Attending the Green Chemistry and Engineering conference was really worth the long travel from Europe for me! A truly wide-ranging event, filled with inspirational people and exciting initiatives.
The strong focus on applicable science really attracted people and speakers from different sectors - process chemists, toxicologists, economists, industrials, regulators, NGOs. It has been especially exciting to meet some of the most reputable green chemists in a very comfortable environment. In terms of my work with solvent substitution, this has been especially helpful for putting my research into a bigger picture context and for creating contacts with experts in chemicals regulation and toxicology, two fields that I feel are growing in relevance in the green chemistry world as a whole.
What I found most striking and original was the level of commitment to education strategies and the amount of support and time that the conference dedicated to student initiatives and workshops. Thanks to this I got to know other young researchers and spend very enjoyable moments with them both within and out of the conference time, and I am sure these bonds will endure and evolve in the future.
I have also really appreciated how everything ran smoothly and spot on schedule despite the number of simultaneous sessions, which has allowed me to move across sessions confidently.
I look forward to attending next year's ACS GCI conference!
