In July, the Academy hosted two reception evenings at major international scientific meetings.
The first, on 8 July, was ‘A celebration of Australian chemistry’ at the International Union for Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) World Chemistry Congress in Paris, France.
On 12 July, the Academy presented a reception at the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) General Assembly in Montréal, Canada.
These receptions celebrated contributions made by Australia to the respective fields, highlighted research and industry opportunities, and facilitated networking.
Attendees included high-level members of IUPAC and IUGG, and past-Presidents of the World Meteorological Organization and the International Council for Science.
The IUPAC reception was co-hosted by the International Younger Chemists Network. The evening featured an address by First Secretary of the Australian Embassy Ken Xie about science diplomacy and international scientific cooperation.
Selected submissions from the scienceXart: elements in everyday life competition were also showcased throughout the night (the outcome of the competition will be covered in the August newsletter). As part of 2019 celebrations for the International Year of the Periodic Table, this competition asked Australian school students to submit an artistic response showing ‘elements in everyday life’.
Both IUPAC and IUGG celebrate their centennials this year. As one of the nine founding member countries of IUGG, this also marks the 100th year of Australia’s involvement with the union.
The IUGG General Assembly also saw Emeritus Professor Chris Rizos, an observer on the Academy’s National Committee for Earth Sciences, voted in as President-Elect of the union.
The Academy’s continued membership of these unions comes following a report released earlier this year on the benefits of involvement with the International Science Council and its associated international unions.
The Academy thanks all those who attended and made the receptions such successful celebrations of Australian science.
© 2024 Australian Academy of Science
