project that examines the safety of organic versus conventional chicken for human consumption. Life Sciences British Columbia

Canadian government provides new funding for Red Deer ethanol plant Earl Dreeshen, Member of Parliament for Red Deer, on behalf of the Honourable Lisa Raitt, Minister of Natural Resources, announces that the Canadian government will provide up to $23.2 million through its ecoENERGY for Biofuels program to Permolex Ltd. “This investment is an example of how our Economic Action Plan is working for families in Red Deer,” said Dreeshen. “This will help create local jobs and economic opportunities for local businesses, both of which are more important than ever given the current global recession. In the long run, increasing our supply of cleaner fuels will also reduce greenhouse gasses and contribute to a healthier environment for all Canadians.” The ecoENERGY for Biofuels program supports the production of renewable alternatives to gasoline and diesel and encourages the development of a competitive domestic industry for renewable fuels. The program provides an operating incentive for facilities that produce renewable alternatives to gasoline and diesel. Compared to gasoline, grain-based ethanol can reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 40 percent on a life-cycle basis. For biodiesel, the emissions reduction can be as much as 60 percent. The plant in Red Deer has been producing ethanol since 1998. After Permolex Ltd. assumed ownership of the facility in 2003, the plant was expanded with the assistance of the Federal Governments Ethanol Expansion Program. Through the ecoENERGY for Biofuels program, the government will invest a total of $1.5 billion over nine years to encourage the development of a strong, competitive renewable fuels industry in Canada. The government has also provided $500 million to Sustainable Development Technology Canada for the creation of the NextGen Biofuels Fund. Natural Resources Canada

News Nouvelles

Nanoscale research attracts big funding Neil Branda and Byron Gates, Canada Research Chairs and material scientists, are

Queen’s researchers shed light on compact fluorescent lightbulb Queen’s researchers have been motivated to solve two problems with compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs): they don’t work with dimmer switches, and, more importantly, its energy efficiency is compromised because of a problem known as poor power factor. In effect, only part of the energy a CFL consumes is used to power the bulb, resulting in wasted power. “Consumer-grade CFLs need to be compact and inexpensive. Until now, the complicated circuitry needed to power these bulbs most efficiently has been too large and too costly for consumer-grade compact fluorescents,” said Praveen Jain, Canada Research Chair in Power Electronics at Queen’s University and a world expert on electronic power supplies. “In its current form, the household CFL takes away

the very benefit to the power grid that it was supposed to provide.” The Queen’s innovation is timely, Jain adds, as widespread use of today’s less efficient CFLs would reduce expected benefits to the global power grid. The global market for compact fluorescents is estimated at $80 billion. Poor power factor already has an impact on commercial users of CFLs, who are charged for the extra power consumed by the current compact fluorescents. This makes CFLs less attractive to heavy power users. As for dimmability, Jain says it too is an efficiency issue and not just a nuisance for consumers. The solutions emerged when John Lam, a PhD candidate working with Jain, developed a compact, simplified circuitry and controller design that overcomes the power problem while also meeting consumers’ need for a dimmable, inexpensive CFL. The two main challenges were making the technology directly replaceable with existing designs, and economical to produce, says Jain.

The work was carried out at Queen’s Centre for Energy and Power Electronics Research (EPowER), which tackles key problems in the area of energy conservation and brings those solutions to industry. PARTEQ Innovations, the technology transfer office of Queen’s, will work with major CFL manufacturers to bring the technology to market. PARTEQ Innovations

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News Nouvelles

Simon Fraser University Chemistry wing to get $50 million facelift Simon Fraser University’s chemistry wing, built in 1965, will get a $49.4 million facelift over the next two years. The provincial government and Industry Canada’s Knowledge Infrastructure program will jointly fund the project. The chemistry wing, which is housed in the Shrum Science Centre on the Burnaby campus, comprises classrooms and undergraduate and research labs, all built to a building code and science research standards that have changed dramatically over the past 40 years. The project will involve refurbishing the wing’s exterior envelope, adding seismic bracing, removing waste materials, installing new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning systems, and upgrading mechanical and electrical systems. Lab areas will also be redesigned to modern design standards. All of this will bring the facility up to modern and green standards. Renewal of the 102,000-sq.-ft. facility, home to nearly 60 faculty and staff, will enable SFU to further its contributions to research and development in key areas of health and life sciences, environment, and information and communication technologies. There are also approximately 50 graduate students and 10 post-doctoral fellows working in the Shrum chemistry wing. Construction is expected to begin in June. The department is working in collaboration with SFU Facilities Development to relocate both the undergraduate teaching laboratories and research infrastructure during the construction phase. SFU Chemistry recently recruited four new chemists and houses several research “clusters”. These include a new medicinal chemistry facility where scientists are investigating promising new drugs; a fuel-cell research centre where investigators are developing more efficient fuel cells; and a chemical ecology centre where scientists are developing environmentally friendly insect control methodologies. The department also operates state-of-the-art Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Mass Spectroscopy (MS) facilities that are utilized by top Canadian researchers and B.C. biotechnology companies.

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SFU’s Chemistry department is building a high profile both nationally and internationally through its strategy to interface chemistry with other natural science. It has been extremely competitive in obtaining research funding, securing 17 percent of SFU’s total research funding to date for this fiscal year. • Simon Fraser University

Asia Bio-Chem Group Corp. announces the resignation of Steven See from the board Asia Bio-Chem Group Corp. announces the resignation of Steven See from the board of directors of the company. See has been a director of the company since its public listing in June 2008 and has served as a member of both the audit committee as well as the compensation committee during this time. The departure of See is for personal reasons and he leaves without any difference of opinion with the company or with the other board members. “We would like to thank Steven See for his contribution to our board. His experience and insight has been very helpful during our first year as a public company,” said Zhiping Wang, president and CEO of Asia Bio-Chem. The company has no plans to replace See and will continue with its remaining five directors.

•

Asia Bio-Chem Group Corp.

•

CFI investment advances U of S Health and space research University of Saskatchewan (U of S) researchers have been awarded a total of $445,907 from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) in support of research projects on space simulation, population health, mental disorders, and other areas. The new funding from the CFI Leaders Opportunity Fund will support 117 projects at 29 institutions across Canada. The U of S projects are: • Li Chen (electrical and computer engineering) will use a space-simulation chamber

to develop electronic devices and systems that tolerate radiation and harsh temperatures found in outer space and other extreme environments. Collaboration partners are from national and international institutions, including the Johnson Space Center, NASA. Wendy Duggleby and Donna Goodridge (nursing) will establish the Quality End of Life Research Centre to support research focused on improving health care provided to people with terminal illnesses. The centre will also be a national training centre for students and researchers. John Howland (psychology) will develop a multidisciplinary neuroscience research laboratory that will combine advanced behavioural and electrophysiological techniques to understand the mechanisms governing brain-behaviour relationships and mental disorders such as schizophrenia, drug addiction, and depression. Longhai Li (mathematics and statistics) will use a high-performance computer cluster to help solve difficult statistical problems from life science research, such as identifying susceptibility genes for certain diseases, which eventually will benefit the health of Canadians. Lisa Lix (School of Public Health) will establish a laboratory to research the quality of administrative health data and its use in population health and health services research. The lab will benefit her collaborative research with clinicians, health services researchers, and epidemiologists from across Canada. Artur Sowa (mathematics and statistics) will further research characterization and simulation of quantum systems and carry out a collaborative research project on bioand chemical-nanosensors for application in diagnosis of pulse crop diseases. University of Saskatchewan

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

Continuing Education for Chemical Professionals

Laboratory Safety course 2009 Schedule June 1–2

Hamilton, ON August 24–25

Montréal, QC September 21–22

he Chemical Institute of Canada

(CIC) and the Canadian Society for Chemical Technology (CSCT) are

the knowledge and working experience of

• Safety Policies, Training and Audits

chemical technologists and chemists. All course

• Hazard Classification Systems

participants receive the CIC’s Laboratory Health

• WHMIS, NIOSH, and beyond

and Safety Guidelines, 4th edition. This course is

• Hazardous Materials

intended for those whose responsibilities include

• Flammable and Combustible Materials

improving the operational safety of chemical laboratories, managing laboratories, chemical plants or research facilities, conducting safety audits of laboratories and chemical plants. During the course, participants are provided with an integrated overview of current best practices in laboratory safety.

• Corrosive Chemicals • Toxic Materials • Reactive Materials • Insidious Hazards • Compressed Gases • Cryogenic Liquids • Radiation

 Day

• Physical Hazards

Instructor Eric Mead, FCIC, a former instructor with the

$550 CIC members $750 non-members $75 student members

chemical technology program at SIAST, has

For more information about the course and locations, and to access the registration form, visit:

chemical industry.

www.cheminst.ca/ profdev



• Introduction • Occupational Health and Safety Legislation

October 5–6

Registration fees

presenting a two—day course designed to enhance

Toronto, ON

Edmonton, AB

 Day

taught and practised laboratory workplace safety for more than 30 years. A former chair of the Chemical Institute of Canada, Mead has been commended for his work on behalf of the

• Fire • Glassware • Electrical Hazards • Machinery • Storage • Chemical Storage • Chemical Inventory • Storage Methods for Specific Hazard Classifications • Chemical Spills and Waste Disposal • Spill Containment and Cleanup

“The chemical field and profession are

• Spill Control Kits

built on a foundationof trust with society.

• Properties of Wastes

An integral part of that trust is the safe

• Large Chemical Spills

operationof facilitiesincludinglaboratories,

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whether industrial, academicor government.

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The educationof engineers, scientists and

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technologistsmust reflect that level of trust.

• Head, Feet and Body Protection

We all share in the responsibilityfor safe

• Hearing and Breathing Protection

and ethical research, chemical processing

• Fume Hoods and HVAC

and analysis." —Eric Mead

• Machinery

Canadian Society for Chemical Technology

News Nouvelles

Industrial Briefs

Suncor Energy and Petro-Canada join forces to create Canadian energy company Suncor Energy Inc. and Petro-Canada have agreed to merge the two companies. Upon completion of the transaction, the parties have agreed the combined entity will operate corporately and trade under the Suncor name, while maintaining the strong brand presence and customer loyalty of Petro-Canada in refined products. "This merger creates a made-in-Canada energy leader with the assets, cost structure and financial strength to compete globally," said Rick George, president and chief executive officer of Suncor and who will assume the same role with the merged entity. "The combined portfolio boasts the largest oil sands resource position, a strong Canadian downstream brand, solid conventional exploration and production assets, and low-cost production from Canada's east coast and internationally." Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement entered into between Suncor and Petro-Canada, the proposed merger will be effected by way of a Plan of Arrangement completed under the Canada Business Corporations Act. It will feature a common share exchange through which Petro-Canada common shareholders will effectively receive 1.28 common shares of the merged company for each common share of Petro-Canada they own and each Suncor common shareholder will receive one common share of the merged company for each common share of Suncor they own. The exchange ratio represents an approximate 25 percent premium for the Petro-Canada shares to the 30-day weighted-average trading price of such shares. On completion of the proposed transaction, Suncor's existing shareholders will own approximately 60 percent and PetroCanada shareholders will own approximately 40 percent of the merged company. The merging companies estimate achieving annual operating expenditure reductions of $300 million. These savings are expected to come from efficiencies in overlapping operations, streamlining business practices, and improved logistics. The companies also expect to achieve annual capital efficiencies of approximately $1 billion through elimination of redundant spending and targeting capital budgets to high-return, near term projects. The merged company's Board of Directors is expected to comprise 12 Directors, including eight members from Suncor's current board and four members from Petro-Canada's current board. John Ferguson, Suncor Energy Chair, will serve as Chair of the Board of Directors of the merged company. Completion of the proposed merger is conditional on approval of Suncor and Petro-Canada shareholders, compliance with the Competition Act, and satisfaction of other customary approvals including regulatory, stock exchange, and Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta approvals. Suncor Energy

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Merck & Co., Inc. and Cardiome Pharma Corp. sign a collaboration and license agreement for the development and commercialization of vernakalant, an investigational candidate for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The agreement provides Merck with exclusive global rights to the oral formulation of vernakalant (vernakalant [oral]) for the maintenance of normal heart rhythm in patients with atrial fibrillation, and provides a Merck affiliate, Merck Sharp & Dohme (Switzerland) GmbH, with exclusive rights outside of the United States, Canada and Mexico to the intravenous (IV) formulation of vernakalant (vernakalant [IV]) for rapid conversion of acute atrial fibrillation to normal heart rhythm. Med BioGene Inc. (MBI) appoints David Matthews as chief financial officer. Matthews brings over 20 years of experience in funding and operating life science companies and will play a critical role in executing upon our LungExpress Dx(TM) commercialization strategy. Immediately prior to joining MBI, Matthews was a director of BMO Capital Corporation, a subsidiary of Bank of Montreal providing mezzanine financing and equity capital to Canadian mid-market companies. Prior to that, he was the managing director of Aspreva Pharmaceuticals SA, the European subsidiary of Aspreva Pharmaceuticals Corporation, which was acquired in 2007 by Galenica Group for US$915 million. Prior to joining Aspreva, Matthews was the chief financial officer of StressGen Biotechnologies Corp. (now Nventa Biopharmaceuticals Corporation) and Allelix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., which was acquired in 1998 by NPS Pharmaceuticals for $60 million. The Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology), announces a contribution to MedShare Inc. from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP) to support an innovative research and development project. MedShare is a software company that provides mobile health record solutions to meet the needs of North American home health care agencies. This initiative will receive a contribution of up to $284,500 under the IRAP program and allow the company to explore a new solution for the management of electronic health records for the home care sector. The technology will ultimately be delivered to clients by one of MedShare's health care delivery partners. Protox Therapeutics Inc. appoints John Parkinson to the position of chief financial officer of the company. Parkinson replaces David Swetlow, vice president of Finance and Operations, who is leaving Protox to pursue entrepreneurial opportunities. Parkinson has cross-industry experience in the management of high growth, dynamic global companies. Previously, he was vice president, Finance at Aspreva Pharmaceuticals, a rapidly growing public company formed in 2003 and recently sold to a diversified European healthcare group for over $1 billion. He was a key factor in Aspreva's TSX and NASDAQ $100 million IPO in 2005, the largest in Canadian healthcare history. Parkinson co-chaired the Joint Finance Committee with partner Hoffman-La Roche, which held the responsibility for managing the financial elements of their $1.7 billion annual revenue sharing and collaboration agreement. WEX Pharmaceuticals Inc. announces the appointment of Larry Gontovnick to the position of vice president, Research and Development. Gontovnick has served as senior director, Clinical Development since September 2008. He will oversee the further clinical development of WEX's lead product, Tetrodotoxin (TTX) for the treatment of cancer pain. In addition, he will have overall responsibility for WEX's research and development programs. Gontovnick received his Ph.D. degree in pharmacology from the University of British Columbia and was a Medical Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Wisconsin's McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research. Jean Bourgouin is leaving his position as part-time chief scientific officer to pursue other opportunities.

may 2009 Canadian Chemical Newsâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; 11

