SOUSCC Western Awardees Announced
This year the Southern Ontario Undergraduate Student Chemistry Conference (SOUSCC) was to be held at Ryerson University on Saturday March 14, 2020, but due to COVID-19 was cancelled. A later virtual conference was well attended, and eight Western 4491 students were recognized for outstanding presentations. They are (alphabetically):
- Nadreen Elshawish (Constas) Physical, Theoretical and Computational Chemistry Division
- Juan Esteban (Pagenkopf) Organic Materials Division
- Johanna de Jong (Corrigan/Workentin) Organic Materials Division
- Julia Martin (Corrigan/Workentin) Inorganic Chemistry Division
- Adyn Melenbacher (Stillman) Biological and Medicinal Division
- Adam Morgan (Noel) Materials Chem Division
- Mansha Nayyar (Corrigan) Inorganic Chemistry Division
Congratulations to all!
The first such SOUSCC student conference originated at Western in 1973 as the South Western Ontario Student Chemistry Conference, and was organized locally by Professor Emeritus Phil Dean. The original conference was modelled on the pre-existing Atlantic analogue, which had been discussed at the Annual Canadian Chemistry Conference in Montreal the previous year, 1972, and it had at least moral support from The UWO Chemistry Club and the (now defunct) local section of the CIC. Surrounding departments from Wayne State to Guelph and Hamilton were invited. The first conference was a small affair, lasting one day and consisting of a single session. The late Professor Don Irish from Waterloo played a role in establishing the conference as an annual event that moved around to various southwestern Ontario institutions.
