2011 — International Year of Chemistry — see ACS Calendar

“ACS launches online calendar to mark International Year of Chemistry04 Jan 2011

The American Chemical Society (ACS) began a global, year-long observance of the International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC 2011) by launching an online calendar that serves as a virtual time machine, transporting the public back to some of the epic events and great intellects that shaped modern society through the magic of chemistry.

Called 365: Chemistry for Life, the calendar links almost 250 days of the year to events – triumphal and trivial – in chemistry, health, medicine, energy, the environment and related fields. They range from January 1 – which in 1907 saw the debut of the database that has fostered unprecedented scientific discovery – to December 31 and a scientific law about those New Year’s toasts with champagne. A mouse-click on the days in between revisits Joseph Priestley’s discovery of oxygen; the first successful treatment of diabetes with insulin; George Washington Carver’s discovery of hundreds of new uses for crops like peanuts; Marie Curie’s landmark research on radioactivity and much more.

ACS will hold a contest during the first quarter of 2011 in which visitors to the site can suggest topics for grayed-out dates – or better topics for active dates. The contents of filled-in dates are mere suggestions and not necessarily the final word. Individuals whose topics are accepted for inclusion in the calendar will be eligible for a drawing with prizes that include an iPad, an iPod Touch and an iPod nano.

The 63rd General Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry, envisioning a worldwide celebration of the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of humankind. Also being celebrated in 2011 is the centennial of the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry to Marie Curie for her work on radioactivity, and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Chemical Societies.”

Source: Knowledgespeak Newsletter