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The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is awarding Professor Dr. Benny Kwok-Kan Chan, Biodiversity Research Center (BRC), Academia Sinica, Taiwan, the Mario Markus Prize for Ludic Sciences. The prize, worth 10,000 euros, recognizes scientific work in the field of natural sciences that is characterized by its playful nature. Chan is receiving the prize for his research into the mobility of barnacles. He observed that some barnacles can move - contrary to the previously prevailing opinion - and provided scientific evidence for this observation. The award ceremony will take place on January 14th as part of a public event in the premises of the Physical Society in Frankfurt am Main.
Chan and his research team studied the mobility of barnacles that live on turtles. Traditionally, barnacles were thought to be firmly attached to their substrate and immobile. However, Chan's research shows that these barnacles can dissolve their so-called cement proteins - sticky proteins that hold them to the substrate - allowing them to glide and then stick back down again.
The team also found that both larval and adult barnacles have specialized cement proteins for different life stages and functions. Surprisingly, while adult barnacles from similar habitats have similar sets of cement proteins, the number of specific, varied protein versions may vary. This diversity allows barnacles to adapt to many different environments.
Although Chan's research is inspired by play, there are already ideas for applications. For example, understanding these cement proteins could help develop a strong and versatile adhesive for underwater applications in the future.
Benny Kwok-Kan Chan initially studied environmental sciences at the University of Hong Kong before completing his PhD in marine ecology there in 2000. In the following years he stayed at the University of Hong Kong and worked there first as a postdoctoral fellow and later as a research assistant professor in the field of marine ecology. In 2005 he moved to the Biodiversity Research Center (BRC), Academia Sinica, Taiwan, where he is now director and also a research fellow in the field of marine ecology. Chan researches barnacles and their coastal habitats to study the diversity, phylogeography, ecology and evolution of the Indo-Pacific marine fauna. His research ranges from genes and molecules to ecosystems. Since 2003 he has published 212 scientific articles, 16 book chapters and eight books. In 2022, he was elected President of the international society for professional crustacean researchers The Crustacean Society (TCS) for a two-year term, with which he is still associated today as Immediate Past President.
The Mario Markus Prize for Ludic Sciences, worth 10,000 euros, is funded by Professor Dr. Mario Markus of Dortmund, who is committed to ludic science and coined the term. While research projects today are increasingly being carried out with a view to concrete applicability in mind, a look back in time shows that since ancient times we have repeatedly acquired new knowledge through play and out of sheer curiosity.
The Mario Markus Prize for Ludic Sciences will be awarded on January 14, 2025 in cooperation with the Physical Society in the lecture hall of the Physical Society at Robert-Mayer-Straße 2 in Frankfurt/Main. During the event, the awardee will explain his research in more detail. All interested parties are cordially invited. Please register at www.gdch.de/mariomarkus.
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. It promotes scientific work, research and teaching as well as the exchange and dissemination of scientific knowledge. One of its aims is to make modern chemistry understandable to the interested public and thus to reveal to them the connections in natural sciences and technology.
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Dr. Ruth Bieringer, Vice President Material Technologies at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, will be awarded the Meyer-Galow Award for Business Chemistry 2024 on December 10th. The prize from the foundation of the same name is based at the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and is endowed with 10,000 euros. She receives the prize for the development of high-temperature-resistant plastics and for the development of new types of flame-retardant barriers. Both innovations are of great importance for the operational safety of modern lithium-ion batteries.
With the Quantix® ULTRA plastics, Ruth Bieringer and her team succeeded in developing a family of materials that are characterized by exceptional heat and flame resistance. Even at temperatures of up to 1200 degrees Celsius, these plastics do not melt or catch fire. The fact that they can be easily processed using injection molding also enables the production of complex components. This makes the plastics particularly suitable for applications in electromobility, for example in batteries for electric vehicles, where there are high safety requirements for fire protection.
As a second innovation, Bieringer and her team developed flame retardant barriers that can prevent the spread of flames, gases and particles to other cells and live parts. To do this, they increased the heat resistance of silicone rubber by combining it with special fibers and fillers so that these electrically insulating materials can also withstand at least 10 minutes at 1200°C. The materials can be processed into mats, profiles or complex 3D geometries using injection molding or extrusion.
With the Meyer-Galow Award for Business Chemistry , the Meyer-Galow Foundation and the GDCh are honoring Ruth Bieringer for driving forward fundamental technological developments and seeking early networking with the business groups in her role as the person responsible for materials development in central research and as head of the cross-business group technology platform Polymers. After moving to the responsible business area, she coordinated the further development of the material families with the teams, supported product development and market entry, and was thus able to cover the entire spectrum from the initial idea generation to the commercially viable result.
The commercialization of both material families is in full swing. Possible further developments for applications beyond electromobility are also currently being examined.
Ruth Bieringer, born in 1971, studied chemistry at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz before completing her doctorate in polymer chemistry at the University of Bayreuth in 1999. She then began her Career at Freudenberg, which has led her through several stations to her current position. Since 2020 she has been Vice President Material Technology at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies in Weinheim. In addition, she is a lecturer at the RheinMain University of Applied Sciences in the field of materials science (polymers). Ruth Bieringer is also actively involved in the German Rubber Society (DKG), the Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), the German Institute for Rubber Technology (DIK) and the GDCh. In the latter, Ruth Bieringer was a member of the board of the macromolecular chemistry Board of the Division . She is currently the Chair of the advisory board of the Dr. Hermann Schnell Foundation, whose aim is to promote young scientists in the field of macromolecular chemistry, its physical-chemical fundamentals and its analytics. Since January 2024, she has also been a member of the GDCh Board.
The award ceremony will take place at a ceremony on December 10, 2024 at 3:30 p.m. at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies in Weinheim. The Deputy GDCh President Professor Dr. Karsten Danielmeier will present the award to Dr. Ruth Bieringer , who will present the award-winning projects.
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The Meyer-Galow Award for Business Chemistry is awarded annually to scientists in German-speaking countries who have successfully introduced a current chemical innovation to the market. The focus is on market launches that primarily take sustainability into account. The prize was donated by Professor Dr. Erhard Meyer-Galow , the former CEO of Hüls AG and former President of the GDCh. Meyer-Galow worked primarily at the interface between chemistry and the market and gave lectures on "Industrial Chemistry in the Chemical Industry" at the University of Münster.
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. It has 27 Divisions and 60 local sections and regional forums of the JCF (Young Chemistry Forum). The GDCh promotes scientific work as well as the exchange and dissemination of new scientific findings. It maintains numerous foundations, such as the Meyer-Galow Foundation for Industrial Chemistry, which Professor Dr. Erhard Meyer-Galow founded in 2012 to further promote industrial chemistry. Further information is available at www.gdch.de
Freudenberg Sealing Technologies is a long-standing technology expert and global market leader for sophisticated and innovative applications in sealing technology and electromobility. With its unique materials and technology expertise, the company is a proven supplier of sophisticated products and applications as well as a development and service partner for customers in the automotive industry and general industry. In the 2023 financial year, Freudenberg Sealing Technologies generated sales of around 2.6 billion euros and employed around 13,100 people. For more information, visit www.fst.com.
The company is part of the globally active Freudenberg Group, which generated sales of almost 12 billion euros in the 2023 financial year with its business areas of sealing and vibration control technology, nonwovens and filtration, household products and specialties and employed around 52,200 people in around 60 countries. Further information is available at www.freudenberg.com.
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The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is awarding the GDCh Prize for Journalism and Literature 2024 to the author Bonnie Garmus and the translation team, consisting of Ulrike Wasel and Klaus Timmermann, for the book 'A Question of Chemistry'. The award ceremony will take place on November 20th at the GDCh Office in Frankfurt am Main.
With the book 'A Question of Chemistry' (original title: Lessons in Chemistry), Bonnie Garmus published a bestseller in 2022 that not only has 'chemistry' in the title, but also addresses chemical issues. For example, she addresses chemistry in cooking and the role that chemistry may have played in the origin of life. She portrays many chemists and one female chemist in a lifelike manner, without resorting to common clichés such as 'chemists as magicians and pyrotechnicians'. She also vividly describes the discrimination and harassment of women in the academic world of the 50s and 60s. The translation team Ulrike Wasel and Klaus Timmermann did an excellent job of translating the work into German and making it accessible to the German-speaking audience.
The GDCh Prize for Journalism and Literature is awarded, regardless of language, for outstanding journalistic or literary achievements that make a special contribution to the dissemination of chemical science content in German-speaking countries. The award is endowed with 7,500 euros.
Bonnie Garmus has worked internationally as a creative director, primarily in the fields of medicine, education and technology. Originally from California, she lived in Seattle for a long time. Today, the mother of two grown-up daughters lives with her husband in London. 'A Question of Chemistry' is her first novel.
Ulrike Wasel and Klaus Timmermann, both born in 1955, discovered their shared love of literary translation after completing their English studies at the University of Düsseldorf. Since then, they have worked for numerous renowned publishers and have translated over 300 titles to date. Books they have translated have already received several awards. Both live and work in Düsseldorf.
The award ceremony will take place on November 20th at 7:15 p.m. in the GDCh Office (Varrentrappstrasse 40-42, 60486 Frankfurt aM). After a welcome from GDCh President Prof. Dr. Stefanie Dehnen, there will be a short reading from 'A Question of Chemistry' before the award ceremony. Representatives of the media are cordially invited to the event. Please register with Jasmin Herr ( j.herr@gdch.de ).
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is the largest chemical science society in continental Europe with around 30,000 members. It promotes scientific work, research and teaching as well as the exchange and dissemination of new scientific findings, including through transdisciplinary and international cooperation. The GDCh is also committed to modern training and further education in schools, universities and in the professional environment.
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For the summer semester of 2025, the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Foundation, established at the German Chemical Society (GDCh), will once again be awarding scholarships. Bachelor's, diploma or exam students in chemistry and related fields can receive funding of 300 euros per month for up to 18 months from April 2025. Applications can be submitted via the Online portal until February 1, 2025.
Students of chemistry and related fields with very good academic performance who have only limited financial means can apply for one of the approximately twenty scholarships offered by the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Foundation. Commitment outside of studies is also considered positively. Students who are in their fourth or fifth semester at the beginning of the summer semester of 2025 are eligible for funding. The funding will not be credited towards BAföG benefits.
The August Wilhelm von Hofmann scholarships are intended to support motivated and talented students - especially those with limited financial means. The foundation goes back to a long-standing GDCh member who died in 2010 and who left the majority of his fortune to the GDCh to support talented chemistry students. It is named after the first president of the GDCh's predecessor organization, the German Chemical Society, founded in 1867. Since its introduction, over 300 students have benefited from the funding and have become part of the August Wilhelm von Hofmann network.
Further information and application at www.gdch.de/hofmannstiftung
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. The GDCh manages numerous dependent foundations in a fiduciary capacity. The purpose of these foundations is to award prizes, sponsorship awards and scholarships. Foundation advisory boards decide on the awarding of prizes, awards and scholarships.
