2017 marks the 150th anniversary of the DChG (Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft), one of the predecessor organizations of the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh, German Chemical Society). In 1867, the German Chemical Society was founded by August Wilhelm von Hofmann in Berlin. In 1946, the GDCh was formed in the Western Occupied Zones (later the Federal Republic of Germany /West Germany), and in 1953, the Chemical Society of the German Democratic Republic/East Germany (Chemische Gesellschaft der DDR) was formed. After the reunification in 1990, it was dissolved and many of its members joined the GDCh.
The GDCh follows in the traditions of the DChG and will celebrate this throughout the year with several activities. The highlight will be a Chemistry Festival in Berlin.
Chemistry Festival in Berlin (ChemieFest)
On September 10, the celebration in Berlin will start with a ceremony in the Konzerthaus Berlin, a concert hall situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square. Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann will speak there among others. On September 11, the Angewandte Festsymposium (details below) and a Chemistry Slam will be held in the Henry Ford Building of the Free University of Berlin.
On September 12 and 13, the WiFo 2017 will take place. The WiFo 2017 (Wissenschaftsforum/Science Forum) is the largest biannual event of the GDCh. This year, it will take place under the motto “Chemistry Moves” (Chemie bewegt). On September 14, the symposium Experiment Future – Value Thinking in Chemistry (Experiment Zukunft – Wertedenken in der Chemie) will discuss the contribution that chemistry must make for the future of mankind.
Angewandte-Festsymposium
Accompanied with the WiFo, there will be an “Angewandte-Festsymposium” to celebrate the anniversary with ten excellent speakers including Emmanuelle Charpentier and Robert Grubbs. The journal Angewandte Chemie is published by the GDCh. Confirmed speakers include four Nobel Laureates: Ben Feringa, Robert Grubbs, W. E. Moerner, Jack Szostak.
The lectures of the Festival Symposium will be transmitted live electronically by ChemistryViews.org. Registration to view the lectures online is free and will open soon.
Experiment Future – Value Thinking in Chemistry
On 14 September, this symposium will address the question of the role of chemistry in the context of major future questions about education, nutrition, health, and sustainability. Martin Brudermüller, Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of BASF, Jonathan Forman, Science Policy Advisor of the OVCW (Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) and Nobel Peace Prize laureate 2013, are among the speakers of impulse lectures.
- Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh, German Chemical Society), Frankfurt, Germany
- GDCh Fact of the Month (Anniversary Series),
ChemistryViews.org 2017.
Also of Interest
- In 2017 also the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) and the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC) celebrate their anniversaries.
– The 100th Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition takes place in Toronto May 28 – June 1.
– The RACI 2017 Centenary Congress takes place in Melbourne from July 23–28. it includes the 17th Asian Chemical Congress.
