Press releases 2022

23 Creating knowledge through play

Mario Markus Prize for Ludic Sciences is awarded for the first time

23/22
17 November 2022

Dr. Johann Ostmeyer, University of Liverpool, UK, Christoph Schürmann, University of Bonn, and Prof. Dr. Carsten Urbach, University of Bonn, receive the Mario Markus Prize for Ludic Sciences for their publication in which they scientifically investigated the flight behavior of beer mats. With the prize, worth 10,000 euros, the German Chemical Society (GDCh) honors scientific work in the field of natural sciences that is characterized by its playful nature. The awardee convinced the selection committee with their playful approach to approaching a complex topic in order to gain exciting insights. The awards ceremony will take place on December 6th as part of a public event in the premises of the Physical Society in Frankfurt am Main.

During a visit to a brewery together, Johann Ostmeyer, Christoph Schürmann and Carsten Urbach, all at the University of Bonn at the time, asked themselves why beer mats, when thrown, do not fly straight ahead like Frisbees, but "tip over" and fall to the soil . Their scientific curiosity was aroused and so the three researchers devoted themselves to scientifically investigating the phenomenon. It was shown that the cause of the special flight properties results from an interplay of gravity, lift and conservation of angular momentum: shortly after being thrown, the beer mat tips backwards due to gravity. This gives it an angle of attack similar to that of a landing aircraft. This angle creates lift in the air flow. "However, the buoyancy force does not act in the middle of the beer mat, but in the front third," explains Ostmeyer, who had the idea for the study. To arrive at these results, the scientists built a beer mat throwing machine and recorded the flights with a high-speed camera. They published the results under the title "Beer Mats make bad Frisbees" in the journal "The European Physical Journal Plus".

There is no specific application for their research. However, with their work, the awardee illustrate the entire process of gaining scientific knowledge - from observation to theory and its experimental testing to its adaptation and further development. In doing so, they impressively demonstrate how one can approach a complex topic in a playful way and gain new knowledge in the process.

The Mario Markus Prize for Ludic Sciences, worth 10,000 euros, is being awarded for the first time by the GDCh this year. The prize is financed by Prof. Dr. Mario Markus, Dortmund, who is committed to ludic science and coined the term. The award ceremony will take place on December 6th at 5 p.m. 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 their research in more detail and present their beer mat throwing machine. All interested parties are cordially invited to the event. Please register by November 27th at www.gdch.de/mariomarkus. Afterwards there will be an opportunity to visit the Physical Society's observatory.

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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Christoph Schürmann, Dr. Johann Ostmeyer und Prof. Dr. Carsten Urbach (v.l.) (Foto: Universität Bonn/ Gunar Peters)

22 awards for active ingredient optimization and sustainable vitamin E synthesis

The Meyer-Galow Award for Business Chemistry 2022 goes to Oliver Schadt and Werner Bonrath

22/22
3 November 2022

This year, the German Chemical Society (GDCh) is awarding two awardee the Meyer-Galow Award for Business Chemistry . Dr. Oliver Schadt, Merck, Darmstadt, will receive the award for the optimization and market launch of the active ingredient tepotinib, which enables innovative and molecularly targeted therapy options for advanced MET-dependent lung cancer. Dr. Werner Bonrath, DSM, Kaiseraugst, Switzerland, will be honored for the innovative processes he developed and established for the sustainable production of vitamin E. Both awardee will receive the Meyer-Galow Award for Business Chemistry, together with prize money of 5,000 euros each, during a ceremony in November.

Oncogenes (literally cancer genes) are parts of a cell's genetic material that, if over-activated, promote unchecked tumor growth. One such oncogene is the MET protein. In some non-small cell lung cancers, the protein is only broken down to a reduced extent, which leads to an uncontrolled amplification of growth signals. As part of the "MET Kinase Project", Oliver Schadt, Merck, Darmstadt, Head a team of drug researchers, looking for an inhibitor for this oncogenic process. For this purpose, 350,000 substances were examined for their suitability using high-throughput screening and the most promising compound was identified from around 1,100 potential starting points. Although this was already able to significantly reduce the activity of the MET kinase, it was further optimized to meet the demanding requirements of a modern drug. With the approval of the active ingredient tepotinib, the MET protein, which had already been identified in 1984, became therapeutically accessible for the first time.

Schadt studied chemistry at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, where he also received his doctorate in 1998. Immediately afterwards, he began his professional Career at Merck, where he has been a scientific expert in chemical biology since 2017. In his more than twenty years of professional experience in drug research, he has contributed to drug design for more than ten projects, helped identify three clinical trial substances, and was involved in over fifty patents and scientific contributions. Schadt will receive the Meyer-Galow Award for Business Chemistry on November 17th at a ceremony in the Alte Oper in Frankfurt am Main.

Vitamin E is the most important fat-soluble antioxidant in biological systems. It occurs naturally in numerous fats and oils and is essential for the function and maintenance of membranes. The most important market for vitamin E is feed: 85% of global production, 75,000 t/a in 2019, is used in industrially produced animal feed mixtures. The synthesis of vitamin E requires two key building blocks: 2,3,5-trimethylhydroquinone (TMHQ) and isophytol with subsequent acetylation, which can be produced in different ways. Werner Bonrath, DSM, Kaiseraugst, Switzerland, developed innovative processes for all process steps, in which new catalysts and process modifications found their way into industrial practice. Thanks to his processes, production costs can be significantly reduced and sustainability significantly improved. Together with his team, Werner Bonrath has filed more than 300 patents, 50 of which are in the field of vitamin E, and published over 100 scientific articles

Bonrath studied chemistry at the University of Bonn and the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster. In 1988 he received his doctorate from the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim an der Ruhr. He then began his professional Career in the chemical industry, which led him to DSM in 2003. He is now a Senior Science Fellow there. In 2007, Bonrath qualified as a professor in technical chemistry at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena. In addition to his professional activities in industry, he is a lecturer at the University of Basel. Bonrath will receive the Meyer-Galow Award for Business Chemistry on November 30th at a ceremony in Sisseln, Switzerland.

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 as well as 60 local sections and regional young chemists' forums. 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.

Merck, a leading science and technology company, operates in the areas of healthcare, life science and performance materials. More than 60,000 employees work to make a decisive difference in the lives of millions of people every day for a more livable future: From developing precise genome editing technologies to discovering unique ways to treat diseases to providing applications for smart devices - Merck is everywhere. In 2021, Merck generated sales of 19.7 billion euros in 66 countries.

DSM is a global, purpose-led nutrition, health & life sciences company that applies its scientific knowledge to improve the health of people, animals and the planet. DSM's mission is to create a better life for all. With its products and solutions, DSM addresses some of the world's greatest challenges while creating economic, environmental and societal value for all its stakeholders - customers, employees, shareholders and society as a whole. The company was founded in 1902 and is listed on Euronext Amsterdam. For more information, visit www.dsm.com.

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Dr. Oliver Schadt (Foto: privat)
Dr. Werner Bonrath (Foto: privat)

21 Get started with the GDCh.academy

Chemistry training courses for 2023 online

21/22
1 November 2022

Those interested in further training can now find the new course offerings of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) for 2023 in the GDCh.academy. 62 courses from nine specialist areas and four specialist programs offer many opportunities for professional, professional and personal development. In addition to further training on classic chemistry topics such as synthesis methods and food chemistry issues, there are also courses on quality assurance and modern methods and processes. Courses for young scientists and career development are also on the program in 2023.

The GDCh.academy offers a clear overview of all upcoming GDCh training courses. In addition to general information such as course topic, event period, venue and course leader, there is also extensive in-depth information for each course. The objectives and content of the training courses are described in detail and the recommended target group is outlined.

A new two-day workshop on the risk assessment of microplastics addresses a highly topical issue. In addition to concepts and challenges for the risk assessment of microplastics, participants in the course learn analytical methods for determining exposure to microplastics as well as (eco-)toxicological tools for risk assessment. (Regulatory) framework conditions in Germany and the EU are also presented and a laboratory demonstration on the analysis of microplastics using spectroscopic methods rounds off the course. The workshop is characterized by numerous interactive elements. These include, for example, an expectation analysis with the participants, station discussions, a World Café and practical experiments.

"Big Data - Basics, Methods and Practical Implementation" is back on the program. The course is aimed at specialists and managers with no prior knowledge who are looking for a compact introduction to practical work with Big Data. While dealing with Big Data is becoming increasingly important for the economic success of companies, the topic has so far mostly played a subordinate role in academic training. Many companies also have no or only rudimentary approaches to appropriate data management. In the course, participants learn the basics of practical work with Big Data. In addition to the statistical knowledge required for this, they learn the entire process of data acquisition, preparation and analysis in detail and in a practical way. After completing the training, participants are able to analyze data independently and successfully in everyday professional life.

In addition to the numerous individual courses, the tried and tested GDCh specialist programs "Certified Industrial Chemist (GDCh)® (m/f/d)", "Certified Quality Expert GxP (GDCh) (m/f/d)" and Certified Project Manager Industrial Chemistry GDCh (m/f/d) will also be offered in 2023. In addition, the specialist program "Certified Emergency Manager (GDCh) (m/f/d)" will be offered for the second time. The specialist program presents preparation, reaction and solution options in order to be able to initiate appropriate measures in emergency situations within the shortest possible time. Participants learn how companies, superiors and employees can remain able to act in an emergency.