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The European Chemical Society, jointly with the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and the German Universities Chemistry Department Consortium (KFC), provided feedback on the European Commission's Safe and Sustainable by Design (SSbD) framework pilot.
SSbD is a voluntary framework that can be applied during the chemical- and material related innovation process in order to minimize negative effects on human health and environment, as well as the use of harmful substances and in general, make the process more sustainable.
Chemical Societies welcome the initiative and its holistic, science-based approach to improving safety and sustainability in the development of chemicals and materials. However, as key feedback, Chemical Societies advise against “blanket bans” on entire classes of chemicals, as such measures could hinder scientific freedoms and basic research. Chemical Societies call for a balanced approach and exemptions in case of basic research and chemical education. In their feedback, Chemical Societies highlight that training in the safe handling of hazardous chemicals is an integral component of academic programs.
Chemical education is fundamental for the implementation of the SSbD principle, as it plays a critical role in preparing future chemists to meet the highest standards of proficiency. Therefore, Chemical Societies emphasizee the importance of chemical education in their feedback, and call for the integration of the principles of green chemistry, green engineering, sustainable chemistry, ecotoxicology, life cycle assessment, recycle chemistry, and safe and sustainable by design into university curricula.
Chemical Societies underscore the link between basic research and chemical education, and the key role universities play in performing these tasks and call for the establishment of funding programs to facilitate the adoption of SSbD principles into basic research, and contribute to the sustainability of the discipline.
Chemical Societies also pointed out the vast resources learned chemical societies represent. These communities of 160,000 active chemists across Europe strengthen the EU's knowledge-based society. Therefore, Chemical Societies advised policymakers to utilize this network in addressing societal challenges by creating forward-looking framework conditions that prioritize innovation, collaboration, and sustainability.
MORE INFO ON EUCHEMS' POLICY ADVISORY ACTIVITIES
https://www.euchems.eu/communication/chemicals-strategy/
https://www.euchems.eu/communication/science-policy-advice/
ABOUT GDCh, EUCHEMS AND CONTACTS
The German Chemical Society (German Chemical Society, GDCh) has around 30,000 members and is one of the largest chemical societies in the world. It promotes scientific research and teaching as well as the exchange and dissemination of new scientific knowledge. The GDCh supports the creation of networks, transdisciplinary and international cooperation, and continuous education and training in schools, universities and professional environments. The GDCh has 27 divisions and 60 local sections.
EuChemS, the European Chemical Society, is an umbrella organization representing national Chemical Societies and other chemistry-related organizations in Europe. EuChemS aims to nurture a platform for scientific discussion and to provide a single, unbiased European voice on key policy issues in Chemistry and related fields. Through the promotion of Chemistry and by providing expert and scientific advice, EuChemS aims to take part in the solution to today's major societal challenges.
Professor Guido Kickelbick
KFC Spokesperson guido.kickelbick@uni-saarland.de
Dr. Hans-Georg Weinig
GDCh Director Education, Career and Science h.weinig@gdch.de
Dr. Nineta Hrastelj
EuChemS Secretary General nineta.hrastelj@euchems.eu
The 52nd German Food Chemistry Days will take place from September 16 to 18 at the Technical University of Munich in Freising. The annual conference of the Food Chemistry Society (LChG), the largest Division of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), focuses on food quality and consumer protection. The topics covered include the challenges facing control laboratories with regard to the cannabis law, the testing of sunscreens and the automated analysis of wine ingredients.
The new cannabis law presents official control laboratories with new challenges in the analysis and quality assurance of cannabis products. The legal requirements for random sampling are still unclear. There are no assessment standards, tolerance ranges and standardized methods for cannabinoids such as THC and CBD, but also their residues. While the criminal nature of cannabis used to be the main focus, today the focus is on protecting consumers. Random samples are intended to ensure the purity and correct declaration of the THC and CBD content. Dr. Dirk W. Lachenmeier from CVUA Karlsruhe will present an efficient control option at the Conference . Together with his team, he has developed a process that combines various analytical methods. According to Lachenmeier, standardizing this process could ensure consistent quality assurance and increase safety for consumers. It also increases legal security for cultivation associations and laboratories.
The lecture by Dr. Maren Hegmanns, also from CVUA Karlsruhe, promises exciting insights into the testing of sunscreens. UV radiation is the main cause of skin cancer and can cause many other health problems. Sunscreens can protect against this. However, they must be safe, must not contain any harmful substances and must have the specified sun protection factor (SPF). Determining the sun protection factor cannot be compared with classic analytical methods. The "gold standard" is the in vivo determination, in which test subjects are exposed to UV radiation. Two alternative methods are in preparation, but they are complex and expensive. Last year, Hegmanns and her team tested over 150 sunscreens using a new method. Organic UV filters were determined using HPLC-DAD and inorganic UV filters using photometry or complexometric titration. The sun protection factor was determined theoretically using an in silico calculator. It was found that many products, especially those with "SPF 50+", had deviations of more than 40 percent. In vivo SPF results were requested for these samples and further investigated. In her lecture, Hegmanns explains the procedure. She also explains how sunscreens are tested for contaminants and how product quality can be improved as a result.
Philip Mayr, Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety, Würzburg, presents a method with which the ingredients of wine can be checked quickly and easily. With the change in EU wine law, from December 2023, wine products must contain a list of ingredients and a nutritional declaration directly on the bottle or via an Online link. Previously, only allergenic ingredients had to be labeled. In order to be able to check the accuracy of the declared ingredients quickly and easily, Mayr and his team have established and validated a new quantification method in addition to the existing classification methods. This makes it possible to quantitatively determine all relevant wine parameters simultaneously and evaluate them using software through external calibration of just two substances. Mayr will explain how the team went about this and how the method is being continuously developed further at the Conference.
These and other current topics relating to food safety and consumer protection are on the programme of the 52nd German Food Chemistry Days. The complete programme and further information can be found at www.gdch.de/lchtage2024.
With around 30,000 members, the GDCh is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world. It has 27 Divisions, including the Society of Food Chemistry, whose task is to promote the exchange of ideas in the field of food chemistry and its related disciplines and to provide technical suggestions. With over 2,600 members, the Society of Food Chemistry is the largest Division in the GDCh.
On October 1st, the German Chemical Society (GDCh) will award Professor Dr. Andreas Marx, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, the Albrecht-Kossel Award . He will receive the prize, worth 7500 euros, for his groundbreaking contributions to chemical biology. The award ceremony will take place as part of the "Biochemistry 2024" Conference of the GDCh Division of Biochemistry, which will take place in Dortmund from September 30th to October 2nd under the motto "New Frontiers in Chemical Biology and Biochemistry".
Andreas Marx is considered a world-leading scientist in the field of biochemistry and chemical biology. With his research, he made groundbreaking contributions to the study of protein-nucleic acid interactions. Marx convinced the selection committee with his first-class work, in which he addresses the functions of DNA, RNA and proteins. With these, he gained valuable insights into DNA polymerases, RNA ligases and post-translational protein modifications and developed corresponding applications. The committee sees Marx's work as a shining example of the symbiosis of various scientific disciplines in the molecular life sciences.
Andreas Marx, born in 1968, studied chemistry in Freiburg, Sussex, UK, and Bonn. After graduating from the Ruhr University Bochum in 1994, he completed his doctorate at the University of Basel in 1997. He then moved to the University of Nagoya, Japan, for a postdoctoral stay before joining the Kekulé Institute for Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn as a group leader in 1999. There he completed his habilitation in organic chemistry and biochemistry in 2003. In 2004 he was appointed professor to the Chair of Organic Chemistry / Cellular Chemistry at the University of Konstanz . Marx has been President of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena since August 2024. In addition to numerous other awards, he has already received two ERC Advanced Grants for his work.
Further information about the Conference can be found at www.gdch.de/biochemistry2024
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world, with around 30,000 members. It has 27 Divisions and sections and awards numerous prizes for outstanding achievements in various sub-disciplines of chemistry. The Albrecht-Kossel Award, worth 7,500 euros, was established in 2012 and awarded for the first time in 2014. The prize's namesake, Ludwig Karl Martin Leonhard Albrecht Kossel (1853–1927), was a German biochemist, physician and physiologist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or medicine in 1910 for his research on the cell nucleus and the isolation of nucleic acids and determination of their constitutions.
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The joint conference for inorganic chemistry of the Wöhler Association and solid-state chemistry and materials research specialist Divisions will take place from September 16 to 18. At the Technical University of Munich, the Divisions of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) will present the latest trends from all areas of inorganic chemistry. In addition, several prestigious awards will be presented during the Conference . Professor Dr. Peter W. Roesky will receive the Marianne Baudler Prize.
The Conference program focuses on the entire spectrum of modern inorganic and solid-state chemistry, including industrial applications and important future topics. The spectrum of lectures ranges from main group element chemistry to coordination chemistry of d- and f-block elements to solid-state and materials chemistry in basic research and industrial applications.
Right at the start of the Conference on September 16, Professor Dr. Peter W. Roesky, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, will receive the Marianne Baudler Prize, endowed with 7500 euros. The GDCh recognizes Roesky as a nationally and internationally highly visible, highly valued and creative scientist with a wide range of research interests - from lanthanide and main group chemistry to the combination of both, to precious metal complexes and clusters. He is not only concerned with making structurally interesting compounds accessible, but also always has applications such as catalysis and luminescence in mind. In addition to his research activities, which have attracted worldwide attention, the selection committee highlighted Roesky's great commitment to the chemical community.
Peter W. Roesky, born in Göttingen in 1967, studied chemistry at the University of Würzburg. After completing his doctorate in 1994 at the Technical University of Munich, he went to Northwestern University, Evanston, USA as a postdoctoral fellow. In 1999 he completed his habilitation at the University of Karlsruhe. There he worked as a private lecturer before moving to the Free University of Berlin in 2001 as a professor of inorganic chemistry. There he was also director of the Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry and vice dean for research in the Department of Biology, Chemistry, and pharmacy from 2007 to 2008. In 2008 he accepted a position at the University of Karlsruhe - since 2009 the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), where he is still a professor of inorganic functional materials today. From 2013 to 2015 he was dean of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biosciences, and in the two years before and after that he served as vice dean of the faculty. From 2017 to 2018 he was an Adjunct Professor at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, AUS.
Roesky has already received numerous awards for his work. He is involved in numerous research associations and is also heavily involved in the chemical community outside of his scientific work. He is currently chairman of the board of the Wöhler Association and a member of the DFG Chemistry Forum. Roesky has been a member of the GDCh for thirty years.
The Marianne Baudler Prize has been awarded since 1950 and was called the "Alfred Stock Memorial Prize" until 2021. In 2022, the GDCh Board decided to rename the prize due to Alfred Stock's anti-Semitic attitude and actions during the Nazi era. Marianne Baudler (1921 - 2003) was a professor of inorganic chemistry at the University of Cologne and received the prize now named after her in 1986. Her research interests were primarily in the field of phosphorus compounds.
