This year marks the 150th anniversary of Dmitry Mendeleev discovering the Periodic System, and has thus been proclaimed the “International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements” (IYPT2019). GYA alumni Javier Garcia-Martinez (Spain), a member of the Executive Board of International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), is heavily involved in the planning, coordination and implementation of the activities of IYPT2019. Incidentally, this year also marks the 100th anniversary of IUPAC.
The initiative behind IYPT2019 has resulted in three main activities: the Periodic Table of Younger Chemists, the Global Woman’s Breakfast, and the Periodic Table challenge. These activities are highlighted below.
1. Periodic Table of Younger Chemists https://iupac.org/100/pt-of-chemist/
Since July 2018 and ending in July 2019 at the World Chemistry Congress and IUPAC General Assembly, the IUPAC will honor a diverse group of 118 outstanding younger chemists from around the world who embody the mission and core values of IUPAC. The resulting periodic table will highlight the diversity of careers, creativity, and dedication of the young chemists leading us into the next century. Winners will be profiled on the IUPAC100 website and will receive a certificate from IUPAC. Elements of the Periodic Table of Younger Chemists will be revealed over time in order of scientific discovery. Approximately eight elements will be revealed each month beginning in July 2018, with the final elements being awarded at the IUPAC General Assembly and World Chemistry Congress in Paris, France in July 2019.
2. Empowering Women in Chemistry (Science): A Global Networking Event https://iupac.org/100/global-breakfast/
As part of the celebration of the centenary of IUPAC in 2019 and the International Year of the Periodic Table, the IUPAC invites you to join in a Global Women’s Breakfast. The event is titled “Empowering Women in Chemistry: A Global Networking Event”, and will be held on 12 February 2019. The Global Women’s Breakfast aims to assist women chemists to expand their network of contacts, both locally and internationally. Women at different stages of their individual careers can inform each other about their career progress, and together explore opportunities, in professional development and in research or teaching horizons. Organizations of all types, for example, universities, companies, national chemistry societies, government laboratories, and other scientific organizations, as well as individual groups of chemists, are invited to participate. The world map highlights countries that have already registered to join on February 12.
3. Periodic Table Challenge: https://iupac.org/100/pt-challenge/
This year marks the 100th anniversary of IUPAC and also the 150th anniversary of the development of the Periodic Law of the Elements independently by Dmitri Mendeleev and Lothar Meyer. To celebrate these anniversaries, IUPAC is hosting an online challenge about the Periodic Table of the Elements aimed at a global audience of young students. IUPAC’s goal is to reach players from every country. The challenge runs from January 2019 and will be available all year until the end of 2019. The IUPAC Periodic Table Challenge will present you with 15 randomly chosen multiple-choice questions about the elements. To play, you will be asked to choose an element as avatar. Your score will go towards this element in the leaderboard. When you finish the challenge, you will be asked to provide your name and email so we can keep track of your achievements. The Challenge is in English and if you have difficulties in understanding some of the questions, please copy the text and use online translation tools to help.
IYPT2019 is supported by IUPAC in partnership with the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), European Association for Chemical and Molecular Science (EuCheMS), the International Council for Science (ICSU), International Astronomical Union (IAU), and the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IUHPS). The initiative was submitted by numerous organizations from over 50 countries around the world.
You can find more information about the activities organized globally here: https://www.iypt2019.org/events