In all GDCh.academy courses, participants benefit from speakers with a high level of experience and expertise. In addition to the classroom courses, e-learning courses are also offered, so that there is a suitable option for every learning type.

Detailed information on the courses and specialist programs can be found at https://gdch.academy

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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20 August Wilhelm von Hofmann scholarships 2023 announced

300 euros per month for chemistry students

20/22
29 September 2022

The August Wilhelm von Hofmann Foundation, established at the German Chemical Society (GDCh), is once again awarding scholarships for the summer semester of 2023. Bachelor's, diploma or exam students in chemistry and related fields can receive a scholarship of 300 euros per month for a term of 18 or 12 months from April 2023. Applications must be submitted via the Online portal by February 1, 2023.

Bachelor's, diploma or exam students in chemistry and related fields with very good academic performance who are in an economically unfavorable situation can apply for one of the approximately twenty scholarships offered by the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Foundation. Commitment outside of studies is also a criterion for awarding the scholarship. Another requirement is that the students are in the fourth or fifth semester of their studies at the beginning of the summer semester of 2023. The funding ends at the end of the sixth semester at the latest.

The scholarship cannot be extended. A new application cycle takes place every year in the winter semester. The scholarship is not credited towards BAföG benefits, but double funding alongside other performance-based material support from gifted students is not possible.

The August Wilhelm von Hofmann Foundation is named after the first president of the GDCh's predecessor organization, the German Chemical Society, which was founded in 1867. The founder is a long-standing GDCh member who died in 2010 and bequeathed the majority of his fortune to the GDCh to support talented chemistry students.

Further information 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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Studierende der Universität Köln (© GDCh; Foto: Annegret von Harnier/Marike Balsereit, Fotostudio Balsereit GmbH)

19 Franc Meyer receives GDCh Prize for Inorganic Chemistry

Division conference with awards ceremony in Marburg

19/22
30 August 2022

The joint conference for inorganic chemistry of the Wöhler Association & solid-state chemistry and materials research Divisions will take place from September 26 to 28. At the Philipps University of Marburg, the two 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 to outstanding chemists during the Conference . For example, Professor Dr. Franc Meyer, Georg August University of Göttingen, will receive the GDCh Prize for Inorganic Chemistry.

The Conference program includes interdisciplinary topics that represent 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 beginning of the Conference on September 26, Professor Dr. Franc Meyer of the Georg-August University of Göttingen will receive the GDCh Prize for Inorganic Chemistry, worth 7500 euros. The GDCh is thus honoring his constant scientific excellence in the field of coordination chemistry, particularly in the field of cooperative effects between multinary metal centers, in which he plays a leading role worldwide.

Franc Meyer, born in Hamburg in 1965, studied chemistry at RWTH Aachen University University, where he also received his doctorate in 1993. After a postdoctoral stay at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, he completed his habilitation from 1995 to 2000 at the Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg. In 2001 he accepted a position at the Georg-August University of Göttingen, where he remains a professor at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry to this day. Meyer researches metal complexes in biological systems. In the laboratory he builds synthetic metal compounds in order to understand the principles and efficiency of their catalytic effect. He wants to elucidate the molecular principles in order to better understand processes in the body, but also to develop new technical catalysts. Meyer has already received numerous awards for his work and is a member of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences, the Royal Physiographic Society in Lund - Academy of Natural Sciences, medicine and Technology, Sweden, and the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. He has been a committed GDCh member since 1991 and is currently Deputy Chair of the Wöhler Association for Inorganic Chemistry.

The GDCh Prize for Inorganic Chemistry goes back to the Alfred-Stock Memorial Award, which has been awarded since 1950. In March 2022, the GDCh Board decided to no longer name the Prize for Inorganic Chemistry after Stock. With this measure, the Board emphasizes the GDCh's clear stance against anti-Semitism and discrimination as well as a clear commitment to diversity and equal opportunities. A detailed justification can be found in issue 07/08 2022 of Nachrichten aus der Chemie.

During the Conference , Professor Dr. Thomas Fässler from the Technical University of Munich will also be awarded the Rudolf-Hoppe Lectureship . The lecture includes an invitation to give four lectures at different locations in Germany, financed by the Division , and is also endowed with 1,000 euros. With this award, the Division of Solid-State Chemistry and Materials Research is particularly honoring Fässler's outstanding work on lithium ion conductors and his excellent interdisciplinary contributions in the field of solid state and materials research.

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, is shared by Dr. Janett Schmelzer for her dissertation written at the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, in which she describes a novel approach to the preparation of various alloy variants of vanadium-based multiphase materials, and Dr. Nicolas Zapp for his dissertation written at the University of Leipzig on the synthesis of complex heteroanionic compounds of the rare earth elements.

The Wöhler Association for Inorganic Chemistry is also awarding the Wöhler BASF Young Talent Award, worth 5,000 euros, to Dr. Terrance J. Hadlington of the Technical University of Munich. He is receiving the award for his outstanding research on novel catalysts for bond activation of small molecules at the interface between low-valent main group fragments and transition metals using novel single-center ambiphilic ligands.

In addition, the Division is awarding the Wöhler PhD Award for Inorganic Chemistry, worth 1,000 euros, for the first time. The award goes to Dr. Gabriele Hierlmeier, Langquaid, for her dissertation written at the University of Regensburg entitled "Phosphorus-Containing Tetrahedranes: Synthesis and Reactivity Studies" and Dr. Bastian Rösch, Emskirchen, for his doctoral thesis written at the Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg entitled "Moving Frontiers in Organometallic and Low-valent Alkaline Earth Metal Chemistry".

Further information about the Conference: http://www.gdch.de/inorgchemconf2022

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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18 New methods in food analysis

Food Chemistry Conference in Hamburg

18/20
11 August 2022

Food quality and consumer protection are the focus of the 50th German Food Chemists' Day, which will take place from September 19 to 21, 2022 at the University of Hamburg. At the Conference , the Society of Food Chemistry, a Division of the German Chemical Society (GDCh), will also celebrate its 75th anniversary. In the lecture program, food chemists will present, among other things, new methods for more sustainable food analysis, for the detection of mechanically separated meat and for the detection of off-flavors, for example in cocoa. Scientific poster sessions, a specialist and book exhibition and a public evening lecture by Lars Fischer, awardee of the 2022 GDCh Prize for Journalism and Literature - round off the Conference . The celebratory session will also look back on 75 years of the Society of Food Chemistry .

The scientific program of the annual Food Chemists' Day once again shows the crucial role that food chemistry plays in consumers' everyday lives. For example, Prof. Dr. Stefan Wittke from Bremerhaven University of Applied Sciences is presenting a new method for detecting mechanically separated chicken meat (mechanically separated meat) in sausage. He and his team have developed a so-called "targeted" LC-MS/MS analysis that can detect even small amounts of intervertebral disc and cartilage-specific proteins from chicken. These inevitably end up in the sausage when mechanically separated meat is used. The high specificity of the method also makes further comprehensive (bio)chemical characterization of the sample unnecessary.

Daniela Füllemann and her team at the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich ensure that chocolate tastes good. Raw cocoa occasionally has off-flavors, which in the worst case can lead to costly recalls. This is because the concentration of most off-flavors hardly changes when raw cocoa is processed into chocolate. Füllemann shows how she used molecular sensory methods to identify compounds that lead to ham-smoky, moldy-musty and coconut-like off-flavors. With the results and on the basis of the odor threshold concentrations, she and her team were able to propose limit values ​​in raw cocoa for incoming goods inspection in the chocolate industry. Studies to minimize the formation of off-flavors during raw cocoa production are in progress.

Dr. René Bachmann from the Schleswig-Holstein State Laboratory will present a new analysis method for more sustainable food analysis at the Conference . Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy is a further development of conventional Raman spectroscopy and enables measurements to be taken even through thicker and colored packaging made of different materials. The method is currently being used in the pharmaceutical industry to check the authenticity of raw materials as part of quality control without having to open the packaging. Bachmann will demonstrate the benefits of Raman spectroscopy for the analysis of food in official food monitoring and quality control in food processing companies. To date, almost all samples have had to be examined invasively, which is neither economical nor sustainable. Together with his team, he developed an exemplary measurement and evaluation routine for packaged, raw chicken breast, the results of which he will present in his lecture .

Other exciting topics at the 50th German Food Chemists' Day include a smartphone app for the personalized selection of suitable foods for people with intolerances and allergies, the fermentation of leftovers from bread and pasta production to create alternative protein sources, as well as aroma analysis and chemocommunication.

Further information about the Conference can be found at www.gdch.de/lchtag2022

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 around 2,700 members, the Society of Food Chemistry is the largest Division in the GDCh.

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17 Claudia Felser receives Liebig commemorative coin

Solid-state chemistry at the border of physics

17/22
20 July 2022

The 132nd meeting and 200th anniversary of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians (GDNÄ) will take place in Leipzig from September 8 to 11, 2022. 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. Claudia Felser from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical physics of Solids, Dresden.