Chemfusion Joe Schwarcz, MCIC

Everyday Chemicals

like to listen to the radio when I cook. And I was just in the midst of chopping my veggies when the lead item on the newscast caused my ears to perk up: "Carcinogenic chemicals found in baby shampoos!" I knew I had better get ready for the onslaught of phone-calls and the e-mails because the words “carcinogen” and “baby” in the same sentence add up to a formula for panic. But first things first. The chicken was already in the pot and I had to finish chopping my parsnips, carrots, onions and celery for the soup. Once the soup was nicely simmering, I began to Google. The consumer group, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, I learned, had commissioned a laboratory analysis of a number of children's shampoos and bath products, and was now trumpeting the discovery of undeclared formaldehyde and dioxane. Since both of these chemicals are

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classified as probable human carcinogens, it comes as no surprise that the airwaves and newspapers were soon filled with stories about "baby products tainted with cancer causing chemicals." What do I make of it all? Much ado about not much. How do these chemicals end up in these consumer items in the first place? Formaldehyde is an indirect additive, released at a controlled rate from imidazolinyl urea, DMDM hydantoin or quaternium 15. Its purpose is to keep bacteria at bay. Dioxane is another story. This is a trace contaminant that is formed during the manufacture of certain detergents, such as those that may be included in baby shampoos and bubble baths. Concern arises because in addition to being likely carcinogens, formaldehyde and dioxane, are also potential allergens. Of course the pertinent question is whether or not the amounts found in these products present a risk. As we well know, dose matters. As far as allergens are concerned, the dose that matters can indeed be very small. Some cosmetic products may contain up to 600 parts per million of formaldehyde, and that can cause skin irritation. Such reactions are rare, but possible. But reactions to bacterial contaminants that may form in the absence of preservatives are a bigger concern. It always comes down to a risk-benefit analysis. We don't ban peanuts because allergy to them may threaten the lives of some consumers. People may accept the risk of an allergic reaction, but when the specter of cancer rears its head, well that's another story. Indeed, formaldehyde can cause cancer, at least in animals that inhale it at a high dose over a long period. There is also some evidence that embalmers, pathologists and people who work with formaldehyde-containing resins may have a slightly increased risk of cancers of the lungs, nose and throat. But these exposures are astronomically greater than that presented by products such as shampoos which are applied, and then washed away. Even when formaldehyde is applied to the skin of mice at concentrations of up to 10 percent over their lifetime, no effects on longevity are noted. Dioxane, based on animal studies, is a carcinogen. When administered to rats in large amounts in their drinking water, it can cause cancer. However, studies carried out on people who have extensive occupational exposure to dioxane have not shown any increase in cancer rates. So why should we tremble at

the trace amounts of dioxane in some cosmetic products, amounts which in any case evaporate almost immediately when applied to the skin? We shouldn't. But what about the possibility that tiny amounts may be absorbed through the skin and build up in the body? That seems to be very unlikely. A study of over 2,000 people of all ages, randomly selected, has failed to detect any dioxane in their blood. So what's our bottom line? Exposure to trace amounts of formaldehyde or dioxane from cosmetic products is not a big worry. If we're going to get all antsy about such things, we might as well worry about, well, chicken soup! That's right. My chicken soup is loaded with carcinogens. Not man-made additives, but naturally occurring compounds. Furocoumarins like 8-methoxypsoralen are present in parsnips and celery. Not only are they potential carcinogens, they can cause nasty skin reactions. Carrots contain caffeic acid, another carcinogen. I commonly add basil, which contains estragole, a known rodent carcinogen. The same can be said for alpha-methylpyrroline in black pepper. I'm sure an analysis of my cooked chicken would reveal some heterocyclic aromatic amines, nasty carcinogens. And then there is the formaldehyde. It occurs naturally in the onions and shiitake mushrooms I use to flavour the soup. In fact, shiitake mushrooms, can have a whopping 400 parts per million of formaldehyde! What is the point here? To trigger headlines about toxic chicken soup? Of course not. We need to realize that we are constantly exposed to thousands and thousands of chemicals on a daily basis, both natural and synthetic. Some, whether natural or synthetic, have the ability to trigger cancer under certain conditions. But the nature of those conditions is critical. The risk to an embalmer working with a concentrated formaldehyde solution day in and day out, or to a rodent reared on formaldehydelaced drinking water, is not the same as that to a human exposed to traces of formaldehyde in a shampoo. And I don't worry one bit about the formaldehyde I'm ingesting in my soup, even though I bet my exposure is far greater than from any shampoo. ACCN Joe Schwarcz, MCIC, is the director of McGill University’s Office for Science and Society. He hosts the Dr. Joe Show on Montréal’s radio station CJAD and Toronto’s CFRB. The broadcast is available at www.CJAD.com.

ARticle: Plastics under Attack

Oriented WPC bridge at the Arboretum, University of Guelph

Plastics Under Attack

the Other Side

lastics going to landfill is like throwing away gold. Plastics can and should be recycled but who is going to pay for it and who is going to do the work? Doing some experiments in a university laboratory does not solve the problem. End-use applications have to be developed and scaled-up. Who is to do this and who is going to pay for this? So far, there are no easy answers to these questions. There is no doubt that plastics have had bad press of late, and for a variety of reasons. However, another side of plastics and their potential is emerging from research and development in a number of locations, including Canada. An example is a joint project between the University of Guelph and the University of Waterloo on the use of wheat straw fibre with polypropylene to make oriented wheat straw fibre/polypropylene composites. The work has shown that using wheat straw fibre

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mai 2009

By Larry Erickson, Leonardo Simon, MCIC, and Frank Maine

in place of wood fibre in oriented WPCs (wood fibre/polypropylene composites) results in the same physical properties. WPCs have grown from a start in 1995 to a US $2 billion industry in North America in 2008. The primary markets are in construction with products like decking, railing, fencing and trim. The plastic materials used are PE, PP and PVC with the emphasis being on using recycled plastics. The work was pioneered by Exxon-Mobil in their search for a use for plastic grocery bags. After developing the initial WPCs, a management buyout of the technology resulted in the formation of Trex which last year had sales of over US$300 million. There are currently some 30 manufacturers of WPC in the US and the difficulties in the construction market this year should make for quite a challenging time for these manufacturers. Weyerhaeuser, one of the largest US forest product companies, bought the Canadian technology developed by PSA Composites Ltd.

Oriented WPC bridge at the Cutten Club, Guelph to make second-generation WPCs that use orientation technology to produce composites that are twice as strong and half the weight of the first-generation WPCs. In light of the current market conditions, Weyerhaeuser has decided not to proceed with constructing manufacturing plants to produce these new composites but has instead decided to sell the technology and the pilot plant equipment that was used in the scale up development work. The patents expire in 2020. Canada has had a hard time competing in the US WPC market. Several companies have tried and failed to compete successfully. The Canadian market has been difficult to penetrate because of both the conservative attitude of Canadian buyers and also the difficulties in getting the needed government approvals for use in the construction market. There are some major changes taking place that provide opportunities. One change is the price of oil on the world scene. Whereas it rose

to just under $150 per barrel last year and is now down to around $50 per barrel, the longterm price will be going up. We don't know the timing but we do know that it will be going up as we have passed peak-oil production. Alternate energy will play an increasingly important role in our energy use and the bioeconomy is almost certainly the future. Biofuels, such as bioethanol and biodiesel, will involve increased and alternate use of agricultural crops and the use of biomass raises several questions as to market opportunities. Wheat straw is one of the currently available biomass materials. Wheat straw is underutilized and available in bale form at $0.03 per lb. The challenges are to identify realistic applications and prove that they are both technically and economically viable. Packaging (34%), the construction (26%) and transportation (18%) markets are the largest plastics market representing 78% of plastics consumption. The construction and automotive markets are being

examined for realistic opportunities. Potential customers are also being sought. This includes governmentsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;both provincial and federal.

Alternate energy will play an increasingly important role in our energy use and the bioeconomy is almost certainly theÂ future. Using wheat straw or wood fibre in thermoplastic composites, only address one half of the composite, the filler, as a biomaterial. What about the other half, the matrix? At present we are mainly using polypropylene, a may 2009 Canadian Chemical Newsâ&#x20AC;&#x201A; 15

ARticle: Plastics under Attack petrochemicalbased polymer. We are currently starting work using biopolymers. There are several approaches to meet this objective. Braskem, in Brazil has recently announced that they have made PE and PP from ethanol

Government applications that come to mind are the sound barriers on highways (provincial) and small harbours (federal) of which there are 3,000 owned by the federal government. derived from sugarcane. Therefore, we now have biopolyethylene and biopolypropylene. The properties should be the same. The question is at what price? At least it is an option. Another option is the family of thermoplastic polyesters. This includes PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PPT (polypropylene terephthalate), PBT (polybutylene terephthalate) and PHA (polyhydroxy alkanoate). PET and PBT are petropolymers, PPT is half petropolymer and half biopolymer, and PHA is one of the new biopolymers. PVC (polyvinylchloride) could also be made from bio-ethanol,



Canadian Society for Chemistry

16 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

mai 2009

thus a bio-PVC. By starting with petropolymers, a technology can be developed that is competitive in the current climate and when oil prices drive up the price of petropolymers, the change can be made to biopolymers which, by then, will be cost effective. The advantage of the thermoplastic polyesters is that they are engineering polymers with structural properties whereas the polyolefins, PE and PP, are non-structural and will creep with long-term applied loads. PET is also the pop bottle polymer of which there is a tremendous amount of material available. Not only is PET in the same price range as PE and PP, the recycled PET is half of that price—very attractive, especially for an engineering polymer. Initial work at the University of Waterloo has shown that recycled polymers can be used with little change in physical properties. When orientation technology is used, some outstanding properties are obtained. But with structural applications, engineering properties are needed for design and prototype applications. Who is to do this work and where is it to be done? In the 1950s, the new designs in concrete bridges were tested in civil engineering departments at Ontario universities. Is this not a model we can use here? Bridges are one of the possible market applications. Four pedestrian foot bridges have been made and installed as a demonstration of this possible application. The bridge installed at the University of Guelph's Arboretum and the bridge installed at the Cutten Club golf course in Guelph, are made with oriented 30 percent wood fibre/polypropylene composite 1 x 4s

and these bridges have been standing for a couple of years now. But what are the long term properties? How about creep? Would a thermoplastic polyester as the matrix material be a better choice? The questions of who is going to do the work and who is going to pay for that work are the most difficult questions to answer. Canada's industrial research capability has almost disappeared in the last 40 years, compared to what it was. Industrial Canada is now primarily SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) who do little if any R&D and certainly not anything that cannot be commercialized within a year's time. The financial community, such as venture capital, wants to make its money and get out in a three year time frame. The only other realistic option is for governments to be involved both as a sponsor and as a customer. Government applications that come to mind are the sound barriers on highways (provincial) and small harbours (federal) of which there are 3,000 owned by the federal government. With the coming of the bioeconomy, there is an opportunity here to create jobs and markets in Canada. This is the kind of work that needs more attention in the press and encouragement from government. Is anybody listening? Funding of the above research has been provided by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. ACCN Larry Erickson, University of Guelph, Leonardo Simon, MCIC, University of Waterloo and Frank Maine, Frank Maine Consulting Ltd.

CSC International Accreditation



Chemical Institute of Canada

Nominations are now open for the

ChemicalInstitute of Canada

2010AWARDSAct now!

Do you know an outstanding person who deserves to be recognized?

The Chemical Institute of CanadaMedal is presented as a mark of distinctionand recognition to a personwho has made an outstanding contributionto the science of chemistryor chemical engineering in Canada. Sponsored by the Chemical Institute of Canada. Award: A silver medal, a framed scroll and travel expenses. The Montréal Medal is presented as a mark of distinction and honour to a residentin Canada who has shown significant leadership in or has made an outstandingcontribution to the professionof chemistryor chemical engineeringin Canada. In determining the eligibility for nominations for the award, administrative contributions within the Chemical Institute of Canada and other professional organizations that contribute to the advancement of the professions of chemistry and chemical engineering shall be given due consideration. Contributions to the sciences of chemistry and chemical

engineering are not to be considered. Sponsoredby the Montréal CIC Local Section. Award: A medal, a framed scroll and travel expenses.

Macromolecular Science and EngineeringAward is presented

Deadlines

The deadline for all CIC awards is

The

July 2, 2009 for the 2010 selection.

to an individual who, while residing in Canada, has made a distinguished contribution to macromolecularscience or engineering. Sponsored by NOVA Chemicals Corporation. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize, and travel expenses.

Nomination Procedure

The CIC Award for Chemical Education is presented as a mark of recognitionto a personwho has made an outstanding contribution in Canada to education at the post-secondary level in the field of chemistry or chemicalengineering. Sponsoredby the CIC Chemical Education Fund. Award: A framed scroll and a cash prize.

Submit your nominations to: Awards Manager Chemical Institute of Canada 130 Slater Street, Suite 550 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 T. 613-232-6252, ext. 223 F. 613-232-5862 awards@cheminst.ca

Nomination forms and the full Terms of Reference for these awards are available at www.cheminst.ca/awards.

may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 17

ARticle: Oxo-biodegradable plastics

By Andy Koutsandreas

Oxo-Biodegradable Plastics

Addressing the Problem of Plastics Persistence in the Environment

s the uses for polyolefin bags and other plastic film products proliferated, it became apparent that limited-use plastics lasted much longer than they needed to, in other words, they persisted too long in the environment after being used and then discarded. Owing to their inherent durability, plastics continue to accumulate in the municipal solid waste (MSW) stream, continue to be a highly visible component of litter and continue to impact our environment. Plastics persist in the environment because they degrade particularly slowly. So the ability to speed up the degradation process and control the useful lifetime of a plastic material would help to reduce the accumulation of plastics in the environment. This ability is available through the use of Oxo-Biodegradable technology.

18 â&#x20AC;&#x201A; Lâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ActualitĂŠ chimique canadienne

mai 2009

How Does Oxo-Biodegradable Technology Work? It has been known for some time that hydrocarbons such as polyolefins degrade slowly by a process called oxidative degradation.1,2 Over time, the oxidative degradation process will cause the molecular weight to decrease to the point that biodegradation can occur.3, 4, 5 The only problem is that this can take decades, or even centuries, to complete. Oxo-Biodegradable additives contain fatty acid compounds of specific transition metals (iron is an example of a transition metal) as their primary active ingredient. These compounds act as catalysts in speeding up the normal reactions of oxidative degradation with the overall reaction rate increased by several orders of magnitude. The products of the

catalyzed oxidative degradation of plastics are precisely the same as for conventional plastics because other than the small amount of additive present, the plastics are indeed conventional plastics. Oxo-Biodegradable additives also contain antioxidants that prevent oxidative degradation during storage and use of the plastic product. Antioxidants function by ‘deactivating’ the free radicals that cause degradation and are routinely used in plastics and other hydrocarbons (ex. cooking oil). Product lifetime (shelf life + service life) is controlled by antioxidant level and the rate of degradation after disposal is controlled by the amount and nature of the catalyst used. The catalysts and antioxidants are compounded in a polymeric matrix to be added by the converter to conventional plastic resin used to produce a particular product. The level of addition is typically in the range of two – 10 percent, depending on the specific application and the performance required. The degradation and biodegradation mechanisms are recognized in ASTM D6954-04, which provides guidelines for exposing and testing plastics that degrade in the environment by a combination of oxidation and biodegradation. The appearance, processability and performance of plastics containing oxobiodegradable additives are virtually the same as those produced with the same resins but without pro-degradant additives. Not surprisingly then, plastics containing oxobiodegradable additives may be used in all the applications for which conventional plastics are suitable. Since there is no need to change the type of resin used or the manufacturing equipment, the only added cost is the cost of the additive, which results in only a fractional increase in the total raw material cost.

