NC State hosts regional photochemistry symposium

NC State scientists played leading roles at NC PhotoChem 2014, a regional symposium held at NC State in October that brought together photochemistry researchers.

More than 100 researchers from different institutions across the Carolinas and Virginia attended the symposium. The event, organized jointly by researchers at NC State and UNC-Charlotte, was the second in the NC PhotoChem symposium series. The first event was held at UNC-Charlotte last year.

Photochemistry is the study of the chemical reactions that occur when molecules absorb light. The goals of the PhotoChem series are to foster new connections and collaborations among the photochemistry researchers at NC State, UNC-Charlotte and other regional institutions; strengthen the photochemical sciences in North Carolina; and provide students and researchers the opportunities to present their work in a collaborative environment. Organizers of the 2014 event included Drs. Elena Jakubikova, Elon Ison, and Walter Weare of NC State’s Department of Chemistry, as well as several UNC-Charlotte researchers.

The symposium included nine invited talks and two poster sessions. Forty-five students took part in the competitions for the best undergraduate and graduate poster. Among the winners were NC State’s Jonathan Boltersdorf  (second place, graduate poster competition) and David Bowman (third place, graduate poster competition).

The symposium was supported by NC State’s Department of Chemistry, Edinburgh Instruments and the North Carolina Section of the American Chemical Society.

The next NC PhotoChem event will take place at UNC-Charlotte in October 2015.