21 May 2013
Messel bursar Nicola Powell reports on the 245th American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition.
I was fortunate enough to attend the 245th American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition in New Orleans from 7 - 11 April 2013 during the third year of my PhD at the University of Warwick. This was a great opportunity to network with academics, PhD students and industrial experts from across the world. During the conference, there were multiple sessions, including both oral and poster presentations, on a variety of different chemical areas. There were also evening mixers and social events to help people network with others interested in their research area or similar. The exposition at the conference, which was held on the first two days, showcased a variety of chemistry-related companies with differing interests.
I enjoyed attending a variety of talks by leading academics and my own peers, learning about their latest research and techniques. Listening to the talks given by fellow scientists gave me the chance to see how any of the chemistry issues that arose were addressed, which in turn helped my own research and how I approach any problems encountered. It also gave me the opportunity to learn about areas of chemistry not directly related to my own research.
During the conference I gave an oral presentation, entitled 'Towards Oxetane Containing Peptidomimetics' in the Heterocycles and Aromatics session of the Organic Chemistry division. This presentation allowed me to showcase the most recent work and results of my PhD research to a group of interested academics and peers. It also gave me the opportunity to discuss my work and network with individuals, receiving feedback and suggestions on other possible avenues of chemistry to explore. Most importantly, it also gave me experience of communicating my work to an international audience and developing my presentation skills.
The experience of presenting my work to a global audience and attending my first international conference will most certainly help me in my future career. The conference presented a fantastic opportunity to network with the larger scientific community and to raise my profile within the community.
I'd like to thank my supervisors Mike Shipman, Nathaniel Martin and Piotr Raubo for allowing me the opportunity to attend this conference and SCI for awarding me the Messel Travel Bursary, which provided me with the funds needed to travel to the conference.
The conference was held in New Orleans, LA, and I was lucky enough to be able to experience the local culture for a few days after the conference had ended.
Nicola Powell
University of Warwick
Nicola Powell is an SCI member from the University of Warwick. She is a member of the SCI Environment, Health and Safety and Fire Chemistry Groups.
Visit Blog