50 The Israel Chemist and Chemical Engineer Issue 9 · January 2023 · Tevet 5783 Report discussing the past year’s activities, plans for the next year, and financial issues. Mr. Shimon Nizrad, the ICS Accountant, provided an overview of the ICS’s budget, legal status, and financial goals. A Gender Equality Power-Hour took place on the second day, chaired by Mindy Levine of Ariel University. The prize ceremony, which took place on the evening of the first day, was preceded by a reception and light dinner for all participants. The event attracted many sponsors, including the Weizmann Institute of Science, Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ariel University, and the Technion. The experienced team of Diesenhaus-Unitours Incoming Tourism Ltd., staffed by Orit Gilad, Anat Reshef, Tsipi Laxer, and Magali Mizrahi, took responsibility for the actual operation, including all technical aspects, administration, organization of the exhibition, promotion, etc. The meeting included a commercial exhibition by 17 providers of lab equipment, scientific instrumentation, chemicals, materials, analytical chemistry services, publishing houses, and intellectual property management. Exhibitors included Arad-Ophir Information Specialists Ltd., Bargal Analytical Instruments Ltd., BioAnalytics Ltd., Bruker Scientific Israel Ltd., Holland Moran Ltd., Meshulam Avni & Son Ltd., ILPEN Scientific Equipment & Supplies Ltd., JEOL (UK) Ltd., Labotal Scientific Equipment Ltd., LabSuit Projects Ltd., Mark Technologies Ltd., Mercury Ltd., Dr. Golik Scientific Solutions Ltd., New Technology S.K. Ltd., Rhenium Ltd., Spectro Israel Ltd., and Tzamal D-Chem Laboratories Ltd. This mix of excellent lectures, colorful poster sessions, exhibitions, and other activities created a vivid atmosphere with vibrant discussions, exchange of information, and social gathering, all reflected by the collage of photographs (Figure 1). Opening Ceremony Prof. Saar Rahav, co-chairperson of the organizing committee, opened the meeting and greeted the guests and participants: “Good morning, everyone. On behalf of the other co-chairman Prof. Charles Diesendruck and the organizing committee, I am delighted to welcome you to the 86th meeting of the Israel Chemical Society in Tel Aviv. It has been a while since the previous meeting. The covid pandemic caused many upheavals. We all remember the lockdowns and their effect on our personal lives and our ability to teach and work on our research. Our academic community showed remarkable resilience in dealing with the changing conditions and found ways to continue our scientific work and adjust to teach remotely. Arguably, the aspect that affected the most was our ability to meet in workshops and conferences. Thankfully, things are much improved now. The pandemic has affected our ICS meeting as well. We were forced to postpone the meeting, and just when things seemed normal again, a new wave meant we had to postpone it again. Even now, when almost all restrictions are removed, it still affects us. The international delegation we lined up could not come since China still has stringent covid regulations and is practically isolated from the rest of the world. Despite the difficulties, it is crucially important that we continue our longstanding tradition of ICS meetings. This celebration of Israeli chemistry is a unique opportunity to share our enthusiasm for science and to recognize excellence in research, teaching, and other aspects of academic life. I thank many colleagues who showed flexibility in dealing with the forced changes, in particular the ones who were called to contribute on short notice due to the changing dates of the meeting. I am delighted to see so many graduate students in the crowd. This meeting allows you to explain your research to other scientists and expose you to different aspects of chemistry. Those who have not experienced hearing a talk detailing some attractive solution to a scientific problem said to themselves, this idea is simply brilliant; I wish I had thought about that. Such gems of science inspire us to keep asking difficult and important questions. And who knows, perhaps a new idea you encounter today will be relevant to your research tomorrow. I therefore warmly encourage you to use this occasion to get to know your colleagues and their work. You may discover new ideas that will inspire your love of science, or you may meet someone to collaborate with in the future. This meeting could not have happened without the generous support from the seven major Israeli universities and research institutions. We are grateful for their help. I wish you all an illuminating, productive, and inspiring meeting.” Prof. Ehud Keinan, president of the ICS, added his greetings: “Good morning everybody, and welcome to the 86th Meeting of the ICS. First, I would like to thank all the people who made it possible, chairpersons Charles Diesendruck and Saar Rahav and their colleagues from the Technion, including members of the organizing committee and session organizers. Many others deserve our thanks, including all the sponsors, the Diesenhaus-Unitours team, and administrative manager Tali Lidor for taking care of all the small details.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDU2MA==