Canadian Chemical News articles from July 2003

Canadian Chemical News archives from July 2003

Get up, stand up!(Chair's Column)(the CIC needs to take a stand on issues of public importance)(Column)
July 1, 2003... The CIC has long encouraged its individual members to speak publicly as private citizens about issues and ideas that impact the chemical community in Canada. The 2002 membership survey quite emphatically demonstrates a perceived need for the...

Giving thanks.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2003... I have been pondering whether to send this note and finally decided I would. As a 50-year member, it gives me an opportunity to thank the CIC for sponsoring the chemistry refresher courses presented at the the University of Toronto in the early...

Pulp & Paper Industry.(Industry)(Douglas Reeve wins two awards)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Douglas Reeve, FCIC, professor and chair of chemical engineering and applied chemistry at the University of Toronto, is this year's winner of the Technical Association of the Pulp & Paper Industry's Environmental Division technical award and...

University of New Brunswick.(University)(Frank Steward is named professor emeritus from the Univesity of New Brunswick)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Frank Steward, MCIC, received designation as professor emeritus from the University of New Brunswick. The retired professor of chemical engineering was honoured for his outstanding contributions as a teacher, researcher and administrator at a...

Carl Dahlquist.(Distinction)(Renata Jovanovic wins the 2003 Carl Dahlquist award)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Renata Jovanovic, ACIC, received the 2003 Carl Dahlquist award for the best paper in the area of pressure sensitive adhesives. The award was presented at the annual Pressure Sensitive Tape Council (PSTC) technical conference held in Washington,...

Tracey Wakelin has received her certificate for certified chemical technologist.(Distinction)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Tracey Wakelin has received her certificate for certified chemical technologist. She pursued the CCT designation in order to maintain a high standard within her working group. She says that being a member also allows her access to information...

Dennis George Tuck.(Obituaries)(former University of Windsor professor Dennis George Tuck dies at 74)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
July 1, 2003... Dennis George Tuck, FCIC, died after suffering a stroke on June 5, 2003 at age 74. Born in the U.K., Tuck moved to Windsor, ON to become the head of the department and university professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Windsor. He...

Abraham Verhoeff.(Obituaries)(former Shell Canada research chemist dies)(Brief Article)(Obituary)
July 1, 2003... Abraham Verhoeff, MCIC, known to all as Bram, passed away quietly on April 20, 2003. A native of the Netherlands, he emigrated to Canada in 1955. He enjoyed a rewarding career as a research chemist with Shell Canada, becoming a prominent...

Biotech moves to Montreal.(DSM Biologics will build a biopharmaceuticals plant in Montreal)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... DSM Biologics has decided to build a new biopharmaceuticals plant in Montreal, QC. The investment will kick start Montreal International's (MI) plan to create a major life science cluster in the Montreal area. MI, established in 1996, foresees...

Science and technology summaries.(the Canadian Government releases the report 'Science and Technology Advice: A Framework to Build On')(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Government of Canada has released its 2002 report entitled, 'Science and Technology Advice: A Framework to Build On'. The report focuses on the government's progress in adopting its framework for science and technology advice. It also...

Nova's Bayport blaze.(Nova Chemicals has a fire at its ethylbenzene unit in Bayport, Texas)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Nova Chemicals reports a fire at the ethylbenzene manufacturing unit June 12 in its Bayport, TX styrene monomer production facility. Early indications are that an explosion occurred during a restart of the furnace, causing the ensuing fire and...

Poultry producers lay off antibiotics.(Tyson Foods, Perdue Farms and Foster Farms take most or all of the antibiotics out of what they feed healthy chickens)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) estimates that 25 million pounds of valuable antibiotics--roughly 70 per cent of the total U.S. antibiotic production--are fed to chickens, pigs and cows each year. The animals are medicated for...

Syncrude's sulfur reduction.(Syncrude Canada will invest $400 million to reduce its emissions of sulfur dioxide)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Syncrude Canada will invest $400 million to reduce its total sulfur dioxide emissions by up to 60 per cent. The project will boost suppliers of scrubbing technologies and minerals. The project will commence construction after Syncrude's...

