The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE:DOW) today joins leaders in chemistry from around the globe to celebrate the official global launch of the United Nations-designated International Year of Chemistry (IYC).
Taking place today and tomorrow at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris, France, Dow leadership will participate in the event to help advance public understanding and appreciation of chemistry and to help foster international collaboration among chemistry stakeholders.
“As a chemical industry leader, Dow will capitalize on this unique moment in time to elevate the profile and importance of the chemical sciences and show the world that chemistry matters,” said Jerome Peribere, president and CEO of Dow Advanced Materials. “This is a time to celebrate our collective achievements, but it’s also a time for the best and brightest in our industry to tackle new challenges, using chemistry – both material and human chemistry – to produce meaningful results.”
Peribere will deliver a speech during the IYC launch ceremony to address the industry’s response/approach toward sustainable solutions that solve world challenges. During his speech, Peribere will showcase how chemistry is being applied to address the demands of an increasing global population, access to clean water, renewable energy and healthy food and how these challenges can be met as resources become more stretched and environmental concerns escalate. Dow also will host an on-site interactive booth to support the Company’s commitment to stakeholder engagement with industry, government, NGOs and academic leaders.
Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, and Nicole Moreau, president of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), will welcome conference attendees and officially open IYC. Prestigious speakers, including several Nobel laureates, scientists and chemical industry leaders from all over the world, will participate in the event. Professor Hélène Langevin-Joliot, research director at the French National Science Research Centre, CNRS, and grand-daughter of Marie Curie, who was the first woman chemist to receive a Nobel Prize 100 years ago, will deliver the conference’s keynote speech. Other seminars will explore how chemistry impacts and benefits the environment and climate, food and water, health, energy, materials, and the economy.
As the first global partner of IYC, Dow has made a commitment to leverage its science and technology expertise, sustainability focus and network to actively participate in a series of global and regional events that have ties to IYC throughout the year. All IYC programming aims to increase public appreciation of chemistry, encourage interest in chemistry among young people and generate enthusiasm for the creative future of this science under the unifying theme ““Chemistry – Our Life, Our Future.”
Source: http://www.dow.com/