Polychar 19 Successfully Held in Kathmandu, Nepal

Polychar 19 was held in Kathmandu, Nepal on 20-24 ^th March 2011.

The conference was inaugurated by Nepali Prime Minister Jhal Nath Khanal on Sunday of 20^th March 2011.Prof. Witold Brostow, President of Polychar, University of North Texas, USA, Dr. Rameshwar Adhikari, Polychar 19, Convener, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

I found the Polychar 19 International Conference was the Biggest Scientific Gathering for Nepal. The gathering made a history for Nepal. Renowned Scientists from 50 Countries discussed the recent trends and new avenues of Advanced Materials during the meeting. The technical Program was 162 oral presentations including 6 plenary lectures and 180 posters.

Technical Session was divided in four groups as under Invited lectures, Special lectures, Oral and Poster sessions including following topics:

1.                  Predictive methods, characterization and structure-property relationships

2.                  Synthesis of polymers, nanomaterials and smart materials

3.                  Mechanical properties and performance, dielectric and electrical properties

4.                  Surfaces, interfaces and tribology, rheology, solutions and processing

5.                  Biomaterials and tissue engineering, natural and Green Polymers and recycling

 The following Awards were distributed during the closing ceremony.

·                     The Paul J. Flory Polymer Research Prize

·                     The International Materials Science Prize

·                     Bruce Hartmann Award for a Young Scientist

·                     Other awards for non-students up to the age of 32

·                     Carl Klason Prize for the Best Student Paper

More than 50 volunteers were the students of Tribhuvan University and Trichandra Campus of Master Degree in Chemistry. They not only attended the conference but also interacted with more than 300 scientists from 50 countries.

On 20^th March 2011 from 08.00 am to 16.00 pm, Short Course on Polymer Characterization was held. It was so effective that programme almost covered the course of M.Sc. first year of Physical Chemistry “Surface Characterization”. At the same day, the conference was inaugurated by Nepali Prime Minister Jhal Nath Khanal.

The Schedule was as follows:

March 20, 2011, Sunday: Short Course on Polymer Characterization and Opening Ceremony

Short Course - Polymer Characterization

Venue: Durbar Hall, Park Village Resort Hotel

 Chairmen: Dr. Valerio Causin (Padova) and Dr. Sven Henning (Halle)

0800 – 0805	Welcome Prof. Mukunda P. Gajurel, Dean of Institute of Science and Technology, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
0805 – 0850	Prof. Witold Brostow, University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA Polymer Tribology
0850 – 0935	Prof. Jean-Michel Guenet, Institut Charles Sadron, Strasbourg, France Polymer Characterization by Scattering Techniques
0935 – 1020	Prof. Michael Hess, University of Siegen , Siegen, Germany Dynamic Mechanical and Calorimetrical Analysis of Polymers
1020 – 1045	Tea/Coffee Break
1045 – 1130	Prof. Helmut Münstedt, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany Fundamentals of Polymer Rheology
1130 – 1215	Prof. Dusan Berek, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia Chromatographic Characterization of Polymers
1215 – 1300	Lunch Break
1300 – 1345	Prof. Goerg H. Michler, Martin Luther University, Halle, Germany Electron Microscopy of Polymers
1345 – 1430	Dr. Christopher J. Plummer, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland Mechanical Properties and Deformation Micromechanisms in Polymers
1430 – 1515	Prof. Anatolii D. Pomogailo, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia Trends in Chemistry of Nanocomposites
1515 – 1600	Prof. Jean Marc Saiter, University of Rouen, Rouen, France Routes to New Green Composite Materials
16:30-	Inauguration Ceremony and Reception Venue: Open Theatre of Park Village Resort Hotel

On 21^th March  2011, there were two plenary lectures from 08:30 to 09:50, tea break was from 09:50 to 10:20. There were three technical sessions in three Halls from 10:20 to 17:25. But there was Lunch break from 12:05 to 13:00 and poster session with tea break was from 14:45 to 16:00.

On 22^nd  March  2011, there were two plenary lectures from 08:30 to 09:50, tea break was from 09:50 to 10:20. There were three technical sessions in three Halls from 10:20 to 17:25. But there was Lunch break from 12:05 to 13:00 and poster session with tea break was from 14:45 to 16:00.

On 23^rd   March  2011, there were two plenary lectures from 08:30 to 09:50, tea break was from 09:50 to 10:20. There were three technical sessions in three Halls from 10:20 to 15:05. The lunch break and Polychar Prize Committee Meeting was from 12:05 to 13:25. Closing ceremony including Prize distribution followed by dinner was held from 16:30 to 21:00.

  

On 24^th    March  2011, Sight seeing was arranged for the Guest Scientists.

Here are some pictures from the event.

The very young female chemist of France presented the research work in the Polychar 19

The very young male chemist of Japan presented the research work on Polychar 19

Bidur Rijal, the chemist of Nepal doing Ph.D in France, presented the research work on Poster in Polychar 19

The Nepalese Chemists were enjoying Polychar 19, the International conference World Forum on Advanced Materials. From the left, Sabita Gautam Dahal,Biratnagar;  Rameshwar Adhikari, Kathmandu; Ajaya Bhattarai, Biratngar, Nepal

The very old male chemist of Russia presented the research work as Special lecture in Polychar 19, the International conference World Forum on Advanced Materials at Kathmandu, Nepal

By Dr. Ajaya Bhattarai