Singapore National Institute of Chemistry c/o Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) 3 Research Link Singapore 117602
SNIC ANNUAL REPORT 2014 1. Council Matters The 45th Annual General Meeting was held on Wednesday, 26th March 2014, from 7.00 pm to 8.00 pm at the Cultural Training Room, Level 4, Chui Huay Lim Teochew Club. The following council members completed their terms in the SNIC council in March 2014. Their positions were hence vacant and opened for election. Position Vice President
Nominee George Lam
Honorary Secretary
Leong Lai Peng
Honorary Assistant Treasurer
Ng Kai Ling
Council Member
Dien Pandiman
Council Member
Xu Jianwei
The following nominations were received for the indicated vacant posts for Year 2014- 2016: Position Vice President Honorary Secretary Honorary Assistant Treasurer Council Member Council Member
Nominee
Proposer
Seconder
George Lam
Andy Hor
Adrian Lee
Leong Lai Peng
Andy Hor
Loh Xian Jun
Dien Pandiman
Adrian Lee
Luo He-Kuan
Ng Kai Ling
Xu Jianwei
Chang Young Tae
Xu Jianwei
Ng Kai Ling
Tristan Tan Tsai Yuan
All nominees above were elected unopposed. The first meeting, the 332nd Council Meeting of the new council, was held on 16th April 2014. The role of each council member and the tasks ahead were introduced.
Singapore National Institute of Chemistry c/o Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) 3 Research Link Singapore 117602
The full composition of the 2014-2015 Council hence comprises the following members: President Vice President Honorary Secretary Honorary Assistant Secretary Honorary Treasurer Honorary Assistant Treasurer Council Members
: : : : : : :
Co-Op Members
:
Prof Andy Hor Tzi Sum Dr George Lam Dr Leong Lai Peng Dr Sun Changqing Dr Jiang Ying Dr Dien Pandiman Prof Hardy Chan Dr Karen Chong Siew Ling Dr Ng Kai Ling Dr Xu Jianwei Dr Peter P.K.Chan Dr Luo He-Kuan
Four council meetings were held in the period of April 2014 to March 2015. 2. Membership The membership status of SNIC as of 31st December 2014 is as follows: Category
No. of Members
Honorary Fellow^ Fellow^ Member^ Associates# Student# Corporate% Total
6 38 165 8 22 0 239
^Professional Membership; #Associates Membership; %Corporate Membership SNIC welcomed 25 new memberships since January 2014, out of which there were 15 Members, 3 Associates and 7 Students.
Singapore National Institute of Chemistry c/o Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) 3 Research Link Singapore 117602
3. News and Activities in 2014 SNIC Awards 2014 The SNIC-Industry Joint Awards in Chemistry 2014 were awarded to the following recipients to recognise their exceptional and outstanding achievements in the respective disciplines of chemical sciences: Dr. Lawrence Chia (TUM-Asia-SNIC Award in Chemistry Education 2014) Dr. Zhang Zhongxing (Hyflux-SNIC Award in Environmental Chemistry 2014) Assoc. Prof. Shunsuke Chiba (GSK-SNIC Award in Organic Chemistry 2014) Assoc. Prof. Liu Bin (BASF-SNIC Award in Materials Chemistry 2014)
Singapore and International Chemistry Olympiad The Singapore Chemistry Olympiad was held in partnership with National University of Singapore in 2014. Four students were selected to represent Singapore for the 46th International Chemistry Olympiad. It was held in Hanoi, Vietnam from 20-29 July 2014 and Singapore received 2 Gold and 2 Silver medals. Singapore was among the top scorers for this year’s International Chemistry Olympiad. 1 2 3 4
Sun Jiarui Chen Xi Brandon Tan Kai Jie Wong Wen Jun Lawrence
Raffles Institution Raffles Institution NUS High School of Maths and Science Raffles Institution
Gold (1st) Gold (4th) Silver Silver
Singapore National Institute of Chemistry c/o Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) 3 Research Link Singapore 117602
Singapore Junior Chemistry Olympiad (SJChO) Date Venue
: 17 May 2014 (Round 1: Theory Session) : Anglican High, Catholic High School, Hwa Chong Institution, National Junior College, NUS High School, Raffles Girls School, Tanjong Katong Secondary School, Raffles Institution
Date Venue
: 12 July 2014 (Round 2: Practical Session) : Hwa Chong Institution, NUS High School, Raffles Institution
A total of 61 schools sent around 2,100 students to participate in the event, which consisted of theory and practical papers. Round 1 of the competition was a theory paper held on 17 May 2014 following which up to a maximum of 20% of the students were selected by merit to participate in the next round of competition. Round 2, held on 12 July 2014, was a practical paper where students from each school were selected to form groups of three. 288 students participated in Round 2. The awards ceremony announcing the results of SJChO 2014 was held on Thursday, 18 September 2014 at the Breakthrough and Discovery theatrettes at 30 Biopolis Street, Level 4, Matrix Building, Singapore 138671. The guest of honour was Prof Leo Tan, Fellow of Singapore National Academy of Science (SNAS) and Director of Special Projects, Faculty of Science, National University of Singapore. During the ceremony, awards were presented to the top overall, theory and practical students. Gold, Silver and Bronze medals were also awarded to SJChO participants based on merit at approximately 1:1:2 ratio. 39 students received Gold medals and Silver medals, and 81 received Bronze medals. Certificates of participations were given to representatives from each school. The Royal Society of Chemistry has generously sponsored $500 worth of book prizes to the top performing students. The achievements of Singapore’s IChO team were announced during the award ceremony. IChO participant and Gold medallist, Chen Xi from Raffles Institution, shared her experience at the International Chemistry Olympiad in Vietnam.
