FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | January 13, 2011

U.S. launches International Year of Chemistry Feb. 1 with panel of world-renowned chemists

What:
The United Nations has designated 2011 the “International Year of Chemistry (IYC)” — a global celebration of chemistry and its contributions to the world around us. This worldwide initiative is being celebrated under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), and features activities conducted by countries, such as the United States, that adhere to these organizations.

Media Contact

Neil Gussman, CHF
717-314-2494
neilg@chemheritage.org

The United States launch of IYC 2011 is Feb. 1 in Philadelphia, Pa., where prominent leaders from industry and academia will gather to discuss solutions to increasing global demands for energy, safe food and water, and improving human health at a panel discussion, titled “Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions.”

This event is presented by the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) in collaboration with the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the United States National Committee for IUPAC at the National Academy of Sciences.

Who:
Panelists include the following chemical engineering, science and business leaders:

  • Andrew Liveris, President, CEO and Chairman, The Dow Chemical Company
  • Ellen Kullman, Chair and CEO, DuPont
  • Janet Hering, Director, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
  • Joshua S. Boger, former Chair and CEO, current board member, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
  • Rita Colwell, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland at College Park, and former Director, National Science Foundation
  • Moderator: Dan Nocera, Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy and Professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

When:

Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011
Panel Discussion begins at 10:00 a.m., followed by a reception at Noon.
Panelists will be available for media interviews at 9:00 a.m.

Where:

Chemical Heritage Foundation Building
315 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106

Other IYC Events in Philadelphia in early February:

  • Feb. 2, 7 p.m.: CHF will host a discussion of the book The Emperor of Scent by Chandler Burr.
  • Feb. 3: Actor Jim Armstead will bring to life the chemist Percy Lavon Julian at the African-American Museum of Philadelphia and at the College of Physicians.
  • Feb. 4, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.: Opening of “Elemental Matters: Artists Imagine Chemistry” at CHF.  The artists will be on hand to discuss their chemistry-inspired works.
  • Feb. 5, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.: The Franklin Institute presents chemistry experiments for all ages, hosted by the American Chemical Society.   
  • Feb. 14, 6 p.m.: Sam Kean, author of The Disappearing Spoon and Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements, will speak at “Science on Tap” at National Mechanics Bar & Restaurant, on Third Street, next to CHF.

Official Web site for more information about IYC:
www.chemistry2011.org

###

News Release Jointly Prepared By: