Open/Entire Community

This marks the first time that the IUPAC Congress and General Assembly are taking place in an ASEAN country, and this has created immense enthusiasm and excitement among chemists from this part of the world. The theme of IUPAC 2025, “Chemistry for Sustainable Future”, underscores our commitment to exploring chemistry’s pivotal role in addressing global sustainability challenges. In addition to the scientific sessions on various disciplines in chemistry, IUPAC 2025 also includes a special cluster of symposia on “Chemistry and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)” focusing on chemistry providing solutions and remedies to SDGs.

As we celebrate the 50th Edition of the biennial World Chemistry Congress, we’ll also commemorate “100 years of Excellence in Chemistry Research and Innovations” at the 50WCC. Additionally, there will also be a cluster of special themed symposia covering topics such as gender, diversity, equity & inclusiveness, professionalism & code of ethics, young chemists’ networks, world chemistry leadership programmes, chemical weapons convention, emerging technologies & innovations in chemistry, and other relevant subjects.

More information about Beyond Benign's presence at this conference will be made available soon.

We are living in a moment of extraordinary change. With sustainability under pressure across sectors – educators and practitioners face both crisis and opportunity. Building on the successes of the 2023 and 2024 Forums, the virtual 2025 Sustainability Education Forum (SEF) on June 5 & 6 invites you to come together not just to exchange ideas, but to step into a deeper role: as catalysts and bold leaders. Together, we’ll share strategies, strengthen our schools and institutions, and shape the future of sustainability education in practical ways.

Our community is grappling with rising anxiety, political backlash, and systemic barriers to sustainability, climate and justice work. Additionally, educators are seeing growing pressures—from budget concerns and political debates to generational shifts in student expectations. This forum is your space to tackle that reality head-on—with courage, creativity, and collective insight. The SEF 2025 is not just a conference—it’s a space for authentic conversations, creative problem-solving, and meaningful collaboration where you set the agenda. Using a dynamic, participant-led model, you’ll choose the conversations that matter most, connect with peers, co-create solutions in real time and walk away with new tools and ideas ready to implement.

What to Expect

• Two days of highly participatory, peer-driven dialogue shaped by the needs and questions of the moment.
• Pre-scheduled “Invitation” sessions with speakers addressing climate justice and cultural climate change—anchoring our time together with depth and perspective.
• “Open Space” engaging discussions where you choose the topics—centered on the urgent questions we’re all carrying
• Opportunities to share your insights, ask critical questions, and refine your sustainability education approach
• A global community of like-minded educators who share your sense of urgency and commitment to action
• No travel required—connect deeply, save resources, and engage fully in an immersive online experience!

Who Should Attend?

This space is open to anyone in the sustainability education community:

• Faculty in any discipline incorporating sustainability education
• Educators developing sustainability literacy, curricula or degree programs
• Sustainability staff supporting academic initiatives
• Instructional designers helping faculty integrate sustainability into courses
• Anyone passionate about advancing sustainability education in higher education

Throughout the SEF, you will have plenty of chances to exchange ideas and make new professional connections, while gaining inspiration and an opportunity to recharge your own efforts. In tough times, strong networks and focused conversations make all the difference. It is these types of connections that serve us throughout the years; they make the hard times manageable and the good times fun. Join us and let’s make some good times — together!

For more information, visit: https://www.aashe.org/calendar/sef-2025/ 

BioQUEST is excited to announce applications for the virtual BIOME 2025 (July 21-23), an event to challenge the status quo and drive meaningful transformation in STEMM education, are now open! This year’s theme of Catalysts for Change: Empowering Faculty to Move Forward Together, for educators, researchers, and innovators to come together, share experiences, and gain the support they need to navigate today’s challenges in STEMM education. BioQUEST is excited to welcome participants to engage in open conversations about teaching through adversity, exchanging new ideas, and working together to find creative solutions. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the movement shaping the future of STEMM education. The general application deadline is May 16, and more information can be found in the BIOME 2025 page. 

NOTE: You must be an RSC member to attend this event.

Explore how sustainability and the green transition are reshaping skills in the chemical sciences. Chemistry roles now demand green skills at eight times the UK average, as highlighted in our Chemistry Future Workforce and Education Pathways report. Learn from employers about the green skills shaping the future and their priorities when recruiting. 

Panel includes:
Technology Development Lead, Croda who will talk about her experience, how much green skills are valued in chemical manufacturing and the skills that Croda values. 
R&D chemist at Johnson Matthey with  recent experience in research of fluorinated membrane degradation, focusing on PFAS analysis, monitoring and reduction.
We will also have a representative from CKGroup who works with employers seeking individuals with the right skills to fill chemical sciences roles.

About ChemCareers
Run by the Career Management team, ChemCareers is a monthly webinar series providing advice, access to experts and inspiration for your career. Our ChemCareers webinars provide insights into different sectors within chemical science and cover career-related topics such as where there are opportunities open to chemical scientists, professional development tips, how to stand out in job applications and how to manage career challenges. 

Can’t attend live? 
RSC members can catch up on our ChemCareers webinar recordings in our ChemCareers webinar library within our career and professional development hub in the Members’ area. https://members.rsc.org/site/content/Careers_Webpages/ChemCareersLibrary.aspx 

Please note:
By registering for this webinar, your information will be submitted to the webinar organiser who will use your information to communicate with you regarding this event and other services.
In order to register for this webinar, you will need to read, understand and agree to the terms set out in:

• Our privacy statement: rsc.li/privacy
• Our terms and conditions: https://www.rsc.org/help-legal/legal/terms-conditions/

For more information, please visit the RSC events website.

I2SL offers a series of webinars intended to educate, connect, and diversify the sustainable laboratory and high-tech facility community. Webinars encourage interaction among the presenter and the audience by allowing you to ask questions of the experts and/or share your own expertise with an interested audience.

Attendees are given the exclusive opportunity to discover new tools, innovations, and technologies being utilized in the sustainable laboratory community. Attendees also have the opportunity to learn about I2SL's new and updated Best Practice Guides through presentations from the authors. Attendees may be eligible for continuing education credits through the American Institute of Architects or other professional organizations.

I2SL members can attend all live webinars and access the recording archive free of charge. For non-members, the cost is $100 to attend a live webinar or view a recorded webinar.

Chemistry for a Better Planet

This year’s theme is Chemistry for a Better Planet. Chemistry has led to hundreds of innovative solutions over the last several centuries and it will continue to do so. Chemistry helps us gain a better understanding of the world around us, in all facets of life: health care, environmental science, and more. Chemistry and the planet are closely intertwined with one another and there are connections at all different levels and scales. With this theme, we hope to encourage curiosity and ingenuity to explore and discover all the possibilities that exist between the two.

Thursday, June 5th, 2025

Workshop: Empowering Educators in Green Chemistry Education for a Better Planet

Veronica Mengqi Zhang, Ph.D. (Michigan State University), Monica Soma Hensley, Ph.D. (Beyond Benign) 

Workshop Description

Green chemistry education is essential for preparing students to address global environmental challenges and contribute to a sustainable and better planet. This interactive workshop aims to equip educators with the tools, knowledge, and resources required to integrate green chemistry principles into their teaching, advancing both sustainability and environmental responsibility.

Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry and explore various examples of green curricula resources, including lesson plans, lab activities, and case studies.

This workshop provides practical approaches and resources to "green" existing lectures and lab experiments across the chemistry curriculum, as well as guidance for designing standalone green chemistry courses. Additionally, attendees will be introduced to an on-demand online course that helps educators incorporate green chemistry into their teaching, fostering deeper student engagement in sustainable practices.

Through collaborative discussions and hands-on activities, educators will leave with actionable strategies to enhance their curricula and promote environmental responsibility in their classrooms and laboratories.

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Understand and apply the 12 Principles of Green Chemistry in educational settings to promote sustainable practices.
• Explore and access green chemistry curricula resources, including lesson plans, lab activities, and case studies, to enhance sustainability-focused education.
• Design and adapt green chemistry experiments and activities that engage students while reducing environmental impact.
• Utilize an on-demand online course designed to teach educators how to integrate green chemistry into their own courses, supporting their professional development in expanding sustainability education across curricula.

Beyond Benign and Dr. John Warner are thrilled to attend the upcoming Green Chemistry Commitment (GCC) Signing Celebration for Queen’s University! If you are located near Kinston, Ontario, please join us!

The GCC is a framework that unites the higher education community around a common vision to affect systemic and lasting change in chemistry education. Learn more and join the growing community! https://www.beyondbenign.org/he-green-chemistry-commitment/

Registration for the event has closed.

Register Here

The supply of low carbon energy is one of the greatest challenges of our time. 

Major breakthroughs in green energy technologies require advances in new materials and underpinning science. Learn more about this topic during a special webinar with Dr. Saiful Islam, Professor of Materials Science at the University of Oxford.

During this webinar, Dr. Islam will describe the materials science of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and novel perovskite-type compounds for next-generation solar cells. He will also highlight the use of advanced materials modeling to gain deeper insights on the atomic scale.

This is the third installment of the webinar series, "Promoting Chemistry Applied to World Needs" presented by Beyond Benign and IUPAC CHEMRAWN.

Professor Saiful Islam, University of Oxford

Saiful is Professor of Materials Science at the University of Oxford. He grew up in north London and obtained his Chemistry degree and PhD from University College London. He then worked at the Eastman Kodak Labs, New York, and the Universities of Surrey and Bath.

His research focuses on understanding atomic-scale processes in new materials for lithium batteries, sodium batteries and perovskite solar cells. Saiful has received several awards including from the Royal Society, American Chemical Society and Royal Society of Chemistry.

He presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (2016) on BBC TV, which included a lemon battery world record. He is a Patron of Humanists UK and when not exploring new materials, he enjoys family breaks (as a dad of two), films and indie music.(Research website: https://bit.ly/327BgQr)

About the series:

During this webinar series, speakers will orient their presentations around the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) Top 10 Emerging Technologies to demonstrate the power that chemists hold in shaping and preserving the future. Each talk will be accompanied by short videos on the topic geared toward high school and university chemistry students as well as the general public.

This series is hosted by Beyond Benign and the IUPAC Committee on Chemical Research Applied to World Needs (CHEMRAWN).

Previous webinars:

https://youtu.be/yI-OMl4JnfY?feature=shared

https://youtu.be/OOKZy4HSqy8?feature=shared

Join the conversation, live in the Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community. Bring questions about all things green chemistry education and receive expert answers from K-12 educator, environmental justice advocate, and winner of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching (PAEMST), Nina Hike!

Nina Hike, a lead contributor to ChemEdX, specializes in youth participatory science and Next Generation Science Standards aligned curricula. She has published work on the Science Writing Heuristic, which fosters student collaboration and processing scientific knowledge gained through laboratory investigations. Nina is a 2021 Illinois PAEMST National Awardee. 

Find Nina's AMA forum here to join the conversation!

Find Nina's GCTLC profile here.

Interdisciplinary discussion bringing together policy experts from Harvard’s Kennedy School, chemical industry, and the nonprofit ChemFORWARD 

How can we reduce the impacts of the most toxic chemicals in today's supply chains? 

Join the Belfer Center's Environment and Natural Resources Program for a discussion panel on the role of information access in enhancing environmental initiatives to reduce pollution and chemical toxins. Panelists - including Harvard Kennedy School experts, industry leaders, and representatives from ChemFORWARD, the 2024 winner of the Roy Award for Environmental Partnership - will explore the challenges that the private sector faces in addressing toxic pollution, the upsides and downsides of regulatory approaches, and lessons learned from a cross-sectoral approach to chemical hazard mitigation. 

Q&A to follow. Coffee and light refreshments will be served. 

Recording: A recording of the seminar will be made available on the Belfer Center's YouTube channel. 

Registration: RSVP required. A Harvard University ID is required for in-person attendance; all are welcome on Zoom 

Register here:  https://hksexeced.tfaforms.net/f/registration?e=a4oPp000001PwRdIAK