As part of the Conference, Professor Dr. Holger Kohlmann, University of Leipzig, will also be awarded the Rudolf-Hoppe Lectureship by the GDCh Division of Solid-State Chemistry and Materials Research . The lecture is endowed with 1,000 euros and includes an invitation to give four lectures. With this award, the Division particularly recognizes that Kohlmann has developed and shaped the chemistry of inorganic hydrides over many years and has set standards for both the synthesis of solid-state hydrides and their analysis.
This year, the TANIOBIS PhD Award of the Division of Solid-State Chemistry and Materials Research , endowed with 5,000 euros and sponsored by TANIOBIS GmbH, goes to Dr. Janine Richter. In her dissertation, written at the Technical University of Dresden, she investigated the possibilities and underlying chemical principles that could lead to a more sustainable extraction of element metals from as unrefined primary and secondary raw materials as possible using ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents.
The Wöhler Association for Inorganic Chemistry is also awarding the Wöhler BASF Young Talent Award, worth 5,000 euros, to Dr. Moritz Malischewski of the Free University of Berlin. He is receiving the award for his research into metal complexes with highly fluorinated cyclopentadienyl ligands and the preparation of unusual and highly reactive coordination compounds under superacidic or strongly oxidizing conditions.
The Division is also awarding two young scientists the Wöhler PhD Award for Inorganic Chemistry, worth 1,000 euros. Dr. Susanne M. Rupf will receive the prize for her dissertation entitled “Acceptor-Substituted Cyclopentadienyl Compounds” written at the Free University of Berlin. Dr. Philipp Dabringhaus will be honored for his dissertation “Synthesis of Main-Group Cations: From Lewis Acidic Group 2 to Low-Valent Group 13 Compounds” written at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg.
Finally, the opening event will also see the presentation of the 10th volume of the autobiography series “Lives in Chemistry”. The series, initiated by the GDCh Division “history of chemistry”, portrays important chemists of contemporary history. The latest volume is the autobiography of the renowned chemist Professor Dr. Hubert Schmidbaur, who will be present in person.
Further information about the Conference: www.gdch.de/inorgchemconf2024
The German Chemical Society is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. It has 27 Divisions and 60 local sections and regional forums of the Young Chemists Forum. The GDCh promotes scientific work as well as the exchange and dissemination of new scientific findings. It supports the creation of networks, transdisciplinary and international cooperation and continuous training and further education in schools, universities and at work.
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On August 1, 2024, Dr. Tom Kinzel took over the Managing Directors of the German Chemical Society (GDCh). He succeeds Professor Dr. Wolfram Koch, who led the fortunes of the GDCh for almost 22 years and has now retired. In his new role, Kinzel intends above all to continue to breathe life into the GDCh's mission statements and to support volunteer work. As a former alliance manager, he also wants to advance the chemical community together with friendly organizations.
Before taking office, Tom Kinzel spent three months familiarizing himself with the processes in the office . However, his first contact with the GDCh was much earlier. "During my studies and my doctorate, I received travel grants from the GDCh. Without this support, I would not have been able to take the path I did and I am deeply grateful for it," recalls Kinzel. He joined the GDCh back then and has been a member for around twenty years.
Since May, Kinzel has also gotten to know the GDCh from the inside. "I have observed enormous enthusiasm for the work and a strong identification with the charitable goals of the GDCh among the employees. This, as well as the good financial situation, is one of the most important achievements of my predecessor, Professor Wolfram Koch: The GDCh is very well positioned to face the challenges of the future," Kinzel sums up. "But the office with its full-time employees is only one part of the architecture. I am also impressed by the high level of commitment with which the volunteers contribute to the functioning of the GDCh."
Kinzel already has plans for the future direction of the GDCh: "The GDCh follows four guiding principles, namely relevance in society and politics, a lively network of committed members, a globally leading society and the creation of new forms of cooperation and communication. We need to examine the extent to which the GDCh's offerings for the chemical community correspond to these guiding principles, where a lot of progress has already been made and where we are perhaps still at the beginning. I also want to take a close look at how we deal with volunteers, because only together can we create added value for the chemical community. So we want to continue to achieve a lot for the chemical community and our members!"
Tom Kinzel studied chemistry in Göttingen and received his doctorate in organic chemistry there. After a postdoc stay at MIT in the USA, he started his Career as a laboratory manager at Bayer Pharma in Wuppertal in 2011. After several professional positions, he headed the Open Innovation Centers China and Europe, which are responsible for alliances and cooperation with external partners. In 2022, Kinzel moved to Nuvisan ICB, a company that researches new active ingredients on behalf of the pharmaceutical industry. There he headed the Services department within the Life Science Chemistry division. In 2023, he also completed an EMBA at HEC Paris.
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. It promotes scientific work, research and teaching as well as the exchange and dissemination of scientific knowledge. The GDCh supports education in schools and universities as well as continuous training for work and Career.
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The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is awarding the Hermann Staudinger Award to Professor Dr. Kurt Kremer, Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz. He will receive the award, which is worth 7,500 euros, on September 16 as part of the Biennial Meeting of the Macromolecular Division of the GDCh "Makro 2024", which will take place in Dresden from September 16 to 18 under the motto "Polymers for a Sustainable Future". Two Dr. Hermann Schnell scholarships and the Reimund-Stadler Award of the GDCh Division of Macromolecular Chemistry will also be awarded at the Conference .
Kurt Kremer receives the Hermann Staudinger Award for establishing and applying multiscale modeling methods as a qualitative and quantitative tool for understanding, developing and processing polymer materials. Computer simulations of polymer properties can be used to understand the behavior of polymers at the molecular level. They help, among other things, to develop new polymers, predict polymer properties and optimize processing processes. Kremer developed two important models for computer simulations of polymer properties back in the 1980s: the "Kremer-Grest-Bead-Spring Model" and the "Bond-Fluctuation Model". Both are now standard models in polymer simulation and have led to important findings about polymer melts, elastomers and biopolymers.
Kremer recognized early on that polymer properties can only be understood by combining atomistic and physical modeling. He developed multiscale methods that include different orders of magnitude. He succeeded in establishing these methods as a quantitative tool in polymer science and in showing that they can be used for materials science with direct experimental and industrial relevance.
In his current research, Kremer addresses innovative theoretical concepts in soft matter science, such as non-equilibrium aspects. His work has already led to a new nano-porous polymer material based on simulation predictions and experimental validation.
Kurt Kremer, born in 1956, studied physics at the University of Cologne. In 1983 he received his doctorate from the University of Cologne under Professor Dr. Kurt Binder and at the KFA Jülich Research Center. After a postdoctoral stay at Exxon Research and Engineering Co., Annandale, New Jersey, USA, he qualified as a professor in theoretical physics at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz in 1988. He then returned to the solid state laboratory at KFA Jülich as a senior research assistant. He spent several longer stays as a visiting professor/scientist in the USA at Exxon Research, University of California, Santa Barbara, and the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. After a short stay at Bayer AG, Leverkusen, he moved to the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz. Kremer has already received several awards for his research. He is a member of the German National Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina, and is actively involved in the scientific community in various roles.
As part of the Conference , two young scientists will also receive a Dr. Herrmann Schnell scholarship. Dr. Matthias Hartlieb, University of Potsdam, will receive a scholarship worth 3,000 euros for his research into materials with specific biological activity, in particular antimicrobial polymers as an alternative to antibiotics. Junior Professor Dr. Hatice Mutlu, Institut de Science des Matériaux de Mulhouse, France, will receive another Dr. Herrmann Schnell scholarship worth 3,000 euros for her development of advanced functional, stimuli-responsive materials and solutions for a more sustainable plastics industry using innovative (catalytic) methods. The Dr. Hermann Schnell scholarships are awarded by the foundation of the same name, which is based at the GDCh, to promote young scientists in the field of macromolecular chemistry, its physical-chemical principles and its analytics.
Dr. Matthias Hartlieb will also be awarded the Reimund-Stadler Award by the GDCh Division of Macromolecular Chemistry . The Division awards the prize, worth 5,000 euros, to a prospective university lecturer in the field of polymer chemistry and related areas in even-numbered years as part of the Division conference . The awardee will be chosen from among the participants of the university's young talent workshop. Hartlieb convinced the selection committee with his lecture entitled "Polymeric Biomaterials: From Photopolymerization to Antimicrobial Polymers."
Further information about the Conference can be found at https://makro2024.de
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. It has 27 Divisions, including the Division of Macromolecular Chemistry with over 1,350 members. The Division brings together scientists from universities, research institutes and industry from all areas of polymer chemistry and physics. The Division of Macromolecular Chemistry has the right to propose candidates for the GDCh's Hermann Staudinger Award , named after the 1953 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry and endowed with 7,500 euros.
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The 133rd meeting of the Society of German Scientists and Physicians (GDNÄ) will take place in Potsdam from September 12 to 15, 2024 under the motto "Science for our lives of tomorrow". Traditionally, the German Chemical Society (GDCh) contributes to the event with a scientific session and the awarding of the Liebig commemorative coin . This year's winner is Professor Dr. Katharina Landfester from the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz.
With the Liebig commemorative coin, which is endowed with 7,500 euros, the GDCh recognizes outstanding achievements in the entire field of chemistry. Landfester receives the award for her remarkable work in the field of organic polymers, in particular for the development and application of nanocapsules for the targeted administration of drugs and as building blocks for the construction of artificial cells. The selection committee also recognized her great commitment to the chemical community and to the interests of the GDCh.
Polymerization in emulsions plays an important role in modern polymer research. Polymerization is a chemical process in which small molecules, so-called monomers, are combined to form larger molecules, the polymers. Landfester researched so-called miniemulsion polymerization, which enables the production of complex polymer nanoparticles. The chemist thus made a significant contribution to the establishment of polymerization in emulsions from a niche approach to an important area of polymer synthesis. Landfester developed functional and active nanocapsules as transport vehicles for the targeted administration of drugs and as modules for the construction of artificial cells. In this way, she succeeded in transferring cell concepts to the field of synthesis in order to open up synthesis routes for chemistry in an intelligent way. With her research into miniemulsion polymerization, she has overcome the previous limits of emulsion polymerization and made a new field of reaction types and monomers accessible to polymer chemistry.
Katharina Landfester, born in 1969, studied chemistry at the Technical University of Darmstadt. For her diploma thesis, she studied at the Ecole d'Application des Hautes Polymères in Strasbourg. In 1995 she received her doctorate in physical chemistry from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz after working with Professor Dr. HW Spiess at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, also in Mainz. This was followed by research stays at the MPI for Polymer Research and at Lehigh University, Bethlehem, USA, before she moved to the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Golm as project manager in 1998. In 2002 she completed her habilitation in physical chemistry at the University of Potsdam. In 2003 she took up a C4 professorship for macromolecular chemistry at the University of Ulm, until she moved to the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research as director in 2008. She has also been Managing Director there since 2014. In addition, she has been co-founder of the start-up Lignilabs since 2022. In addition to her scientific work, Landfester holds several institutional positions and is active in numerous committees. She has received numerous awards and has published more than 600 research papers in the past ten years. Landfester has been an active member of the GDCh since 1994. From 2007 to 2015 she was a board member of the GDCh Division of Macromolecular Chemistry, and from 2016 to 2023 she was a member of the GDCh Board .
