ACS Sponsors African Delegation To Pittcon

The ACS Office of International Activities and the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry & Applied Spectroscopy (Pittcon) sponsored a delegation of eight early- and midcareer analytical chemists from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda to attend Pittcon 2013, which took place on March 17–21 in Philadelphia (C&EN, April 15, page 26). Delegation members represented academic and research institutions in their countries.

The Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh and Pittcon granted $10,000 in funding to support ACS’s annual Pittcon travel grant. The Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, in conjunction with Pittcon, provided an additional $15,000 to support the delegation from sub-Saharan Africa. The travel grant included complimentary conference registration, round-trip airfare, stipends for meals and other incidentals, hotel accommodations, and travel medical insurance.

The delegation attended technical sessions, networked with colleagues, and toured the exhibition.

“The conference had sessions on my own research fields, and talking to other researchers has already started some collaborations,” said Vernon Somerset of the Council for Scientific & Industrial Research, in South Africa. “It provided me with some personal growth experience that will enhance my development.”

The ACS Office of International Activities has administered the Pittcon travel grant since 1995. The program has involved approximately 100 early- and midcareer chemistry practitioners from more than 70 countries.