With the Liebig commemorative coin, which is endowed with 7,500 euros, the GDCh recognizes outstanding achievements in the entire field of chemistry. Claudia Felser receives the award for her remarkable work in the field of theoretical prediction of physical properties in inorganic solids and their experimental confirmation, which has already led to significant breakthroughs in the chemistry and physics of solids on several occasions. The physical phenomena she examined, initially superconductivity and thermoelectricity, and today (among other things) the world of topological insulators, are of particular interest and highly relevant in basic research and applications. Felser's current research focuses on the design, synthesis and physical investigation of new quantum materials, in particular Heusler compounds and topological materials for energy conversion and spintronics.

Claudia Felser studied chemistry and physics at the University of Cologne, where she completed both her diploma in solid-state chemistry (1989) and her doctorate in physical chemistry (1994). After postdoc stays at the Max Planck Institute in Stuttgart and the CNRS in Nantes (France), she came to the University of Mainz as an assistant professor in 1996 and was appointed full professor there in 2003. She is currently director of the Max Planck Institute for Chemical physics of Solids in Dresden. In 2001, Felser received the Order of Merit of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate for founding the first student laboratory "NaT-Lab" at the University of Mainz, with a focus on supporting female students in particular. She is a Fellow of the IEEE Magnetic Society, American Physical Society, Institute of Physics, London, CIFAR Canada and the Materials Research Society of India. In 2018, she became a member of the Leopoldina, the German National Academy of Sciences, and acatech, the German Academy of Engineering Sciences. She has already received two ERC Advanced Grants and numerous other honors.

The award ceremony will take place on September 9th as part of the "Chemistry" session, which will be opened by GDCh President Dr. Karsten Danielmeier . After the ceremony, the award winner will give a lecture on the topic of "Chirality and Topology". The GDCh will also award two honorary memberships: Dr. Hilde Nimmesgern, head of the GDCh Equal Opportunities Commission, and Professor Dr. Herbert W. Roesky will receive the award for their outstanding services to the promotion of chemistry and to the goals of the GDCh. The GDCh General Assembly had already decided this in 2021 with a large majority.

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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Prof. Dr. Claudia Felser (Foto: Sven Döring / laif)

16 Excellent Organic Chemistry

ORCHEM 2022 with a top-class lecture program and numerous award ceremonies

16/22
July 14, 2022

The 22nd ORCHEM will take place from September 5th to 7th at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster. Due to the broad range of topics and the renowned speakers, the Conference is one of the most attractive conferences in the field of organic chemistry among scientists from research and industry. The program includes lectures on synthesis, catalysis, methodology and reactivity. The Conference is organized by the Liebig Association for Organic Chemistry of the German Chemical Society (GDCh). The Emil Fischer Medal, the GDCh Award for Biocatalysis and the ORCHEM Prize will also be awarded as part of ORCHEM.

On September 5, the GDCh will award the Emil Fischer Medal to Professor Dr. Peter Bäuerle of the University of Ulm. Bäuerle will receive the award, which is worth 7,500 euros, for his work in the field of oligothiophenes and other pi systems. With his research, the awardee has laid the foundation for organic photovoltaics and thus helped to establish an international research field.

Peter Bäuerle, born in 1956 in Aichtal-Grötzingen, studied chemistry at the University of Stuttgart, where he also received his doctorate in organic chemistry in 1985. After a postdoc stay at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, USA, he conducted research and completed his habilitation at the University of Stuttgart until 1994. From 1994 to 1996 he was a professor at the University of Würzburg, before being appointed to the University of Ulm. There he is still director of the Institute for Organic Chemistry II and New Materials and Head of the Mass Spectrometry Service Center. Bäuerle is a member of the Leopoldina, the National Academy of Sciences, and the European Academy of Sciences (EURASC) and has already received numerous awards for his research.

Also on September 5, Dr. Ulrich Markel, University of California, San Diego, USA, will receive the GDCh Award for Biocatalysis for his dissertation written at the RWTH Aachen University. The award, worth 2,000 euros, recognizes outstanding dissertations in the field of biocatalysis and was established in 2020 by GDCh member Prof. Dr. em. Manfred Schneider. Markel receives the award for his outstanding doctoral thesis in the interdisciplinary field of developing new methods of directed evolution to improve the catalytic properties of natural and artificial metalloenzymes. His work entitled “Directed evolution of decarboxylase OleT and nitrobindin hybrid catalysts” was awarded “summa cum laude” and led to a number of high-ranking publications.

On September 6, the Liebig Association for Organic Chemistry will award the ORCHEM Prize, each of which comes with prize money of 2,500 euros, to two young scientists. Dr. Johannes Broichhagen, Leibniz Research Institute for Molecular Pharmacology Berlin, will be honored for the development of new molecular tools to answer important questions in the life sciences. Junior Professor Dr. Max Hansmann, Technical University of Dortmund, will receive the prize for his fundamental and pioneering work in the field of synthesis and characterization of reactive intermediates and the development of organic redox systems. The ORCHEM Prize is regularly awarded as part of ORCHEM to younger scientists who have qualified through new, original and groundbreaking scientific work in their field. Both awardee will give a brief insight into their research following the award ceremony.

Further information about the Conference can be found at: www.gdch.de/orchem2022

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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Prof. Dr. Peter Bäuerle (Foto: privat)
Dr. Ulrich Markel (Foto: PHOTO77.eu; Shiar Ali)

15th Klaus Grohe Prize goes to Raphaël Rodriguez

New therapeutic approaches through interdisciplinary research

15/22
July 12, 2022

Dr. Raphaël Rodriguez, Institut Curie, Paris, France, will be awarded the Klaus Grohe Prize 2022. The award, worth 50,000 euros, is one of the most highly endowed prizes in Europe for medicinal chemistry and is presented by the Klaus Grohe Foundation, which is part of the German Chemical Society (GDCh). Rodriguez receives the prize for his groundbreaking work at the interface between chemistry and biology, in which he combines preparative organic synthesis with molecular and cell biology. The award will be presented on September 4 by GDCh board member Dr. Rolf Albach as part of the International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ISMC 2022) in Nice, France.

Raphäel Rodriguez's research advances both chemistry and the understanding of biology at the molecular level to discover new therapeutic approaches. The scientist distinguished himself early in his Career with pioneering contributions to chemical biology and medicinal chemistry, and to this day he continues to address challenging research questions to which he finds compelling answers. Rodriguez works across disciplines and conducts his research at the highest level to apply his findings to drug discovery. For example, he contributed to the development of remodelin - a small molecule that can restore defects in laminopathy cells and improve cellular fitness by reducing endogenous levels of DNA damage. This work led to the identification of the acetyltransferase NAT10 as the drug target of remodelin, which is involved in aging and cell fitness. In addition, his achievements include the first chemical synthesis of the complex natural product marmycin and the iron metabolism-targeted drug ironomycin. With his research group, he also succeeded in elucidating the mechanism of action of salinomycin against cancer stem cells and identifying the role of iron in the maintenance of these cells.

Raphäel Rodriguez, born in Avignon, FR, in 1978, studied organic chemistry in Avignon and Marseille. He received his PhD in organic chemistry from the University of Oxford, UK, and in Marseille. In 2005, he moved to the University of Cambridge, UK, as a postdoctoral fellow until he joined the CNRS (Centre national de la recherche scientifique), Paris, FR, as a group leader in 2012. There, he was appointed Research Director at the Institut Curie in 2017. Rodriguez is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and has received various awards, including the prestigious Tetrahedron Young Investigator Award, the Prix Lacassagne (Collège de France) and Grand Prix Charles Defforey (Académie des Sciences). He is the scientific co-founder of several companies, including SideROS and Adrestia Therapeutics.

The Klaus Grohe Prize goes back to the chemist Prof. 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 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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Dr. Raphaël Rodriguez (Foto: privat)

14 August Wilhelm von Hofmann commemorative medal for the founders of the concept of Green Chemistry

Awards ceremony for Paul Anastas and John Warner in Lisbon

14/22
July 7, 2022

The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is awarding the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal to Professor Dr. Paul T. Anastas and Professor Dr. John C. Warner for their special services to chemistry. The GDCh is thus honoring the awardee as founders of the concept of green chemistry, for which they not only laid the scientific and intellectual foundations, but also implemented concrete measures. The award ceremony will take place on September 1st as part of the 8th EuChemS Chemistry Congress in Lisbon, Portugal.

Over twenty years ago, Paul Anastas and John Warner formulated twelve principles of green chemistry in their work "Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice". With a visionary view of chemistry, they founded the field of green chemistry, which is now an indispensable field, and laid the foundation for sustainable chemical product development. The awardee were also committed to the interdisciplinary integration of green chemistry at universities and actively contributed to its implementation in their environment and at other locations around the world. Anastas and Warner are now receiving the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal from the GDCh for this exemplary commitment to the services of chemistry.

Long ridiculed as a kind of chemistry vision for non-chemists and "greens", the principles of green chemistry are more relevant today than ever. The questions of how we can maintain industrial material flows and process chains with renewable energy sources in the near future or whether we have to abandon syntheses from fossil resources for ecological reasons are becoming more and more pressing. Anastas and Warner have shown for the first time how a holistic (circular economy) approach can be used to create new, creative synthesis processes for the production of substances that are less toxicologically and ecologically harmful from these complex economic and eco-social contexts. The principles of green chemistry will be of increasing importance in the future, particularly in light of the major challenges facing the chemical industry, for example with regard to decarbonization or the rigorous regeneration of starting materials in existing material flows.