Degradation Triggers Once the product has completed its intended service life, the Oxo-Biodegradation process is triggered by the conditions prevalent in the disposal environment. Heat (elevated temperatures as found in landfills or composting), UV light (from the sun) and mechanical stress (e.g. wind or compaction in a landfill) all serve to accelerate the oxidation of the OxoBiodegradable plastic material. The oxidation process continues to the point that the molecules become hydrophilic and small enough

to be ingestible by micro-organisms. In the presence of moisture and micro-organisms typically found in the environment, the plastic material is completely broken down into the residual products of the biodegradation process. As micro-organisms consume the degraded plastic, carbon dioxide, water, and biomass are produced and returned to nature by way of the biocycle.

No “Heavy Metals” Used The term “heavy metals” has no scientific meaning and should be avoided; however, in common parlance, the term frequently refers to toxic or harmful metals such as lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, selenium, barium, chromium, nickel and antimony. Individual analysis conducted on a regular basis by certified independent laboratories in Europe and North America has consistently confirmed the absence of “heavy metals” in the tested OxoBiodegradable additives. The UK Food Standards Agency’s Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals has carried out a risk assessment on trace elements and has shown that all the transition metal salts used in the tested additives are in fact trace elements necessary for healthy plant and human growth.9 None of the components of these tested additives are classified as carcinogens by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Food Contact Compliant Selected additives are either listed in the FDA’s food additive regulations as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) or have been tested to ensure that they are within acceptable limits for rate of migration from plastic packaging into foods with which they are in contact. These additives have been deemed to comply with the US Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act and all applicable food additive regulations. Selected additives comply with the relevant European Union (EFSA) and Member State legislation applicable to food contact materials and may be used in plastic food packaging in Europe. Most of the components of these additives may be used in contact with food without restrictions. Some are subjected to specific migration limits, and tests have shown that these comply with the requirements of the Frame Work Directive (89/109/ EEC) and the Plastics Directive (2002/72/EC).

Individual products sold in Canada for direct food contact applications have to be approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). For example, for each application incorporating these additives, end-product manufacturers are required to

It has been known for some time that hydrocarbons such as polyolefins degrade slowly by a process called oxidative degradation. obtain approval from CFIA before the product can be used for food contact. A number of applications to date have been approved for products containing these additives including polystyrene food trays for meat packaging and polypropylene cutlery.

Disposal Environments Landfills Repeated testing has proven that plastic products containing these additives degrade rapidly in landfills. Temperatures in landfills are well above ambient due to microbial activity and there is sufficient oxygen present for oxidative degradation to take place.6, 7 Landfill studies in the UK, China and Canada3, 8, 10 confirm that plastics containing these additives degrade and molecular weight will decrease to a value at which the degraded plastic is readily biodegradable. It is clearly an advantage to have discarded plastic degrade in landfills. Non-degradable and impervious plastic bags, sheets and films prevent the free movement of gases and liquids through the mass of organic waste that is contained in or ‘protected’ by this ordinary plastic.

Composting It has been shown repeatedly that Oxo-Biodegradable plastics containing these additives compost well and produce good quality composts,8 although they do not mineralize quickly enough to meet the arbitrary time limits set out in standards ASTM D6400 and EN 13432. Still, bodies such as ASTM and the may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 19

ARticle: Oxo-biodegradable plastics European Waste Framework Directive recognize the value of biomass and humic material in compost; however, this is not currently a part of the existing standards.

Litter Littering of any material is a social problem that cannot be avoided by development of novel plastics technologies. It seems that, in spite of laws, fines and social pressures, a small percent of the population continues to litter owing to ignorance and/or indifference.

Oxo-Biodegradable additives also contain antioxidants that prevent oxidative degradation during storage and use of the plastic product. Oxo-Biodegradable plastics degrade in the presence of sunlight and continue to breakdown by oxidative degradation and biodegradation in the environment. The continued use of OxoBiodegradable plastics is not encouragement of littering but simply an effective way to cope with an existing, seemingly perpetual problem.

Recycling

C CMembership

Recently, a research study commissioned by R E C Y C - Q Ué B E C ( C a n a d a ) s h owe d that polyethylene carrier bags made using the tested additives were compatible with the conventional recycling stream, whereas

hydro‑biodegradable plastics (those that are claimed to be made entirely or in part from renewable sources) were incompatible.

Benefits of Oxo-Biodegradable Technology: • Proven solution for accelerating plastics degradation and biodegradation • Time-controlled degradation • No change to resins in current use • No change to manufacturing process • Products can be re-used, recycled • Completely safe, food-contact compliant • Fractional added cost to implement

Conclusion Oxo-Biodegradable technology is a safe, effective, affordable and environmentally responsible alternative and can be part of the solution to the plastic waste management issue facing our environment today.

References 1. N.C. Billingham and P. D. Calvert, “Degradation and Stabilisation of Polyolefins”, Applied Science, 1983, pp. 1–28. 2. D. M. Wiles, Biodegradable Polymers for Industrial Applications, (Cambridge: Woodland Publishing, 2005) chapter 3, pp.57–76. 3a. E. Chiellini, A. Corti and G. Swift, “Biodegradation of thermally oxidized, fragmented low-density polyethylenes”, Polymer Degradation and Stability, vol. 81, 2003, pp. 341–351. 3b. E. Chiellini, A. Corti, S. D. Antone and R. Baciu, “Oxo-biodegradable carbon

backbone polymers – oxidative degradation of polyethylene under accelerated test conditions,” Polymer Degradation and Stability, vol. 91, 2006, pp. 2739–2747. 4. R. Arnaud, P. Dabin, J.Lemaire, S. AlMalaika, S. Choban, M. Coker, G. Scott, A. Fauve and A. Maarooufi, “Photooxidation and biodegradation of commercial photodegradable polyethylenes,” Polymer Degradation and Stability, vol. 46, 1994, pp. 211–224. 5. I. Jakubowicz, “Evaluation of biodegradable polyethylene,” Polymer Degradation and Stability, vol. 80, 2003, pp. 39–43. 6. G. Swift and D. M. Wiles, “Biodegradable and degradable polymers and plastics in landfill sites”, Encyclopedia of Polymer Science and Technology (Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2004). 7. D. M. Wiles, Biodegradable Polymers for Industrial Applications, (Cambridge: Woodland Publishing, 2005) chapter 16, pp. 437–450. 8. G. Scott and D. M. Wiles, “Degradable hydrocarbon polymers in waste and litter control”, Degradable Polymers: Principles and Applications, (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2002) pp. 454–457. 9. UK Food Standards Agency, Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals, Part 3, Trace Elements, Risk Assessment, 2003. 10. N. C. Billingham, M. Bonora and D. De Corte, “Environmentally degradable plastics based on oxo-biodegradation of conventional polyolefins”, Proceedings of the 7th World Conference on Biodegradable Polymers and Plastics, Pisa, June 4–8, 2002. ACCN Andy Koutsandreas, EPI Environmental Products Inc.

JOIN TODAY! • Network with fellow science and engineering professionals.



20 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

Chemical Institute of Canada

• Exchange cutting-edge information. • Participate in the enhancement of your profession. • Engage the next generation.

www.cheminst.ca/membership

mai 2009



Canadian Society for Chemistry

Nominations are now open for the

CanadianSociety for Chemistry

2010AWARDSAct now!

Do you know an outstanding person who deserves to be recognized?

The Rio Tinto Alcan Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contributionin the fields of inorganic chemistry or electrochemistry while working in Canada. Sponsored by Rio Tinto Alcan. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize, and travel expenses. The Alfred Bader Award is presented as a mark of distinction and recognition for excellence in research in organic chemistry carried out in Canada. Sponsored by Alfred Bader, HFCIC. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize, and travel expenses. The Strem Chemicals Award for Pure or Applied Inorganic Chemistry is presented to a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant who has made an outstanding contributionto inorganic chemistry while working in Canada, and who is within ten years of his or her first professional appointment as an independent researcher in an academic, government, or industrial sector. Sponsored by Strem Chemicals Inc. Award: A framed scroll and travel expenses for a lecture tour. The Boehringer Ingelheim Award is presented to a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant whose PhD thesis in the field of organic or bioorganic chemistry was formallyaccepted by a Canadian university in the 12-month period preceding the nominationdeadline of July 3 and whose doctoral research is judged to be of outstanding quality. Sponsored by Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize, and travel expenses. The Clara Benson Award is presented in recognition of a distinguished contribution to chemistry by a woman while working in

Canada. Sponsored by the Canadian Council of University Chemistry Chairs (CCUCC). Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize, and travel expenses. The Maxxam Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution in the field of analyticalchemistry while working in Canada. Sponsored by Maxxam Analytics Inc. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize, and travel expenses. The R. U. Lemieux Award is presented to an organic chemist who has made a distinguished contribution to any area of organic chemistry while working in Canada. Sponsored by the Organic Chemistry Division. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize, and travel expenses. The Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada, who shall not have reached the age of 40 years by April 1 of the year of nomination and who has made a distinguished contribution in the fields of organic chemistry or biochemistry while working in Canada. Sponsored by Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize, and travel expenses. The Bernard Belleau Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of medicinal chemistry through research involving biochemical or organic chemical mechanisms. Sponsored by Bristol Myers Squibb Canada Co. Award: A framed scroll and a cash prize. The John C. Polanyi Award is presented to a scientist for excellence in research in physical, theoretical or computational chemistry or chemical physics carried out in Canada. Award: A framed scroll.

The Fred Beamish Award is presented to an individual who demonstrates innovation in research in the field of analytical chemistry, where the research is anticipated to have significant potential for practical applications. The award is open to new faculty members at a Canadian university and they must be recent graduates with six years of appointment. Sponsored by Eli Lilly Canada Inc. Award: A framed scroll, a cash prize, and travel expenses. The Keith Laidler Award is presented to a scientist who has made a distinguished contributionin the field of physical chemistry while working in Canada. The award recognizes early achievementin the awardee’s independent research career. Sponsored by the Physical, Theoretical and Computational Division. Award: A framed scroll. The W. A. E. McBryde Medal is presented to a young scientist working in Canada who has made a significant achievement in pure or appliedanalytical chemistry. Sponsored by Sciex Inc., Division of MDS Health Group. Award: A medal and a cash prize.

Deadline

The deadline for all CSC awards is July 2, 2009 for the 2010 selection.

Nomination Procedure Submit your nominations to: Awards Manager Canadian Society for Chemistry 130 Slater Street, Suite 550 Ottawa, ON K1P 6E2 T. 613-232-6252, ext. 223 F. 613-232-5862 awards@cheminst.ca

Nomination forms and the full Terms of Reference for these awards are available  at www.chemistry.ca/awards.

may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 21

ARticle: Chemistry and Education

QA &

Q & A with

Pippa Lock

CCN recently spoke with Pippa Lock, MCIC, assistant professor in the department of chemistry at McMaster University and representative for the chemical education division of the 92nd Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition.

Q: What is the public’s understanding of chemistry?

I believe that the public’s understanding of chemistry is often, unfortunately, quite limited and negative. Much press time is given to bad news stories of incidents involving harmful chemicals, toxic chemicals, chemical leaks and spills. However I find that little press time is given to good news, breakthroughs about how chemistry is being used to improve daily life across the globe or if those stories are present, then often the focus is not on the chemistry involved, but rather, a different cloak such as health, medicine, environment and energy. We have made a point of integrating these themes into our Year One Chemistry courses at McMaster in order to create links between the utility of chemistry in solving problems in all of these areas, and others. Then, there’s the definition of what a chemical is. Any substance could be defined as a chemical, yet often public perception is that a chemical is something harmful. Water is a chemical—it is composed of the elements hydrogen and oxygen. It’s essential for life, like many other substances (chemicals).

Q: How much of public understanding of chemistry is demystifying it?

There is certainly a component of this necessary to promote understanding, probably a good deal of demystifying. How much does the public understand about what a chemist does? Many people could probably name some large chemical companies but do they draw the connections to the products these companies produce, and how those chemical products are at work in their daily lives? I believe the answer is often not. Nor would I imagine there is a strong understanding of the types of work that chemists and others put into the development of such products.

Q: What are the most effective ways or best practices to use when it comes to teaching chemistry?

One thing I feel strongly about is providing examples of applications of chemistry in both cutting edge research and everyday life are

22 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

mai 2009

By Desiree Garland

essential. The latter gives us an appreciation of where we find chemistry every day; the former gives us an appreciation of where chemistry will help lead us in the future. In my classroom I seek to make the environment as interactive as possible. We use chemical demonstrations as well as skit demonstrations, and both of these involve student participation. I make use of the “think-pair-share” technique, where I pose a question, invite students to think about the question, and then students pair up to discuss their viewpoints, and we collect some feedback as a large group. This technique is one way to ensure everyone in the class has a chance to speak. I also make use of what we call “concept check” questions to uncover misconceptions or to gauge the understanding of the group in class at a certain point of a given topic. We also play “pass the microphone” where students speak up on a given large group discussion topic such as alternative fuels as an example.

Q: What are the challenges of teaching chemistry?

A: In very practical terms, often, it is large class sizes in Year One. Also, making clear what a career in chemistry can lead to, so that students and parents are willing to consider a chemistry degree as a viable option. We know that it is a fantastic degree in terms of training and transferable skills, yet people are often unsure of what a chemist does in terms of day to day life in a job or in a career and therefore find it difficult to visualize a possible career. We try to send various messages about what career options could look like. Another challenge is getting students interested and understanding how it is that chemistry has a huge impact on their everyday lives. There is a large population of students in our class who will not be chemists as their profession. Yet their degree requires them to take that chemistry course in first year and sometimes second year. Part of our challenge is in trying to connect with the interest of everyone who is in the classroom at some point in time. Also, sending the message that chemistry will play a central role in providing solutions to some of the world’s most significant problems, like energy alternatives to fossil fuels. Chemistry in terms of picturing what happens at the molecular level and at the atomic level tends to be a very abstract science. Someone who is a chemist tends to think well on that scale, how one molecule is able to interact with another molecule, how two atoms are able to go together; I don’t think everyone innately sees that. Helping students who are trying to learn chemistry access that very abstract piece of what’s happening at the very small scale is a central piece. I am always

looking for creative visualizations that will help connect the students to that very small scale process. Whether that’s a useful animation, a skit, various means like that.

Q: How do you get the students involved?

A: We use concept check questions, we will be teaching a unit and then we will pause and we’ll put in a question that is about a concept not a numerical question, and invite the students to think on that, turn to the person next to them and we will collect the responses as a group. This is referred to as a think, share, pair exercise; it enables the students to have a voice in the very large class setting. By posing in those questions, we are inviting people to engage with the material as well, it’s not just all one way lectures. We have the chemical demonstrations and whenever we can, we get the students to participate and carry out the reaction. We have the skit demonstrations that I facilitate but the participants are all students. We also have a bulletin online. Students participate there by asking questions and answering each other’s questions as well.

