University of Mauritius Chemistry-The Key for our Future

The second International Conference on Pure and Applied Chemistry (ICPAC 2012) was held from 2 to 6 July 2012 at Hilton Mauritius Resorts and Spa, Mauritius and was opened by Dr The Honourable Rajeshwar Jeetah, Minister of Tertiary Education, Science, Research and Technology. The Organising Committee adopted the theme “Chemistry: The Key for our Future”, highlighting the importance of chemistry in our life and the crucial role it has to play in the future. This recognition was one of the factors for United Nations to declare the year 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry. It was also the year to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Nobel Prize awarded to Marie Curie.

One of the outcomes of these celebrations was that the activities organised in different countries to promote Chemistry, and its contributions to the well-being of mankind, should be pursued. Also, an evaluation of these efforts cumulated over several years would be a better indicator of the progress made.