Peking University, Oct. 19, 2010: The 12th International Conference on Molecule-Based Magnets (ICMM) was held from Oct. 8 to Oct. 12 in Beijing.
The event was co-organized by PKU College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering (CCME), Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, and State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Materials Chemistry and Applications.
The conference commenced on the morning of Oct. 9 with an attendance of 400 representatives from nearly 100 universities and research institutes in 26 countries. Prof. Li Yansong, Vice President of Peking University, delivered a welcoming speech on behalf of PKU. Prof. Liang Wenping, Executive Vice Director of Chemistry Department of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NNSFC), introduced the development of basic Chemistry research in China and the foundation NNSFC Chemistry Department received in recent years, including that of international collaborative research projects. Prof. Gao Song, Dean of CCME, Member of CAS, and president of the organizing committee for the 12th ICMM, briefly reviewed the conference’s history of more than 20 years and the preparation this year, which marks the centennial of the faculty of chemistry at Peking University.
The International Conference on Molecule-Based Magnets (ICMM) was first organized by American scientist Prof. Joel S. Miller in 1989. It had been held for eleven times in US, Europe, and Japan in the following 21 years. Because of the attracting rapid development of research on molecule-based magnets in China, home of compass, Peking University was chosen as the host and Prof. Gao Song as the president for this year’s conference by ICMM International Advisory Committee.
During the four-day conference, scientists with national fame and young scholars on molecule-based magnets and relevant fields gave 70 oral presentations. Roland Wiesendanger, Stephen Nagler, and Xue Qikun gave speeches respectively; while, Michel Verdaguer delivered an "Olivier Kahn lecture." Representatives communicated in both width and depth on all leading research fields of molecule-based magnets, such as ordered molecule-based magnetic materials, single-molecule, single-ion and single-chain magnets, spin crossover molecular materials, single-molecule quantum control, molecular spintronics, multi-functional molecular magnets such as magnetoelectricity and magneto-optics, bio-magnetism, nano-magnetic molecules, as well as various experimental and theoretical physical methods. The ICMM Award Committee of a membership of eight well-known scientists selected 10 poster works out of 260 as the winners of Student Best Poster Award. Jiang Shangda, PhD Candidate at CCME, was honored the award.
The conference was supported by the “111” Project of China’s Ministry of Education, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, State Key Laboratory of Rare Earth Materials Chemistry and Applications, etc. Through this conference, scholars from different countries communicated in depth as a solid foundation for cooperation in future. Besides, the success of ICMM is important in further advance in research on molecule-based magnets in China, the enlargement of Chinese scholars’ international academic influence, as well as the promotion of relevant research fields.
Translated by: ZHAO Ning
Edited by: Jacques
Source: PKU News (Chinese)