In addition to their pioneering work in the field of green chemistry, Paul Anastas and John Warner have high-profile academic careers with numerous outstanding scientific publications and patents.

Paul T. Anastas, born in 1962 in Quincy, Massachusetts, USA, received his BS in Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA, and his MA and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA. He began his Career as a chemist at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where he coined the term green chemistry and established the first research program in this field. In 1997, he co-founded the Green Chemistry Institute at the American Chemical Society (ACS) and worked in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 1999 to 2004, most recently as Deputy Director for Environmental Affairs. Anastas returned to the EPA in 2009 as Deputy Administrator of the EPA Office of Research and Development (ORD) and as the agency's science advisor before moving to Yale in 2012. He is now Professor of Epidemiology, holder of the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Chair in Chemistry for the Environment and Director of the Center for Green Chemistry and Green Engineering at Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA. Anastas is known for his rousing and inspiring lectures and has received numerous awards and honors for his research.

John C. Warner, born in 1962 in Quincy, Massachusetts, USA, also earned his BS in Chemistry from the University of Massachusetts, Boston, USA, and his MA and Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Princeton University, New Jersey, USA. After several years of research at the Polaroid Corporation, he returned to the University of Massachusetts from 1996 to 2007. There, Warner introduced, among other things, the world's first doctoral program in green chemistry. In 2007, together with James Babcock, he founded the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry, of which he was President and CTO until 2020. Today, he is Senior Vice President (Chemistry) and Distinguished Research Fellow at Zymergen Corporation, as well as Global Sustainability Chair at the University of Bath, UK, Associate Professor of Green Chemistry at Monash University, Melbourne, AUS, and Invited Professor at AgroParisTech, FR. Warner is also involved in the non-profit organization Beyond Benign, which he co-founded and which promotes education in green chemistry. Warner has published over a hundred publications and received numerous awards for his work. In 2017, the German Ministry of Economics and the Technical University of Berlin announced that they would name the "Chemical Invention Factory", which promotes and supports technology transfer in green chemistry, the "John Warner Center for start-ups in Green Chemistry" in Warner's honor. The construction of the new building is currently in the second of three planning phases, and completion is scheduled for 2025.

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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Paul T. Anastas (Foto: privat)
John C. Warner (Foto: privat)

13 Mathematical and Scientific Societies: Strengthening basic research in Germany

13/22
06 July 2022

On the occasion of the “International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development 2022/2023 (IYBSSD)” proclaimed by UNESCO, the five major professional societies of the life sciences, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics and physics are calling for basic research in Germany and its importance for sustainable development to be more valued, better communicated and more effectively promoted.

The global challenges posed by climate change, energy security, biodiversity conservation, food security, health care and pandemic management are enormous.

The mathematical and scientific disciplines provide fundamental methods and instruments with which the challenges can be identified, described and analyzed and possible solutions offered.

The mathematical and scientific societies that are part of the “Science Connects” initiative warmly welcome the activities of UNESCO, which has recommended 2022/2023 as the “International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development” to underline the importance of basic research for sustainable development. For the IYBSSD, UNESCO identifies fields of action and key topics on which the mathematical and scientific societies are already active individually or jointly. Basic research is seen as a source of dialogue and peace, of innovation and economic development, of education and for tackling global challenges. The accessibility of scientific knowledge and the strengthening of the visibility of women in basic research are also emphasized.

In addition, the major professional societies in the life sciences, chemistry, geosciences, mathematics and physics see additional fields of action that should be taken up and consolidated in this International Year.

Politics and society should value the fundamental importance of high-quality basic research for sustainable development more, communicate it better and promote it more effectively. From the perspective of the mathematical and scientific societies, the following points are necessary:

- Tender procedures and funding criteria must be designed in such a way that they do justice to the specific nature of basic research. Specific funding programs for basic research must be set up.

- Research funders, universities and political decision-makers at federal and state level should provide additional resources for public outreach programs that make the nature and importance of basic research transparent and understandable to the public.

- The conditions must be created in schools and universities so that students understand the basics of scientific work. Those responsible for education in the states and at universities must ensure that there are appropriate curricula, appropriate teaching hours and well-trained teachers.

The societies see sustainable development as a shared task, which is also an opportunity and obligation to enter into new cooperations and alliances with other civil society activists. The professional societies want to clearly highlight this connection in the "International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development".

The position paper can be found online at:
https://wissenschaft-verbindet.de/gemeinsame-aktivitaeten/positionspapier-grundlagenforschung

 

The five major mathematical and scientific professional societies - the German Geosciences Association (DVGeo), the German Mathematical Society (DMV), the German Physical Society (DPG), the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and the Association of Biology, Biosciences and Biomedicine in Germany (VBIO) together represent over 130,000 members. They are united by the awareness that those working in science bear a particularly high degree of responsibility for shaping human life as a whole.

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12 Statistics of chemistry courses 2021 published

More graduates, but fewer beginners than last year

12/22
July 5, 2022

Last year, significantly more students obtained bachelor's and master's degrees than in the previous year. The number of doctorates in chemistry courses also increased - only in biochemistry did it remain at about the same level as the previous year. However, fewer young people chose to study chemistry in 2021 than in 2020. This is shown by the annual statistics for chemistry courses of the German Chemical Society (GDCh). The proportion of graduates looking for jobs and those who initially accepted temporary positions remained at a low level.

A total of 8,233 people decided to study chemistry last year (2020: 9,384 people). The number of students who completed a chemistry degree with a master's degree or the first state examination rose to 3,727 (2020: 3,244), as did the number of doctorates, which rose from 2,104 in 2020 to 2,231 in the reporting year.

The following results were obtained for the individual study programs:

  • In the field of chemistry/industrial chemistry, universities reported 5,129 new students (2020: 5,671). 2,431 students (2020: 2,037) successfully completed their bachelor's degree, 2,219 received their master's degree (2020: 1,956). The median length of study was 6.9 semesters to obtain a bachelor's degree (2020: 6.9) and 5.1 semesters to obtain a master's degree (2020: 5.0). In 2021, 1,972 people earned their doctorates in chemistry/industrial chemistry (2020: 1,838). The median length of time to complete a doctorate was 8.2 semesters (2020: 8.2).
  • In biochemistry and life sciences, 1,644 people began their studies (2020: 1,852). The number of bachelor's degrees rose to 992 (2020: 745) and the number of master's degrees to 842 (2020: 732). The number of doctorates fell slightly to 209 in 2021 (2020: 214). The length of study increased, the median was 6.7 semesters for bachelor's degrees (2020: 6.6), 5.1 semesters for master's degrees (2020: 4.9) and 9.3 semesters for doctorates (2020: 8.9).

     

  • In food chemistry , the number of new students fell from 466 in the previous year to 390. A total of 214 students passed the main examination A (1st state examination) or the diploma examination (2020: 148) and 157 people passed the main examination B (2nd state examination) (2020: 145). In addition, the universities reported 211 bachelor's and 155 master's degrees (2020: 144 and 110 respectively). The number of doctorates fell to 50 (2020: 52).
  • At universities of applied sciences (HAW), 1,070 people began studying chemistry, significantly fewer than last year (2020: 1,395). The number of bachelor's degrees also fell to 696 (2020: 731), while the number of master's degrees rose to 452 (2020: 408). However, it should be noted that in the reporting year only 20 of the 24 HAWs contacted made their figures available.

99% of all bachelor's graduates at universities and 77% at universities of applied sciences went on to study for a master's degree. Around 84.7% of master's graduates at universities began a doctorate. This figure is still lower than the long-term average (90%).

44% of graduates with doctorates in chemistry have already announced their first step into professional life. According to data from universities, around 34% took up a job in the chemical and pharmaceutical industry (2020: 38%), 21% (2020: 20%) took up a temporary position in Germany (including postdoc). 14% worked in the rest of the economy after graduating (2020: 12%) and 13% took up a job abroad after graduating (2020: 11%). Around 6% of graduates held a job in the public sector (2020: 4%). At the time of the survey, 7% were considered job seekers (2020: 10%).

The proportion of job seekers is roughly the same as in 2006-2013 (between 7% and 10%). The number of "real" job seekers is likely to be somewhat lower, as in every year. 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 2021” 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 2021 are based on data from the courses in chemistry and industrial chemistry, biochemistry and life science, food chemistry and chemistry at universities of applied sciences (HAW), formerly universities of applied sciences. The survey asked about the number of beginners and students, the number of final examinations passed, as well as the respective final grades and duration of studies. 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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Abb. 1: Summe der Studienanfänger/-innen in den Chemiestudiengängen
Abb. 2: Examina im Studiengang Chemie (ohne Studiengänge Biochemie, Lebensmittelchemie, Lehramt Chemie)
Abb. 3: Erster Berufsschritt der promovierten Chemieabsolventinnen und -absolventen 2021 (ohne Studiengänge Biochemie, Lebensmittelchemie, Lehramt Chemie)
 

11 Bert Meijer receives the Hermann Staudinger Award

Further awards at the macromolecular chemistry Conference

11/22
28 June 2022

The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is honoring Professor Dr. Egbert Willem “Bert” Meijer, Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands, with the Hermann Staudinger Award 2022. He will receive the award, endowed with 7500 euros, on September 12 as part of the Biennial Meeting of the GDCh Division of Macromolecular Chemistry 2022, which will take place from September 12 to 14 in Aachen. The Conference will also award two Dr. Hermann Schnell scholarships and the Reimund-Stadler Award of the GDCh Division of Macromolecular Chemistry .

