Chemistry conference attracts 100 scientists
PublishedMore than 100 scientists from more than half a dozen countries gathered for the third annual Qatar Fertiliser Company and Texas A&M University at Qatar chemistry conference to discuss advances in the changing world of chemistry.
Dr. Mark H. Weichold, dean and CEO of Texas A&M at Qatar, gave the official welcome for the conference.
"The QAFCO-TAMUQ chemistry conference represents key values that Texas A&M at Qatar has embraced," Weichold said. "All of you, as scholars and researchers, come here to share knowledge and exchange ideas that are sure to influence your own individual work and collaborations among you. That knowledge will make its way from research labs to classrooms, enriching our students' academic experience."
Mr. Kahlifa Abdulla Al-Sowaidi, managing director of QAFCO, welcomed conference attendees and applauded their work.
"Scientific research and industrial growth go together," Al-Sowaidi said. "Being a chemical process industry ourselves, we believe that QAFCO has a significant role to play in fostering scientific temper in Qatar. Hence it is our responsibility to provide necessary support to research institutions to facilitate them to work at the forefront of modern research."
Dr. Robert Bergman, the Gerald E. K. Branch Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, gave the keynote lecture, titled "Selective Stoichiometric and Catalytic Reactions in Water-Soluble Host-Guest Supramolecular Nanozymes." Bergman is one of the world's leading researchers in chemistry.
The conference program also included speakers from McGill University, National University of Singapore, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M University at Qatar, Total Petrochemicals and the University of Nottingham.
Dr. Hassan S. Bazzi, science program coordinator and a chemistry professor at Texas A&M at Qatar, said the roster of speakers and their research represented an outstanding sample of advanced chemistry research being conducted at universities worldwide.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for top chemistry scholars to exchange ideas and share their research,†Bazzi said, “and I am particularly pleased to be able to showcase Texas A&M at Qatar and Education City to such a distinguished panel of scientists.â€