The award ceremony will take place on September 14th as part of the Chemistry session, which will be opened by GDCh President Prof. Dr. Stefanie Dehnen . Following the award ceremony, the award winner will give a lecture on the topic of "Nanocapsules as drug carriers and artificial organelles".
With around 30,000 members, the German Chemical Society is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world. It awards numerous internationally prestigious prizes, including the Liebig commemorative coin, which was first awarded in 1903. Among the award winners are numerous later Nobel Prize winners: Adolf von Baeyer, Paul Ehrlich, Fritz Haber, Carl Bosch, Max Planck, Friedrich Bergius, Hans Fischer, Feodor Lynen, Karl Ziegler and Gerhard Ertl.
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The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is awarding the GDCh Award for Biocatalysis to Dr. Sebastian Gergel, EnginZyme AB, Solna, Sweden. The award ceremony will take place on September 12th during the annual meeting of the GDCh Division of Sustainable Chemistry in Mülheim an der Ruhr.
Sebastian Gergel receives the GDCh Award for Biocatalysis for his dissertation, which he completed at the universities of Stuttgart and Bielefeld. In it he dealt with protein engineering and the design of new enzymes.
Protein engineering deals with the design, optimization and production of proteins, including enzymes. Possible areas of application range from science to industry and agriculture. Protein engineering can play an important role, for example, in the development of new drugs and therapies, in the production of biofuels or in the development of new biotechnological processes.
In his work, Gergel combined mechanistic understanding of organic reactions with the methods of protein engineering, as well as their application in organic synthesis. He focused on directed evolution and mechanistic studies of carbonyl-selective alkene oxygenases and their application in asymmetric synthesis. Gergel was able to gain deep insights into the reaction mechanism of the biocatalytic Wacker oxidation. After successfully designing such enzymes, he was able to use them in regioselective or regio- and enantioselective Wacker oxidation.
The selection committee was convinced not only by the excellence of the content of the dissertation, which was rated "summa cum laude", but also by its linguistic and visual elaboration. The work also laid the foundation for further projects and resulted in a large number of high-ranking publications in top scientific journals.
Sebastian Gergel studied chemistry at the University of Stuttgart. He completed his doctoral thesis at the Universities of Stuttgart and Bielefeld. After completing his doctorate in 2021, he took up a position at EnginZyme AB, Solna, Sweden.
Further information about the Conference can be found at: www.gdch.de/nachhaltig2024
With around 30,000 members, the German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world. It has 27 Divisions, including the Division of Sustainable Chemistry founded in 2009 with over 800 members.
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The 23rd ORCHEM will take place at the University of Regensburg from September 9th to 11th. The Conference is organized by the Liebig Association for Organic Chemistry of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and is one of the most attractive conferences in the field of organic chemistry. The program includes lectures on synthesis, catalysis, methodology and reactivity. As part of the Conference , the GDCh will award the prestigious Emil Fischer Medal for outstanding achievements in the field of organic chemistry. The Liebig Association also recognizes original and groundbreaking work by young scientists.
On September 9, the GDCh will award the Emil Fischer Medal to Professor Dr. Frank Glorius, University of Münster. He will receive the award, worth 7,500 euros, for his groundbreaking contributions to organic synthesis methodology and the design of functional molecules. His work is exceptional in both its diversity and quality. The selection committee also highlighted the international reach and appeal of Glorius' work and praised his special commitment to the chemical community.
Frank Glorius is considered a leading expert in the field of organic chemistry. With his work, he has made important contributions to organic synthesis and catalysis as well as to the design of functional molecules. Glorius and his group are involved in the evaluation and discovery of chemical reactions as well as the prediction of reactivity and selectivity based on machine learning. Frank Glorius' team is one of the leading groups in all of the research areas mentioned and is known worldwide for its innovative and influential work.
Frank Glorius, born in Walsrode in 1972, studied chemistry at the Leibniz University of Hanover. In 2000, he received his doctorate in Basel after research work at the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, Mülheim/Ruhr, and at the University of Basel. After working at Harvard University, USA, the MPI for Coal Research and the Philipps University of Marburg, he accepted a position at the University of Münster in 2007. He still works there as a professor of organic chemistry. Glorius has received numerous awards for his work and his research is currently being funded by his third ERC (European Research Council) grant. In addition to his scientific work, he is also actively involved in the chemical community, for example on the Board of Trustees of the Chemical Industry Fund and in the DFG's Chemistry Review Board. Glorius has been an active GDCh member for twenty-eight years. During this time, he headed the Münster local section and organized ORCHEM 2022 as chair.
The Liebig Association for Organic Chemistry is also using the Conference to recognize outstanding scientific achievements. On September 10, the ORCHEM Prize, which comes with prize money of 2500 euros, will be awarded to two young scientists. Dr. Golo Storch, Technical University of Munich, will receive the award for his work in the field of organic photochemistry, in particular the investigation of flavin systems in molecular photocatalysis. Dr. Malte Gersch, Technical University of Dortmund, will receive the award for his work on the investigation of proteolytic enzymes of the ubiquitin system. Both awardee will give a brief insight into their research after the award ceremony.
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The Emil Fischer Medal for outstanding achievements in the field of organic chemistry was founded in 1912 by Carl Duisberg on Emil Fischer's 60th birthday and was initially financed by the Carl Duisberg Foundation and later from a special fund of the GDCh. Emil Fischer was one of the most important chemists of his time and received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1902 for his work on sugar and purine.
The ORCHEM Prize is regularly awarded within the framework of ORCHEM to younger scientists who have qualified through new, original and groundbreaking scientific work in their field.
Further information about the Conference can be found at: orchem2024.de
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. It has 27 Divisions, including the Liebig Association for Organic Chemistry with over 1,300 members. The main aims of the Liebig Association for Organic Chemistry are, among other things, to encourage research directions and research projects in the field of organic chemistry, to provide information on key activities in this field and to publicize important and current aspects of organic chemistry through intensive public relations .
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The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is honoring Professor Dr. Dr. hc mult. Lorenz Cederbaum, University of Heidelberg, with the Erich Hückel Award. The chemist and physicist will receive the award, worth 7,500 euros, for his outstanding achievements in theoretical chemistry, in particular for his groundbreaking contributions to the quantum dynamics of molecular systems. The award ceremony will take place on September 5, 2024, as part of the conference “60th Symposium on Theoretical Chemistry (STC)”.
Lorenz Cederbaum's research focuses on the many-body theory, non-adiabatic phenomena, atoms and molecules in strong fields, boson systems and the energy transfer between molecules. At the end of the 1990s, he predicted the intermolecular Coulomb decay (ICD), which has since been proven by numerous experiments and is being further researched in many working groups.
The award committee appointed by the GDCh Board recognized Cederbaum's scientific work as follows: "His pioneering work on ultrafast nonadiabatic processes at conical intersections and their simulation, including light-induced conical intersections (LICI), the development of the Multi-Configuration Time-Dependent Hartree (MCTDH) method for solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation, the theoretical prediction of intermolecular Coulombic Decay (ICD), his studies on electron dynamics and ultrafast intramolecular charge migration in molecules, the development of methods for treating short-lived anions, and his detection of quantum chaos in molecules deserves special mention."
Lorenz Cederbaum, born in Braunschweig in 1946, studied physics at the University of Munich and received his doctorate in chemistry in 1972 from the Technical University of Munich (TUM). After his habilitation in physics in 1976, also at TUM, he worked as a professor of physics at the University of Freiburg. In 1979, Cederbaum accepted a position at the University of Heidelberg, where he worked as a professor and director at the Institute of physical chemistry in the Department of Theoretical Chemistry. Since 2017, he has been a senior professor of theoretical chemistry in Heidelberg. During his academic career, he has been a visiting professor at numerous foreign universities, including Harvard and Berkeley, USA. Cederbaum has received honorary doctorates from the University of Sofia, Bulgaria, the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, and the University of Debrecen, Hungary. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina and the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science (IAQMS). His publication list includes more than 820 publications.
With the Erich Hückel Award, the GDCh recognizes outstanding work in the field of theoretical chemistry. The award is named after the German chemist and physicist Erich Hückel (1896 - 1980), who is considered a pioneer of quantum chemistry. Hückel's molecular orbital theory (HMO theory), the Hückel rules that define the aromatic state, and the Debye-Hückel theory from electrochemistry are named after him.
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. In addition to 27 Divisions , seven working groups are located under its umbrella, including the Theoretical Chemistry Working Group, which is jointly supported by the German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry and the German Physical Society. The Theoretical Chemistry Working Group organizes annual symposia on theoretical chemistry.
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In 2023, a total of 8,248 beginners began a chemistry degree program: 1.4% more than in the previous year (2022: 8,137). This is shown by the annual statistics for chemistry degree programs of the German Chemical Society (GDCh). The number of students who completed a chemistry degree program with a master's degree or the first state examination is 3,483 (2022: 3,761). After a slump in the previous year (2022: 1,883), the number of doctorates rose again last year to 2,040. Job-seeking graduates with a completed doctorate were able to enter professional life just as well as in the previous year.
The following results were obtained for the individual study programs:
97% of all bachelor's graduates at universities and 75% at universities of applied sciences went on to study for a master's degree. Around 83% of master's graduates at universities began a doctorate. This figure is still lower than the long-term average (90%) and now appears to have settled at a lower level.
Almost 50% of graduates with doctorates in chemistry have already taken their first step into professional life. According to data from universities, around 42.4% took up a job in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry (2022: 44%), 17.4% (2022: 17%) took up a temporary position in Germany (including postdoc). 14.8% worked in the rest of the economy after graduating (2022: 14%) and 9.8% took up a job abroad after graduating (2022: 9%). Around 4.9% stayed at a university or research institute (2022: 5%). Around 4% of graduates held a job in the public sector (2022: 4%). At the time of the survey, 6.2% were considered job seekers (2022: 5%).
As in every year, the number of "real" job seekers is likely to be somewhat lower. Due to the survey's cut-off date of December 31, graduates who start their new job in January or February are still recorded as job seekers.
The brochure “Statistics of Chemistry Study Programs 2023” is available as a flip catalog at www.gdch.de/statistik.
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. It deals with current developments at universities and on the job market, among other things. Since 1952, the GDCh has been collecting extensive statistical data on chemistry courses every year. The statistics from 2023 are based on data from the courses in chemistry and industrial chemistry, biochemistry and life science, food chemistry and chemistry courses at universities of applied sciences (HAW), formerly universities of applied sciences. The survey included the number of beginners and students, the number of final examinations passed, as well as the respective final grades and duration of study. In addition, some universities provided information on how their graduates entered the job market after completing their degree or doctorate. The cut-off date for the survey is December 31st.
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Professor Dr. Yimon Aye, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, will be awarded the Klaus Grohe Prize 2024. The award, worth 50,000 euros, is one of the most highly endowed prizes for medicinal chemistry in Europe. It is awarded by the Klaus Grohe Foundation, which is part of the German Chemical Society (GDCh). Aye receives the prize for her groundbreaking research into cell communication and enzyme manipulation, with which she has advanced both basic research and practical applications in medicine . The award ceremony will take place on September 1st by GDCh President Professor Dr. Stefanie Dehnen as part of the International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ISMC 2024) in Rome, Italy.
