SPEECH - On the Opening
Ceremony of ICPAC 2014 by the University of Mauritius
Title:Crystallising Ideas, The Role of Chemistry.
AT Hotel Sofitel Mauritius Imperial Resort & Spa, Flic en Flac
23rd JUNE 2014 FROM 10.00 hrs to 12.00 hrs.
Pro-Chancellor of
University of Mauritius, Professor Soodursun Jugessur
Vice-Chancellor of
University of Mauritius, Professor R.Mohee
Representatives of
Ministries, Directors and Heads of Institutions
Deputy
Director-General of Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons,
Ambassador Grace Asirwatham
Members of the Advisory
Committee of the Conference and Organising Committee
Keynote Speakers
Conference
Participants
University staffs
Distinguished guests and students;
Good Morning
I had the privilege to be here for the ICPAC 2012 and
today, I am once again very pleased to
be here for the opening of the Third
International Conference: ICPAC 2014.I am pleased to note that invited
speakers from the Organisation for the Prohibition of ChemicalWeapons , from Germany, Malaysia, South Africa
, UK and India will be presenting papers at this conference.
This year’s theme which is about “Crystallising Ideas: The Role of
Chemistry” is quite fitting as the year 2014 has been declared as the International year of Crystallography by the United Nations to celebrate the centenary of the discovery of X-ray crystallography. The aimisto emphasise
the global importance of crystallography in
human life.I should also like to
mention that this year we areequally celebrating the 50th
anniversary of NobelLaureate Dorothy
Hodgkin who distinguished herself for her work on Vitamin B12 and penicillin.
In its resolution on the
International year of Crystallography, the United Nations resolution points out
that education about and the application of crystallography
are critical in addressing challenges such as diseases and environmental
problems, by providing protein and small molecule structures suited for drug
design essential for medicine and public health, as well as solutions for plant
and soil contamination.
It underlined that the impact of
crystallography is present everywhere in our daily lives, in modern drug
development, nanotechnology and biotechnology, and underpins the
development of all new materials,
from toothpaste to aero plane components.
Governments have been invited to
promote actions at all levels aimed at increasing awareness among the
public of the importance of crystallography and promoting widespread
access to new knowledge and to crystallography activities.
This conference is one such
action and I expect that other initiatives will be taken by the tertiary
education institutions, the Mauritius Research Council, students and academic
staff tocreate the awareness about the
relevance of crystallography in our daily lives.
From a broader
perspective, we all know that Chemistry is also closely linked to the economy. According to a report
commissioned by the Royal Society of
Chemistry (RSC) and the Engineering
and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), industries reliant on chemistry contributed an astonishing £258
billion to the UK economy in 2007 - equivalent to 21% of UK GDP and supported six
million jobs, accounting for at least 15% of the UK's exported goods and
attracting significant inward investment. It points out that one in every five pounds in the UK economy is dependent on
developments in chemistry research, In the USA, it is reported that the business
of chemistry is one of America’s
largest industries, with turnover of $770
billion.
We have in Mauritius
317 enterprises producing wearing
apparel, and wood and paper products, all using chemical products and
processes. The competitiveness of
these enterprises depend on new
processes and improved products as well as greener technology.
It is acknowledged
that there is need for more research and more publications from researchers in
the field of chemistry. I am pleased to
state that we are considering new centres which will offer new opportunities
for research in chemistry. A project for the setting up of a Centre for Nanotechnology is being finalized
and this is an area which involves chemical analysis of nanomaterials, such
as different conductivity, optical sensitivity, and reactivity would be
relevant.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is my conviction that research in this
field is a priority. In this context,
research projects with universities would contribute immensely in improving our
knowledge. Among other subjects of
science, chemistry is about the study of everything that contains mass and
occupies space. Chemistry has a great
impact on our daily life that it is impossible to live without. Chemical crystallography may be used to
combinations of both chemical and biological interest including
pharmaceuticals, natural products and chemical catalysts. It is crucial that opportunities and
programmes are developed to promote the importance of crystallography.
Developing countries such as Africa, Asia and Latin
America can benefit from crystallography for their scientific and industrial
development.We need to mobilise
financial resources and significant investment is needed for research in
science and technology. Science and
technology based industry should be identified as a major source of economic
growth and a means of addressing key social issues.
It is also a pleasure for me to announce that in 2013,
two candidates were selected from Mauritius to attend the Lindau Laureates Meetingin the field of Chemistry where young scientists
from all over the world met and interacted with Nobel Laureates. This followed
the suggestion made by Prof Robert Huber,
Nobel Laureate when he attended the ICPAC 2012.
I would like to thank the University of Mauritius and the
International Conference on Pure and Applied Chemistry 2014 (ICPAC) for the
initiative to organise this special event.
I invite all the researchers and students to draw full
benefit from this Conference and have the pleasure to declare this conference
open.
I thank you for your attention and wish you all a
fruitful and enlightening session.
