We hope you’ll join us for the second installment of our Chemistry Alumni Reunion this spring! Meet and mingle with fellow alumni and your favourite professors and hear inspirational presentations from chemistry department alumni and faculty members.
Date: Saturday April 1st, 2023
Time: 3:00pm
Location:
3:00pm: Guest Lectures - Room D200, 2036 Main Mall (also available via Zoom*)
4:30pm: Reception - Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre, 6163 University Blvd
Free event and prize draw!
Advanced registration is required: events.eply.com/UBCCHEMAlumniEventApril2023
*Zoom details will be provided to all registrants prior to the event.
Guest Lectures:
Dr. Julian West - The Roots Let the Tree Grow: It All Started With UBC Chemistry
From Julian West’s first day of CHEM 121 to his CHEM 449 thesis defense, he learned a tremendous amount at UBC Chemistry. In addition to coursework, he was able to learn countless useful lessons outside of the classroom, from thoughtful mentoring from faculty to participating in the Undergraduate Chemistry Society (UCS). Julian will share how his time at UBC Chemistry laid the foundation for his work both inside and outside the lab at Princeton, Caltech, and Rice and continues to help him on his career journey.
Dr. Laurel Schafer - The Catalytic Addition of Amines to Alkenes – The Green Synthesis of Self-Healing and Universally Adhesive Aminated Polymeric Materials
Early transition metal catalyzed hydroaminoalkylation is a Green Chemistry approach for the synthesis of selectively substituted amines for the pharmaceutical, agrochemical and functional materials industries. Hydroaminoalkylation allows for the direct reaction of amines with alkenes and recent advances have shown that aryl- and alkylamines, as well as N-heterocycles, react with terminal and internal alkenes to access diverse products. State-of-the-art catalysts feature N,O-chelating ureate ligands, with tuneable steric and electronic features and flexible bonding modes, to enable efficient C-H bond activation and Csp3-Csp3 bond formation. This catalytic technology can be used on large scale to access amine-containing, self-healing and adhesive materials with tuneable properties for application as underwater adhesives, anti-corrosion coatings and more.
Dr. Alison Ewart - Beyond the Fumehood: A Career Journey in Supporting Students, Industry, and Community
Alison Ewart will share where her career has taken her in the subsequent years since leaving Vancouver, in both a professional and a volunteer capacity. Her experiences have consistent themes of innovation, of creating experiential learning opportunities for the next generation of researchers, and of giving back to the community throughout. Alison’s current role is as Dean for the Centre of Research and Innovation at Fanshawe College, in London Ontario, and she will discuss how her past experiences have led her to this point, while building on the lessons learned during her time in the UBC Chemistry Department.
About our Speakers:
