Canadian Chemical News articles from March 2007

Canadian Chemical News archives from March 2007

Training the next generation--le defi majeur.(chemacal science)(Chemical Institute of Canada)(Column)
March 1, 2007... Bernard and Joanne West gave a clear description of the necessity of strategic planning for any institution in the October 2006 issue of ACCN. A sound strategic plan provides milestones for the next few years. It defines the main directions of...

Creating a chemical bond with students.(NEWS)
March 1, 2007... Simon Fraser University (SFU) chemist, Sophie Lavieri, MCIC, is bonding with children across Canada. Wearing a white lab coat, latex gloves, and protective goggles fringed by a mass of curly hair, the assistant lecturer takes a portable lab...

Beams benefit materials research.(NEWS)(TRIUMF conducts research on muons)
March 1, 2007... Canadian and international research teams involved in molecular and materials research at Vancouver's TRIUMF accelerator facility will soon benefit from a new project. A research team headed by chemistry professor Paul Percival, MCIC, has...

Samsung donates to IUPAC.(NEWS)
March 1, 2007... Samsung Total Petrochemical Co., Ltd. of South Korea donated US$25,000 to the IUPAC Polymer Division. The donation will be added to the Samsung Total Petrochemical Company Endowment Fund. The income from the endowment fund is used by the...

NOVA to crank up PE capacity.(NEWS)(Nova Chemicals Corp. plans to increase polyethylene capacity)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... NOVA Chemicals Corporation is planning to add 250 million pounds of polyethylene (PE) capacity in Alberta for early 2008. NOVA reports that the Alberta ethylene feedstock advantage is still quite strong. The average for 2006 was expected to be...

Dirt-dwelling workhorse unearthed.(NEWS)(Rhodococcus genome research)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... A microorganism capable of digesting pollutants and producing industrially significant compounds might sound like a miracle sent from the future. But as two researchers recently discovered, one of nature's most versatile workhorses has been...

Real estate funds health research.(NEWS)(Simon Fraser University's Community Trust Endowment Fund )(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... A large-scale research project that could help revolutionize medical procedures in Canada is one of the first recipients of money from the Community Trust Endowment Fund (CTEF) at Simon Fraser University (SFU). Created last November, the CTEF...

Tembec closes market pulp mill.(NEWS)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Tembec has announced the permanent closure of its market pulp mill located in Smooth Rock Falls, ON. The mill had been indefinitely idled at the end of July 2006. After a thorough analysis of the current situation, the company has concluded...

The projected biomass boom.(NEWS)(Enerkem Technologies to build alcohols facility)(GreenField Ethanol launches state-of-the-art ethanol production facility)(Bunge North America to resume canola production)
March 1, 2007... Alcohol production Enerkem Technologies and its consortium member companies--Abengoa Bioenergy R&D, Novera Energy, and Tred'SI--are proposing a sustainable alcohols facility in East Angus, QC. The facility would be based on a gasification...

Hydrogen on the hill.(NEWS)(Air Liquide Canada to participate in pilot project)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Air Liquide Canada will be an active participant in the innovative "Hydrogen on the Hill" project. Industry Canada, Ford Canada, ATFCAN, and other Canadian government, non-government, and industry partners have introduced three shuttle buses...

Three cheers.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... Three cheers for Joe Schwarcz ("Yikes--There Are Chemicals In Our Blood!" ACCN January 2007). Three boos for Sarah Winterton! Anyone who can write, "Chemicals were detected in the blood and urine of everyone who took part..." is part of the...

Detection correction.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... Writing as an analytical chemist, I can say that you can find anything you are looking for in anything that you look at. Detection means so little. Yet ones like Winterton ("Living in a Chemical World" ACCN January 2007) can bring about fear on...

Kudos for ACCN.(LETTERS)(Letter to the editor)
March 1, 2007... I recently became a member of the CIC. I greatly appreciated the very efficient administration and process paperwork. Also thank you very much for the excellent magazine. I really enjoyed the relevancy of topics and the style in which they were...

Patent quest.(Column)
March 1, 2007... Lawyer and patent agent, Daphne C. Lainson, MCIC, answers your questions on patenting your discoveries. Send your questions to patentquest@accn.ca. Q: My company has discovered a new drug treatment. We are planning on filing a submission...

Sweet deceit.(CHEMFUSION)(adverse effects of sucralose)
March 1, 2007... Splenda's enemies would have us believe that the artificial sweetener sucralose should be avoided like the plague. Its defenders maintain that when used as directed, it can be helpful for diabetics, as well as for people looking to reduce their...

Chemists' understanding of the public.
March 1, 2007... Does the title above read like a test for dyslexia? The chemistry profession usually inverts the order of those words to highlight the challenges associated with winning increased public understanding and appreciation. As everyone involved in...