With her research, Yimon Aye has significantly expanded our understanding of cellular processes and thus opened up new avenues for the development of more effective and targeted drugs. For example, she developed T-REX (Targetable Reactive Electrophiles and Oxidants), an innovative method for the targeted modification of proteins. T-REX can be used to observe specific chemical changes in proteins and study their effects on living cells. The method therefore helps to understand how certain chemical substances, so-called electrophiles, act in the cell and can influence diseases.
Aye's research results not only help us understand the causes of disease and signaling pathways, but also help us develop new and better drugs. For example, she discovered that the protein Akt3 can be inhibited by electrophiles. Inhibiting Akt3 has been difficult to date, but it is important for the development of drugs, especially in cancer research. Aye developed a new drug that specifically inhibits Akt3 and has already been successfully tested in mouse models.
Aye also studied the multiple sclerosis drug Tecfidera in more detail. She found that Tecfidera marks the protein Keap1, which can lead to cell death in some immune cells, while it leads to survival-promoting signals in other cells. These findings could help to improve the drug's effectiveness and reduce side effects in the future.
Yimon Aye, born in 1980 in Yangon, Myanmar, studied chemistry at the University of Oxford, UK. After completing her doctorate at Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, she went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA, in 2009 for a postdoc. From 2012, Aye taught and researched at Cornell University, Ithaca, USA, until she moved to the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland, in 2018. There she heads the Laboratory of Electrophiles And Genome Operation (LEAGO) as an associate professor. Aye has already received numerous awards for her research, including an ERC Consolidator Grant (2022). She is a member of a large number of advisory boards and committees and takes on editorial tasks in renowned journals. Among other things, Aye has been co-editor of ACS Chemical Biology since January 2022.
The Klaus Grohe Prize goes back to the chemist Professor Dr. Klaus Grohe (*1934), who developed important innovative drugs with great success during his professional career. In 2001, the couple Klaus and Eva Grohe set up the Klaus Grohe Foundation at the GDCh, which has awarded the Klaus Grohe Prize for medicinal chemistry to young scientists since 2004. Since a reorientation in 2020, the prize has been endowed with 50,000 euros and is now awarded to internationally renowned researchers in the field of drug development whose work makes an important contribution to application.
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world, with around 30,000 members. The GDCh manages numerous dependent foundations in trust. The purpose of these foundations is to award prizes, sponsorship awards and scholarships. Foundation advisory boards decide on the awarding of prizes, sponsorship awards and scholarships.
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The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is awarding Professor Dr. David A. Leigh, University of Manchester, UK, the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal for his special services to chemistry. The GDCh is thus honoring his pioneering achievements in the field of nanoscience as well as his tireless efforts as an ambassador for chemistry. The award ceremony will take place on July 11th as part of the 9th EuChemS Chemistry Congress in Dublin, Ireland.
David A. Leigh is a world leader in the study of artificial molecular machines and molecular topology and is considered a gifted "architect" of the nanoworld. His work has had a major impact on supramolecular chemistry over the past 20 years. Leigh has introduced numerous innovative and influential concepts for the synthesis of interlocking molecular architectures. In addition, he has pioneered the control of molecular motion and synthesized some of the most complex artificial molecular structures known to date.
Key achievements of Leigh's working group include the development of molecular catenane motors and the construction of artificial machines that can transport droplets along inclined surfaces. They also developed the information ratchet "Maxwell's Demon" - a molecular machine that uses thermal energy to move molecules in a specific direction - and introduced artificial molecules that can "walk". In recent years, Leigh has explored the weaving of highly complex molecular knots and 2D materials, and advanced the synthesis of astonishingly simple chemically driven rotors.
In addition to his outstanding research work, he has worked tirelessly as an ambassador for chemistry. In hundreds of public lectures and media contributions, he inspires and enthuses a wide audience for the subject. In his lectures, Leigh combines magic tricks with scientific content and impresses both expert and non-expert audiences. In his enthusiasm for his subject, Leigh does not shy away from unusual ways of communicating: in 2018, for example, his working group commissioned a popular music video about nanorobotics, which has received around 1.2 million views to date. Leigh is actively committed to supporting and promoting girls and financially disadvantaged students.
David A. Leigh, born in Birmingham, UK in 1963, completed his doctorate in chemistry at the University of Sheffield, UK, in 1987 (under the later Nobel Prize winner Fraser Stoddart). After research stays at the National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, CAN, and at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK, he was appointed Chair of Synthetic Chemistry at the University of Warwick, UK, in 1998. In 2001, Leigh was appointed Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh, UK. He has been Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Manchester, UK, since 2012, and has also been a Royal Society Research Professor since 2016. He has received numerous awards for his research work, including three ERC Advanced Grants (2008, 2013, 2018). He is an elected or honorary member of a number of scientific academies and societies.
The GDCh awards the August Wilhelm Hofmann Commemorative Medal - a gold coin - to personalities from Germany or abroad who have made great contributions to chemistry. The prize has a long tradition and was established by its predecessor, the German Chemical Society, in 1902.
The European Chemical Society (EuChemS) is the successor organization to the FECS (Federation of European Chemical Societies), which was founded in 1970 with significant involvement of the GDCh. EuChemS has over 40 chemical science societies in over 30 countries as members, including the GDCh as the largest continental European chemical society with around 30,000 members - around 20 percent of the chemists represented by EuCheMS. The scientific activities of EuChemS are carried out primarily by the corresponding divisions and working parties. The focus is on the EuChemS Chemistry Congress, which takes place every two years.
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It was December 10th in the year 1963 when two outstanding chemists from Italy and Germany shared the stage of the Stockholm Concert Hall. Giulio Natta and Karl Ziegler were awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work on polymers that “paved the way for new and highly useful industrial processes.” In other words: With their pioneering work in the field of catalysis, the two scientists had initiated nothing less than the age of plastics. While this highest recognition of the scientific community was bestowed upon them in Sweden and the effects of their discoveries played a role worldwide, it was their laboratories in Milan and Mülheim where Natta and Ziegler conducted the decisive experiments. These are the “Giulio Natta'' Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering at the Politecnico in Milan, Italy, and the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.
Now, more than 60 years after their joint Nobel Prize ceremony of Natta and Ziegler, the European Chemical Society (EuChems) has recognized both locations as “Historical Landmark”. With this award, EuChems wants to point out that both Milan and Mülheim are places that are important to the European Chemical community and both inspire a sense of European belonging. Natta's and Ziegler's groups were tightly bonded by their cooperative and also competitive research and development activities. Until today, “Ziegler-Natta” is a well-known term among students in the field of chemistry. And their impact on our everyday lives is still immense, as the EuChems underlines.
Yes, synthetic polymers had already existed since the end of the 19th century, but they were not yet of great interest to the chemical industry. Their material properties were partly unsatisfactory, their production often very expensive and only possible under high pressures. Ziegler's research team discovered in 1953 that organometallic compounds could catalyze the production of polyethylene without the need for high pressure and temperature, leading to high-density polyethylene. This type of polyethylene proved superior to the previously manufactured products due to its better properties and more economical production. Natta extended the research conducted by Ziegler to stereospecific polymerization, thus discovering new classes of polymers with a sterically ordered structure. These studies led to the production of a thermoplastic material, isotactic polypropylene, which was soon marketed successfully as a plastic material for fibers and films.
The discovery of Ziegler-Natta catalysts and the resulting new polymers was disruptive to chemical research and industry and to everyday life on a global scale, with particular consequences for the Italian early stage researchers nationwide.
The enduring impact of Professors Ziegler and Natta's accomplishments extends far beyond Germany and Italy, and continues to yield significant contributions to polymerization catalysis, polymer science, and the polymer industry, with particular emphasis nowadays toward establishing a fully sustainable polymer industry.
"We are delighted that EuChems has included the work sites of Giulio Natta and Karl Ziegler in its important Historical Landmarks program," explains Prof. Dr. Sabine Becker, Vice President of the GDCh. "In Milan and Mülheim, Natta and Ziegler made outstanding and groundbreaking chemical achievements in the field of polymer science, from which the entire society still benefits enormously today."
“Stereoregular polymers already existed in nature at the time of the discoveries of Professors Ziegler and Natta, for example cellulose and natural rubber. As it was stated on the occasion of the awarding of the Nobel prize, Prof. Natta's research broke nature's monopoly for the synthesis of stereoregular polymers with a high degree of order. Isotactic polypropylene is the best known example and is the most widely used polymer today. “The scientific and technological revolution promoted by the Ziegler-Natta catalysis led to immense advancements” states Marinella Levi, Director of the Chemistry, Materials and Chemical engineering “G. Natta” Department. The legacy of Professors Ziegler and Natta and their Schools is fundamental to shape our future, which must be inspired by the sustainability of polymeric materials.
“We are very proud of Karl Ziegler's legacy, without whom our institute in Mülheim would never have grown to the size we know it as today,” says Frank Neese, Managing Director at the Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung. Ziegler with his groundbreaking work in the field of organic chemistry, he was one of the founders of organometallic chemistry and, in particular, organometallic catalysis. His patent for the production of high molecular weight polyethylene at normal pressure and room temperature with the aid of "organometallic catalysts" made from aluminum alkyl and transition metal compounds started a chain of innovation which led to the rapid development of the large-scale production of polyolefins.
The age of plastics did not only bring countless useful applications for synthetic polymers. Nowadays humanity has to face the still uncontrolled disposal of plastic waste. The two historical landmarks could be a perfect opportunity to show the general public the environmental sustainability of polymers as well as to underline modern contributions of chemistry to the circular economy.
An adjustment of the framework conditions to improve the career paths of scientists inside and outside academic institutions is very welcome from the point of view of the natural and life sciences. In addition to a necessary adjustment of the financing and personnel structures of scientific institutions, this also includes the intensively discussed amendment to the Scientific Fixed-Term Contract Act (WissZeitVG). The Federal Cabinet recently passed a draft law based on the BMBF's draft bill of June 6, 2023, which is now going into parliamentary consultation. The draft provides for a maximum of 6-year doctoral phase and a subsequent maximum of 4-year postdoc phase. In addition, two additional years of fixed-term employment with binding target agreements for the transition to a permanent position are to be made possible.
The undersigned natural and life sciences societies welcome in principle the effort to enable better planning and reliability of scientific careers, but point out the following critical points:
1. In the field of natural and life sciences as well as in biomedicine, the planned timing of the two qualification phases (max. 6 years to obtain a doctorate, [4+2] years as a postdoc) would in principle only just suffice in some - but not all - subject areas to achieve the project successes required for a professorship in the form of extensive data sets, independent publications, teaching experience and independently acquired research funds or to develop and consolidate an expert profile for career goals alongside the professorship. Since the proposed amendment to the WissZeitVG will not create any additional permanent positions, the postdoc qualification phase is to be expected to be limited to 4 years in most cases. However, especially in experimental subjects, this time is often insufficient and will lead to a migration of scientists abroad and a dramatic loss in the quality of research in the natural and life sciences and in biomedicine in Germany.
