UAlberta will host the inaugural Prairie Environmental Chemistry Colloquium in May, bringing together graduate and undergraduate researchers and government from across Western Canada. Photo credit: iStock
The inaugural Prairie Environmental Chemistry Colloquium (PECC) will take place at the University of Alberta this spring. The first of its kind in western Canada, PECC will bring together graduate and undergraduate researchers with government representatives from across the western provinces.
The conference is spearheaded by two assistant professors of environmental chemistry in the Department of Chemistry, Sarah Styler and Ran Zhao, Tara Kahan at the University of Saskatchewan, as well as a group of UAlberta graduate students.
"The main focus of the conference is building the environmental chemistry community in western Canada," said Styler. "This is a great opportunity for graduate students to present their work and meet with students from other universities as well as governmental scientists."
"PECC is an important event because it allows environmental chemistry students from various departments and institutions to come together and share their research," added Maya Abou-Ghanem, program co-chair and PhD student studying with Styler. "This two-day conference contains student presentations, special guest lectures, and a career panel, which work towards strengthening the environmental chemistry community across the Canadian Prairies."
Attendees will include students from UAlberta, University of Calgary, University of Saskatchewan, MacEwan University, and Mount Royal University. Partners from Alberta Environment and Parks and Alberta Capital Airshed will also be in attendance.
"It's important for students to communicate with people from academia and government as it allows them to learn how different areas are promoting each other in advancing science and policy, which can inspire them to explore different career paths upon graduation," said Ming Lyu, program co-chair and PhD student studying with Styler.
The colloquium will will take place on May 13 and 14 in the Telus Centre at the University of Alberta.