U.S. Launches Year-Long Celebration Feb. 1 with Panel Discussion Featuring World-Renowned Chemistry Experts

The United Nations has designated 2011 the “International Year of Chemistry (IYC)” –– a global celebration of chemistry and its contributions to the world around us. This worldwide initiative is being celebrated under the auspices of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), and features activities conducted by countries, such as the United States, that adhere to these organizations.

The United States launch of IYC 2011 is Feb. 1 in Philadelphia, Pa., where prominent leaders from industry and academia will gather to discuss solutions to increasing global demands for energy, safe food and water, and improving human health at a panel discussion, titled “Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions.”

This event is presented by the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) in collaboration with the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the American Chemical Society (ACS), the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), and the United States National Committee for IUPAC at the National Academy of Sciences.

Panelists include the following chemical engineering, science and business leaders:

• Andrew Liveris, President, CEO and Chairman, The Dow Chemical Company
• Ellen Kullman, Chair and CEO, DuPont
• Janet Hering, Director, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
• Joshua S. Boger, former Chair and CEO, current board member, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
• Rita Colwell, Distinguished University Professor, University of Maryland at College Park, and former Director, National Science Foundation
• Moderator: Dan Nocera, Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy and Professor of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The event will be held Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011 at the Chemical Heritage Foundation Building, 315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19106.
Panel discussion begins at 10:00 a.m., followed by a reception at noon.
Panelists will be available for media interviews at 9:00 a.m.

The event will also stream live online here.