To celebrate International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) announced the awardees of the IUPAC 2019 Distinguished Women in Chemistry or Chemical Engineering.  Professor Susan Bourne, Interim Dean of the Faculty of Science, who hails from the Department of Chemistry at UCT was one of twelve women in the world awarded of this prestigious award. 

The awards programme was created to acknowledge and promote the work of women chemists/ chemical engineers worldwide.  The 12 awardees were selected based on excellence in basic or applied research, distinguished accomplishments in teaching or education, or demonstrated leadership or managerial excellence in the chemical sciences.    The Awards Committee was particularly interested in nominees with a history of leadership and/ or community service during their careers.

The award ceremony will take place during the IUPAC World Chemistry Congress in Paris, France, coinciding with a special symposium on Women in Chemistry and a reception in honour of the recipients.

The International Day of Women and Girls in Science is a global day celebrating achievement and promoting full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls.  The day also marks a call to action to further achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is the world authority on chemical nomenclature and terminology, including the naming of new elements in the periodic table; on standardized methods for measurement; and on atomic weights, and many other critically-evaluated data.