2. The signatory professional associations do not consider a further opening of the collective bargaining clause, i.e. the transfer of important elements of the fixed-term regulations to be regulated by collective bargaining law, to be appropriate or necessary. Fixed-term regulations in collective bargaining agreements would not do justice to the different scientific institutions or the career paths of young scientists and would lead to a fragmentation of the legal and collective bargaining framework. A differentiated design of the framework conditions for scientific career options according to federal states would be counterproductive and would lead to an imbalance in research in the federal states. If the entire qualification fixed-term were left to the discretion of the collective bargaining partners, the consequences for Germany as a location for science and for the career paths of young scientists in the natural sciences and biomedicine would be serious.
3. For scientific work in the natural and life sciences, the possibility of continuing to set fixed-term contracts in the context of third-party funded projects - without time limits or a limitation on the number of third-party funded contracts - is essential.
4. The planned minimum contract term of 3 years for the first contract of doctoral students is generally very welcome. We would like to point out that the comprehensive implementation of such a minimum contract term presents additional challenges for scientific institutions. Financial resources would have to be made available from the institutions' budgets to ensure that available third-party funds with remaining terms of less than 3 years can be used appropriately.
5. The minimum contract period of one year for employment during studies is not feasible in many cases due to the inherent organisation of university internships and courses in the natural sciences and biomedicine, so that there is a risk that university teaching will be impaired. We therefore recommend that justified exceptions to the minimum contract period be permitted.
In order to achieve the improved planning of scientific career paths that is the aim of the amendment to the WissZeitVG, the signatory professional associations believe that additional permanent positions in the natural and life sciences must be created. This can only be achieved by significantly increasing the permanent funds for basic financing of universities and non-university institutions. The signatory professional associations therefore recommend that a discussion on this matter be held as soon as possible with representatives of the federal government and the states.
Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM)
Anatomical Society (AG)
German Society for Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and toxicology (DGPT)
German Society for Extracellular Vesicles (GSEV)
German Society for Immunology (DGfI)
German Society for Medical Psychology (DGMP)
German Society for Cell Biology (DGZ)
German Pharmaceutical Society (DPhG)
German Physiological Society (DPG)
German Chemical Society (GDCh)
Society for Developmental Biology (GfE)
Society for Genetics (GfG)
Society for Microscopy and Image Analysis (GerBI-GMB)
Society for Virology (GfV)
Neuroscientific Society (NWG)
Signal Transduction Society (STS)
Association for General and Applied Microbiology (VAAM)
The signatory professional societies represent more than 55,000 members in the natural and life sciences as well as in biomedicine.
Media contact:
Prof. Dr. Volker Haucke
President of the Society for
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology eV
https://gbm-online.de/die-gbm.html
haucke@fmp-berlin.de
Phone +49 (0) 30 947 93 100
Dr. Karin J. Schmitz
German Chemical Society
public relations
Phone +49 69 7917-493
Email: pr@gdch.de
www.gdch.de/presse
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) has appointed Professor Dr. Dr. hc Heribert Offermanns as an honorary member. The GDCh is thus recognizing his services to the promotion of chemistry in general and his commitment to the goals of the GDCh in particular. The award was already presented in 2023, and the ceremonial award ceremony will now take place on May 8 as part of the annual meeting of the GDCh Division of Senior Expert Chemists (SEC) in Magdeburg.
With this award, the GDCh recognizes Heribert Offermann's many years of commitment and his valuable contributions to the public's representation of chemistry. Offermanns was a member of the GDCh board for 14 years, eight of which as an elected member and six years as a co-opted member as treasurer. Offermanns played a key role in founding and strengthening the Division of Senior Expert Chemists. He also had a decisive influence on the GDCh Division chemical education Group. For a long time, he was responsible for continuing education and chemistry didactics at the GDCh and, among other things, initiated the Heinrich Roessler Award for special services to chemical education.
Offermanns wrote numerous articles for the GDCh membership magazine “Nachrichten aus der Chemie” and articles for the journal “Chemie in unserer Zeit”. In doing so, he made a significant contribution to explaining chemistry in an understandable way to the interested public.
Offermanns has always been open to new things. In 2006, for example, he spontaneously agreed to participate in various working groups of the newly founded Senior Expert Chemists (SEC). His idea of giving generally understandable lectures at the SEC annual meeting has now become his trademark. He organized and planned the first two SEC annual meeting almost single-handedly and thus made a decisive contribution to the successful development of the Division .
Heribert Offermanns was born in 1937 near Aachen. He completed his studies in chemistry at RWTH Aachen University and received his doctorate. In 1968 he joined Degussa AG, where he initially worked in chemical and pharmaceutical research and as operations manager. From 1976 to 2000, Offermanns was a member of the board of directors with responsibility for research and development as well as operational areas and regions. During this time, he played a key role in the establishment and expansion of the Degussa research center in Hanau-Wolfgang. Offermanns is the author of numerous scientific papers and articles for the general public and holds many patents registered worldwide. In addition to his involvement in the GDCh, he was a member of the Senate of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and a member and Chair of the Chemical Industry Fund (FCI). He was also a member of the University Council of the Goethe University Frankfurt and the boards of trustees of the University of Regensburg and the Paul Ehrlich Foundation. Offermanns was also Chair of the board of trustees of the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research in Stuttgart and held a teaching position at the Goethe University in Frankfurt. He has received numerous awards and honors, including an honorary doctorate in engineering from RWTH Aachen University, the Carl Duisburg Plaque from the GDCh (1988), the Karl Winnacker Prize from the Marburg University Association (2001) and the Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Federal Republic of Germany (2011).
The honorary membership award will be presented at a ceremony during the annual meeting of the GDCh Division of Senior Expert Chemists . The Conference - this year under the motto "Impulses for sustainable development" - will take place from May 6 to 8 in Magdeburg. The program includes exciting lectures from all areas of chemistry, all of which are characterized by their everyday relevance and their comprehensibility. In addition to the scientific program, a varied accompanying program invites you to network and explore Magdeburg.
Further information on the Conference can be found at www.gdch.de/sec2024
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. It has 27 Divisions, including the Senior Expert Chemists (SEC) with over 400 members. Most senior experts have a university education and have held responsible positions in industrial companies, educational institutions (e.g. universities and schools), research institutes or authorities during their professional lives. Today they are involved on a voluntary basis in three SEC working groups: "Network", "public relations" and "School-Education-Career".
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This year's Ars legendi Faculty Prize for excellent university teaching in mathematics and the natural sciences goes to Nina Keul from the Christian Albrechts University of Kiel (biology), Hans-Christian Schmitt from the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (chemistry), and Anselm Knebusch from the Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences (mathematics) and Jan-Philipp Burde from the University of Tübingen (physics).
The Ars legendi Faculty Prize for Mathematics and Natural Sciences honors scientists who distinguish themselves through outstanding, innovative and exemplary achievements in teaching, advising and support. It is awarded by the Stifterverband, the German Chemical Society, the German Mathematicians' Association, the German Physical Society and the Association of Biology, Life Sciences and Biomedicine in Germany. The award has been presented since 2014 in the categories of biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics and is endowed with 5,000 euros each.
The awardee were selected by a nine-person jury made up of representatives from scientific disciplines, university didactics and students. She awarded the Ars legendi Faculty Prize 2024 to the following university professors:
In the biology category
will Dr. Nina Keul from the Christian Albrechts University in Kiel, received the award. She has been teaching across disciplines in the “Marine Geoscience” and “Biological Oceanography” courses since 2017. She developed diverse and innovative teaching formats to sharpen research-oriented training. With her often playful offerings, Nina Keul strengthens students' communication skills and personal responsibility in addition to gaining knowledge. The e-learning tool “digiCruise”, in which students go on a digital expedition with the research ship, and the high level of student mobility as part of the European university alliance SEA-EU are best practice examples from their teaching.
In the chemistry category
the prize goes to Dr. Hans-Christian Schmitt from the Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg. He receives the award for his groundbreaking commitment to his courses in physical chemistry. He particularly impressed the jury with his innovative redesign of internship experiments, sensible digitalization strategies and his concepts for stimulating active, research-based learning. In addition, Hans-Christian Schmitt succeeds in achieving long-term learning success in his main and minor subjects as well as in the training of prospective teachers through target group-oriented supporting materials, variable discussion formats and innovative learning goal controls and arousing enthusiasm for the experiment.
In the mathematics category
receives the award Professor Dr. Anselm Knebusch from the Stuttgart University of Technology. He uses the innovative concept of “computer-based learning” (CBL) in the lecture hall to address the heterogeneity of first-year students in mathematics education in engineering courses. The new approach of “blended learning” is used to activate the students. The internal differentiation of teaching is achieved through adapted learning videos and interactive exercises, which are worked on individually in the lecture hall. The teacher is present to answer questions and thus becomes a learning coach. The The approach is tailored to the needs of a heterogeneous learning group in which self-learning skills are established but still need to be developed. With this award, the jury would also like to emphasize the importance of minor subject training.
In the physics category
This year, junior professor Dr. Jan-Philipp Burde from the University of Tübingen was honored. The jury found it particularly remarkable that the awardee did not view the physics teacher training course as a shortened specialist course. For him, it is essential to intertwine specialist knowledge and didactics, as opposed to the isolated teaching and acquisition of these two domains of knowledge. Jan-Philipp Burde's events, for which he is being awarded this year's Ars legendi Faculty Prize in physics , are therefore characterized by a consistent focus on research, in which the results of empirical studies are presented and discussed. His events also have a systematic connection to specialist science, in that fundamental concepts of physics lectures are deepened and reflected on in terms of didactics. And they have a clear connection to school practice, as students plan small teaching sequences and experiments and demonstrate them to each other and try them out with students.
The ceremonial awarding of the Ars legendi Faculty Prize for Mathematics and Natural Sciences will take place on April 23, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. at the EXPERIMINTA ScienceCenter Hamburger Allee 22-24, Frankfurt am Main. Those interested are warmly invited. Please register by April 12, 2024 at www.gdch.de/ALFP2024.
Further information about the Ars legendi Faculty Prize for Mathematics and Natural Sciences can be found at https://www.stifterverband.org/ars-legendi-mn
Press contact:
German Chemical Society eV
Maren Mielck, Tel. 069 7917-327
Email: pr@gdch.de
Donors' Association
Peggy Groß, Tel. 030 322982-530
Email: presse@stifterverband.de
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From April 9th to 12th, analytica, the world's leading trade fair for laboratory technology, analytics and biotechnology, will take place for the 29th time at the Munich exhibition center. It will be accompanied by the analytica conference from April 9th to 11th. In numerous sessions, scientists report on current topics from analytics, quality control, diagnostics, measurement and testing technology as well as biotechnology and the life sciences. The scientific program of the analytica conference is designed by the Analytic Forum, which is made up of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), the Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM) and the German Society for Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (DGKL).
