During the final weekend of January, the Berzelius Days were held for the 71st time, organised by the Swedish Chemical Society. The event is Sweden’s largest chemistry conference for upper secondary school students and brings together students and teachers from mainly Sweden, but also Finland and Norway.
This year’s programme featured several distinguished speakers, including Benjamin List, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2021.
Forest-based materials were well represented through lectures by both Peter Olsén, Linköping University and WWSC, and Beatrice Svensson from KTH Royal Institute of Technology. During breaks, participants could also visit a small exhibition showcasing forest-based materials and test their knowledge in a popular quiz.
Peter was the final speaker of the day – yet still managed to fully capture the audience’s attention. In addition to presenting his research within WWSC he shared his somewhat unconventional path to an academic career.
“Inspiring young people is among the most important things we can do. I also wanted to show that there are many possible paths, and they are not always straightforward – but they do, of course, lead to chemistry. And that is the best thing you can work with,” says Peter.
The strong engagement in the lecture hall was evident, with the talk followed by several curious and well-informed questions.
“I even had to sign autographs afterwards!” he adds with a laugh.
The conference is an annual event, with part of the work carried out by the Berzelius Committee, which is responsible for shaping the programme and inviting speakers. This year, Josefin Illergård from KTH has taken over a role on the committee from Monica Ek, who has been involved for many years.
“I have taken part as a student, as a speaker, and now as a member of the committee. It’s great to present cutting-edge research to the students and teachers who attend. There is a strong interest in both chemistry and the forest,” says Josefin Illergård.