The public understanding of chemistry in the U.K.: the anti-chemical messages of NGOs so widely broadcast during the past 30 years must now become pro-chemistry messages for the next 30 years.
March 1, 2007... In the spring of 2006, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-UK) tested the blood of eight well-known personalities. They discovered traces of 104 different chemicals including DDT, brominated flame-retardants, and PCBs. They issued a press release to...

Of science and slime: outreach program conveys excitement of science to young students.(Let's Talk Science's Partnership Program)
March 1, 2007... Science surrounds us--whether we are watching television, strolling on the beach, riding the subway, or even sitting on a lawn chair staring at a blue sky. However, many people do not realize just how important science is in our lives. The...

Checking in with China's chemical industry: valuable insight from the 12th Annual China Chemical Industry Conference.
March 1, 2007... The attraction for global companies to invest in China cannot be denied. China is already a large market for chemical products, with very strong growth projections into the future. There is also an economic driver for these investments, with...

Candy chromatography.(EXPERIMENT)
March 1, 2007... Ever wondered why candies are different colours? Many candies contain coloured dyes. Bags of Skittles[R] or M&M[R] candies contain various colours. The labels tell us the names of the dyes used in the candies. But which dyes are used in which...

Canada's 2006 national crystal growing competition.(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... As a holiday gift, I was greeted with dozens of beautiful and transparent crystals. They ranged from about one to more than 84 grams and came from 12 different places coast to coast. We are very proud of the accomplishments of our students--as...

The InterAcademy Panel.(RECOGNITION)(Howard Alper elected the IAP Co-chair)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The InterAcademy Panel (IAP) on International Issues elected Howard Alper, O.C., HFCIC, as IAP co-chair for a three-year term. China serves as the other co-chair. Alper is currently vice-president of research at the University of Ottawa and...

CISTI (ABC).(RECOGNITION)(Canada Institute of Scientific and Technical Information appoints Bruce J. Balcom)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Bruce J. Balcom, MCIC, has been named the new chair of the Advisory Board for CISTI (ABC). ABC is made up of leading national and international stakeholders from the academic, business, library, and publishing sectors. They provide key advice...

Ajay Dalai.(RECOGNITION)(Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers, Chemcon-NEERI Distinguished Speaker award)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Ajay Dalai, MCIC, of the University of Saskatchewan department of chemical engineering has been awarded the Chemcon-NEERI Distinguished Speaker Award from the Indian Institute of Chemical Engineers.

McGill University chemistry professor, Ariel Fenster, MCIC, was one of the recipients of NSERC's Michael Smith Awards for Science Promotion.(Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... McGill University chemistry professor, Ariel Fenster, MCIC, was one of the recipients of NSERC's Michael Smith Awards for Science Promotion. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in raising public awareness about Canadian research....

Over 450 guests celebrated the achievements of ten professional engineers at the Ontario Professional Engineers Award Gala.(RECOGNITION)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Over 450 guests celebrated the achievements of ten professional engineers at the Ontario Professional Engineers Award Gala. Among those honoured were Mashiro Kawaji, FCIC, recipient of the Research and Development Award, and Phillip (Rocky)...

American Section.(RECOGNITION)(Societe de chimie industrielle American Section awards Jeffrey Lipton)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... The Societe de chimie industrielle American Section has named Jeffrey Lipton the winner of the 2007 International Palladium Medal. Lipton is president and CEO of the NOVA Chemicals Corporation. The award acknowledges Lipton's many distinguished...

Genesis Genomics.(RECOGNITION)(James Skinner appointed)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... Genesis Genomics has elected James Skinner, MCIC, to the position of chair of the board of directors. He has been president and CEO of three publicly traded biotechnology companies as well as CEO and start-up entrepreneur of a number of other...

John Sorensen, MCIC, has joined the University of Manitoba chemistry department as an assistant professor.(RECOGNITION)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... John Sorensen, MCIC, has joined the University of Manitoba chemistry department as an assistant professor. Sorensen will be offering courses in organic chemistry and natural products biosynthesis. He will also be conducting research aimed at...

L'Universite de Montreal.(RECOGNITION)(Kevin Wilkinson joins chemistry faculty at University of Montreal)(Brief article)
March 1, 2007... L'Universite de Montreal est fiere d'annoncer la venue au departement de chimie, en qualite de professeur agrege, de Kevin Wilkinson, MCIC. Celui-ci a recu son Ph.D. en chimie analytique de l'environnement de l'INRS-eau sous la direction de...

In Memoriam.(Obituary)
March 1, 2007... The CIC extends its condolences to the families of: R. Peter Brown, MCIC Keith Yates, FCIC

Events.(Calendar)
March 1, 2007... Canada Conferences May 26-30, 2007. 90th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition, Winnipeg, MB, www.csc2007.ca May 29-June 1, 2007. International Chemical Recovery Conference "Efficiency and Energy Management," Quebec, QC,...