Professor John Bremner (centre) with Vice-Chancellor Professor Gerar...

Symposium honours Bremner’s career

Professor John Bremner gave the annual Bert Halpern Lecture at the University of Wollongong on Thursday night (10 July) after 160 delegates had attended a symposium during the day to honour his own career and scientific achievements.

Professor Bremner is a Visiting Fellow at UOW’s School of Chemistry, having retired from his full-time role last Christmas.

Distinguished speakers came from the United Kingdom, New Zealand and around Australia to speak at the One-Day Halpern Symposium which was held to honour Professor Bremner’s career.

Professor Bremner, who joined UOW in 1991 as a Professor of Organic Chemistry, was head of UOW’s School of Chemistry for seven years and introduced UOW’s Bachelor of Medicinal Chemistry degree.

Fittingly, the subject of the Symposium held in his honour was Advances in Heterocyclic Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry.

International speakers included Professor Tim Gallagher from the University of Bristol and Professor Bill Denny from the University of Auckland.

Current School of Chemistry Professor Will Price (who will take over as Dean of the Faculty of Science next month when Professor Rob Whelan takes on his new role as President of the University of Wollongong in Dubai) said the Halpern Symposium had been a great success, and a fitting recognition of Professor Bremner’s scientific achievements.

Professor John Bremner (centre) pictured at the Bert Halpern Symposium to honour his scientific achievements with Professor Will Price (left) and Vice-Chancellor    Professor Gerard Sutton

In the evening, Professor Bremner delivered the annual Bert Halpern Lecture which honours the memory of Bert Halpern, the Foundation Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wollongong from 1970-1980. In recognition of his contributions to science, he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science in 1978.