Message from the
Hon. Thomas Rivera Schatz
President of the Puerto Rico Senate

During the first week of August of this year, Puerto Rico will have the great honor and distinction of hosting the 43rd World Congress of Chemistry of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). This is not only the most important international conference in the field of chemistry, but also one of the premier scientific gatherings in the entire world.

This particular World Congress of IUPAC will also be remembered for coinciding with the United Nation's proclamation of 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry, as well as the year marking the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry awarded in 1911 to Madame Marie Curie, the first woman ever to become a Noble Laureate. Puerto Rico is proud to join in this celebration as the first jurisdiction in the Caribbean, and all Latin America, to host a World Congress of Chemistry and to be honored with the special visit of Dr. Aaron J. Ciechanover, Dr. Richard R. Ernst, Dr. Richard R. Schrock, Dr. Robert H. Grubbs, Dr. Roald Hoffmann, Dr. Mario J. Molina and Dr. Ada E. Yonath, seven renowned scientists who are all recipients of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Because of the significant impact this event will have on the development of science, education and technology in our island, and the positive projection of Puerto Rico as a world-class destination for gatherings of the international scientific community, the Puerto Rico Senate, along with the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, will be serving as one of the premier sponsors of this meeting.

We applaud and express our sincere appreciation to all IUPAC members for their outstanding professional and intellectual contribution to humanity, and for allowing us the opportunity of hosting this memorable event.

We are confident that the deliberations, sessions and conferences of the 43rd World Congress of Chemistry shall help set forth new advances in chemistry and science for the future benefit of our fellow brethren around the world.