Singapore National Institute of Chemistry c/o Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) 3 Research Link Singapore 117602
41st International Conference on Coordination Chemistry (ICCC41) Date : 21-25 August 2014 (Thursday to Monday) Venue : Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre Participants : 1,054 participants The 41st International Conference on Coordination Chemistry (ICCC41) was held from 21st-25th July 2014 at Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore. Started in 1950, the ICCC is the most established international conference in the field of coordination chemistry. It provides the major forum to discuss the latest developments in a major area of chemistry and fosters collaboration between inorganic chemists and other scientists. This was the first time the conference has been held in Singapore or any other ASEAN country, and was also the biggest since ICCC36 in Merida, Mexico. ICCC41 saw 4 Plenary lectures, 24 Keynote lectures, 21 Rising Stars lectures, and 36 thematic symposia delivered during the conference. The conference also had a commemorative thematic session titled “Classics, Frontiers & Pioneers”, a featured session on “Celebrating Year of Crystallography”, RSC-SNIC Joint Symposium on “Women Scientists in Coordination Chemistry”, Young Researchers Forum, and the JOM Symposium. An exhibition was also organised in conjunction with the conference.
Singapore National Institute of Chemistry c/o Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) 3 Research Link Singapore 117602
SNIC-ACS Global Innovation Imperatives – Water Innovation Treatment &Solutions (WITS) Forum 2014 Date : 3-5 December 2014 (Wednesday to Friday) Venue : Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR Participants : 60 participants SNIC partnered with the American Chemical Society (ACS) to organise this year's Global Innovation Imperatives (Gii) event in Singapore, from 3-5 December 2014. Gii's goal is to bring together experts on a certain topic to present and discuss solutions to a common environmental issue. This year, Gii in Singapore focused on Water Treatment. The event consisted of three components – a public forum, site visits, and the formulation of a white paper. The public forum was held on Day 1 at the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*STAR and was attended by 60 participants. There were a total of 10 speakers for the forum from Singapore, USA, and the Netherlands. On Day 2, the speakers visited the Tuaspring Desalination Plant (hosted by Hyflux Ltd) and Marina Barrage (hosted by PUB) to gain more knowledge about water in Singapore. The speakers also worked together on Day 3 to produce a white paper on best practices and recommendations, which will be published and shared.
8th Singapore International Chemistry Conference 2014 (SICC-8) Date : 14-17 December 2014 (Sunday to Wednesday) Venue : NUS University Town Participants : 405 participants The Department of Chemistry at the National University of Singapore (NUS) organised the 8th Singapore International Chemistry Conference (SICC-8) from 14th to 17th December 2014 at the University Town campus of NUS. SICC is a biennial conference dedicated to promoting advances in chemistry. This conference focuses on molecular synthesis and catalysis and aims to serve as a platform for the discussion on current and new scientific developments in chemical sciences. SNIC supported the conference by providing seed funding prizes.
and sponsoring five poster
Singapore National Institute of Chemistry c/o Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) 3 Research Link Singapore 117602
4. Website Timely information was provided at the SNIC website www.snic.org. The website provided updated information for the upcoming events and information for the members of SNIC.
5. Events planned in 2015 & beyond The following events are in the pipeline for the forthcoming year: i. ii.
Singapore Junior Chemistry Olympiad (SJChO) 2015 Golden Jubilee Chemistry Conference, 6-8 August 2015
Prepared by,
Dr Leong Lai Peng Hon Secretary Singapore National Institute of Chemistry