Q: What are the best tools of the trade for learning and teaching chemistry?

A: The use of interactive teaching methods, examples and applications are two of my best tools. Also of great importance are various technological tools and tools that help with visualizing what happens at the atomic/molecular scale. Chemistry, in terms of what happens at the atomic level, can be a very abstract science for non-chemists to appreciate. Any visual aid, be it an animation, graphic, demonstration, can bring a greater appreciation that the atomic scale is very valuable.

Q: What are the goals for chemistry education and national learning outcomes?

A: Hopefully the symposium Toward National Learning Objectives for Chemistry Curriculum will mark the beginning of a national conversation which will continue going forward. In general terms I would say one goal I have is that students will have an appreciation of the contributions chemistry makes in their

day-to-day lives, as well as an appreciation of how chemistry is being used to address some of society’s largest questions.

Q: What should the goals of the educator be?

A: Supporting student success is very important to me, whatever that looks like, each student is different. I work to achieve this in a variety of ways, always keeping in mind that the student has to take ownership of their own learning and sometimes that is a transition that occurs during university rather than before. In general terms I would say one goal I have is that students will have an appreciation of the contributions chemistry makes in their day-to-day lives. Offering connections between chemistry and the lives of the student and offering things they haven’t seen before. Whether those are cutting edge research examples or taking a topic and saying lets look at the piece that’s familiar and now let’s look at the next level. Let’s stretch it to somewhere or something we haven’t seen before and let’s look at what we can achieve if we do that. I am always looking at what the next set of resources is so I can develop to support my students learning experience.

Q: How do you ditch the idea of the “mad scientist” that is so prevalent in the public’s eyes, and at the same time, how do you ditch the negative connotations associated with the word chemistry?

The community of chemists and others involved with promoting chemistry need to ensure that we are putting forth role models who are not the stereotype of the ‘mad scientist’. The more diversity in our role models, the better. In addition, I would say the higher the profile for their forum, the better. The more we can promote the diversity in the types of roles that a chemist can hold, and the contributions this person can make, the better our chance of getting away from the ‘mad scientist’ profile. This is a huge educational opportunity for the community of chemists and those who work to promote chemistry in a positive light. To ditch the negative connotations we need to make very clear what the positive contributions are.

Q: Do you think there is a general desire for the public to learn more about the industry?

From my perspective, I have a desire for the public to be as educated about the discipline and industry as possible. I don’t know if the reverse is true: if they desire to learn more about the industry. People have a perception of what is and what’s not a chemical and I would argue that everything is a chemical. When people use their sticky notes for example, they are probably not thinking about the chemical processes that made that sticky note possible,. It was a chemical breakthrough that led to the development of the sticky note and yet it’s ubiquitous, we use them everyday. I don’t know if people have the desire to learn about it but if they did, what they would find out would surprise them and might help us get rid of the negative connotations by highlighting all of the positive contributions chemistry has made.

Q: What are some of the most important topics in chemistry for the public to understand?

A: Looking at the contributions of chemistry to the key themes of health, energy and the environment because there are big problems in each of those areas for society to address; chemistry has a great deal to give to all three of these areas, whether its water purification, developing better solar cells or developing new drugs; I would highlight any of those three. One of the largest topics of focus has to be energy and the alternatives to fossil fuels. It’s a central issue for the globe, for issues such as pollution, and making energy available in a sustainable fashion, especially in developing countries.

Q: What needs to be done to improve chemistry’s image in the public eye?

A: Chemistry needs to “own” all of the important contributions that it is offering and has offered for improving life. Chemistry needs a good public relations agent who can really highlight the role that it has to play in every good news story, and in all sectors, the financial pages, health, energy and environment sections, and the front page. Wherever there is a story that is connected to chemistry we need to bring that connection to the forefront. ACCN

may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 23

Recognition reconnaissance

 Chemical Institute of Canada

CIC can help with your career! Being a member of one of the CIC Societies has its advantages during uncertaintimes: • If you lose your job, and have been a full-fee member for at least one year, the CIC will waive your membership fees. This optionis available for up to two years; • Unemployed members can attend the annualCSC or CSChE conferences at the same price as an undergraduate student. They can stay informed on what’s going on in the scientific community and participate in careerbuilding events; • Local Section activities are valuable networkingopportunities. Most positions are not advertised; • Take advantage of our range of CareerServices. See details at

www.cheminst.ca/careers

Hadi Mahabadi, FCIC, received the New Pioneer Award in March 2009 for his outstanding contributions in the areas of science and technology. The New Pioneer Awards are Ontario’s landmark cultural community celebration. They are awarded by Skills for Change, a non-profit agency providing learning and training opportunities for immigrants so that they can participate in the workplace and wider community. The awards seek to recognize and showcase the accomplishments of outstanding individuals who have come to call Canada “home”.

Michael Sefton, FCIC, has been awarded the Killam Prize in recognition of his outstanding career achievements in tissue engineering. Sefton is cross-appointed in the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering (IBBME) and the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, University of Toronto. The Killam Prize is Canada’s most distinguished award given by the Canada Council for the Arts.

David Wilkinson, FCIC, has been appointed Director of the Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC) at the University of British Columbia. Wiklinson’s appointment will be for a fiveyear term, as of July 1, 2009.

Pippa Lock, MCIC, was named the overall teaching award winner for the Faculty of Science, MacMaster University, at the 2008-2009 McMaster Student Union (MSU) Teaching Awards ceremony. The MSU committee of students select the recipients. Of the 200 science instructors, five chemistry faculty members were part of the short list this year.

Grant Allen, FCIC, Christopher Yip, MCIC, and professor emerita M. Jane Phillips, department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, University of Toronto, have been elected as American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellows.

Mark Pritzker, MCIC, department of chemical engineering, University of Waterloo, has been awarded the 2009 Wighton Fellowship. The Wighton Fellowship, administered by the Sandford Fleming Foundation, recognizes excellence in the development and teaching of Canadian undergraduate engineering laboratorybased courses

Ajay Dalai, MCIC, professor of chemical engineering, has been appointed associate dean, research and partnerships in the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan for a five-year term, effective July 1, 2009. ACCN

In Memoriam: The CIC extends its condolences to the families of: Dave B. Newman, MCIC, G.M. Allison, MCIC, Brad Bjornson, MCIC, D.A. Shearer, FCIC, Martin Skala, MCIC

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Chemical Institute of Canada

may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 25

Recognition reconnaissance



Chemical Institute of Canada

Chemical Institute of Canada 2009 Award Winners Gagnants 2009 des prix de l’Institut de chimie du Canada

R. J. D. Miller

Robert H. Pelton, MCIC Russell J. Boyd, FCIC

Medal of the Chemical Institute of Canada Médaille de l’Institut de chimie du Canada Sponsored by / Parrainé par Chemical Institute of Canada / Institut de chimie du Canada The Chemical Institute of Canada Medal is presented as a mark of distinction and recognition to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the science of chemistry or chemical engineering in Canada. La Médaille de l’Institut de chimie du Canada est décernée à une personne en guise de reconnaissanceet pour souligner sa contributionexceptionnelle à la chimie ou au génie chimique au Canada. R. J. D. Miller University of Toronto Department of chemistry R. J. Dwayne Miller received his BSc honours degree in chemistry and immunology from the University of Manitoba in 1978 and his PhD in 1983 from Stanford University. He gained a faculty position at the University of Rochester directly from his PhD and took a year leave to pursue a change in research direction as a NATO Science Fellow. He quickly rose through

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Normand Voyer, FCIC

the ranks and was promoted to full professor of chemistry and optics in 1992. In 1995, he relocated his research group to the University of Toronto to take up the NSERC Lumonics Chair in Quantum Optics. The motivation for this move was to dedicate his group to the study of the structure-function correlation in biological systems. By designing a new generation of electron guns, his group was the first to be able to capture atomic motions with femtosecond time resolution. This work has realized a long held dream to watch atoms in real time during a chemical event, i.e. to watch atoms move during the breaking or making of a chemical bond. The making of this “Molecular Movie” was the primary reason for relocating his research group to the University of Toronto. A 15-year effort was finally realized in 2003 with the cover story of Science first announcing it to the world. Miller has published over 147 research articles, one book, and several seminal reviews. His research accomplishments have been recognized through an A. P. Sloan Fellowship, a Richard and Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Award, an NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award, a John Simon Guggenheim Award, the John Polanyi Award, The Rutherford Medal in Chemistry, a Humboldt Award, JSPS Fellowship and Global Lecturer Award (Japan). Miller is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and the CIC. He is the founding director of the Institute

for Optical Sciences at the University of Toronto, and co-scientific director of the Advanced Laser Light Source, an international 200 terawatt class international laser facility in Varenne Quebec. He is on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Chemical Physics; the Advisory Editorial Board of Chemical Physics and Chemical Physics Letters; and has been program chair and general chair of Ultrafast Phenomena, the most prestigious meeting in his field. In 2007, he was appointed university professor at the University of Toronto for his accomplishments, an honour bestowed to fewer than two percent of the faculty. Apart from his scientific exploits, he is also dedicated to the promotion of science education through high school outreach and teacher training programs. He has served as a board member and chair of Scientists in School to help bring interactive science experiments to the classrooms for now over 500,000 children yearly. His most significant accomplishment in this regard came this past year with the inaugural Science Rendezvous event that he initiated. This annual event exposes the general public to the importance of science and provides a means to keep the public engaged and active in support of science that is so critical to our collective future. This event was the largest event of its kind in North America at the time and drew over 15,000 people to celebrate the wonders of science.

Recognition reconnaissance Macromolecular Science and Engineering Award Prix des sciences et du génie macromoléculaires Sponsored by / Parrainé par NOVA Chemicals Corporation The Macromolecular Science and Engineering Award is presented to an individualwho, while residing in Canada, has made a distinguished contributionto macromolecularscience or engineering Le Prix des sciences et du génie macromoléculairesest décerné à un individupour sa brillante contribution dans les domaines des sciences et du génie macromoléculairesalors qu’il résidait au Canada. Robert H. Pelton, MCIC McMaster University Department of chemical engineering Robert Pelton is a professor of chemical engineering at McMaster University and holds the Canada Research Chair in Interfacial Technologies. He is the founding director of the McMaster Centre for Pulp and Paper Research. Pelton is also the scientific director of the SENTINEL Bioactive Paper Network, a newly formed Canadian research network involving 11 universities, 28 academics and nine industrial partners. Pelton leads a large research group investigating the impact of polymers and biopolymers on the properties of paper. He received his PhD from Bristol University in colloid science and has industrial experience at Uniroyal, Paprican and Union Carbide. Pelton has published more than 215 peer reviewed papers and is particularly well known for inventing poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) temperature sensitive microgels as well as for the pioneering work on PEO as a retention aid in papermaking. More recently his research has focused on the adhesion of wet cellulose to a variety of materials, including biomacromolecules. His SENTINEL projects involve understanding the influence of paper surface chemistry on the activity of paper-supported antibodies, bacteriophage and DNA aptamers.

Montréal Medal Médaille Montréal Sponsored by / Parrainé par Montréal CIC Local Section / Section locale de Montréal de l’ICC The Montréal Medal is presented as a mark of distinction and honour to a resident in Canada who has shown significant leadership in or has made an outstanding contribution to the profession of chemistry or chemical engineeringin Canada. La Médaille Montréal est décernée à un individu en guise de reconnaissance pour honorer ses qualités considérables de leader et la contribution exceptionnelle à la profession de la chimie ou du génie chimique au Canada Russell J. Boyd, FCIC Dalhousie University Department of chemistry Russell J. Boyd is the Alexander McLeod professor of chemistry and associate vicepresident of research, at Dalhousie University. His research interests span a range of topics in computational and theoretical chemistry with an emphasis on problems relevant to biological systems. He has published about 230 research papers and 10 review chapters and co-edited The Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules with Chérif Matta in 2007. He has supervised the research of 18 PhD students, more than 25 postdoctoral fellows and senior visitors, and a comparable number of undergraduate students. Fourteen former members of his group hold academic appointments in Canadian universities and another eight hold similar appointments abroad. Boyd has served the CSC in a number of capacities including president 2007/08 and director of accreditation 1996/99. He was the editor for Theoretical Chemistry of the Canadian Journal of Chemistry from 1988 to 1998. He has served on many committees of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and he was elected to the Board of the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists in 2002. He was chair of the department of chemistry at Dalhousie University from 1992 to 2005. During this time 11 new faculty members, including four outstanding senior chemists, were recruited and the graduate program expanded significantly.

The Department gained four Tier I Canada Research Chairs between 2001 and 2003.

CIC Award for Chemical Education Prix de l’ICC pour l’enseignement de la chimie Sponsored by / Parraigné par CIC Chemical Education Fund / Fonds de l’enseignement de la chimie de l’ICC The CIC Award for Chemical Education is presented as a mark of recognition to a person who has made an outstanding contribution in Canada to education at the post-secondary level in the field of chemistry or chemical engineering. Le Prix de l’ICC pour l’enseignement de la chimie souligne la contribution exceptionnelle d’une personne dans le domaine de l’enseignement de la chimie ou du génie chimique au Canada au niveau postsecondaire. Normand Voyer, FCIC Université Laval Département de chimie After graduating with a BSc (1981) and PhD (1985) from Université Laval, Normand Voyer joined the group of Donald J. Cram at UCLA as postdoctoral scholar. Following two years at DuPont, Wilmington, DE, he started his academic career in 1988 at Université de Sherbrooke. After getting tenure in 1996, he returned to his alma mater, where he is currently full professor and chair of the department of chemistry. In addition to his research efforts on the development of functional, bio-inspired nanostructures, Voyer participates actively in the promotion of chemistry. To illustrate the importance of chemistry, he has delivered numerous general lectures to over 5,000 teenagers on surprising subjects such as the Chemistry of Love, Nano 101, and Genetics, Genomics and Ethics. He has also collaborated in the making of three major exhibits to promote chemistry among kids: Ebulliscience, Des atomes crochus, and Un monde d'odeur. Noteworthy of mention, he founded the Colloque annuel des étudiants et étudiantes de 1er cycle en chimie, which celebrated his 20th anniversary in 2008. ACCN

may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 27

Recognition reconnaissance

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Canadian Society for Chemistry

Canadian Society for Chemistry 2009 Award Winners Gagnants 2009 des prix de la Société canadienne de chimie

André Charette, FCIC

Andrew Bennet, FCIC

Alexandre Côté, MCIC

Ludovico Cademartiri

Molly Shoichet, MCIC

Aicheng Chen, MCIC

Axel Becke

Paul Wiseman

Liang Li, FCIC

Hélène Lebel, MCIC

Chris Orvig, FCIC

R. J. Andersen, FCIC

Hanadi Sleiman, MCIC

Hans-Peter Loock, MCIC

Alfred Bader Award Prix Alfred-Bader Sponsored by / Parrainé par Alfred Bader, HFCIC The Alfred Bader Award is a mark of distinction and recognition of a scientist, who shall not have reached the age of 60, for excellence in organic chemistry research. Le Prix Alfred-Bader est une marque de distinction et de reconnaissance décernée à un chercheur de moins de 60 ans pour souliner l’excellence des travaux de recherche en chimie organique effectués au Canada. André Charette, FCIC Université de Montréal Department of chemistry André B. Charette was born in 1961 in Montréal, QC. Shortly after his BSc from the Université de Montréal in 1983, he moved south

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of the border to pursue his graduate studies at the University of Rochester, NY. Under the supervision of Robert Boeckman Jr., he earned his MSc (1985) and PhD (1987) in organic chemistry. Following a two-year NSERC postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University with D. A. Evans, he began his academic career at the Université Laval (Québec) in 1989. In 1992, he joined the Université de Montréal, where he quickly rose through the ranks to full professor, a position he has held since 1998. Today, he is also the holder of the NSERC/Merck Frosst/ Boehringer Ingelheim Industrial Chair on Stereoselective Drug Synthesis and of a Canada Research Chair in Stereoselective Synthesis of Bioactive Molecules. His research lies primarily in the development of new methods for the stereoselective synthesis of organic compounds and natural products. Among his recent honors are the CSC R.U. Lemieux Award (2006), the Urgel Archambault Award (2006), the ACS Cope Scholar Award (2007) and the Prix MarieVictorin (2008).

