19th Asian Chemistry Congress at ITU

19th Asian Chemistry Congress was held on July 9-14, 2023 at ITU Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center. The congress was widely attended both from Türkiye and abroad.

As Istanbul Technical University celebrates its 250^th anniversary, it continues to host international scientific events. 19^th Asian Chemistry Congress (ACC 2023) was held on July 9-14, 2023 at ITU Süleyman Demirel Cultural Center. The international congress was attended by scientists, representatives and students from universities and institutions both from Türkiye and abroad.

At the opening of the ceremony, our Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Çulha, President of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS) and Congress Chair, and Prof. Dr. Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu, former President of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies (FACS), made speeches.

At the congress, a session was named after Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı, who was known for his important studies in the field of chemistry and polymer science and whom we lost in January 2023, to keep his memory alive. In his speech, Prof. Dr. Koyuncu commemorated Prof. Dr. Yağcı and said, “Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı was a very valuable scientist. He was a scientist who served Istanbul Technical University for many years and added value to ITU. Our professor played a pioneering role in the realization of the photopolymerization reaction and the use of light in the field of click chemistry, and his highly cited works have been successful and respected worldwide.”

After the screening of a film introducing ITU, TÜBİTAK President Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal gave a short speech and made a presentation titled “Co-Creating and Succeeding in Chemistry to Leap Forward for a Sustainable Future”. Following TÜBA President Muzaffer Şeker’s speech, FACS Awards were presented.

At the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Supawan Tantayanon was presented the Citation Award by Prof. Dr. İsmail Koyuncu, Prof. Dr. Chi-Huey Wong was presented the Foundation Lectureship Award by Prof. Dr. Mustafa Çulha, Prof. Dr. Richard Hartshorn was presented the Distinguished Contribution in Chemical Education Award by Prof. Dr. Reuben Jih-Ru Hwu, Prof. Dr. Chang Yun Son was presented the Distinguished Young Chemist Award by Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, and Prof. Dr. Ehud Keinan was presented the Citation Award by Prof. Dr. Muzaffer Şeker.

After the award ceremony, Prof. Dr. Mary K. Carroll, Vice President and President-Elect of the American Chemical Society (ACS), delivered a speech as part of the worldwide collaborations of the Federation of Asian Chemical Societies.

After a presentation titled “Catalyzing a Sustainable Future through Chemistry” by International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) President Prof. Dr. Javier Garcia-Martinez, dedicated to Prof. Dr. Yusuf Yağcı, who passed away earlier this year, the ceremony ended with a remote connection with Prof. Dr. Jean Pierre Sauvage, 2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry.