Chemistry Students' Society
The Chemistry Students’ Society (CS2), is the host of WCUCC 2024, and is one of the largest undergraduate student groups at USask. With more than 150 active members in 2023-2024, the CS2 has helped countless undergraduates find success in chemistry, forge new relationships with their peers and professors, and gain a deeper appreciation for the world of chemistry.
University of Saskatchewan
With its beautiful campus in the middle of Saskatoon, on Treaty 6 Territory and the homeland of the Métis, University of Saskatchewan (USask) is hosting WCUCC 2024. USask is a proud member of the U15 Group of Canadian research-intensive universities with the aim to be the university the world needs. Water and food security, vaccine development and infectious diseases, animal, human and environmental health are some of the areas of research USask has been focusing on.
Canadian Light Source
The Canadian Light Source (CLS), located in Saskatoon, on Treaty 6 Territory and the Homeland of the Métis, is a national research facility of Usask. It houses Canada’s only synchrotron with the aim to “enable science, learning, and socio-economic benefits through the provision of synchrotron light.” A synchrotron light of different kinds to study the structural and chemical properties of materials at a molecular level. This study is done by looking at the interaction of light with individual molecules of a material.
Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization
The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) started out as a small agricultural research organization and emerged as a world-class research institute. VIDO’s main goal is to protect the world from infectious diseases. Excellence, commitment, respect, team, and accountability make up the values of VIDO.
The Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre for Nuclear Innovation
Established in 2011, the Sylvia Fedoruk Canadian Centre, played a role in placing Saskatchewan among global leaders of nuclear research, development and training. Their partnerships with academia and industry helps to maximize societal and economic benefit. They fund “research projects in nuclear topics, support new faculty positions, operate a top-quality cyclotron facility as a user-accessible resource for nuclear imaging science and training, and provide advice on nuclear topics.”
Distinguished Chemists From USask
Gerhard Herzberg
Professor
1971 Nobel Prize Winner
Dr. Gerhard Herzberg spent 10 years teaching at USask, where he established a spectroscopy laboratory. In 1971, he earned a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for “his contributions to the knowledge of electronic structure and geometry of molecules, particularly free radicals.” Dr. Herzberg credited the U of S for the role it played in his career during his acceptance speech.
John Spinks
President of USask
Dr. John Spinks joined the Department of Chemistry at USask in 1930 and later went on to become the university’s fourth president from 1959 to 1974. He was a reputed scientist in the field of radiation chemistry and the use of isotopes with over 200 publications.
Henry Taube
BSc. 1935 MSc. 1937
1983 Nobel Prize Winner
Dr. Henry Taube, born in Neudorf, Saskatchewan, completed his BSc. (1935) and MSc. (1937) from USask. In 1983, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry “for his studies of the mechanisms of electron transfer reactions particularly of metal complexes.”
Wilma Elias
BSc. 1947
Dr. Elias received her B.Sc (1947) in Chemistry at USask. She also pursued her Master’s degree at USask with the world-famous carbohydrate chemist Dr. Raymond U. Lemieux in organic chemistry. She later on became the first woman to earn a PhD in any subject from UBC in 1956. A scholarship to provide funds for women to study chemistry was created by Dr. Elias.
Thorbergur Thorvaldson
1946: First Dean of Graduate Studies
Dr. Thorvaldson was a distinguished member of the Department of Chemistry (1914 - 1948 as well as the Head of the Department (1919 - 1948). His research focused on developing cement resistant to decay and decomposition which earned him several national and international honours.
Mita Dasog
BSc. 2009
Dr. Mita Dasog earned her B.Sc in Chemistry at USask in 2009. She completed her PhD at the U of A, and then a postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology. She began her career as a professor of chemistry at Dalhousie University in 2016. Her area of study is functional materials for solar energy applications. She was named one of the Top 25 Global Young Scientists in Sustainable Research, 2013, and one of the Top 150 Canadian Women in STEM fields, 2017.
Contact Us
Address
University of Saskatchewan
Thorvaldson Building, 110 Science Place, Saskatoon SK