Bert Meijer receives the Hermann Staudinger Award for his outstanding and highly creative contributions to the field of supramolecular polymer chemistry. Among other things, Meijer researches and develops functional supramolecular polymers as a new class of materials. Through targeted molecular design and synthesis, he has created systems in which monomeric units that assemble themselves into supramolecular polymer materials achieve special material properties. Before his discovery, these properties were thought to be reserved exclusively for (covalently linked) macromolecules. The reversible bonding of the building blocks enables easy processing. Supramolecular materials can thus be processed at much lower temperatures and pressures, while the adaptable nature of the supramolecular polymers opens up new avenues for these systems. Many of Meijer's strategies are "biomimetic" and transfer biological organizational principles to synthetic polymer materials.

Bert Meijer, who was born in Groningen in the Netherlands in 1955, studied organic chemistry at the University of Groningen, where he also received his doctorate in 1982. After working at the Philips Natuurkundig Laboratorium in Eindhoven and at Koninklijke DSM in Heerlen, he became Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Eindhoven University of Technology in 1991. Since 1994 he has also been Adjunct Professor at the Radboud University Nijmegen, Distinguished University Professor of Molecular Sciences in Eindhoven since 2004 and Visiting Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, USA since 2008. From 2008 to 2018 he was also Director of the Institute for Complex Molecular Systems in Eindhoven. Meijer has been an Academy Professor of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences since 2014, an External Scientific Member of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research in Mainz since 2018 and a Visiting Lecturer at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, since 2022.

Bert Meijer has already received various scientific awards, including the SPINOZA Prize of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) (2001), the Humboldt Research Award of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2017) and two ERC Advanced Research Grants (2010 and 2018). He is an honorary member of numerous academies and societies, has an impressive number of visiting professorships and named lectures and has achieved an h-index of 135 with over 750 scientific publications.

As part of the Conference , two young scientists will also receive a Dr. Herrmann Schnell scholarship. Professor Dr. Eva Blasco, Ruprecht-Karls-University Heidelberg, will receive a scholarship worth 3,000 euros for her innovative research in the highly topical field of functional materials for 3D laser printing and lithography. The award winner's research activities on materials for applications in 4D printing have the potential to revolutionize research fields such as microrobotics. Dr. Robert Göstl, DWI - Leibniz Institute for Interactive Materials eV, Aachen, will receive a further Dr. Herrmann Schnell scholarship worth 3,000 euros for his impressive research in the field of mechanophores. His work makes it possible to functionalize materials in new ways. The improved material properties open up new areas of application. Hermann Schnell scholarships are awarded by the foundation of the same name, which is located at the GDCh, to promote young scientists in the field of macromolecular chemistry, its physical-chemical principles and its analytics.

Dr. Robert Göstl will also be awarded the Reimund-Stadler Award by the GDCh Division of Macromolecular Chemistry . The Division usually 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. Göstl convinced the selection committee with his lecture entitled "From force-reporting to force-resistant: using mechanochemistry to understand polymer materials."

Further information about the Conference can be found at www.gdch.de/makro2022

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 1,300 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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Professor Dr. Egbert Willem “Bert” Meijer (Foto: privat)
Professorin Dr. Eva Blasco (Foto: Universität Heidelberg, Kommunikation und Marketing)
Dr. Robert Göstl (Copyright: Hannes Woidich)
 

10 Paul Bunge Prize goes to Matthew L. Jones

Calculating machines, philosophy and artificial intelligence

10/22
May 31, 2022

Professor Dr. Matthew L. Jones, Columbia University, New York, USA, will receive the 2022 Paul Bunge Prize. The award ceremony will take place on July 1st as part of the lecture conference of the GDCh Division of History of Chemistry in the Baden State Library in Karlsruhe. The Hans R. Jenemann Foundation Prize is endowed with 7,500 euros and is awarded jointly by the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and the German Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry (DBG). It honors outstanding work on the history of scientific instruments.

Matthew L. Jones receives the Paul Bunge Prize for his highly topical and groundbreaking work at the interface between the history of calculating machines, philosophy and artificial intelligence. Particular attention is paid to his work "Reckoning with Matter", in which the awardee describes the development of calculating machines from the early seventeenth to the early nineteenth century. In addition to the concrete stories about the work, technology and wages that were necessary to produce these scientific instruments, the book also covers the topics of industrial espionage and intellectual property and does not shy away from philosophical reflections on the meaning of these machines. Among other things, Jones sheds light on the correspondence between (art) craftsmen and philosophers, addresses technical, financial, social and legal issues and shows in an impressive way how the material and the world of thought were brought into harmony with one another in thinking machines.

Matthew L. Jones studied the history and philosophy of science at Harvard College and Cambridge University and received his doctorate in the history of science from Harvard University, Cambridge, USA, in 2000. He then moved to Columbia University, New York, USA, where he is now Professor of History and James R. Barker Professor of Contemporary Civilization. Jones has received numerous grants and awards for his research and has a large number of notable publications. In addition to his research, he is also involved in various (university) committees and has worked as an advisory editor, proofreader and reviewer, among other things.

The Paul Bunge Prize is considered the most important award in the field of the history of scientific instruments worldwide and is advertised publicly and internationally. To date, it has been awarded to German, British, Italian, American, Australian and Canadian scientists. The award is decided by the advisory board of the Hans R. Jenemann Foundation, which is supported by the GDCh and the DBG. Hans R. Jenemann (1920–1996), a chemist at Schott Glassworks 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 scales for chemical analysis.

As part of the Conference, which offers a diverse program on the history of chemistry and related areas of science and industry, the GDCh Division of History of Chemistry also awards the Bettina-Haupt-Förderpreis for the history of chemistry. The award recognizes outstanding work in the history of chemistry by young scientists from German-speaking countries. This year, the prize goes to Christopher Halm, University of Regensburg, for his dissertation "The Early History of Agricultural Chemistry (1731-1813) - Chemical Appropriation of the Soil and the Emergence of Field Laboratories."

Further information about the Conference can be found at www.gdch.de/geschichte2022

The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is one of the largest chemical science societies in the world with around 30,000 members. It maintains numerous foundations, such as the Hans R. Jenemann Foundation. The Paul Bunge Prize of the Hans R. Jenemann Foundation is awarded annually, alternating between DBG general meetings and lecture conferences of the GDCh Division of History of Chemistry.

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Paul-Bunge-Preisträger Matthew L. Jones (Foto: privat)

09 Andres Jäschke receives Albrecht-Kossel Award

New insights thanks to RNA research

09/22
24 May 2022

On June 30, the German Chemical Society (GDCh) will award the Albrecht-Kossel Award, worth 7,500 euros, to Professor Dr. Andres Jäschke, University of Heidelberg, for his work on the chemical biology of nucleic acids. The award ceremony will take place during the Conference of the GDCh Division of Biochemistry, which will take place from June 29 to July 1 in Münster.

Andres Jäschke convinced the selection committee with his groundbreaking contributions to the catalysis, regulation, modification and imaging of RNA. The RNA-based Diels-Alderase enzyme he developed and his work on it provided fundamental insight into the structural and functional properties of RNA ribozymes. His discovery of natural RNA modifications brought completely new insights into the field of so-called epitranscriptomics. Jäschke found that bacterial RNA can carry a nucleic acid (NAD)-based protective cap that significantly influences the RNA lifetime. With this fundamental discovery, the awardee founded a completely new branch of RNA biochemistry. Jäschke can also demonstrate impressive research results in live cell imaging, the development of novel DNA photoswitches and the development of bioorthogonal modifications of RNA and DNA. In his work, he combines organic synthesis with molecular and cell biology, biochemistry, bioinformatics and modern bioanalytical methods.

Andres Jäschke, born in 1962, studied chemistry at the Humboldt University in Berlin, where he also received his doctorate in 1993. After a two-year stay as a postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA, he took over the leadership of his own research group at the Free University of Berlin in 1995, where he received his habilitation in 2000. Two years later, Jäschke accepted a position at the University of Heidelberg, where he still works as a professor of pharmaceutical and bioorganic chemistry. For his work, he has received an ERC Advanced Grant (2020), the Hellmut Bredereck Prize from the foundation of the same name based at the GDCh (2001) and the BioFuture Prize from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (1998). In addition to his scientific commitment, Jäschke is actively involved in the GDCh, of which Jäschke has been a member since 1998 - including on the Board of the Division .

Further information about the Conference can be found at www.gdch.de/biochemistry2022

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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Prof. Dr. Andres Jäschke (Foto: Sabine Arndt)

08 News from the world of analytics

At the analytica conference 2022, research meets application

08/22
May 12, 2022

From June 21 to 24, 2022, analytica, the world's leading trade fair for laboratory technology, analytics and biotechnology, will take place for the 28th time at the Munich Exhibition Center. It will be accompanied by the analytica conference from June 21 to 23. In numerous sessions, scientists will report on current topics from analytics, quality control, diagnostics, measurement and testing technology as well as from biotechnology and the life sciences. The scientific program of the analytica conference is organized by the Analytics Forum, composed 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).

