2nd Kármán Conference at RWTH Aachen University
The “Green Chemistry Horizon“ was the second Kármán Conference at RWTH Aachen University. At the beginning of February, more than 150 researchers from all over the world met in Aachen and discussed current research results and ideas for sustainable products and processes in chemistry.
In order to foster “Green Chemistry”, the combination of natural sciences and engineering is crucial. Kármán Conferences aim at developing such interdisciplinary topics at RWTH Aachen University and at contributing to international cutting-edge research. The feedback from many participants demonstrated that the organizers Walter Leitner, Chair of Technical Chemistry, and André Bardow, Chair of Technical Thermodynamics, succeeded in organizing such a conference.
Philip Jessop from Queen’s University in Kingston is the leading Canadian researcher on Green Chemistry. “I like this conference and Walter made it so much more exciting. How many different ways you can make the world a better place, there are many answers, right. I am glad that we have this conference, I think the variety is wonderful.” According to Carsten Bolm from RWTH Aachen University, “this Kármán Conference on Green Chemistry is a wonderful idea because it is a very topical one and because the organizers were able to attract external speakers who present highly interesting topical chemistry.” On behalf of the journal “Green Chemistry” of the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge, executive editor Anna Simpson took part in the Kármán Conference. “Such meetings are really important particularly for an area like Green Chemistry. You know it’s a philosophy not only a topic area. It helps change people’s thinking. Not just having the talks but also the discussions and the ability for exchange is really valuable.”