Bernard Belleau Award Prix Bernard-Belleau Sponsored by / Parrainé par Bristol Myers Squibb Canada Co. The Bernard Belleau Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution to the field of medicinal chemistry through research involving biochemical or organic chemical mechanisms. Le Prix Bernard-Belleau est décerné à un scientifiquerésidant au Canada qui s’est distingué par sa contribution au domaine de la chimie médicale, en effectuant des recherches touchant les mécanismes biochimiquesou de chimie organique. Andrew Bennet, FCIC Simon Fraser University Department of chemistry

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Recognition reconnaissance Andrew Bennet was born in Hanwell, UK, and raised in West London. He attended the University of Bristol (UK), receiving a BSc (Hons) in 1979, and a PhD in 1985 in mechanistic carbohydrate chemistry under the supervision of Michael L. Sinnott. Postdoctoral fellowships took him to the laboratory of Richard L. Schowen at the University of Kansas, where he studied the catalytic mechanism of acetylcholinesterase, and then to Canada where he worked with R. Stanley Brown at the University of Alberta, on the acid and base-catalyzed mechanisms of amide hydrolysis reactions. He joined the department of chemistry at Simon Fraser University in 1991, where he is now a professor and departmental chair. His scientific interests are in the areas of catalysis and reactivity in carbohydrate chemistry and biochemistry, with a particular focus on

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2009 Alfred Bader Scholarships Canadian Society for Chemistry

The CSC offers up to three $1,000 Alfred Bader Scholarships annually as a mark of excellence for achievement in organic chemistry or biochemistry by undergraduate students completing their final year of student in an honours programme.

Deadline May 30, 2009

For details visit

www.chemistry.ca/ baderscholarships

CSC

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using kinetic techniques to probe bond–making and –breaking processes that occur during these important biological reactions. He is a fellow of the CIC and has held numerous positions within the CSC/CIC organization, including: member of the CSC board of directors; chair of the Vancouver local section and chair of the organic chemistry division. He is also an associate editor for Biochemistry and Cell Biology and the bioorganic editor for Canadian Journal of Chemistry.

the synthesis of salt-free diorganozinc reagents and their applications in asymmetric catalysis. For his graduate work, he was awarded an NSERC scholarship and the Governor General's Gold Medal. Since January 2008, he has joined Erik Sorensen's group at Princeton University as an NSERC postdoctoral fellow. His current research is centred on the total synthesis of complex natural molecules which exhibit unique biological properties.

Boehringer Ingelheim Award

CCUCC Chemistry Doctoral Award

Prix Boehringer Ingelheim

Prix du doctorat en chimie du CDDCUC

Sponsored by / Parrainé par Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. The Boehringer Ingelheim Award is awarded to a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant whose PhD thesis in the field of organic or bio-organic chemistry was formally accepted by a Canadian university in the 12-month period preceding the nomination deadline and whose doctoral research is judged to be of outstanding quality. Le Prix Boehringer Ingelheim est remis à un citoyen canadien ou à un résident permanent dont la thèse de doctorat dans le domaine de la chimie organique ou bioorganique a été officiellement acceptée par une université canadienne au cours des 12 mois qui ont précédé la date limite de mise en candidature, et dont les travaux de recherche en vue du doctorat se démarquent par leur qualité. Alexandre Côté, MCIC Université de Montréal Département de chimie Alexandre Côté is a native of Québec City, where he completed his BSc in chemistry at Université Laval in 1999. In 2000, he took a brief respite from his studies to accept a position as a medicinal chemist at Pharmacor in Laval, QC. He remained there for two years, actively working on HIV protease and integrase inhibitors. In 2002, he entered graduate school at Université de Montréal where he earned his MSc (2004) and PhD degrees (2007) under the supervision of André Charette, FCIC. His dissertation focused on the development of new catalytic methods for the preparation of chiral amines and nitroalkanes using diphosphine monoxide ligands. He also worked on

Sponsored by / Parrainé par Canadian Council of University Chemistry Chairs (CCUCC) / Conseil des directeurs de département de chimie des universités canadiennes (CDDCUC) The CCUCC Chemistry Doctoral Award is presented for outstanding achievement and potential in research by a graduate student whose PhD thesis in chemistry was formally accepted by a Canadian university in the 12-month period preceding the nomination deadline. Le prix du doctorat en chimie du CDDCUC est présenté à un étudiant des cycles supérieurs dont la thèse de doctorat en chimie a été formellement acceptée par une université canadienne au cours des 12 mois précédant la date d’échéance des mises en candidatures. Ce prix souligne une contribution et un potentielen recherche exceptionnels. Ludovico Cademartiri University of Toronto Department of chemistry Ludovico Cademartiri was born in Parma, Italy in 1978. He took his Laurea Magistrale (BSc) degree (summa cum laude) in materials science at the University of Parma in 2002. He then left Italy to start his PhD in interdisciplinary chemistry at the University of Toronto under the guidance of Geoffrey Ozin, FCIC, which he successfully defended in 2008. Since October 2008, he is a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University under the supervision of George M. Whitesides. He has

Recognition reconnaissance coauthored 14 publications, two textbooks, and received awards such as the Governor General Gold Medal, the Materials Research Society Graduate Student Award, the ACS DIC Young Investigator Award, and the CSC DIC Prize for Graduate Work in Inorganic Chemistry. He has been working on a wide array of topics ranging from nanochemistry, to photonics and mesoporous materials, now extending into cellular biology, flames and CO2 chemistry.

under 40 and the Royal Society of Canada’s Rutherford Memorial Award. More recently, Shoichet was elected into the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Division of the Academy of Science of Royal Society of Canada. Shoichet received her BSc from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in chemistry (1987) and her PhD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, in polymer science and engineering (1992). She has published over 290 papers.

Clara Benson Award

Fred Beamish Award

Prix Clara-Benson

Prix Fred-Beamish

Sponsored by / Parrainé par Canadian Council of University Chemistry Chairs (CCUCC) / Conseil des directeurs de département de chimie des universités canadiennes (CDDCUC)

Sponsored by / Parrainé par Eli Lilly Canada Inc.

The Clara Benson Award is presented to a woman in recognition of a distinguished contribution to chemistry while working in Canada. Le Prix Clara-Benson est décerné à une femme pour souligner sa contribution remarquableau domaine de la chimie alors qu’elle oeuvrait au Canada. Molly Shoichet, MCIC University of Toronto Terrence Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research Molly Shoichet holds the Canada Research Chair in tissue engineering and is professor of chemical engineering and applied chemistry, chemistry and biomaterials and biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto. She is an expert in the study of polymers for regeneration which are materials that promote healing in the body. Shoichet's laboratory has numerous patents (published and pending) on drug delivery and scaffold design. She has founded two spin-off companies from her laboratory. Before being recruited to the University of Toronto in 1995, Shoichet worked at CytoTherapeutics Inc. on encapsulated cell therapy. Shoichet is the recipient of such prestigious distinctions as the Killam Research Fellowship, NSERC’s Steacie Fellowship, CIHR’s Young Explorer’s Award (to the top 20 scientists under 40 in Canada), CSChE’s Syncrude Innovation Award, Canada’s Top 40

The Fred Beamish Award is given to recognize individuals who demonstrate innovation in research in the field of analytical chemistry, and whose research is anticipated to have significant potential for practical applications. Le Prix Fred-Beamish vise à reconnaître les chercheurs qui font preuve d’innovation dans le domaine de la chimie analytique et dont les travaux de recherche laissent entrevoir des possibilité d’applications concrètes considérables. Aicheng Chen, MCIC Lakehead University Department of chemistry Aicheng Chen received his PhD in 1998 from the University of Guelph. He then spent two years working as a research scientist at Huron Tech Canada Inc. and two years as an electrochemical specialist at FINNCHEM Canada Inc., Kingston, ON. In August 2002, he joined Lakehead University as an assistant professor where he was promoted to associate professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in 2005. His research interests span the areas of electrochemistry, bioelectrochemistry, green chemistry and materials science, and led to the development of new electrochemical technologies for environmental and biological analysis. He was awarded the 2008 CNC/IUPAC Travel Award, 2006 Senior JSPS Fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), 2005 Young Chemist Program Award of the 40th IUPAC Congress, and the Premier’s Research Excellence Award in 2003.

John C. Polanyi Award Prix John-C.-Polanyi Sponsored by / Parrainé par Physical, Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Division / Division de chimie physique, théorique et numérique The John C. Polanyi Award is presented to a scientist for excellence in research in physical, theoretical or computational chemistry or chemical physics carried out in Canada. Le prix John-C.-Polanyi est décerné pour souligner l’excellence en recherche effectuée au Canada dans les domaines de la chimie physique, théorique ou numérique, ou de la physicochimie. Axel Becke Dalhousie University Department of chemistry Axel Becke was born in Esslingen, Germany in 1953. His BSc from Queen’s in 1975 and graduate degrees from McMaster are in engineering and theoretical physics. He spent three years as an NSERC and E. B. Eastburn postdoctoral fellow in the chemistry department at Dalhousie University before taking up his first academic position in the chemistry department at Queen’s University as an NSERC University Research Fellow in 1984. In 2006, Becke returned to the chemistry department at Dalhousie University as Killam Chair in Computational Science. His research in the Density-Functional Theory (DFT) of electronic structure has transformed the field of computational chemistry, with over 50,000 literature citations to date. He is recipient of the 1991 Medal of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science, the 1994 Noranda Award of the CSC, the 1999 Queen's University Prize for Excellence in Research, and the 2000 Schroedinger Medal of the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists. He is a member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science and Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada and the World Association of Theoretical and Computational Chemists. Becke was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2000 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2006. He enjoyed a productive research leave in 2005–2007 as a Killam Research Fellow of the Canada.

may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 31

Recognition reconnaissance Keith Laidler Award Prix Keith-Laidler Sponsored by / Parrainé par Physical, Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Division / Division de chimie physique, théorique et numérique The Keith Laidler Award is presented to a scientist who has made a distinguished contribution in the field of physical chemistry while working in Canada. The award recognizes early achievement in the awardee’s independentresearch career. Le Prix Keith-Laidler est décerné à un scientifique pour sa contribution remarquable dans le domaine de la chimie physique alors qu’il travaillait au Canada. Le prix souligne les réalisations premières dans la carrière indépendenteen recherche du récipiendaire. Paul Wiseman McGill University Department of chemistry Paul Wiseman obtained his BSc (Honours) from St. Francis Xavier University in 1989 and PhD in chemistry from The University of Western Ontario in 1995 where he held a NSERC postgraduate research fellowship. Afterwards he was awarded a Japan Society for the Promotion of Science postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Tokyo and Nagoya University, and later became a LJIS interdisciplinary postdoctoral research fellow at the University of California, San Diego. In 2001, Wiseman started as an assistant professor jointly appointed in the depart-

Saviez-vous Toutes les éditions d’ACCN parues avant 2008 peuvent être lues gratuitement sur le Web à  www.accn.ca?

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ments of chemistry and physics at McGill University, and was promoted to associate professor in 2007. His research involves combining nonlinear optical microscopy, correlation spectroscopy and nanoscience for studying transport dynamics of macromolecules and their interactions in living cells and neurons. He was awarded the Young Fluorescence Investigator award in 2005 by the Biophysical Society and the Yaffe Teaching Award and the Principal’s Prize for Teaching (assistant professor level) by McGill in 2007. In 2008, Wiseman was named one of the new Fessenden Professors in Science Innovation at McGill based on recent work involving nonlinear optical detection of malaria infection. When not teaching or doing research, W i s e m a n c a n o f t e n b e f o u n d p l ay i n g hockey and soccer in McGill’s intramural sports program.

Maxxam Award Prix Maxxam Sponsored by / Parrainé par Maxxam Analytics Inc. The Maxxam Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution in the field of analytical chemistry while working in Canada. Le Prix Maxxam est décerné à un scientifique résidant au Canada qui s’est distingué dans le domaine de la chimie analytique alors qu’il travaillait au Canada. Liang Li, FCIC University of Alberta Department of chemistry Liang Li, obtained his BSc in chemistry from Zhejiang (Hangzhou) University, China, in 1983, and his PhD in chemistry from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1989, under the supervision of David M. Lubman. After graduation, he joined the department of chemistry at the University of Alberta in July 1989, where he is now a professor of chemistry, adjunct professor of biochemistry and Canada Research Chair in Analytical Chemistry. Li’s research interest is in the area of developing new mass spectrometric techniques for proteomics and metabolomics applications. He has won several awards including the

RutherfordMemorial Medal in Chemistry from the Royal Society of Canada (2003) and the F. P. Lossing Award from the Canadian Society for Mass Spectrometry (2006). Li serves on editorial boards of several journals and is an editor of Analytica Chimica Acta.

Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research Award Prix du Centre de recherche thérapeutique Merck Frosst The Merck Frosst Centre for Therapeutic Research Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada, who shall not have reached the age of 40 years by April 1 of the year of nomination and who has made a distinguished contribution in the fields of organic chemistry or biochemistry while working in Canada. Le Prix du Centre de recherche thérapeutique Merck Frosst est attribué à un scientifique résidant au Canada qui n’a pas atteint l’âge de 40 ans au 1er avril de l’année de mise en nomination qui s’est distingué dans les domaines de la chimie organique ou de la biochimie alors qu’il travaillait au Canada. Hélène Lebel, MCIC Université de Montréal Département de chimie Hélène Lebel received her BSc in biochemistry from the Université Laval in 1993. She conducted her PhD studies in organic synthesis at the chemistry department of the Université de Montréal under the supervision of André B. Charette, FCIC, as a 1967 Science and Engineering NSERC Fellow. In 1998, she joined the research group of Eric Jacobsen at Harvard University as the NSERC postdoctoral fellow. She started her independent career in 1999 at the Université de Montréal and has been promoted to the rank of associate professor in 2005. Lebel has already received a number of academic honours, including the Research Corporation Award in 2001, the Boehringer Ingelheim Young Investigator Award in 2001, the Synthesis-Synlett-Journals Award in 2001 and the Enantioselective Synthetic Chemistry Research Award in 2005. She currently holds the Canada Research Chair in Organometallic Catalysis. The major aim



Continuing Education for Chemical Professionals

Risk assessment course

he Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC) and the Canadian Society

2009 Schedule October 19–20

for Chemical Engineering (CSChE)

are presenting a two-day course designed to enhance the knowledge and working experience of safety, environmental and process safety professionals. This course is geared to those whose responsibilities include: risk assessment, development of

Toronto, ON

management systems, and providing advice

October 26–27

is to reach a thorough understanding of

Edmonton, AB

Registration fees

$845 CIC members $995 non-members $100 student members For more information about the course and locations, and to access the registration form, visit:

www.cheminst.ca/ profdev

to decision makers. The learning objective integrated risk assessment and management principles and techniques. During the course, participants will be provided with a broad overview of the technical tools available to assess risk in industrial environments and shown how these tools fit in the broader risk management systems.

