The Merck Young Chemists’ Symposium (MYCS), XXIV Edition, took place from 1st to 3rd December 2025 at the Hotel Continental and Hotel Sporting in Rimini, Italy. Organised annually, this public meeting gathered approximately 250 young chemists and represented a key international event entirely dedicated to early-career researchers in the field of Chemistry.
The symposium was promoted by the Società Chimica Italiana (SCI) and was organized by its Young Group (SCI Giovani) in collaboration with the National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM), with financial support from Merck and additional sponsors. Thanks to SCI’s active role within the European Chemical Society (EuChemS), the symposium had a strong international character, welcoming participants from all over the world and hosting distinguished international plenary speakers.
MYCS covered all disciplines of Chemistry and was specifically oriented toward young researchers, including MSc and PhD students, scholarship holders, postdoctoral fellows, and young professionals working in industry or non-academic research institutions. The event provided a dynamic platform for scientific exchange, networking, and professional development, encouraging participants to present and discuss their latest research findings in an open and collaborative environment.
During the symposium, research results were presented through oral communications and poster sessions. In this context, Laura Riva, junior researcher (RTD-A) in the Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, presented her SafeCREW research with a poster entitled “Green cellulose-based nanomaterials for the improved monitoring of water microbiological quality”.
The presentation attracted significant attention from the audience, which showed strong interest in the environmental relevance and practical applications of the SafeCREW results. Numerous questions were asked during the poster session, leading to engaging scientific discussions and valuable feedback.