Society

Women share a chemical moment in Beijing

By Huang Shuo (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2011-01-18 10:02

Relevated Video

China’s leading women in chemistry took part in a breakfast to honor the International Year of Chemistry and the 100th anniversary of Marie Curie winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

The 63rd UN General Assembly declared 2011 to be the International Year of Chemistry (IYC 2011) and appointed the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Educational Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) as lead organizers.

In order to celebrate the launch of IYC 2011 and the 100th anniversary of the award of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to the Polish-born French female scientist Marie Skłodowska Curie, a worldwide series of breakfasts known as “Women Sharing a Chemical Moment in Time” was held on January 18th 2011, bringing women scientists together in a global handshake.

The Beijing “Women Sharing a Chemical Moment in Time” breakfast took place at the Dioayutai State Guesthouse from 7.30 to 9.30 am. The event was organized by the UK Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in conjunction with the British Embassy and supported by the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China (CIESC), the Chinese Chemical Society (CCS), the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation, and the Association of International Chemical Manufacturers.

The event was attended by Madam Gu Xiulian, female Academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, other senior women scientists, as well as younger researchers and students and representatives of the British, French, Polish embassies and the European Union delegation in Beijing—a total of 50 guests.

The former Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress Madam Gu Xiulian, the chief executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry Dr. Richard Pike and the youngest female Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences Professor Vivian Wing-Wah Yam of Hong Kong University gave keynote addresses to the meeting.

In addition to video links with the “Women Sharing a Chemical Moment in Time” breakfasts in Brisbane and Singapore, Dr. Richard Pike also relayed a video message from Professor Helen Fielding of University College London. Besides talking about her career in chemistry, Professor Fielding also posed two questions to the Beijing guests: “Who was the greatest influence in your career?” and “What message would you give to young female scientists who are starting out today?”

During breakfast, a number of Chinese guests had the opportunity to record their messages to young female scientists in the UK via a video camera. The recording was then immediately sent to the UK ready to be played to the audience at the “Women Sharing a Chemical Moment in Time” in the RSC’s headquarters in Burlington House, London.

Despite the time difference of eight hours between Beijing and London, Chinese women chemists were able to join together on this special day. Video footage of the breakfasts in Beijing and London and elsewhere around the world will be shown during the official launch of IYC 2011 in Paris on 27 January 2011.

The breakfast in Beijing also heard speeches on behalf of younger chemists by Prof. Xuefeng Fu of Peking University and by Miss Huimin Shi (Beijing University of Chemical Technology) on behalf of research students. Although just setting out on her research career, Miss Shi spoke for all women chemists when she said “Choosing chemistry as your career means you should have perseverance. The road ahead is still long, the scenery is also unknown, but the future is in our hands!”