About the 2015 Symposium
The third annual event, now a symposium, organized by the Green Chemistry Initiative aims to connect graduate students with industrial leaders to discuss future goals pertaining to sustainability and greener syntheses. This symposium was designed by graduate students for graduate students (though all are welcome to attend!) and highlights the methods various industries employ to make their chemistry efficient and more environmentally friendly. Come and join the discussion for two full days of lectures and discover the finer details of Green Chemistry which brought these innovations to the world through the decades of research.

Highlights of this Year's Symposium Include:

  • An excellent chance to make connections with current industrial leaders for future job opportunities
  • A poster session and networking event to obtain positive feedback on your own pursuit of green chemistry
  • An open discussion concerning challenges in the industrialization of green chemistry
  • An optional crash course in green chemistry fundamentals, offered on Wednesday, May 13th for those who would like a refresher on the basics

Symposium Speakers & Schedule
We are delighted and honoured to welcome the following speakers to the symposium:

Stan Brownell - Research Scientist, Dow Chemicals
Ettigounder Ponnusamy - Principal Scientist, Sigma Aldrich
Megan Maltenfort - Sustainability Manager, VWR International
Dr. Guerino Sacripante - Principal Scientist, Xerox Research Centre of Canada
Vladimir Tarasov - Process Engineer for Solar Cell Efficiency, 1366 Technologies
Dr. Robert Tinder - Founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Proteaf Technologies
Anna Ivanova - Green Chemist, Green Chemistry Commerce Council (GC3)
Dr. Paul Thornton - Technology Development Manager, GreenCentre Canada
Flora Livesey - SD Tech Funding Advisor, Sustainable Development Technology Canada
Dr. Andrew Dicks - Senior Lecturer in Green Organic Chemistry, The University of Toronto
Prof. Ian Hamilton - Professor in Theoretical & Computational Chemistry, Wilfrid Laurier University
Prof. Tomislav Friščić - Assistant Professor in Solid-State Catalysis and Self-Assembly, McGill University

May 13, 6-8pm: Optional crash course on green chemistry basics, taught by Dr. Andrew Dicks
May 14-15, 10am-5pm: Full symposium days, featuring talks by the above speakers
May 14, evening: Poster session and networking event
May 15, evening: Social event with the Green Chemistry Initiative