Instructor Ertugrul Alp, PhD, PEng, MCIC, principal, Alp & Associates Incorporated, has over 20 years experience in assessment and management of risks to environment,

Day

• Introduction • Major Historical Accidents in Process Industries • Risk Concepts: How to Estimate Risk and Evaluate it’s Acceptability • Integrated Risk Management: Success Factors for High Performance • Risk Management Process • Techniques for Risk Analysis • Qualitative Techniques: Hazard Identification with hands-on applications • Index Methods • Frequency Analysis Techniques, SVA, LOPA (Fault and Event Trees) • Practical Hazard Awareness in Operating Plants

Day • • • • • • • • • • •

health, safety, property and reputation. His experience covers a number of industrial sectors including: chemical, energy, pulp and paper, mining, steel, transportation, and government.

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• • • •

Quantitative Techniques Fault and Event Trees Fire, Explosion, Dispersion Modeling Damage/Vulnerability Modeling Risk Estimation and Risk Presentation Applications to Plant Layout Design Health Risk Analysis Risk Evaluation and Decision-Making Risk Cost Benefit Analysis Elements for Process Safety Management with Reference to US OSHA PSM Regulations Emergency Management with Reference to Environment Canada and other Canadian Legislation Land Use Planning Risk Monitoring Stakeholder Participation Summary and Conclusion

Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 33

Recognition reconnaissance of her research program is to develop new synthetic methodologies in organic chemistry to produce C-C and C-N bonds.

Prix de R.-U.-Lemieux Sponsored by / Parrainé par CIC Organic Chemistry Division / Division de chimie organique de l’ICC

Rio Tinto Alcan Award Prix Rio Tinto Alcan

The R. U. Lemieux Award is presented to an organic chemist who has made a distinguished contribution to any area of organic chemistry while working in Canada.

Sponsored by / Parrainé par Rio Tinto Alcan The Rio Tinto Alcan Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution in the fields of inorganic chemistry or electrochemistry while working in Canada. Le Prix Rio Tinto Alcan est décerné à un scientifique résidant au Canada qui a contribué de façon remarquable aux domaines de la chimie inorganique ou de l’électrochimie alors qu’il travaillait au Canada. Chris Orvig, FCIC The University of British Columbia Department of chemistry Chris Orvig, was born and raised in Montréal. He received his Hons. BSc in chemistry from McGill University in 1976 and subsequently completed his doctorate (as a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada scholar) in technetium chemistry at MIT with Alan Davison, FRS. After an NSERC postdoctoral fellowship with Kenneth N. Raymond at the University of California, Berkeley (1981– 1983) and one year with the late Colin J. L. Lock at McMaster University, he joined the Department of Chemistry at The University of British Columbia in 1984, where he is now professor of chemistry and pharmaceutical sciences, and director of the Medicinal Inorganic Chemistry Group, as well as graduate advisor. His scientific interests are firmly based in the areas of medicinal inorganic chemistry and coordination chemistry—he has been involved over the years with radiopharmaceutical chemistry, metal ion decorporation, and metal ion neurotoxicology, as well as chemotherapeutic metal complexes and ligands. Orvig chairs the editorial board of Dalton Transactions, has received various research and teaching awards, has published more than 170 research papers, and is a co-inventor on many issued patents; he is also a certified ski instructor.

34 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

R. U. Lemieux Award

mai 2009

Le Prix R.-U.-Lemieux est remis à un chimiste organicien pour souligner sa contribution remarquable dans toutes les sphères de la chimie organique alors qu’il travaillait au Canada. Raymond J. Andersen, FCIC The University of British Columbia Department of chemistry Raymond Andersen was born in Drumheller, AB. He received a BSc (Hons) in chemistry from the University of Alberta in 1969, a MSc in chemical physics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1970, and a PhD in marine natural products chemistry from the University of California San Diego-Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1975, where he worked under the supervision of D. John Faulkner. After leaving UCSD, he carried out postdoctoral research with George Büchi in the chemistry department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1977 he accepted a position as an assistant professor in the chemistry and oceanography departments at The University of British Columbia, where he has been a full professor since 1987. Andersen’s research interests are in the areas of isolation, structure elucidation, biosynthesis, and synthesis of biologically active marine natural products with a particular focus on using these compounds as drug leads and chemical genetics tools. He has received a number of previous awards for research and teaching including a UBC Killam Research Prize, a UBC Killam Graduate Teaching Prize, a UBC Killam Faculty Research Fellowship, the Merck Sharp & Dohme Award from the CSC, the Rutherford Medal in Chemistry from the Royal Society of Canada, the Arthur Schwarting Award from the American Society of Pharmacognosy, Fellow of the CIC, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

Strem Chemicals Award for Pure or Applied Inorganic Chemistry Prix Strem Chemicals de chimie inorganique pure ou appliquée Sponsored by / Parrainé par Strem Chemicals, Inc. The Strem Chemicals Award for Pure or Applied Inorganic Chemistry is presented to a Canadian citizen or landed immigrant within ten years of their first professional appointment as an independent researcher in academic, government or industrial sectors, who has made an outstanding contribution to inorganic chemistry, demonstrating exceptional promise, while working in Canada. Le Prix Strem Chemicals de chimie inorganique pure ou appliquée est remis à un citoyen canadien ou un résidant permanent dans les dix années suivant sa première nomination professionnelle à titre de chercheur indépendant dans un environnement universitaire, gouvernemental ou industriel au Canada. Le prix souligne une contribution exceptionnelle à la chimie organique et un avenir prometteur. Hanadi Sleiman, MCIC McGill University Department of chemistry Hanadi Sleiman received her PhD in organometallic chemistry from Stanford University under the guidance of L. McElwee-White. Following a CNRS postdoctoral stay in the laboratory of Jean-Marie Lehn at the Université Louis Pasteur in France, she joined the faculty of McGill University in 1999, where she is currently associate professor of chemistry and Dawson Scholar (McGill’s Canada Research Chair Tier II). The Sleiman research group focuses on developing the supramolecular chemistry of DNA towards applications in biology and in nanoscience. Some of the research areas include: the use of DNA to position functional components, such as transition metals and nanoparticles into 2D- and 3D-structures, the design of DNA nanocages to serve as biological host molecules, the use of metal complexes to stabilize DNA structures of expanded molecularity for antitumor therapies and the creation of DNA-mimetic

polymers. Sleiman was named Cottrell Scholar of the Research Corporation in 2002. She received the Principal’s Prize (2002) and the Leo Yaffe Award (2004) for excellence in teaching at McGill, was named William Dawson Scholar in 2004 (CRC Tier II), and received the NSERC Discovery Accelerator Supplement in 2008.

Challenges for a

Changing World

W. A. E. McBryde Medal Médaille W.-A.-E.-McBryde Sponsored by / Parrainé par MDS Analytical Technologies The W. A. E. McBryde Medal is presented to a young scientist working in Canada who has made a significant achievement in pure or applied analytical chemistry. La Médaille W.-A.-E.-McBryde est attribuée à un jeune scientifique pour souligner une réussite importante dans le domaine de la chimie analytique pure ou appliquée alors qu’il travaillait au Canada. Hans-Peter Loock, MCIC Queen’s University Department of chemistry Peter Loock, obtained an undergraduate degree in engineering chemistry in 1992 from the Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany, and moved to Victoria, BC for graduate studies in laser photochemistry under the instruction of Charles Qian. During this time he acquired a love/hate relationship with lasers, the ability to perform the first half of a kayak roll and an affinity for many outdoor activities. He joined the Spectroscopy Group at the National Research Council Canada in Ottawa from 1996–1998 as a Visiting Postdoctoral Fellow to work on the spectroscopy of a variety of diatomic metal oxides and carbides. After a short stay at the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, he joined Queen’s University in 1999, where he is now an associate professor. His current research interests encompass analytical spectroscopy using telecom devices as well as laser photochemistry of small molecules and water ice. He has published articles in 23 different journals in chemistry, optics and applied physics. ACCN

8th World Congress of ChemicalEngineering (WCCE8) is being held in Montréal, QC, August 23–27, 2009. The

Industrial Program The Congress theme “Challenges for a Changing World” addressesthe importantchallenges of the 21st century. Research and discussionon this theme will be demonstrated throughout the Industrial Program: • Financing Industrial Research and Development; • Process Intensification for Sustainable Manufacturing; • XTL (X to Liquid); • Technologies in Comparison (TiC); • Process Safety and Loss Management; • Improving our Transportation System; •N orth American Sustainability—Panel Discussion on Opportunitiesand Barriers for Energy Sustainability; • LNG.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM WCCE8 will reflect a global forum for chemical engineers where learning, discovering, and understanding through discussion and networking will be at the forefront of all activities: • Energy—providing sufficient energy to enable economic growth and human development; • Green Processing and Process Intensification—the design of improved environmentally and socially acceptable processes; • New Materials and Processes—the invention of new materials and biologically based processes and products to simplify life; • Biotechnology—the evolution of our discipline as it adapts to the increasingly complex world; • Chemical Engineering and Society—examining past waves of chemical engineering education and how the current wave affects society today; • Contemporary Topics in Chemical Engineering—featuring a broad range of current issues. You can view the full technical and industrialprograms at www.wcce8.org or sign up to receive more information on the congress at www.wcce8.org/onlineform.html. Montréal is a scenic and vibrant multi-cultural city with a Europeanflavour, and is renowned for its cultural and artistic life with remarkablerestaurants and an excellent hotel network. Montréal is easy to reach by air with direct flights from the U.S.A., Latin America, and Europe, and from Asia through the Vancouver and Toronto hubs. We look forward to seeing you in Montréal.

may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 35

Recognition reconnaissance



Chemical Institute of Canada

Chemical Institute of Canada 2009 Fellowships Les membres « fellow » de l’Institut de chimie du Canada 2009 The Fellowship of the ChemicalInstitute of Canada was created as a senior class of membershipto recognize outstanding merit by those who have made, or who are clearly in the course of making, a sustained and major contribution to the science or to the profession of chemistry, chemical engineering, or chemical technology. Here are the distinguishedCIC members who have been named Fellows in 2009 by the Fellowship Selection Committee.

David Cramb, FCIC

Lois Erichson, FCIC

Le titre de « Fellow » de l’Institut de chimie du Canada a été créé afin de reconnaître une contribution exceptionnelle que les membres ont faite, ou sont visiblement en train de faire, à la chimie, au génie chimique ou à la technologie chimique, tant sur le plan scientifique que professionnel. Voici les membres distingués de l’ICC choisis par le Comité de sélection pour recevoir le titre de « Fellow » en 2009.

Deryn Fogg, FCIC

Andrew Hart, FCIC

Pierre Harvey, FCIC

Robert Lipson, FCIC

Graeme Norval, FCIC

Warren Piers, FCIC

Adrian Schwan, FCIC

Shiping Zhu, FCIC

36 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

David Cramb, FCIC University of Calgary Department of Chemistry David Cramb was trained as a small molecule spectroscopist. In his independent research program at the University of Calgary, he has developed a highly original research program in the area of biophysical chemistry. The medical aspects of his research program attract a large number of undergraduates and graduates with diverse backgrounds. Cramb is director of the newly instituted Nanoscience program at the University of Calgary. He has played a leadership role in the Physical/Theoretical Chemistry Division including Division chair and Program Chair for the Division at the Calgary 2000 CSC Conference.

Lois Erichson, FCIC NOVA Chemicals Corporation Lois Erichson has held many leader positions within NOVA Chemicals Corporation. As leader of the manufacturing infrastructure area at the NOVA Chemicals Joffre site, Erichson ensures that the Joffre site has reliable utility and infrastructure services. As a member of APEGGA, she has been an advocate and was an early supporter of the practice of stamping and signing engineering documents within NOVA Chemicals. She saw this

mai 2009

as a vital component of engineering quality and control, a key element of Process Safety Management. Erichson was president of CSChE and is a strong supporter of the Process Safety Management Division. (PSM), insisting that the graduates and junior engineers from NOVA become knowledgeable about PSM and its role in industry. Erichson has always sought to build a connection between chemical engineering and Responsible Care® in the chemical industry through health, safety, environment, and risk management programs and research.

Deryn Fogg, FCIC University of Ottawa, Ottawa Department of Chemistry Deryn Fogg’s contributions to catalyst design and mechanism in olefin metathesis and tandem catalysis, and her pioneering work on applying MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry to the characterization of reactive organometallic complexes, have been recognized with a number of prestigious awards, including a recent NSERC Accelerator grant. Fogg has taken a leadership role within University of Ottawa Center for Catalysis Research and Innovation and on the executive of the

Recognition reconnaissance Division of Inorganic Chemistry (DIC). As DIC Chair, she established the Inorganic Chemistry Exchange program to enhance recruitment of talented undergraduates into research. Since 2000, she has chaired the “Bacon and Eggheads” series of science breakfast lectures for parliamentarians, a program of the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE), aimed at reinforcing federal commitment to a dynamic and ambitious research culture in Canada.

work in photophysics, bio-inspired organometallic oligomers and polymers. Last year, he received the Herzberg Awards of the Canadian Society for Analytical Sciences and Spectroscopy, Adrien-Pouliot prize from the Association francophone pour le savoir, and a Chaire d'excellence from the Agence nationale de la Recherche.

Andrew Hart, FCIC Bantrel Inc. As manager of engineering, Andrew Hart grew the engineering team at Bantrel from approximately 100 people to well over 1,000, helping to establish Bantrel as one of the leading engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) companies in Canada and North America. He played a major role in securing Bantrel’s ISO 9001 registration, the first such registration for a Canadian EPC company. As president of the CSChE in 2002–2003, he began the Society’s focus on increasing industrial participation in and interaction with the Society.

Robert H. Lipson, FCIC The University of Western Ontario Department of Chemistry Rob Lipson’s field of interest is laser spectroscopy. In more recent years, he has expanded his research activities to include technique development for mass spectrometry and the application of optical lithography to the fabrication of photonic band gap materials. As chair of the chemistry department at the University of Western Ontario Lipson led the reform of their undergraduate curriculum under the universities' New Academic Choices initiative. Lipson has played a strong role in the Canadian chemical community and is currently senior editor of the Canadian Journal of Chemistry.

