Chemical Education Sustaining Socio-economic Transformation

The 24th IUPAC International Conference on Chemistry Education (ICCE 2016) will be held in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia from 15-20 August 2016. ICCE 2016 will be organised by Institut Kimia Malaysia (IKM) under the auspices of IUPAC and with support from the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) of Malaysia.

ICCE is a biennial event held all over the world; ICCE 2010 was held in Taipei, Taiwan, ICCE 2012 in Rome, Italy, and, most recently, ICCE 2014 was held in Toronto, Canada. IKM is proud to be given the chance to organise ICCE 2016 in Kuching. The theme of ICCE 2016 is Chemical Education sustaining socio-economic transformation.

ICCE 2016 is a major international science education event that will attract close to 600 local and overseas science educators from all over the world. It will include plenary lectures, thematic sessions, workshops, forums, and also other programmes and activities for teachers and students in primary and secondary schools. The following thematic sessions are being planned:

1. Teaching and learning chemistry at the secondary level

2. Chemistry/science teacher education, including pre- & post-

3. New technologies in chemical education, including web-based, multimedia, and e-learning

4. Laboratory classes in chemical education, including microscale chemistry

5. Critical analysis of chemistry curricula & textbooks

6. Tertiary chemistry education & lifelong learning

7. Research in chemical education, including ethics

8. Green chemistry and environmental chemistry education

9. Public awareness and appreciation of chemistry

10. International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO)

Among the workshops and forums being planned are Microscale Chemistry, International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), Young Ambassadors of Chemistry (YAC), Ethics and Professional Codes of Conducts of Chemists, and Green Chemistry Education and Practices. There will be a special session on the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and Multiple Uses of Chemicals to be jointly organised with the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). A virtual colloquium on CWC is also being planned with OPCW (see ConfChem, below). Science and chemistry educators are invited to propose other workshops or forums for ICCE 2016.

ICCE 2016 is the right forum for science educators, education researchers and practitioners, and decision makers to present their new ideas and approaches, research findings, and innovations in science education and the practice of chemistry. Some may want to share their experience or expertise in science education with fellow colleagues. ALL ARE INVITED. ICCE 2016 is being held in the beautiful and lush green city of Kuching in the state of Sarawak, North Borneo, Malaysia. Kuching is a multiracial and multicultural cosmopolitan city at the mouth of the Sarawak River, which flows into the South China Sea. It is an eco-friendly city situated amidst a million-year-old rainforest with much biological diversity.

On behalf of ICCE 2016 Organising Committee, I look forward to welcoming you to Kuching next August. In addition to the conference, you are also invited to bring along your family and friends to enjoy the beautiful experience of visiting Kuching. There are so many things to do and see in Kuching and Sarawak. Malaysians, known for their warm hospitality, treat visitors as friends of the family. It will be a memorable experience that you will never forget.

Datuk Dr Soon Ting Kueh, Chair, ICCE 2016

soontk@ikm.org.my

www.icce2016.org.my