UC Chemistry Student Selected to Attend Prestigious Event

UC Chemistry Student Selected to Attend Prestigious Post-Nobel Laureate Event

May 21, 2013

University of Canterbury (UC) PhD chemistry student Sandra Atkinson is to join an elite group of international young scientists.

She is one of 15 from around the world selected to attend a five day event following the 63rd Lindau Nobel Laureate meeting in Germany in July which will be attended by 625 students selected from 20,000 applicants.

The 625 students from 78 countries will meet 35 Nobel Laureate winners to exchange knowledge and ideas, share their enthusiasm for science and establish new contacts.

Only 15 of the best of these students have been selected to attend a five-day post-conference programme. Atkinson will visit universities and research institutions in the field of chemistry and related sciences and meet with other researchers and PhD students.

The Laureate event will include lectures, discussion sessions, master classes and panel discussions. Among the main topics will be green chemistry and biochemical processes and structures.

``My PhD research, supervised by Dr Sarah Masters, is concerned with determining the structures of molecules that only exist for very short periods of time,’’ Atkinson says.

``Using all of this information, a bit like a detective, the structure and identity of the molecule in question is deduced. My research provides information for other scientists to apply within their work, understanding their chemical reactions which are crucial in so many areas of life - drug design, invention of new materials, food safety, fuels and microelectronics.’’

The Nobel Laureate meetings bring together the most esteemed scientists of their times with outstanding young scientists from all over the world.

ENDS

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