After the last analytica took place online due to the pandemic, 2022 will again offer the opportunity for personal exchange on site in Munich. The Forum Analytik has created an extensive program for the conference that covers almost all fields of analytics and presents the latest trends and developments. The key point here is that the topics always have a high level of practical relevance, so that research and application get their money's worth.

The high topicality is evident, for example, in a session on aerosols and health. Among other things, the session deals with the limits and possibilities of studies on the effect of exhaust gases on human lung cells. An innovative approach to measuring aerosols is presented in the presentation of a new photochemical method for toxicological studies of aged aerosols from forest fires. Another lecture shows how photochemical processing affects the properties of aerosols produced by combustion.

But current trends and developments in food and water analysis are also not neglected in the analytica conference program: One session, for example, is devoted to the analysis of newly emerging hazards in food. This includes mycotoxins - in particular new derivatives in the field of aflatoxin B1 - and the latest developments in their (bio)analysis; but the analysis of pyrrolizidine alkaloids, carcinogenic plant poisons, is also discussed. Water analysis is the focus of several sessions. Experts will provide information on the latest rapid methods for detecting pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the water cycle, the challenges of non-target screening in water analysis and how digitalization can support modern water analysis.

These are just a few of the highlights of the scientific program. In a total of 45 sessions, proven experts provide insights into almost all areas of analytics. In addition, several scientific awards will be presented as part of the conference: The GDCh Division of Analytical Chemistry awards the Clemens-Winkler Medal and the Analytical Chemistry Division Award , the Working Group Separation Science of the Division awards the Eberhard-Gerstel Award and the Gerhard-Hesse Award, and the German working group for Analytical Spectroscopy (DAAS) of the Division awards the "Bunsen-Kirchhoff Award for Analytical Spectroscopy". An accompanying poster exhibition, supported by Agilent and Merck, rounds off the program.

The analytica conference takes place in the ICM – International Congress Center Munich, on the exhibition grounds. The conference language is English. Admission is free for analytica visitors. The joint stand of the Forum Analytik is in Hall B2, No. 505.

The current program for the analytica conference can be found at www.gdch.de/analyticaconf2022 or in the event database at www.analytica.de/konferenz.

Contact for the press:

analytica conference
Maren Mielck
German Chemical Society
public relations
Phone: +49 69 7917-327
Email: pr@gdch.de

analytica
Claudia Grzelke
PR Manager Munich Trade Fair
Phone: +49 89 949-21498
Email: press.shows@messe-muenchen.de

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07 Gisbert Schneider receives the Gmelin-Beilstein commemorative coin

Award ceremony at the German Conference on Cheminformatics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen

07/22
12 April 2022

The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is awarding the Gmelin-Beilstein commemorative coin to Prof. Prof. adj. Dr. rer. nat. habil. Gisbert Schneider, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, Switzerland. The award will be presented on May 9 at the “17th German Conference on Cheminformatics and EuroSAMPL Satellite Workshop”, the annual meeting of the GDCh Division “computers in chemistry” in Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

The Gmelin-Beilstein commemorative coin, a silver medal accompanied by a certificate and prize money of 7,500 euros, is awarded by the GDCh to national and international personalities who have made special contributions to the history of chemistry, chemical literature or chemical information. Professor Dr. Gisbert Schneider is one of the best known scientists in the field of chemical information and chemoinformatics and is considered a pioneer of today's artificial intelligence approaches in drug design. He receives the award for his pioneering work in the integration of machine learning methods into practical medicinal chemistry. It was also Schneider who coined the terms "scaffold-hopping" and "frequent hitter" in medicinal chemistry, which have become an integral part of today's technical vocabulary.

Gisbert Schneider, born in 1965, received his diploma in biochemistry from the Free University of Berlin in 1991, where he also received his doctorate in 1994. After postdoctoral studies at the Benjamin Franklin University Hospital in Berlin, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge (Massachusetts) and the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics in Frankfurt am Main, he gained industrial experience at F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, Basel, Switzerland. During this time, Schneider qualified as a professor in biochemistry and bioinformatics at the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg in 2000, where he subsequently worked as a private lecturer. From 2002 to 2009 he held the Beilstein Endowed Professorship for Chemistry and Bioinformatics at the Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main, until he was appointed Professor for Computer-Assisted Drug Design at ETH Zurich in 2010. From 2018 to 2020, Schneider was also Associate Vice President of ETH Global. Since 2021, he has also been Director of the Singapore-ETH Centre in Singapore.

Gisbert Schneider has received numerous awards for his scientific achievements, such as the Herman Skolnik Award from the Division of Chemical Information of the American Chemical Society (ACS) (2018) and the "Prous Institute - Overton and Meyer Award for New Technologies in Drug Discovery" from the European Federation for Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology (EFMC) (2020). In 2014, he was named one of the World's Most Influential Scientific Minds by Thomson-Reuters.

Schneider has published more than 400 scientific papers, six internationally acclaimed textbooks in the field of drug design and chemical information, and was co-founder and editor of the Wiley-VCH Journal Molecular Informatics.

Further information about the Conference can be found at www.gdch.de/gcc2022

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 Computers in Chemistry with over 500 members. The Division was founded in 1982 because computer-aided management, archiving, analysis, retrieval and generation of information was becoming increasingly important in chemistry. It sees its main task as bringing together domestic and foreign scientists interested in information and documentation as well as computer applications in chemistry in order to communicate and develop the latest findings in this field of knowledge through a lively exchange of ideas and experience.

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Professor Dr. Gisbert Schneider (Foto: Grace Baey)

06 Pioneer of quantum chemistry - Erich Hückel Award goes to Sigrid Peyerimhoff

06/22
5 April 2022

The German Chemical Society (GDCh) is awarding Professor Dr. Sigrid Peyerimhoff the Erich Hückel Award . The scientist receives the award, worth 7,500 euros, for the fundamental development of quantum chemical methods for calculating molecular properties, elucidating chemical reactions and analyzing molecular spectra. The award ceremony will take place as part of the 58th Symposium on Theoretical Chemistry, which will take place in Heidelberg from September 18 to 22, 2022.

Sigrid Peyerimhoff is one of the most important and most deserving theoretical chemists and carried out pioneering work in quantum chemistry, which not least led to the global leadership of German theoretical chemistry. In addition to the fundamental development of quantum chemical methods, the GDCh particularly recognizes her development of the multi-reference approach in the configuration interaction method (MRD-CI) with selection and energy extrapolation including spin-orbit interaction. Thanks to this method, groundbreaking investigations of molecules and ions in atmospheric chemistry, in the field of electron-molecule scattering and the calculation of the stability of atomic and molecular clusters became possible.

The MRDI-CI method was initially applied to very small model systems. As a “theoretical spectrometer”, it exceeded experimental accuracies and thus made a decisive contribution to the recognition and establishment of theoretical chemistry as an indispensable fundamental subject of chemistry.

Sigrid Peyerimhoff, born in Rottweil in 1937, studied physics at the Justus Liebig University in Gießen after graduating from high school in 1956, graduating with a diploma in 1961. She then completed her doctorate in theoretical physics in Gießen on quantum chemical calculations of the hydrogen fluoride molecule. After research stays in the USA, including at the University of Chicago, the University of Washington and Princeton University, she was qualified as a professor in theoretical physics at the University of Gießen in 1967. From 1970 she was a professor of theoretical chemistry at the University of Mainz and from 1972 at the University of Bonn, where she headed the Institute for Physical and Theoretical Chemistry. She became professor emeritus in 2002.

Sigrid Peyerimhoff has published a total of around 500 studies in scientific journals and anthologies. She has received numerous prestigious prizes and awards, including the Leibniz Prize of the German Research Foundation (1988), the Cothenius Medal of the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina (2007), the Grand Federal Cross of Merit (2008) and the Alexander von Humboldt Medal of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Physicians (2018).

In addition to her academic work, Peyerimhoff took on important tasks and functions in scientific societies and committees. In 1987, she was a founding member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and from 1990 to 1996, she was Vice President of the German Research Foundation. In 1999, she was appointed a member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Peyerimhoff is also a member of the German Academy of Engineering Sciences, the Academia Europaea and the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences and Arts. From 2006 to 2009, she was President of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science.

Sigrid Peyerimhoff has been a member of the GDCh since 1973. In her honor, the Working Group Theoretical Chemistry has been awarding the Sigrid Peyerimhoff PhD Award for outstanding doctoral theses in the field of theoretical chemistry since 2021.

Further information on the award winner can be found in the current issue of the GDCh membership magazine Nachrichten aus der Chemie in the article “ Awarded: The Hückel awardee Sigrid Peyerimhoff and Gernot Frenking ”.

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 for theoretical chemistry.

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Professorin Dr. Sigrid Peyerimhoff (Foto: privat)

05 Excellent teaching at universities

Ars legendi Faculty Prize for Mathematics and Natural Sciences 2022 awarded

05/22
March 22, 2022

The Ars legendi Faculty Prize for Excellent university teaching in Mathematics and the Natural Sciences 2022 goes to Dagmar Hann and Daniela Meilinger (Biology, LMU Munich), Nele Milsch (Chemistry, Göttingen), Martin Schlather (Mathematics, Mannheim) and Julia Sammet (physics, Frankfurt/Main).

