June marked a vibrant month for Murdoch University’s Chemistry team, hosting a series of events that brought together budding scientists, industry professionals, and the wider academic community.

On June 5, Murdoch played host to a regional heat of the prestigious Royal Australian Chemical Institute’s (RACI) National Titration Competition. High school students demonstrated their prowess in hands on analytical determination of a sample of unknown quantity, competing for the closest precision and accuracy in determination.

Fast forward to June 13, the university welcomed 44 attendees to the Western Australian Symposium on Inorganic Chemistry. Featuring 16 compelling presentations, the symposium brought together representatives from all WA universities, industry professionals, and an international exchange PhD student from Politecnico di Torino, Italy. The day was capped with a sundowner and prize announcements, all made possible through the generous backing of event sponsors —Metrohm, John Morris, ROWE scientific, Ezzi Vision, Spinifex brewing co. and Dalton Transactions.

Congratulations to the five students recognized for their outstanding presentations:

• Emma Gaschk – University of Western Australia
• Diego Cordova Marino – University of Western Australia
• Owen Horoch – Murdoch University
• Nathan Dempsey – Curtin University
• Eleonora Previati – Politecnico di Torino / University of Bologna / Curtin University

(Photographs courtesy of M. Korb)

The symposium was spearheaded by Dr Todd Gillam, alongside co-organisers Prof. Max Massi (Curtin University), Dr Marcus Korb (UWA), and Dr Elodie Rousset (Fortescue). A special thank you goes to Laura Stanton and the Food Futures Institute who were instrumental in supporting the success of the event and the logistics surrounding the day.

Closing out the month on June 17, Dr Gillam delivered a talk titled “Navigating the Labyrinth of Early Career Chemistry Side Quests” at the RACI WA Chemraderie Event at Curtin University, supported by ChemCentre. His presentation highlighted a series of early-career research projects — a testament to the diverse and creative directions chemistry can lead.

Together, these events reflect Murdoch University’s dedication to advancing education, celebrating innovation, and connecting communities through science.