NSERC grants millions.(the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada announces grants to Ontario professors)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... On June 2, 2003, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) announced that Ontario professors will be receiving 1,104 new grants worth $138.8 million to conduct advanced research and train students in the natural...

Funding fuel cells.(the Canadian government announces investments in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Canadian government has announced a number of investments in hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The secretary of state and minister of industry made the announcement at the recent Fuel Cells International Conference in Vancouver, BC. The...

Revitalizing responsible care.(chemical industry leaders plan a review to improve their Responsible Care initiative)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Leaders of the global chemical industry have announced a major strategic review to revitalise and strengthen their important Responsible Care initiative which is currently implemented in 47 countries worldwide. Initiated in Canada in 1985,...

BioEnvelop envelopes foreign markets.(BioEnvelop Technologies works with intenrational firms to expand applications for its Longevita coating solution)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... BioEnvelop Technologies of Laval, QC is working with international firms to expand applications for its Longevita coating solution. Longevita is a biogradable and edible protein-based coating treatment that prolongs shelf life and inhibits...

Polycyclic aromatic borocarbons: lewis acids with a new twist.(Chemical Shifts)
July 1, 2003... Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have a bad rap. They are commonly known for their production during incomplete combustion of wood and other organic products, and for their carcinogenic properties, especially related to wood burning stoves and...

Nanochemists make nanocarbon in one step.(Chemical Shifts)(a discussion of the substance's properties)
July 1, 2003... What do wood, coal, petroleum pitch and coconut Shells have in common? As well as all appearing in Monte Python's 'The Holy Grail', they are also used in the preparation of porous carbon, an industrially important material with numerous...

Controlling liquid crystals with chirality and light.(Chemical Shifts)(a discussion of the properties of liquid crystals)
July 1, 2003... Liquid crystals are intriguing compounds, which, under certain conditions (temperature, solvation), form phases that are intermediate between the ordered crystalline phase and disordered liquid phase. The most interesting property of liquid...

Where can I find help?(Chemputing)(a discussion of finding help for computing issues, including viruses)
July 1, 2003... Windows was supposed to be a simple user-friendly system, but it has been getting progressively more complex as have all the programs that operate under it. Unfortunately, the manuals have gone the opposite direction. They are getting thinner...

What's so drastic about plastic?(Chemfusion)(researcher Fred vom Saal is concerned about the chemicals that can leach out of plastics)
July 1, 2003... Yesterday I had some cheese that had been wrapped in plastic. The berries I put on top of my steel-cut oats in the morning came in a plastic box. I also ate yogurt from a plastic container, had some canned peas and drank a glass of water from...

New developments in emergency regulation.(Articles)(new Canadaian regulations are being created)
July 1, 2003... Canada is about to see regulation of some important aspects of major hazard control involving dangerous substances, marking a first step in catching up with most of the industrialized world. CSChE's process safety management (PSM) Division has...

Proposed ethics board unpopular.(Articles)(researchers are concerned about a national accreditation system for ethics boards covering research on humans)
July 1, 2003... University researchers across Canada are concerned about the potential creation of a national accreditation system for ethics boards that approve research on humans. A taskforce created by the National Council on Ethics in Human Research...

Keeping our heads above water: the Water Crisis, Rudimentary Technologies, and rocket science.(Articles)(while Canada is a water-rich country, it is important to be wary of the threats to the resource)
July 1, 2003... What Water Crisis? Recently, a Toronto newspaper published with large headlines on its front page a long article explaining the presence of dangerous bacteria in 533 Ontario drinking water systems. Headlines like, 'Water Trouble Rampant in...

Fungus among us: is your house a hold for toxic mold?(Article)(a discussion of the concern of mold in homes)
July 1, 2003... In the U.S., there has been a considerable increase in litigation around mold-damaged buildings, mainly from a construction defect perspective. Public figures including Erin Brockovitch and Ed McMahon have been involved in high profile lawsuits...

An appeal for chemical literacy.(Articles)(scientific illiteracy is a major concern)
July 1, 2003... There were two young men already in the elevator at the radio station when I got in after just finishing a stint on the air. "Are you anybody?" one of them blurted out. While I was pondering an appropriate answer to this deeply philosophical...

