Young Chemists of the world, let's work together!

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On July 2017 was officiatlly created the International Younger Chemists Network: IYCN. So far, only few countries know about this initiative that could help many young students, teachers, and workers of the Chemistry community...

Networks have always been part of the professional sphere: they serve as a relay for a community of workers to share ideas, concern, plans, and to defend common interests. During the last decade, our lives where however invaded by virtual networks on a much larger scope: social networks (Facebook and others), professionnal networks (LinkedIn, Researchgate...) and news feeds (Twitter) that mix professional and personnal, global and anecdotal pieces of information. To some extent, all of us have used at some point at least one of these virtual networks, a sign of our awareness of the potential gains of networking.

For a few years, fellow chemists of some chemical societies have been meeting and discussing about taking advantage of this to build a global network of younger chemists (or "early-career chemists") as this particular population shares a number of common interests and needs. I took personnaly part into on of these working session in 2015, in Boston, while I was participating to the "Young Chemists Crossing Border" program, a joint initiative of EYCN and ACS YCC.

I was struck at that time by two facts. First, I could not find prior examples of such global networks in other disciplines (eg. physics, biology...). A surprising fact, considering that we all have well-established societies (some more than a century old). Second, there was a central and difficult question about such global initiative: should it happen under the "umbrella" of an existing society (national or international) or should it be an independant endeavour?

Time moving on, I have thought about these questions and would propose the following as working hypotheses. (i) Well-established societies work over long cycles: time from proposition to action is always fairly long, and generally not suited to the fast turn-over of the early-career members. These societies do not necessarily apprehend the need for more immediate and sometimes less formal communication such as these found on social networks. (ii) As the virtual part of a new network is nowadays costless, and will be its primary form, there is no need to be the "sister society" of another structure, let alone a national one (which would defeat the purpose of being a global network, in my opinion). This being said, chemists benefit from the chance of having IUPAC as there global (and independant) champion, and the burgeoning IYCN was able from the start to receive advices and pratical support from this almost-centenary society.

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At the creation of IYCN, 13 countries of 5 continents were represented.

IYCN is build around four missions: communicate, collaborate, educate and mentor. We will achieve them if we work from the start on being inclusive, welcoming in particular the early-career chemists of countries that are not represented in IUPAC: these are the key to build a network that fully fits its purpose, as it will be essential to our early-career colleagues who do not have yet easy connections with the rest of the chemist's family.

How to achieve this? First, by developing a solid virtual network: a source of information and a platform for connecting with each other, at an individual level: this is the technical&communication challenge. Second, by facilitating the membership of as many countries as possible for the first few years. Under-represented countries will join if our structure guarantees that they will have a voice, that they can be heard amongst the countries whose scientific societes are historically stronger. This is the structural&philosophical challenge. I believe we should strive to achieve both challenges for the next global rendez-vous of Chemistry: IUPAC centenary conference in Paris, in July 2019. The clock is ticking!

Learn more: IYCN website | Expectations of Younger Chemists in France | Les jeunes chimistes créent leur réseau international

Join the endeavour: iycn[[at]]iupac.org or iycn.rj-scf[[at]]societechimiquedefrance.fr

Posted on October 22, 2017.

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