Chemistry Central Blog
Chemistry Central Journal at the 41st IUPAC World Chemistry Congress in Turin
Naomi Jeffery and I spent last
week (5-11 August) at the 41st IUPAC World Chemistry Congress in the beautiful northern Italian city of Turin. We enjoyed
meeting many of the delegates and visitors, as well as discussing the open
access concept and Chemistry Central Journal. We also had the opportunity
to meet up with three of our editorial board members, Prof Alan Hutton, Prof
Robert Lancashire and Dr Christoph Steinbeck.
This year's
conference, whose title was 'Chemistry protecting health, natural environment
and cultural heritage', began with a drama written by 1981 Nobel Laureate Roald
Hoffman of Cornell University. The play entitled 'Should've' explored the social
responsibilities of scientists and artists, and in particular the ethical
implications of scientific research, both themes that ran through a number of other
sessions.
I found particularly interesting and thought-provoking the lecture given by Prof Ute Deichmann of the Leo
Baeck Institute, London,
entitled 'Research ethics and context: The example of biochemistry in Nazi
Germany'; a crucial look at how scientists' work and actions can have
significant and long-lasting social and political repercussions way beyond the confines of
the laboratory. The conference also included a session on 'Chemistry protecting cultural heritage', highlighting a significant area in which scientists and those interested in the arts can work together in a common cause.
Posted by Gino D'Oca at 15:34 Comments (0)
