Texas A&M at Qatar hosts Nobel laureate
Published Mar 15, 2020
A recent visit to Doha by world-renowned chemist and Nobel Laureate Sir Fraser Stoddart led to a unique opportunity for students, faculty and researchers at Texas A&M University at Qatar.
Stoddart met with faculty, researchers and students at Texas A&M at Qatar, where he gave advice to students and researchers alike. He encouraged students to take advantage of the opportunities available to them.
“Life is not a bowl of cherries,” Stoddart said. “Your success is pretty much determined from your capacity to withstand failure.”
Texas A&M at Qatar dean Dr. César Octavio Malavé said the visit provided a unique opportunity for students and faculty to interact with a true visionary in the chemical sciences.
“It is rare for scientists and students to be able to talk with a scientific leader of Sir Fraser Stoddart’s caliber,” Malavé said. “This is his second visit to our campus and we are grateful for the opportunities that his visit provided to our students and our researchers. Sir Fraser is a true friend to Texas A&M at Qatar and we are pleased to be able to host him here.”
Stoddart also met with members of the Qatar University student chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS), as well as members of the ACS Qatar chapter.
The QU student ACS chapter was formed in 2015, while the ACS Qatar chapter of the was established in 2018, when it was designated an ACS International Chemical Sciences Chapter and joined 19 other international chapters around the world. The world’s largest scientific society, ACS aims to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of the planet and its people and its vision is to improve people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry. The society provides information, education, career services, professional development and engagement programs to help scientists and researchers thrive in an ever-changing global economy. It also supports teaching and learning for students of all ages through grants and scholarships.
Chapter chair Dr. Hassan S. Bazzi — who is also associate dean for research and advancement and professor of chemistry at Texas A&M at Qatar — said, “We are privileged to be able to bring to Qatar a scientist of Sir Fraser Stoddart’s renown. His career and achievements are an inspiration to all current and aspiring chemists.”