When science & beliefs collide: a large and growing share of the population rejects aspects of science.(Articles)(scientists need to address the portions of the population that reject the scientific community)
July 1, 2003... Raymond Eve first became interested in alternative ways of thinking about science when he read about a Chicago woman who ties knots in her electric cords to reduce her monthly utility bill. Since then, this social psychologist at the...

Top ten biotechnologies for improving global health: experts present the first list of priority technologies to mend the looming 'genomics divide' between wealthy and underprivileged nations.(Articles)
July 1, 2003... Millions of people in developing countries die each year from diseases that could be prevented or treated cheaply and easily in the future through the development and use of a handful of biotechnologies. New procedures and genetically...

The scientist as citizen.(Interfaces)
July 1, 2003... In a complex world it is impossible to master even a single discipline. Those who wish to expand the frontiers of knowledge are destined to exchange breadth for depth, the wide-angled lens for the microscope. The so-called 'hard' sciences are...

CIC 2003 awards winners announced.(CIC Bulletin ICC)(awards are given to those contributing to the science of chemistry or chemical engineering in Canada)
July 1, 2003... CIC Medal / La Medaille de l'ICC Sponsored by / Parraine par INCO Limited / INCO Ltee The Chemical Institute of Canada Medal is presented as a mark of distinction to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to the science of...

CSC 2003 award winners announced.(CIC Bulletin ICC)(awards for those who make contributions in inorganic chemistry or electrochemistry)
July 1, 2003... The Alcan Award/Prix Alcan Sponsored by/Parraine par Alcan International Limited The Alcan Award is presented to a scientist residing in Canada who has made a distinguished contribution in the fields of inorganic chemistry or...

Announcing the 2003 CIC Fellowships.(CIC Bulletin ICC)(five members of the Chemical Institute of Canada are elected to the Fellowship in 2003)
July 1, 2003... The five members of The Chemical Institute of Canada profiled below were elected to the Fellowship in 2003 by the CIC board of directors. They will receive their fellowship certificates either at the CIC Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ottawa,...

Saskatchewan Green Chemistry Conference 2003.(takes place 5/14/03 through 5/17/03)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The conference took place in Regina, SK, May 14-17. It opened with a public lecture by Mary Kirchhoff, assistant director of the Green Chemistry Institute, American Chemical Society, in Washington D.C. Her lecture was entitled 'Green Chemistry:...

Chemistry Olympiad Finals.(Division News)(high school and cegep students attend the National Olympiad Finals of Canadian Chemistry and Physics Olympiads)
July 1, 2003... National Olympiad Finals (NOF) of Canadian Chemistry and Physics Olympiads were held from May 25 to June 1 of this year at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, ON. During that week, 13 selected high school and cegep students in...

Broaden your job search through the Society Career Fairs.(upcoming chemistry career fairs)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
July 1, 2003... CSC Career Fair, October 28 Are you graduating this year? Are you looking for a new job? Undergraduate and graduate students as well as unemployed chemists are invited to participate in the CSC Career Fair taking place at the 39th IUPAC...

Meetings/reunions.(upcoming energy-related meetings and conferences)(Calendar)
July 1, 2003... Canada August 17-20, 2003. Sixth International Conference on Gas-Liquid and Gas-Liquid-Solid Reactor Engineering, Vancouver, BC. E-mail: registration@housing.ubc.ca; Website: www.conferences.ubc.ca/events. September 18-19, 2003....

Mass spectrometry of free radicals.(a discussion of Frederick Lossing's work on mass spectrometers to handle free radicals)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The important modern technique of mass spectrometry was significantly enhanced by Frederick Lossing in the years after World War II, with his construction of a 90 degree deflexion Nier-type mass spectrometer to "analyse the products of the...

2003 AstraZeneca award in chemistry: recognizing excellence in chemistry across Canada.(Dennis Hall wins the 2003 AstraZeneca Award in Chemistry)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... THE RECIPIENT OF THE 2003 ASTRAZENECA AWARD IN CHEMISTRY IS PROFESSOR DENNIS HALL, UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA, FOR HIS OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FIELD OF ORGANOBORON CHEMISTRY AND SOLID-PHASE ORGANIC SYNTHESIS. Professor Hall completed...