The Ars legendi Faculty Prize for Mathematics and Natural Sciences recognizes outstanding, innovative and exemplary achievements in university teaching .

The prize is awarded by the Stifterverband, the Association of Biology, Biosciences and Biomedicine in Germany (VBIO), the German Chemical Society (GDCh), the German Mathematical Society (DMV) and the German Physical Society (DPG). It has been awarded annually since 2014 in the categories of biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics and is endowed with 5,000 euros each. The prize awardee are chosen by a jury made up of students and teachers from the participating subjects and from university didactics.

The Ars legendi Faculty Prize for Mathematics and Natural Sciences 2022 goes to the following people:

In the category Biology: to Dagmar Hann and Daniela Meilinger
Dagmar Hann and Daniela Meilinger from the Faculty of Biology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich have developed an interdisciplinary and multimedia program that makes it easier for the numerous international students to enter the molecular biology master's degree programs. A variety of didactic methods are used, which are cleverly coordinated and interlinked in different modules. What is outstanding about this is that there is also a focus on teaching methodological principles in order to transfer the heterogeneous previous education of international students into a common basis. Social networking between students is also actively promoted. The jury sees this as an exemplary teaching concept that could also be adopted in other departments.

In the Chemistry category: to Nele Milsch
Nele Milsch from the Faculty of Chemistry at the Georg August University of Göttingen has developed and implemented a training concept for tutors (SciTuition), thereby making a significant contribution to improving teaching. At most universities, tutors make important contributions to teaching assistance and are important multipliers. Nele Milsch has developed a comprehensive, didactically sound and well thought-out concept for her training. This prepares the tutors for their task not only in terms of subject matter, but also didactically, and also addresses specific aspects of studying chemistry, such as supervising internships. The jury particularly appreciated the fact that the tutors are offered additional in-depth modules alongside their work, and that they can also earn credit points for these.

In the Mathematics category: to Martin Schlather
Martin Schlather from the Faculty of Business Information Systems and Business Mathematics at the University of Mannheim helped develop the innovative concept of "service learning", in which university teaching is linked to social commitment. He has developed this concept in several initiatives, such as the HAREBE project for improved teacher training or the STADS student initiative, and has implemented it in his courses in a convincing and exemplary manner. The jury was particularly impressed by the fact that the direct practical relevance of this concept - such as the use of real data to convey the teaching material - highlights the social relevance of the statistical teaching material and builds bridges to later professional activity. In addition, the practical approach makes a decisive contribution to the motivation and learning success of the students.

In the category physics: to Julia Sammet
Julia Sammet from the Department of physics at Goethe University Frankfurt founded a physics learning center as a student, aimed at all students whose subject also requires knowledge of physics. The concept of the learning center, which she has developed with great commitment over the years and which primarily relies on peer-supported and self-activating learning, quickly proved so convincing that she was able to obtain faculty and then external funding for the further expansion of the center. During the pandemic-related lockdown, the concept proved so flexible that it could quickly and successfully be transferred to the virtual space. Thanks to Julia Sammet's personal commitment and the support of the department, a professional learning support structure has been created that has been extremely well received by the students and is viewed by the jury as a lighthouse project.

Awards ceremony
The date for the award ceremony for the Ars Legendi Faculty Prize for Mathematics and Natural Sciences 2022 has not yet been set. It will be announced in due course.

Further information and contact persons
Information on the Ars legendi Faculty Prize for Mathematics and Natural Sciences: https://stifterverband.org/ars-legendi-mn

Contact DPG:
Georg Düchs, Tel.: (02224) 9232-37; E-Mail: duechs@dpg-physik.de
Press contact Stifterverband:
Peggy Gross, Tel.: (030) 322982-530 Email: peggy.gross@stifterverband.de

Press release as pdf document

04 “Communicating the future” - Young scientists meet in Hanover

04/22
17 March 2022

The spring symposium of the Young Chemists Forum (JCF) of the German Chemical Society (GDCh) will take place from March 23 to 26 under the motto "Communicating the Future". In addition to scientific lectures, the Conference at the Leibniz University of Hanover will offer interactive workshops, poster sessions, social activities and numerous opportunities for personal exchange and networking. As part of the Conference , the Dres. Volker and Elke Münch Prize for Science and Research will also be awarded to a young team of inventors for the first time. Another highlight will be the awarding of the Carl Roth Prize for work on light-driven water splitting.

The JCF Spring Symposium is one of the largest conferences in Europe by and for young scientists. The event is organized annually by changing regional forums of the JungChemikerForum, the young scientists' organization of the GDCh. In 2022, the regional JCF Hannover and Göttingen took over the organization and jointly created an ambitious program. In keeping with the motto "Communicating the Future", neighboring disciplines and the young scientists' organizations of friendly societies were also included in the conference. The Conference also features program items from the jDPG of the German Physical Society (DGB), the Junior-GBM of the Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (GBM) and the yPC of the German Bunsen Society for physical chemistry (DBG).

In addition to lectures by internationally renowned scientists such as Professor Dr. Markus Antonietti (Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam), Professor Dr. Michèle Heurs (Leibniz University Hannover), and Professor Deborah Kays (University of Nottingham, UK), the joint event will also feature junior research group leaders and young scientists.

On March 24, the Dres. Volker and Elke Münch Prize will be awarded for the first time. The prize is endowed with 5,000 euros and is awarded primarily to young inventors who have made a groundbreaking invention in the field of chemistry or chemical process engineering. The founders, Dr. rer. nat Volker Münch and Dr. paed. Elke Münch, want to promote science and research and the patent protection of the results. The prize money will be used to support the filing of a priority German patent application for the invention with the German Patent and Trademark Office.

This year, the award goes to Professor Dr. Rainer Ostermann, Felix Leven and Johannes Limberg from the Westphalian University of Applied Sciences in Recklinghausen for the development of the so-called liquid-solid drying (FFT) process for cost-effective aerogel production. Thanks to this process, high-performance insulation materials can be produced from aerogels at significantly lower prices than before. Aerogel insulation materials have two to four times the insulation performance of conventional insulation materials, but were previously ten to twenty times more expensive than glass wool, for example. The new process now enables a wide range of aerogel-based insulation applications at significantly reduced costs.

Also on March 24, the Carl-Roth Award will be awarded as part of the Conference . The GDCh awards the 5,000 euro prize 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 a further 3,000 euros in the form of a voucher. The prize goes to Dr. Jacob Schneidewind, RWTH Aachen University, for his important contributions to the development of sustainable and resource-saving synthesis routes. In his master's thesis and his doctoral project at the University of Rostock and the Leibniz Institute for Catalysis, he provided innovative impulses for photocatalytic water splitting to produce green hydrogen, the material use of CO2, and the sustainable synthesis of organic molecules.

On March 25, Niels Krausch and Dr. Robert T. Giessmann as well as the team led by Christopher Keßler will receive the first-ever FAIR4Chem Award for their published data sets from chemical research. The award is given 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 cooperation 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 Young Chemists Forum (JCF) at 54 university locations. The JCF forms a platform for around 10,000 young members of the GDCh nationwide.

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Professor Dr. Rainer Ostermann (Foto: privat)
Felix Leven (Foto: privat)
Johannes Limberg (Foto: privat)
Dr. Jacob Schneidewind (Foto: privat)

03 GDCh awards Journalism Prize and Carl-Duisberg Memorial Award

The ADUC prizes will also be awarded during the Chemiedozententagung

03/22
15 March 2022

At the Chemiedozententagung, which takes place from March 21 to 23 in Saarbrücken, the German Chemical Society (GDCh) will award two of its prestigious prizes. Science journalist Lars Fischer will receive the GDCh Prize for Journalism and Literature 2022 and Dr. Juliane Simmchen, Technical University of Dresden, will be awarded the Carl-Duisberg Memorial Award . The GDCh Association of German University Professors of Chemistry (ADUC) from the faculties of chemistry in Germany and neighboring countries to the Conference . The Working Group will also award three ADUC prizes on site.

For his excellent journalistic work, the GDCh is awarding Lars Fischer the 2022 GDCh Prize for Journalism and Literature. The prize, worth 7,500 euros, is awarded for outstanding journalistic or literary achievements that make a special contribution to the dissemination of chemical science content in German-speaking countries. Fischer receives the award for his outstanding way of bringing chemistry and other natural sciences closer to all target groups, particularly via digital formats. His range of topics extends from chemistry and materials research to infectious diseases and natural disasters. Over the last two years, the science journalist has particularly distinguished himself with his well-founded and generally understandable articles on the Covid 19 pandemic.

Lars Fischer, who was born in Hamburg in 1978, began his career as a chemical laboratory technician in analytics before studying chemistry at the University of Hamburg. After graduating, he started one of the first German science blogs and worked as a freelance science journalist. Today he is an editor at "spektrum.de" and "Spektrum - die Woche", manages the blog platform "SciLogs" and runs the YouTube channel "Wir Werden Alle Sterben" with Mike Zeitz. Fischer is also connected to the GDCh: in 2007 he gained early journalistic experience during an internship in the Editorial staff of the GDCh membership magazine "Nachrichten aus der Chemie".

