In this episode our host Carl Schneider interviews IUPAC’s president-elect Mary Garson about all things IUPAC.
Mary Garson is an emeritus Professor at the University of Queensland, current vice-president of IUPAC and president-elect for the upcoming legislative period. She has been a long-standing figure in IUPAC and has shaped the way we know IUPAC today. In this episode, Carl and Mary talk about how IUPAC as a global organization ensures its impact on the local level, how it fosters the next generation of researchers and so much more.

Read more about IUPAC’s “Global Women’s Breakfast”, one of Mary’s closest to heart projects, here!

In this episode, we delve into the intricate world of science policy and explore avenues for greater collaboration between scientists and policymakers.

To address this complex topic, Marie Perrin sits down with two distinguished experts to unravel the complexities and synergies between science and policy. From the science side, Prof. Jovana Milić, assistant professor at the university of Fribourg (Switzerland) and member of the Swiss Young Academy and Global Young Academy, and from the policy side Marton Kottmayer, science communication and policy officer at the European Chemical Society (EuChemS).

Whether you’re a passionate scientist, a policy enthusiast, or simply curious about the forces shaping our world, this episode promises to ignite your intellect and inspire action.

During this conversation we cover:

• 1:55 What is science policy
• 3:55 How is EuChemS involved in advising policy makers?
• 7:06 What are the motivations and challenges for scientists to be actively involved in science policy
• 10:42 Understanding the complexity of policy making: scientists are only one of many stakeholders.
• 15:48 Opportunities for early carrier scientists to be part of the conversation.
• 24:50 Why it matters, or how policies affect science at every level.
• 33:31 Where to start; how can I be involved?

If you want to go further, you can read about « The Role of Early-Career Chemists in European Policy-Making » and « Engaging Early-Career Scientists in Global Policy-Making » and check out the EuChemS magazine to get the latest science policy news from Brussels. Moreover, the EuChemS workshops targeting the selected elements carbon, lithium, nitrogen and phosphorus can be watched online! And for a more active involvement you can always find the public consultations from the European Commission online.

In this episode Carl Schneider interviews IUPAC’s past-president Prof. Dr. Javier García Martinez about the 2023 “IUPAC Top Ten”. Javier and Carl talk about the origin of this tradition, what concerns the chemists of the world, and how IUPAC as a global organization encourages local acting.

For a further look at last year’s finalists you can read up on them here.

Until the 31st of March you can also submit your candidates here to be considered for the 2024 edition of the Top Ten.
You always wanted to know something else about IUPAC? Now, is your chance! We are planning a follow-up episode to talk with Javier about IUPAC in general and we invite you to submit your questions to us beforehand.