Pierre Harvey, FCIC Université de Sherbrooke Departement de chimie Pierre Harvey has done a great deal to promote research at all levels through Québec and Canada. He has been in charge of the Colloque annuel des étudiantes et étudiants de 1er cycle en chimie for 14 years as well as a member of the Sherbrooke CIC Local Section executive since 1990. He is also founder and organizer of the Symposium annuel de chimie inorganique du Québec (SACIQ). Harvey is well known in Canada and internationally for his

Graeme Norval, FCIC University of Toronto Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry Graeme Norval is principal of GWN Chemical Consulting Inc., providing services to smaller chemical manufacturers and distributors in Canada and the United States, focusing on chlor-alkali and sulphur-based families of chemicals. His work at the University of Toronto focuses on design and he has developed the course material for a new 3rd year course that present the methodology and

ACCN 2009 June Auto Industry and Chemistry July/August Canada's Oil Sands—Facing the Challenges September Ethics in Science and Engineering October Waste Management and Recycling November/DecemberChemical Burden on the Body

Submit your ideas to editorial@accn.ca.

38 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

mai 2009

background for chemical process design. He has been involved in the CSChE as co-program chair for the 2005 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering conference, a member of the Catalysis Division executive and as conference director on the CSChE Board.

Warren Piers, FCIC University of Calgary Department of Chemistry Warren Piers is regarded as Canada’s most outstanding organometallic chemist in his (mid-career) age group, winning a number of highly prestigious awards including a Steacie Fellowship and being elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. Piers has been involved in the Inorganic Chemistry Division for many years. He has also participated on several editorial advisor boards for chemical journals and is currently inorganic section editor for the Canadian Journal of Chemistry.

Adrian Schwan, FCIC University of Guelph Department of Chemistry Adrian Schwan maintains an active, well recognized research program in organosulfur and heteratom-based synthetic chemistry. He has played a strong role in growing the Journal of Sulfur Chemistry since becoming its editor in 2004. He has contributed to graduate education in chemistry through his directorship of the Guelph Waterloo Centre for Graduate Work in Chemistry and Biochemistry. He is now chair of the department of chemistry at the University of Guelph.

Shiping Zhu, FCIC McMaster University Department of Chemical Engineering Shiping Zhu is a world leading polymer reaction engineering expert. He has made significant contributions towards understanding and developing of advanced polymerization technologies and establishing polymer structure-property relationships. He has trained 50 HQP and published 200 refereed journal papers. He is a public advocate for the chemical engineering profession, having delivered 80 public seminars that provide a very encouraging viewpoint for the future of the discipline. He presently serves as an associate editor for Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering. ACCN



Continuing Education for Chemical Professionals

NEW

Process improvement course

he Chemical Institute of Canada

2009 Schedule June 1–3

Hamilton, ON

September 21–23 Toronto, ON

Registration fees

(CIC) and the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) are

presenting a three-day course designed to enhance the knowledge and working experience of chemists, chemical

• Introduction • Implementing a Kaizen Program • Using 5S • Developing Project Charters • Identifying Customer Requirements • Measuring Baseline Performance

This course is designed for anyone

• Identifying Project Y

looking for ways to improve laboratory

• Basic Statistics

operations and improve efficiency.

• Calculating Sigma

The participants will learn how to implement a Kaizen Improvement Program and will apply analytical tools through a relevant case study.

For more information about the course and locations, and to access the registration form, visit:

Instructor



engineers and chemical technologists.

$795 CIC members $995 non-members $100 student members

www.cheminst.ca/ profdev

Day

 Day

• Mapping the Process • SIPOC • Detail Process Map • Value Stream Maps • Analyzing for Root Causes

Denise Nacev, a certified Black Belt and Adult Educator, has 10 years experience in the design and implementation of Continuous Improvement Programs using Lean, Six Sigma and Kaizen. Denise is an

• Cause and Effect Diagrams • Pareto Charts • Regression Analysis

 Day

• Improving the Process • Implementation Plans • Piloting the Solution

independent consultant working with

• Stakeholder Analysis

companies in various industries,

• Developing the Control Plan

including a laboratory environment,

• Cost Benefit Analysis

to improve efficiencies and profitability.

• Closing Projects

Canadian Society for Chemistry may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 39

Recognition reconnaissance



Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering

Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering Board of Directors Nominations (2009–2010) Candidats au conseil d’administration de la Société canadienne de génie chimique (2009–2010)

Larry E. Seeley, MCIC

Robert Legros, MCIC

C. L. E. Swartz, MCIC

C. K. Preston, FCIC

Daniel Duguay

M. Cunningham, MCIC

Graeme Norval, FCIC

The Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) nominating

Le comité des candidatures de la Société canadienne de génie chimique

committee, appointed under the terms of CSChE bylaws Article 8, Section

(SCGCh), nommé aux termes de l’article K de la division 8 des règlements

K, has proposed the candidates listed below to serve as CSChE officers

de la SCGCh, propose les candidats suivants aux postes d’administrateurs

and directors for 2009–2010. Milena Sejnoha, MCIC, CSChE past presi-

et directeurs de la SCGCh pour l’exercice 2009-2010. Milena Sejnoha, MCIC,

dent and chair of the nominating committee, is pleased to announce

présidente sortante de la SCGCh et présidente du comité des candidatures, est

the candidates for the 2009–2010 election. Additional nominations for

heureuse de présenter les candidats aux élections pour l’exercice 2009-2010.

candidates may be submitted by members no later than Monday, June

Les membres peuvent présenter d’autres candidates au plus tard le lundi 22

22, 2009. Ten or more voting members, in good standing, must support

juin 2009. Les mises en candidature supplémentaires doivent être appuyées

additional submissions in writing. Those elected, whether by ballot

par écrit par au moins dix membres votants. Les personnes élues, au scrutin ou

or acclamation, will take office following the Society’s Annual General

sans concurrent, entreront en fonction après l’Assemblée générale annuelle

meeting (AGM) in Montréal, QC, on August 25, 2009.

de la Société qui se tiendra le 25 août 2009 à Montréal (Québec).

President 2009–2010

Président 2009-2010

Larry E. Seeley, MCIC, is president and CEO of Recapture Metals Limited and founding shareholder. Recapture Metals produces, recycles and markets high value metals such as gallium, indium, and rhenium with two plants in Ontario, two in the U.S. and one in Germany. Previously, for 12 years, he was president and CEO of Lakefield Research Limited, growing the company to over 1,000 employees with laboratories and pilot plants in Lakefield, ON; Santiago, Chile; Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Johannesburg, South Africa; and Perth, Australia. He has a BASc, MASc and PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Toronto and a Diploma in business administration from Laurentian University. He was president of the Canadian Metallurgical Society, chair of the Science Committee of Science North and has served on the Board of Governors of Cambrian College, Science North, the Canadian Metallurgical Society and Trent University.

Larry E. Seeley, MCIC, est président et chef de la direction de Recapture Metals Limited, et actionnaire-fondateur de l’entreprise. Recapture Metals produit, recycle et commercialise des métaux de grande valeur, dont le gallium, l’indium, et le rhénium, et possède deux usines en Ontario, deux aux États-Unis et une en Allemagne. Auparavant, Seeley avait été pendant 12 ans président et chef de la direction de Lakefield Research Limited, l’effectif de l’entreprise atteignant sous son leadership plus de 1 000 employés répartis dans des laboratoires et des usines pilotes situés à Lakefield (Ontario), Santiago (Chili), Belo Horizonte (Brésil), Johannesburg (Afrique du Sud), et Perth (Australie). Il possède un baccalauréat, une maîtrise et un doctorat en génie chimique de la University of Toronto, et un diplôme en administration des affaires de l’Université Laurentienne. Il a été président de la Société de métallurgie du Canada, président du Comité des sciences de Science Nord, et a fait

40 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

mai 2009

Recognition reconnaissance Seeley is presently past chair of the Advisory Board to Chemical Engineering of the University of Toronto, chair of the Planning and Development Committee of the Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster, member of the Board of Governance of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, member of the Board of Eco-Tec Limited, vice-president of the Canadian Society of Chemical Engineering (2008-2009) and previously served on the Advisory Board of Mining Engineering of Queen’s University. He was also with Falconbridge for 25 years as corporate vice-president of Environment, director of Sudbury Metallurgical Operations, manager of Corporate Metallurgical Research and Development, manager of Sudbury Smelter and other roles in Operations and Technology. His accomplishments have been recognized by the following: Past President’s Memorial Medal (1989) and Fellow (1991) of the Canadian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy; president of the Canadian Metallurgical Society (1987–1988) and recipient of the Silver Medal for service to the profession (1992); Entrepreneurship Award of the Professional Engineers of Ontario (2003); honoree life member of Science North (1992) and honoree Board of Governors Member of Trent University (2003); CSChE Industrial Practice Award (2005); Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering (2006); induction in the Engineering Hall of Distinction, University of Toronto¬ (2006); Arbor Award for Alumni in Outstanding Service, University of Toronto (2007); and International Award of the Society of Chemical Industry (2009).

Vice-president 2009–2010 Robert Legros, MCIC, has been a professor in the chemical engineering department at École Polytechnique de Montréal since 1990. Since December 2003, he has been the head of this department. Founded in 1873, École Polytechnique de Montréal is one of Canada's leading engineering institutions in the areas of teaching and research, and is first in Quebec in terms of student numbers and level of research funding. Robert Legros obtained his Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from École Polytechnique in 1983. He completed his PhD in 1987 at the University of Surrey, U.K., and was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia in 1988. He is a renowned expert in the field of fluidized and spouted bed systems and their industrial applications. Recently, part of his research has been on the development of bioseparation and downstream processes. Legros is a professional engineer and member of the OIQ. He has always been very active in the CSChE. He was president of the Montréal CSChE Local Section in 1994–1995 and the associate editor of the Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering from 1998 to 2003. He chaired the Association of Canadian Chairs of Chemical Engineering (ACCCE) in 2006.

Statement to the CSChE This is an important year for chemical engineering in Canada. The 8th World Congress of Chemical Engineering, being held in Montréal in August 2009, is a great opportunity to emphasize the key roles played by chemical engineers and to showcase their accomplishments in several fields: energy, health, food, the environment, etc. Many of the issues that we are facing today require local actions based on global perspectives. I strongly believe that by encouraging open exchanges of ideas

partie du conseil des gouverneurs du Cambrian College, de Science Nord, de la Société de métallurgie du Canada et de la Trent University. Seeley est actuellement président sortant du Conseil consultatif en génie chimique de la University of Toronto, président du comité de planification et développement du Greater Peterborough Innovation Cluster, membre du Conseil de gouvernance du University of Ontario Institute of Technology, membre du conseil de Eco-Tec Limited, vice-président de la SCGCh (2008-2009) et a déjà fait partie du conseil consultatif du génie minier de la Queen’s University. Il a également œuvré chez Falconbridge pendant 25 ans en qualité de vice-président corporatif, environnement, directeur des opérations métallurgiques de Sudbury, chef de la recherche et du développement métallurgique corporatif, chef de la fonderie de Sudbury, ainsi que d’autres postes en opérations et technologie. Ses réalisations ont été reconnues par les prix suivants : la Médaille commémorative du président sortant (1989) et membre « Fellow » (1991) de l’Institut canadien des mines et de la métallurgie; Président de la Société de métallurgie du Canada (1987-1988) et récipiendaire de la médaille d’argent pour services rendus à la profession (1992); le Prix d’entrepreneurship des Professional Engineers of Ontario (2003); Membre honoraire à vie de Science Nord (1992) et membre honoraire du Conseil des gouverneurs de la Trent University (2003); le Prix Pratique industrielle de la SCGCh (2005); Fellow de l’Académie canadienne du génie (2006); Introduction au panthéon de l’ingénierie de la University of Toronto (2006); Lauréat du Arbor Award pour les services éminents des anciens élèves de la University of Toronto (2007); Prix International de la Society of Chemical Industry (2009).

Vice-président 2009-2010 Robert Legros, MCIC, est professeur au département de génie chimique d'École Polytechnique de Montréal depuis 1990. Depuis décembre 2003, il est aussi le directeur de ce département. Fondé en 1873, École Polytechnique de Montréal est l'une des plus grandes écoles d'ingénieurs au Canada et demeure la première au Québec quant au nombre d'étudiants et à l'ampleur de ses budgets de recherche. Legros a obtenu un diplôme d’ingénieur chimiste d'École Polytechnique de Montréal en 1983. Il a complété son doctorat en 1987 à la University of Surrey en Angleterre et il a réalisé un stage post-doctoral à la The University of British Columbia en 1988. Il est un expert reconnu dans le domaine des lits fluidisés et lits à jet et leurs applications industrielles. Récemment, une partie de sa recherche porte sur le développementde procédés de bioséparation et de purification. Legros est un ingénieur professionnel membre de l’OIQ. Il a toujours été très actif au sein de la SCGCh. Il fut président de la section locale de la SCGCh de Montréal en 1994–1995 et l’éditeur associé de The Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering de 1998 à 2003. Il a présidé l’Association of Canadian Chairs of Chemical Engineering (ACCCE) en 2006.

Énoncés 2009 de la SCGCh 2009 est une année importante pour le génie chimique au Canada. Le 8e Congrès mondial de génie chimique, qui aura lieu à Montréal en août 2009, est une excellente occasion de faire ressortir les rôles clés joués par les ingénieurs chimistes et exposer leurs réalisations dans plusieurs domaines clés : énergie, santé, alimentation, environnement. may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 41

Recognition reconnaissance and best practices between the different chemical engineering communities around the world, we will further our goal of providing leadership in innovation and sustainability. Following the gathering of the world chemical engineers in Montréal in 2009, it is important to take advantage of the contacts and links that were created to solidify our global network and make our society more influential in Canada and around the world. Also, the knowledge gained during the congress must find its way back into our own community. This is in perfect accordance with the mission of the CSChE, which is to bring together diverse expertise from our Canadian chemical engineers, enabling its members to provide responsible technical leadership to benefit society. With the momentum created by the World Congress, the CSChE will be in an excellent position to play a more prominent role on the world stage.

Treasurer 2009–2012 Christopher L. E. Swartz, MCIC, is professor and Dofasco Chair in Process Automation and Information Technology in the department of chemical engineering at McMaster University. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Cape Town, and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Upon completion of his graduate studies, he joined Simulation Sciences Inc. in Fullerton, CA, where he spearheaded the development of a data reconciliation software package and was involved in an on-line optimization project implemented at a Louisiana refinery. He served thereafter as a faculty member at the University of Cape Town for 11 years before joining McMaster University in 2000. He was a visiting associate at the California Institute of Technology in 1992 and a senior visiting fellow at Imperial College, London, in 1999. His research interests are in the area of process systems engineering with emphasis on applications of dynamic optimization to the operation, control, and design of process systems. Most of his research projects enjoy industrial interaction through the McMaster Advanced Control Consortium and the McMaster Steel Research Centre, the former of which he has been director since August, 2007. Swartz served as Treasurer for the 2003 CSChE Hamilton Conference. He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics and is a licensed professional engineering (Province of Ontario).