The GDCh is awarding another special prize to Dr. Juliane Simmchen, Technical University of Dresden. She is receiving the Carl-Duisberg Memorial Award for her fascinating approaches in the field of active matter, which include the creative use of photocatalytic nanoparticles, but also enzymes, bacteria and hybrid systems for driving microswimmers. The selection committee particularly emphasized that the prizewinner has succeeded in asserting herself in a highly competitive and interdisciplinary field of work with her research and in building up an independent and highly visible research program.

The Carl-Duisberg Memorial Award , worth 7,500 euros, has been awarded since 1936 to young university lecturers 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 are under 40 years of age. Of the prize money, 5,000 euros goes directly to the awardee and the remaining 2,500 euros goes to the working group.

Juliane Simmchen, born in 1986, studied chemistry at the Technical University of Dresden. After obtaining her diploma in analytical chemistry in 2010, she received her doctorate in materials science in 2014 at the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) of 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 in the field of materials science . Since November 2016, she has been a Freigeist Fellow there on the topic of 'Light driven microswimmers' in physical chemistry. With her working group , she researches colloidal materials and strategies to activate them. They construct so-called micromotors: small-scale structures made of synthetic and biological building blocks that can move autonomously. They also research how different environments, such as interfaces or applied stimuli, affect this movement.

In addition, the ADUC is honoring three young scientists for establishing an independent research area. Jun.-Prof. Dr. Max M. Hansmann, TU Dortmund University, receives an ADUC prize for the development of synthetic approaches to unusual and highly reactive carbon compounds such as mesoionic N-heterocyclic olefins, diazoalkenes, triplet vinylidenes and electron-rich olefins as well as their comprehensive physical characterization. Jun.-Prof. Dr. Kai S. Exner, University of Duisburg-Essen, is also honored for his original research in the field of theoretical electrocatalysis to improve electrode materials for electrocatalytic processes or batteries. And Christopher J. Teskey, PhD, RWTH Aachen University University, receives an ADUC prize for the development of light-switchable transition metal catalysts using the example of cobalt-mediated hydroborations, which enable stereoselective aldol reaction cascades and exhibit switchable chemoselectivity.

Further information about the Conference can be found at www.gdch.de/cdt2022

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 long-established Association of German University Professors of Chemistry (ADUC), which is part of the GDCh, awards prizes each year to up to three young scientists (during habilitation, scholarship or junior professorship) for establishing an independent research area.

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Image material for download:

Lars Fischer (Copyright: Harald Krichel)

Juliane Simmchen (Foto: privat)

02 Mathematical and scientific societies: Further training and vocational training of teachers is not a leisure activity!

02/2022
March 9, 2022

A position paper from the mathematical and scientific professional societies united in Wissenschaft-verbindet calls on politicians and school authorities to create qualified offers for teachers of mathematical and scientific school subjects and to make it easier for them to participate in them during regular working hours.

Mathematical and scientific findings are more important than ever, and not only in view of climate change and the Corona pandemic. At the same time, science is subject to a high level of dynamism. This must be taken into account in the further development of mathematical and scientific school teaching. High-quality further training and continuing education for mathematical and scientific teachers is therefore an indispensable tool for the continuous improvement of teaching.

The five mathematical and scientific professional societies that are united in Wissenschaft-verbindet – the German Geosciences Association (DVGeo), the German Mathematical Society (DMV), the German Physical Society (DPG), the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and the Association of Biology, Biosciences and Biomedicine in Germany (VBIO) – are convinced of this.

The professional associations, which represent over 130,000 members throughout Germany, have now adopted a position paper on the continuing education and vocational training of teachers. It calls on politicians and school authorities to promote and further develop appropriate offers that meet the special needs of mathematics and science school subjects. What is needed are specialist and subject-didactic continuing education offers as well as formats that combine both elements. Scientific progress and the current challenges of teaching development, e.g. in relation to digitalization, must be taken into account.

Adequate financial and organizational support is essential for this. In particular, teachers must be given sufficient and uncomplicated time off from teaching for further training or continuing education measures.

The mathematical and scientific societies explicitly emphasise that further training or continuing education should by no means be postponed to the evenings or weekends, but should of course be part of and included in the overall working time.

The position paper can be found online at:
https://wissenschaft-verbindet.de/gemeinsame-aktivitaeten/download/positionspapier_fortbildungen.pdf

 

The five major mathematical and scientific professional societies - the German Geosciences Association (DVGeo), the German Mathematical Society (DMV), the German Physical Society (DPG), the German Chemical Society (GDCh) and the Association of Biology, Biosciences and Biomedicine in Germany (VBIO) together represent over 130,000 members. We are united by the awareness that those working in science bear a particularly high degree of responsibility for shaping human life as a whole.


As representatives of our disciplines, we bring together all stakeholders in a community of responsibility and values ​​and commit ourselves to advocating freedom, tolerance, truthfulness and dignity in science. We are convinced that scientific knowledge is a basic prerequisite for being able to meet the challenges of the future.
Website: https://wissenschaft-verbindet.de/


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01 100 years of the Stern-Gerlach experiment

01/22
February 4, 2022

Few physics experiments in the past 200 years have had such a great impact on science as the Stern-Gerlach experiment. Therefore, the German Physical Society, together with the Frankfurt Physical Society, the Department of physics at Frankfurt's Goethe University and the German Chemical Society, are celebrating the epochal discovery on February 8, 2022 in Frankfurt's Paulskirche. The approximately 90-minute celebration begins at 6:00 p.m. The public can follow the event via livestream.

With the measurement results from the night of February 7th to 8th, 1922, the physicists Walther Gerlach and Otto Stern in the Alte physics (Robert-Mayer-Straße) in Frankfurt am Main were the first to experimentally prove the quantization of the internal structure of atoms and molecules. This historic experiment is one of the most important experiments in physics in the 20th century and also had a major influence on chemistry. Stern and Gerlach thus laid the foundation for modern quantum physics with many discoveries that resulted from it: nuclear magnetic resonance methods, high-precision time measurement using atomic clocks, masers and lasers, and much more.

100 years after the successful completion of this important experiment, the German Physical Society (DPG), the Frankfurt Physical Society, the Department of physics at Frankfurt's Goethe University and the German Chemical Society (GDCh) are commemorating this historic moment with a 90-minute ceremony in Frankfurt's Paulskirche. The main elements of the ceremony are the lecture "The Stern-Gerlach Experiment - A Milestone in the History of Physics" by Prof. Dr. Horst Schmidt-Böcking from the Institute of Nuclear Physics at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt am Main, and the lecture "Stern-Gerlach in the Modern Age - Precision Physics with Stored Ions" by Prof. Dr. Klaus Blaum, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg and Vice President of the Chemical-Physical-Technical Section of the Max Planck Society. The mayor, Nargess Eskandari-Grünberg, will give the welcoming address. There will also be a dialogue between Prof. Dr. Dorothée Weber-Bruls, President of the Physikalischer Verein, and Dr. Lutz Schröter, President of the German Physical Society.

Registration for the event is open until February 6th at labedzke@dpg-physik.de. The event can also be followed live without registration at hvo.events/dpg/.

backgrounds

Hardly any other physics experiment in the past 200 years has had such a great influence on science as the Stern-Gerlach experiment. Using the molecular beam method developed by Otto Stern, he and Walther Gerlach succeeded in building a measuring device in 1922 with which they could examine the interior of atoms and later, with an improved version, even their nuclei, and show that the building blocks of atoms do not behave according to the laws of classical physics . The molecular beam method used in the experiment was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics in 1943. Subsequently, around 45 further Nobel Prizes in physics or chemistry were based on these findings - including Nobel Prizes for the nuclear magnetic resonance method, for the development of the laser and for the atomic clock. These are all now established techniques that form the basis of all precision measurements.

The DPG fact sheet Physikkonkret “ 100 Years of the Stern-Gerlach Experiment ” provides a generally understandable explanation of the experiment and its scientific significance.

The German Physical Society (DPG), whose tradition stretches back to 1845, is the oldest national physics society in the world and, with around 55,000 members, also the largest in terms of membership. As a non-profit organization, it does not pursue any economic interests. The DPG promotes the transfer of knowledge within the scientific community through Conferences, events and publications and wants to open a window to physics for all those who are curious. Particular emphasis is placed on promoting young scientists and equal opportunities. The DPG is based in Bad Honnef on the Rhine. The capital city representative is the Magnus-Haus Berlin.
Website: www.dpg-physik.de

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 cooperation and continuous education and training in schools, universities and in the professional environment. The GDCh has 27 Divisions and 60 local sections.

Press release as pdf document

Das Gemälde des österreichischen Kunstmalers Jürgen Jaumann zeigt Otto Stern (links) und Walther Gerlach (rechts). Die Idee zur Grafik in der Mitte stammt vom Physik-Nobelpreisträger Theodor Hänsch.
Bild: Jürgen Jaumann

Contact

Dr. Karin J. Schmitz
Head of GDCh-
public relations
pr@gdch.de
Tel. 069 / 7917-493

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last modified: 11.07.2024 14:59 H from N/A