The UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry hosted the 18th Boron in the Americas Conference, also known as BORAM, from December 15 – December 19, 2024. BORAM-18 brought together academics and researchers from all over the world to discuss the latest advancements in boron related chemistry.
With 69 speakers and 57 poster presenters, this highly anticipated gathering at UCLA was a platform for the global scientific community to exchange ideas and deliberate about applications of boron in various fields of science and industry.
On the first night of the conference, Professor Holger Braunschweig, Chair of Inorganic Chemistry at the Julius-Maximilians Universitat Würzburg, presented the Hawthorne Award Lecture. As the recipient of the 2024 M. Frederick Hawthorne Award of the American Chemical Society, Braunschweig is recognized for his contributions to the field of main group inorganic chemistry. The award is named after distinguished UCLA chemist M. Frederick Hawthorne, a pioneer in the synthetic chemistry of boron hydrides.
Invited speakers presented on a wide array of topics ranging from solid-state to medicinal chemistry. Researchers from diverse disciplines exchanged ideas that demonstrate the unique properties of boron and its compounds.
In addition to invited talks, postdoctoral scholars and graduate students presented flash talks to share their findings and engage in discussion with experts in the field. Flash talks were accompanied by corresponding poster presentations later in the night, which was a stimulating setting for presenters to showcase their data, methodologies and conclusions more in depth. Promising young researchers had a chance to network, exchange ideas and receive feedback.
As it is customary for BORAM meetings, several conference awards were given. Robert Gilliard (MIT) and Webster Santos (Virginia Tech) have received BORAM-18 faculty research awards.
Cell Press Prize:
Anubhav Goswami (UCLA)
Paul Oftedahl (Iowa State University)
Tomoya Ozaki (Boston College)
Boron Specialties Prize:
Xinyue Tan (Fudan University)
Heechan Kim (MIT)
Agilent Prize:
Yessica Nelson (UCLA)
Johannes Chorbacher (Universität Würzburg)
Ascensus Chemicals Prize:
Yizhen Liu (Southern University of Science and Technology)
Diksha Sharma (UC Merced)
BORAM-18 was an invaluable opportunity for scholars and professionals to contribute to the advancement of boron related science. Internationally held in a rotating location to continue the ongoing dialogue of future boron research, BORON-19 will be hosted by Professor Gabriel Ménard of the University of Calgary in 2027.
This meeting would not have been possible without the support of our donors and sponsors. We are deeply thankful to the Mani L. Bhaumik Collaboratory Fund, the Ray and Dorothy Wilson Fund, and Diana Hawthorne for their contributions. Additionally, the awards were generously sponsored by Agilent Technologies, Cell Press, Ascensus Specialties, and Boron Specialties.
Click here for a photo gallery of the event.