Directors 2009–2012 Publications: Carolyn K. Preston, FCIC, is an accomplished scientist and researcher. Working at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) from 1990 until mid-2007, she progressed from a research scientist to a manager of multi-stakeholder public-private research programs in energy efficiency, sustainable development and climate change mitigation technology department and demonstration. From 2002 to 2005, she managed NRCan’s participation in, and funding of, the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC), and both phases of the IEA GHG WeyburnMidale CO2 Monitoring and Storage Project. From January 2006 until mid-2007, she undertook the role of project integrator for the final phase of the Weyburn-Midale Project. Preston has a Bachelor’s degree in engineering chemistry from Queen’s University and MSC and PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Toronto. She became a professional engineer registered in Alberta in 1998. Preston has some 60 peerreviewed publications and presentations to her credit, and 14 awards

42 L’Actualité chimique canadienne

mai 2009

Plusieurs des problématiques auxquelles nous devons faire face aujourd’hui nécessitent des actions locales basées sur des perspectives globales. Je crois fortement qu’en encourageant les échanges d’idées et de bonnes pratiques entre les diverses communautés de génie chimique autour du monde, nous accentuerons notre rôle de leadership en matière d’innovations et de développement durable. Dans la foulée du grand rassemblement mondial des ingénieurs chimistes à Montréal en 2009, il est important de profiter des contacts et liens qui se seront créés pour accroître notre réseau global et rendre la SCGCh plus influente au Canada et dans le monde. Aussi, les « savoirs » exposés durant le Congrès doivent être utilisés par notre propre communauté. Ceci concorde parfaitement avec la mission de la SCGCh, qui vise à rapprocher les diverses expertises de nos ingénieurs chimistes canadiens, permettant ainsi à ses membres d’exercer un leadership technique responsable pour le bien de la société. Avec le momentum créé par le congrès mondial, la SCGCh sera en excellente position pour jouer un rôle plus prédominant sur la scène internationale.

Trésorier 2009-2012 Christopher L. E. Swartz, MCIC, est professeur et titulaire de la chaire Dofasco en automatisation des procédés et en technologie de l’information du département de génie chimique de la McMaster University. Il possède un baccalauréat en génie chimique de la University of Cape Town et un doctorat de la University of Wisconsin-Madison. À la fin de ses études supérieures, il est entré au service de Simulation Sciences Inc. de Fullerton, en Californie, où il a dirigé le développement d’un progiciel de conciliation des données, et s’est impliqué dans un projet d’optimisation en ligne mis en œuvre dans une raffinerie de la Louisiane. Il est ensuite devenu membre de faculté de la University of Cape Town pendant 11 ans, avant de se joindre à la McMaster University en 2000. Il a été associé invité à la California Institute of Technology in 1992, et principal adjoint invité à l’Imperial College de Londres en 1999. Ses recherches s’orientent vers le secteur du génie des systèmes de procédé, mettant l’accent sur l’application de l’optimisation dynamique à l’opération, au contrôle et à la conception des systèmes de procédé. La plupart de ses projets de recherche jouissent d’une interaction industrielle grâce au McMaster Advanced Control Consortium et au McMaster Steel Research Centre; il est directeur du premier depuis août 2007. Swartz était trésorier du congrès de la SCGCh à Hamilton en 2003. Il est membre de l’American Institute of Chemical Engineers et de la Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics, et est ingénieur professionnel licencié (province de l’Ontario).

Directeurs 2009-2012 Publications : Carolyn K. Preston, FCIC, est une scientifique et une chercheure accomplie à Ressources naturelles Canada (RNCan), de 1990 jusqu’au milieu de 2007, elle a gravi les échelons, passant du poste de chercheure scientifique à celui de directrice des programmes de recherches multilatérales publiques-privées en efficacité énergétique, développement durable, et technologie et démonstration de l’atténuation du changement climatique. De 2002 à 2005, elle gérait la participation de RNCan et le financement du Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC), ainsi que les deux phases du projet de surveillance et de stockage du CO 2 de Weyburn-Midale de l’International

Recognition reconnaissance and scholarships. In early 2007, she was one of 13 professionals from 11 countries awarded a prestigious U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Chevening Fellowship in the Economics of Energy at the University of Reading, U.K. In February 2008, she was named one of Saskatchewan’s 10 Women of Influence by Sask Business Magazine. Preston became the PTRC executive director in the summer of 2007. Government Liaison: Daniel Duguay, received a Bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Ottawa and a Master’s degree in chemical engineering from McGill University, where he focused on the development of novel drug delivery devices for chemotherapy treatment. Duguay also worked at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute as a PhD candidate (chemical engineering) from 1990 to 1995, developing a mechanistic model of the enzymatic degradation of biomedical polyurethanes used in medical device applications. In 1996, Duguay worked at Nortel Networks in various roles, including that of senior manufacturing engineering manager, OC192 Modules. He was subsequently involved in several high-technology start-ups in the domain of photonics, semiconductors, and nanotechnology. Building on this experience, he also operated c2iConsulting which focused on assessing the manufacturability of new products. From 1999 to 2004, Duguay was also part-time lecturer in the department of chemical engineering at the University of Ottawa. In 2004, he joined the Government of Canada as program manager for the Climate Change Action Plan. In 2005, he was called to support the workings of the Federal Government’s National Advisory Panel on

Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas (IEA CHG). De janvier 2006 jusqu’au milieu de 2007, elle a accepté le rôle d’intégrateur de projet pour la phase finale du projet de Weyburn-Midale. Preston possède un baccalauréat en chimie d’ingénierie de la Queen’s University, ainsi qu’une maîtrise et un doctorat en chimie physique de la University of Toronto. Elle est inscrite au registre des ingénieurs de l’Alberta depuis 1988. Mme Preston a environ 60 publications et présentations évaluée par les pairs à son actif, et a obtenu 14 prix et bourses d’études. Au début de 2007, elle faisait partie de 13 professionnels provenant de 11 pays qui ont reçu du ministère britannique des affaires étrangères la prestigieuse bourse Chevening en science économique de l’énergie à la University of Reading, en Angleterre. En février 2008, elle a été nommée l’une des dix femmes d’influence de la Saskatchewan par le SaskBusiness Magazine. Preston a été nommée directrice exécutive du PTRC à l’été 2007. Liaison avec le gouvernment : Daniel Duguay a obtenu son baccalauréat en génie chimique de l’Université d’Ottawa, et sa maîtrise en génie chimique de l’Université McGill, où il se concentrait sur le développement de nouveaux dispositifs d’administration des médicaments pour la chimiothérapie. Duguay a aussi travaillé à l’Institut de cardiologie de l’Université d’Ottawa en tant qu’aspirant au doctorat (génie chimique) de 1990 à 1995, élaborant un modèle mécaniste de la dégradation enzymatique des polyuréthanes biomédicaux utilisés dans les applications d’instruments médicaux. En 1996, Duguay s’est joint à Nortel Networks où il a occupé divers postes, y compris celui de responsable technique principal de la fabrication, Modules OC192. Il s’est ensuite impliqué dans le démarrage

may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 43

Recognition reconnaissance Sustainable Energy Science and Technology, a 10-member panel of Canadian and international experts tasked with identifying Canada’s energy technology priorities and mechanisms for their implementation. In May 2006, Duguay joined the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises, Public Works and Government Services Canada. As director of strategic and horizontal policy, he oversaw a diverse portfolio of policy topics related to SMEs and public procurement. Duguay joined Industry Canada in early 2008 as director of science and technology policy where he oversaw the development of S&T policies as well as the monitoring of key S&T metrics in Canada. He was appointed director of the industrial and regional benefits policy in December 2008.

Directors 2009–2010 Awards: Michael Cunningham, MCIC, obtained his PhD in chemical engineering from the University of Waterloo in the field of polymer science. He then spent six years in the Xerox Corporate Research Group developing new processes for composite nanoparticles. His work at Xerox resulted in 26 U.S. patents. In 1996, he accepted a faculty position in the department of chemical engineering at Queen’s University. He is also cross-appointed to the department of chemistry. He has established an active research program in polymer science, with an emphasis on polymer colloids. The primary focus of his current research is living/controlled radical polymerization in heterogeneous systems, and the design of functionalized latex particles for applications such as bioseparations. His research achievements have led to the following awards: Premier’s Research Excellence Award; Queen’s University’s Chancellor’s Award for Research Excellence; Syncrude Canada Innovation Award, presented by CSChE. Cunningham has been actively involved in professional service, serving on the organizing committees of several major international conferences. He has professional memberships with the Professional Engineers of Ontario, the CSChE, and the American Chemical Society. He has served as director of awards for the CSChE for the past three years. Conferences: Graeme Norval, FCIC, is currently the education team leader for the Process Safety and Loss Management Division, and has been active in the Catalysis Division, serving on the division executive between 1994 and 2004, as well as serving on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Catalysis Foundation between 1996 and 2006. He

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de quelques entreprises de haute technologie dans les domaines de la photonique, des semiconducteurs et de la nanotechnologie. Fort de cette expérience, Duguay dirigea c2iConsulting, entreprise qui se spécialisait dans l’évaluation de la fabricabilité de nouveaux produits. De 1999 à 2004, il était également chargé de cours à temps partiel au département de génie chimique de l’Université d’Ottawa. En 2004, il entrait au service du gouvernement du Canada en tant que responsable de programme pour le Plan d’action sur les Changements climatiques. En 2005, on fit appel à lui pour appuyer les travaux du Groupe consultatif national sur les sciences et technologies relatives à l’énergie durable du gouvernement fédéral, un groupe de dix experts canadiens et internationaux dont le mandat consistait à déterminer les principales priorités technologiques du Canada en matière d’énergie et les mécanismes nécessaires à l’atteinte de ces résultats prioritaires. En mai 2006, Duguay se joignait au Bureau des petites et moyennes entreprises, Travaux publics et Services gouvernementaux Canada. En sa qualité de directeur de la politique stratégique et horizontale, il supervisait un large éventail de politiques touchant les PME et l’approvisionnement du secteur public. Il joignit les rangs d’Industrie Canada au début de 2008 en tant que directeur, politique scientifique et technologique, où il supervisait l’élaboration des politiques scientifiques et techniques, ainsi que les mesures clés des sciences et technologies au Canada. Il a été nommé directeur du programme d’avantages industriels et régionaux en décembre 2008.

Directeurs 2009-2010 Prix : Michael Cunningham, MCIC, a obtenu son doctorat en génie chimique de la University of Waterloo dans le domaine de la science des polymères. Par la suite, il a fait partie du Xerox Corporate Research Group pendant six ans, au cours desquels il développait de nouveaux procédés pour les nanoparticules composites. Ses travaux chez Xerox on résulté en l’obtention de 26 brevets aux États-Unis. En 1996, il a accepté un poste de faculté au département de génie chimique de la Queen’s University. Il a également obtenu une nomination conjointe au département de chimie. Il a formé un programme actif de recherche en science des polymères, mettant l’accent sur les polymères colloïdaux. Le principal intérêt de ses recherches actuelles est la polymérisation radicale vivante/contrôlée dans les systèmes hétérogènes et la conception de particules de latex fonctionnalisées pour des applications telles que la bioséparation. Ses réalisations lui ont valu les prix suivants : la Bourse du premier ministre pour l’excellence en recherche; la Bourse du chancelier pour l’excellence en recherche de Queen’s University; le Prix innovation Syncrude Canada de la SCGCh. Cunningham s’implique activement dans les services professionnels, participant aux comités organisateurs de plusieurs importants congrès internationaux. Il est membre des Professional Engineers of Ontario, de la SCGCh et de l’American Chemical Society. Il est directeur des prix de la SCGCh depuis trois ans. Congrès : Graeme Norval, FCIC, est actuellement chef d’équipe de l'éducation pour la Division de la gestion de la sécurité des procédés et des pertes, et s’est impliqué dans la Division de catalyse, faisant partie du comité exécutif de la division de 1994 à 2004, ainsi que du conseil d’administration de la Canadian Catalysis Foundation de 1996 à 2006.

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Chemical Institue of Canada may 2009 Canadian Chemical News 45

Recognition reconnaissance was technical program co-chair of the 2005 CSChE Toronto Conference, and has been serving as CSChE director of conferences since 2006. Norval graduated with a BASc from the University of Toronto’s department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in 1983 and with a PhD in hydrocarbon catalysis in 1989. He currently acts as lecturer and associate chair and undergraduate coordinator at the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the University of Toronto, as well as running an engineering consultancy, specializing in the processing and troubleshooting of inorganic chemicals. Previously, he worked as senior research engineering with Pioneer Canada (now part of Olin Corp.), a major manufacturer of commodity inorganic chemicals. He has served as director of conferences for the CSChE for the past three years. ACCN

Events Événements Il a été co-président du programme technique du congrès de la SCGCh de 2005 de Toronto et est directeur des congrès de la SCGCh depuis 2006. Norval a obtenu un baccalauréat du département de génie chimique et de chimie appliquée de la University of Toronto en 1983, et un doctorat en catalyse des hydrocarbures en 1989. Il est actuellement conférencier, ainsi que président adjoint et coordonnateur du premier cycle au département de génie chimique et chimie appliquée de l’University of Toronto, tout en dirigeant un service de consultation en ingénierie, spécialisé dans le traitement et le diagnostic des produits chimiques inorganiques. Il était auparavant chercheur principal en génie chez Pioneer Canada (qui fait maintenant partie d’Olin Corp.), un important fabricant de produits chimiques inorganiques. Il est directeur des congrès de la Société canadienne de génie chimique depuis trois ans. ACCN

Canada Conferences May 26–29, 2009. 2nd Georgian Bay International Conference on Bioinorganic Chemistry (CanBIC-2009) Parry Sound, ON, www.canbic.ca. May 30–June 3, 2009. 92nd Canadian  Chemistry Conference and Exhibition, Hamilton, ON, www.csc2009.ca. July 5–9, 2009. 13th International IUPAC Conference on Polymers and Organic Chemistry(POC09), Montréal, QC, www.poc09.com. July 20–24, 2009. 7th CanadianComputational Chemistry Conference, Halifax, NS, www.bri.nrc.ca/cccc7. August 23–27, 2009. 8th World Congress of Chemical Engineering, Montréal, QC, www.wcce8.org.

DIC Award for Graduate Work The Division of Inorganic Chemistry (DIC) is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2009 DIC Award for Graduate Work in Inorganic Chemistry. This award is presented to a graduate student registered in a PhD program at a Canadian university for exceptional PhD thesis research in a field of inorganic chemistry. This year’s winner is Michael Katz, MCIC, of Simon Fraser University. He will present his award lecture at the CSC Conference in Hamilton in May 2009, in the "Multimetallic Complexes: New Molecules and Materials" symposium. Katz was born in Haifa, Israel in 1980. He received an associate of science degree from Capilano College in 2001, after which he received his BSc degree in chemistry from Simon Fraser University in 2004. He is currently a PhD student in the department of chemistry at Simon Fraser University and the recipient of an NSERC PGS-D Scholarship; he was also a Natural Resources Canada Intern in 2005. His thesis research, under the direction of Daniel Leznoff, MCIC, focuses on the preparation and characterization of [Au(CN)2]-based heterometallic coordination polymers that show vapochromic or birefringent properties.

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August 15–19, 2010. 3rd International IUPAC Conference on Green Chemistry, Ottawa, ON, www.icgc2010.ca.

U.S. and Overseas Conferences August 1–9, 2009. IUPAC 42nd Congress and 45th General Assembly, Glasgow, U.K., www.iupac2009.org. September 27–30, 2009. Engineering our Future, Perth, Australia, www.chemeca2009.com. December 15–20, 2010. Pacifichem 2010, Honolulu, Hawaii, www.pacifichem.org.

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