For the conference, the Analytics Forum has put together an extensive program that covers almost all areas of analytics and presents the latest trends and developments. The topics have a high practical relevance, so that research and application benefit equally.
A look at the program shows how current the topics are: one session is dedicated to the topic of “Artificial Intelligence”. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to revolutionize analytical chemistry. AI automates tasks, improves accuracy and increases research efficiency. Their role is constantly growing, making them an important tool in science. The speakers will show how AI and data science can specifically support precision analytics and laboratory medicine.
The “Sustainability” session focuses on the sustainable laboratory. Sustainability in the laboratory doesn't just mean reducing energy and waste, saving water and practicing green chemistry. Sustainable supply chains, cooperation and sustainability in training are also important levers. Even small changes can have a big impact. The speakers will present their experiences and, together with the plenum, look for ways in which laboratories can contribute to a greener and more sustainable future.
The topic of research data management is also highly topical and will be taken up in the “Research Data Management” minisymposium, which consists of three sessions. Due to technological progress, researchers are producing more and more data. But only if this data is well managed can it be found, accessible, interoperable and reusable and therefore correspond to the FAIR data principles (FAIR: Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable). Efficient data management saves time and resources, reduces errors and improves the quality of analyses. The speakers will show how crucial effective research data management is for scientific progress, promoting transparency and the reliability of results.
In addition to these and many other sessions, an accompanying poster show, supported by the companies Agilent and Merck, rounds off the program.
Two working groups of the GDCh Division of Analytical Chemistry also use the conference framework to award awards: The German working group for Analytical Spectroscopy (DAAS) awards the “Bunsen-Kirchhoff Award for Analytical Spectroscopy”, which is supported by Analytik Jena GmbH . The prize honors outstanding spectroscopic achievements, especially of younger scientists from universities, research institutes or industry. The Working Group Separation Science awards the “Eberhard-Gerstel Award” in Munich, which is sponsored by Gerstel GmbH & Co. KG. The prize honors an outstanding publication in the field of analytical separation techniques that has appeared in an internationally recognized, peer-reviewed journal .
The analytica conference takes place in the ICM – International Congress Center Munich on the exhibition grounds. Conference language is English. Admission to the conference is free for visitors to analytica. The Forum Analytik joint stand is located in Hall B2, Stand 503.
The current program for the analytica conference can be found at www.gdch.de/analyticaconf2024 or in the appointment database at www.analytica.de/conference.
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The Paul Bunge Prize honors studies on the history of scientific instruments. This year the prize will be awarded twice: Professor Dr. Peter Heering, University of Flensburg, receives the award for his life's work - especially with regard to the replication of historical experiments. Dr. Rebekah Higgitt, National Museums Scotland (NMS), UK, is honored for her outstanding contributions and commitment to the history of scientific instruments. The Hans R. Jenemann Foundation prize is endowed with a total of 7,500 euros and is awarded jointly by the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and the German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry (DBG). The award ceremony will take place as part of the Conference of the GDCh Division of History of Chemistry from March 21st to 22nd in Gießen.
Peter Heering is considered one of the leading representatives of historically accurate replicas of experiments. He uses original materials and avoids modern substitutes. In the course of his “experimental history of science,” Heering reconstructs lost skills and combines historical and didactic approaches. Heering demonstrates a deep understanding of the complexity of using and handling materials. With his findings, he has repeatedly contributed to understanding historical instrumental methods and shown how these can be relevant for teaching and scientific application.
Heering completed his studies in physics and chemistry for high school teaching at the University of Oldenburg (today the Carl-von-Ossietzky University of Oldenburg) in 1990 with the 1st state examination. After completing his doctorate in Oldenburg in 1995, he passed the second state examination in 1996. As a result, Heering held various positions up to the academic council in the physics department at the University of Oldenburg in the area of teacher training. Meanwhile, he completed his habilitation in the history of natural sciences at the University of Hamburg in 2006. Since 2009 he has been a professor of physics and didactics at the European University of Flensburg (EUF). Heering belongs to and has been a member of numerous professional societies and has held a variety of positions at the EUF.
Rebekah Higgitt is considered a leader in the field of scientific museology. She conducts research at the interface between the history of science in the 18th and 19th centuries, scientific instrument making, and material and cultural history. As an outstanding museum practitioner, she brings her extensive knowledge to her exhibition and collection work and teaches students at the University of Kent, UK, the importance of the history of science and scientific instruments. With her publications she changed the debate about scientific instruments. In her publication 'Finding Longitude: How Ships, Clocks and Stars Helped Solve the Longitude Problem', co-edited with Richard Dunn, she presented an important analysis of the role of scientists, instrument makers and government intervention in the final measurement of longitude at sea.
Rebekah Higgitt studied history at the University of Durham, UK, before completing her doctorate in the history of science at Imperial College London, UK, in 2004. Before and during her doctorate, she worked as a library and archive assistant at University College London, UK, and at the London Metropolitan Archives, UK. From 2005, Higgitt conducted postdoctoral research at the Institute of Geography at the University of Edinburgh, UK. From 2008 she was curator of the history of science at the Royal Museums Greenwich, London, UK, before moving to the University of Kent, UK, as a lecturer in the history of science in 2013. Since 2020, Higgitt has been Chief Curator of Science at National Museums Scotland (NMS), UK. She is an elected member of the Royal Astronomical Society and the Royal Historical Society and is involved in numerous other societies and organizations. In addition to these activities, she is also active in administration and teaching. Higgitt has already curated numerous exhibitions and published numerous publications. Her work has received multiple awards and grants.
Peter Heering and Rebekah Higgitt will each receive a Paul Bunge Prize with prize money of 3,750 euros. Both will give an insight into their work in a lecture at the Conference of the GDCh Division of History of Chemistry .
As part of the Conference, the Division also awards the Bettina Main Young Scientist Award, worth 1,500 euros each, which honors younger scientists for an outstanding publication on a topic from the history of chemistry . This year the award goes to Dr. Paulina S. Gennermann for her dissertation “A story with taste – the nature of synthetic flavorings in the 20th century using the example of vanillin” written at Bielefeld University and Dr. Josephine Musil-Gutsch for her doctoral thesis “The Past under the Microscope – Cooperative Research Practice in the Natural Sciences and Humanities 1880–1930” at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich.
Further information about the Conference can be found at www.gdch.de/geschichte2024
With around 30,000 members, the German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world. It maintains numerous foundations, such as the Hans R. Jenemann Foundation. The Paul Bunge Prize of the Hans R. Jenemann Foundation is awarded annually, usually alternately at the Bunsen Conference and the lecture conferences of the GDCh Division of History of Chemistry.
The Paul Bunge Prize is considered the world's most important honor in the history of scientific instruments and is advertised publicly and internationally. The advisory board of the Hans R. Jenemann Foundation, which is supported by the GDCh and the DBG, decides on the award. Hans R. Jenemann (1920–1996), chemist at Schott Glaswerke in Mainz, became known for his contributions to the history of scientific equipment, especially historical scales. He himself founded the foundation in 1992. The prize is named after the Hamburg precision mechanic Paul Bunge (1839–1888), one of the leading designers of laboratory balances for chemical analysis.
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Under the motto “Rethinking Chemistry: Towards A Greener Future” the spring symposium of the JCF (JungesChemieForum) of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) will take place in Ulm from March 13th to 16th. The Conference, which is organized by changing regional forums of the JCF, the association of young members of the GDCh, is aimed at the young chemistry community at home and abroad. Around 200 scientists are expected. In addition to lectures, the program also includes workshops, an industrial exhibition and a poster session. Further highlights include the awarding of the Carl Roth Sponsorship Prize and the Dres. Volker and Elke Münch Prize.
For 26 years, the JCF Spring Symposium has been one of the largest conferences in Europe by and for young researchers. The event is hosted annually by rotating JCF regional forums. In 2024, the Ulm, Munich and Stuttgart regional forums took over the organization and jointly created a diverse program.
In 2024, the event will be all about sustainability. Chemistry can provide important solutions to the pressing challenges of climate change, resource scarcity and environmental destruction. The spring symposium is therefore dedicated to the exciting question of how chemistry can help to shape a more sustainable world.
This year's plenary speakers include Professor Dr. John C. Warner, Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, LLC/US, one of the founders of the concept of green chemistry. In addition, Professor Dr. Jovana V. Milić, Adolphe Merkle Institute, University of Friborg, CH, Professor Dr. Wendy Lee Queen, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), CH, Dr. Sebastian B. Beil, University of Groningen, NL, and Professor Dr. Amitabh Banerji, University of Potsdam, giving plenary lectures. In addition to internationally renowned scientists, junior group leaders and young researchers in particular will have their say at the spring symposium. The program also includes workshops, an industrial exhibition and a poster session. The GDCh career service will also be there with a stand on March 14th and 15th and will answer questions about Career and career entry.
The Carl-Roth Award will be awarded at the Conference on March 14th. The GDCh gives the award, worth 5,000 euros, to young chemists who develop resource-saving synthesis routes or use chemicals innovatively. The prize is financed by Carl Roth GmbH & Co. KG, which also contributes another 3,000 euros in the form of a voucher. Tristan von Münchow, Georg August University of Göttingen, received the prize for his work in which he convincingly combines resource conservation and innovation. In his research, he deals with resource-saving organic synthesis through enantioselective 3d transition metal-catalyzed electrochemical C–H activation - an innovative electrocatalysis in which the hydrogen formed can be used as a green and clean energy source and storage. Von Münchow's groundbreaking research results have already been published in the journal Science.
The Dres. Volker and Elke Münch Prize will also be awarded on March 14th. The prize from the foundation of the same name, which is based at the GDCh, is endowed with 7,000 euros and is preferably awarded to young inventors who have made a groundbreaking invention in the field of chemistry or chemical process engineering. The prize money will be used to support a patent application. This year the award goes to the teams led by Professor Dr. Sebastian Hasenstab-Riedel and Professor Dr. Rainer Haag from the Free University of Berlin. They developed a resource-saving and environmentally friendly process to adsorb chlorine from a residual gas stream containing chlorine (see press release 27/23 ).
On March 14th, the FAIR4Chem Award will also be presented to Robin Lenz, Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research Dresden. The prize honors published datasets from chemical research that best meet the FAIR principles (discoverable, accessible, interoperable and reusable). It is awarded by the NFDI4Chem consortium, in which the GDCh is involved, and supported by the Chemical Industry Fund.
Further information can be found at https://symposium.jcf.io.
With around 30,000 members, the German Chemical Society is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world. It promotes scientific work, research and teaching as well as the exchange and dissemination of new scientific findings. The GDCh supports the creation of networks, transdisciplinary and international collaboration and continuous education and training in schools, universities and in the professional environment. The GDCh has 27 Divisions as well as 60 local sections and regional forums of the JCF (JungesChemieForum) at 54 university locations. Nationwide, the JCF forms a platform for around 10,000 young members of the GDCh.
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Over 300 chemists will come together from March 11th to 13th at RWTH Aachen University University for the 2024 Chemiedozententagung . The German Chemical Society (GDCh) will award two renowned prizes at the event: Dr. Eva E. Wille, Weinheim, is awarded the Gmelin-Beilstein commemorative coin and Junior Professor Dr.-Ing. Corina Andronescu, University of Duisburg-Essen, receives the Carl-Duisberg Memorial Award. In addition, one young scientist will receive ADUC prizes for establishing an independent research area.
The Chemiedozententagung is organized by the Association of German University Professors of Chemistry (ADUC) of the GDCh and brings together young academics from all areas of chemistry. Habilitation candidates, junior professors and scholarship holders use the Conference to present their research and exchange ideas. In addition to lectures from a wide variety of areas of chemistry, the scientific program includes a keynote lecture by Professor Dr. Sebastian Seiffert, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, as well as numerous workshops. In a festive setting, the GDCh also awards the Gmelin-Beilstein commemorative coin and the Carl-Duisberg Memorial Award. The ADUC also honors one young scientist with ADUC prizes.
The Gmelin-Beilstein commemorative coin, a silver medal that comes with a certificate and prize money of 7,500 euros, is awarded by the GDCh to domestic and foreign personalities who have made special contributions to the history of chemistry and chemical literature or have acquired the chemistry information. Dr. Eva E. Wille receives the award for her extraordinary commitment to the establishment and further development of chemical literature, far beyond her core work at Wiley-VCH Verlag, her long-term employer. Her commitment to chemical history literature and the classification of various areas of chemistry in a historical context, especially during the National Socialist era, were highlighted as very valuable by the selection committee.
Eva Elisabeth Wille, born in 1955, completed her doctorate in chemistry at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich in 1983. In 1985, she began her Career at Wiley-VCH Verlag (formerly Verlag Chemie or VCH-Verlagsgesellschaft), which she completed in 2019 when she retired as Vice President & Executive Director Chemistry and member of the Global Physical Sciences Management Board. She has been volunteering and contributing her expertise to various committees and societies for many years, including the Working Group of Magazine Publishers (AGZV), the German Trade Press (DF), the German Book Trade Association and the GDCh. Since 2020 she has been a member of the Advisory Board of the “Lifetime Achievements in Chemistry” series published by the GDCh Division of History of Chemistry . Wille has been a committed GDCh member since 1980 and Chair of the Division of Senior Expert Chemists since 2023.
The Carl-Duisberg Memorial Award, endowed with 7,500 euros, has been awarded since 1936 to young university teachers who work at a German university or, as Germans, at a foreign university, who do not yet hold a W2/W3 or comparable position and who have not exceeded the age of 40 have. This year, junior professor Dr.-Ing. Corina Andronescu, University of Duisburg-Essen, received the award for her impressive overall picture of strong and innovative research performance, undergraduate teaching, enormous third-party funding, convincing group leadership experience and international experience. Andronescu is considered a pioneer in electrochemical catalysis in developing methods for the stable immobilization of catalysts on the electrode - an aspect that is neglected in many works but is of great importance, especially for the application of electrocatalysts.
Corina Andronescu, born in 1987, completed her doctorate in chemical engineering in 2014 at the Politechnica University in Bucharest (UPB), Romania. She subsequently worked as a lecturer at the UPB and as a postdoctoral researcher at the Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) until she took over the junior professorship for electrochemical catalysis at the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) in 2018. She has already received several awards, including the Jochen Block Prize from DECHEMA in 2023, and is a member of numerous committees and societies.
As part of the Conference , the ADUC will also honor one young scientist with ADUC prizes. Dr. Jola Pospech, Leibniz Institute for Catalysis e. V. in Rostock, receives an ADUC prize for her creative contributions in the field of photoredox catalysis, in particular for the development of catalytically active pyrimidopteridines, their mechanistic investigation and their use in hydroamination and hydroacylation reactions. Also honored is Dr. Moritz Malischewski, Free University of Berlin, for his successes in the field of highly reactive and unusual coordination compounds, in particular through reactions in superacidic media and using highly fluorinated cyclopentadienide ligands.
Further information about the Conference can be found at www.gdch.de/cdt2024
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. It has 27 Divisions and awards numerous prizes for special achievements in chemical research. The traditional Association of German University Professors of Chemistry (ADUC), which is based at the GDCh, awards up to three young scientists every year (during their habilitation, scholarship or junior professorship) for establishing an independent research area.
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Joint press release from the Umbrella Association of Geosciences (DVGeo), the German Mathematicians' Association (DMV), the German Physical Society (DPG), the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and the Association of Biology, Life Sciences and Biomedicine in Germany (VBIO)
The mathematical and scientific societies united under the motto “Science connects” are dismayed by the anti-democratic and nationalistic approaches in Germany, which threaten and exclude individuals and entire groups. This damages Germany as a science location. Science depends on cosmopolitanism, international cooperation, democracy and the rule of law as well as freedom of research and teaching. All members of the mathematical and scientific societies are called upon to send a clear signal in their environment for a cosmopolitan, democratic society and free science.
The mathematical and scientific societies - the umbrella association of geosciences (DVGeo), the German Mathematicians' Association (DMV), the German Physical Society (DPG), the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and the Association of Biology, Life Sciences and Biomedicine in Germany (VBIO ) - with their declaration they defend themselves against nationalist and anti-democratic efforts of all kinds. In doing so, they send a signal for freedom of research, democracy and the rule of law as well as cosmopolitanism and international cooperation. These points are prerequisites for the scientific, economic and social well-being of our country - and thus also for the individual standard of living of every single citizen.
Open discourse culture
Like science, society also thrives on open discourse - on the exchange of facts and arguments, their evaluation and on the willingness to further develop one's own views and hypotheses if a changing data situation requires it. However, there is currently little evidence of this in many of the discourses in the political and social space: facts are denied or falsified, narratives are oriented towards opportunities and self-interest, and the tone is becoming rougher and louder. The willingness to question one's own opinions is decreasing, while intolerance and radicalization are increasing.
An open and appreciative culture of discussion is essential for mathematical and scientific societies. This applies to general discourse as well as to academic discourse. Anti-scientific sentiment, obstacles to academic freedom, intolerance and exclusion are damaging Germany as a scientific location.
Cosmopolitanism and international cooperation
Science is not bound to national borders, especially in the context of mathematics and natural sciences. The exchange of ideas and people with different backgrounds and approaches acts as a driving force for science and knowledge, which we urgently need to master the tasks of the future.
The mathematical and natural science societies therefore warn against limiting science to the national level and resolutely oppose all efforts to make international cooperation more difficult. A purely national science would do considerable harm to our country.
Democracy and the rule of law
Democracy and the rule of law offer a reliable framework in which science can work creatively and deliver results. Any questioning of democracy and the rule of law as well as any exclusion endangers research projects in Germany. The mathematical and scientific societies warn against a voluntary or forced migration of scientists to other countries with better conditions. The resulting loss of knowledge would weaken Germany as a research location, a fact that is accepted with approval by those actors who otherwise rely heavily on national strength.
Against the background outlined above, the mathematical and scientific societies are alarmed by the recent anti-democratic and nationalist movements in Germany. They firmly believe that the prosperity and strength of a country are not based on homogeneity, but on diversity and freedom. The societies will continue to advocate freedom of research, democracy and the rule of law, as well as cosmopolitanism and international cooperation. They therefore call on all their members to send a clear signal in their private and social environment for a cosmopolitan, democratic society and free science. In this context, members are particularly called upon to exercise the democratic rights guaranteed by the Basic Law, for example in elections.
Contact:
Umbrella Association of Geosciences (DVGeo):
Tamara Fahry-Seelig, Managing Director, Tel.: 030 20179-683, Email: fahry-seelig@dvgeo.org
German Mathematicians Association (DMV):
Thomas Vogt, Press Office, Tel.: 030 838756-57, Email: presse@mathematik.de
German Physical Society (DPG):
Andreas Böttcher, Press Office, Tel.: 030 201748-0, Email: boettcher@dpg-physik.de
German Chemical Society (GDCh):
Dr. Karin J. Schmitz, Head of public relations, Tel.: 069 7917-493, Email: pr@gdch.de
Association of Biology, Life Sciences and Biomedicine in Germany (VBIO):
Dr. Kerstin Elbing, Science & Society Department, Tel.: 030 278919-16, Email: elbing@vbio.de
The German Chemical Society (GDCh) honors Dr. Juliane Simmchen, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK, and Technical University of Dresden, received the Mario Markus Prize for Ludic Sciences. She received the prize for a publication in which she investigated biomimetic behavior in artificially produced active matter. The prize, endowed with 10,000 euros, honors scientific work in the field of natural sciences that is characterized by its playful character. The award winner convinced the selection committee with her playful approach to approaching a complex topic in order to gain exciting insights. The award ceremony will take place on January 30th as part of a public event on the premises of the Physical Society in Frankfurt am Main.
“A bit like playing computers in the laboratory, only cooler,” is how Juliane Simmchen describes her work. She researches how microparticles can be specifically moved in liquids. While people can glide through the water with targeted movements when swimming, in order to move in liquids, microparticles have to be permanently supplied with energy and are equipped with a “motor” so to speak.
In the award-winning publication, Simmchen investigated a special phenomenon: the completely artificial, magnetic and photocatalytic microswimmers she produced crossed a line of light and then changed direction without any additional stimulus. To find out why the microswimmers swim “back to the light,” she looked at different influences. The researcher found that neither the magnetic field nor the hydrogen peroxide content had any significant effects. The size of the particles is crucial. These results show how simple physical effects can lead to complex but stable behavior, similar to natural mechanisms.
Juliane Simmchen, who was born in 1986, studied chemistry at the Technical University of Dresden. After graduating in Analytical Chemistry in 2010, she completed her PhD in Materials Science in 2014 at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) at the Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain. After stays at the MPI for Intelligent Systems, Stuttgart, and at the Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Físicas, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she returned to the Technical University of Dresden in 2016 as a research assistant. Since 2016 she has been a Freigeist Fellow on the topic of 'Light driven microswimmers'. Since 2022 she has also been teaching at the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK. In 2022, the GDCh awarded Simmchen the Carl-Duisberg Memorial Award for her research.
The Mario Markus Prize for Ludic Sciences, endowed with 10,000 euros, is awarded by Professor Dr. Mario Markus, Dortmund, who dedicated himself to ludic science and coined this term. While research projects today are increasingly being carried out with a focus on practical applicability, a look at the past shows that, since ancient times, we have repeatedly gained new knowledge through play and out of sheer curiosity.
The awarding of the Mario Markus Prize for ludic sciences will take place on January 30th in cooperation with the Physical Society in the lecture hall of the Physical Society at Robert-Mayer-Straße 2 in Frankfurt/Main. As part of the event, the award winner will explain her research in more detail. All interested parties are warmly invited. Please register at www.gdch.de/mariomarkus. Afterwards there is the opportunity to visit the observatory of the Physical Society.
With around 30,000 members, the German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world. It promotes scientific work, research and teaching as well as the exchange and dissemination of scientific knowledge. One of their concerns is to make modern chemistry understandable to the interested public and thus to open up connections in natural sciences and technology.
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last modified: 16.12.2024 09:29 H from N/A
