Students in CHEM 363: Organic Process Chemistry toured the Apotex pharmaceutical manufacturing facility during the winter term, gaining a firsthand look at how chemical processes move from the lab to large-scale production.
This tour is part of the CHEM 363 curriculum to give students a real-world view into what is involved in scaling reactions from small laboratory experiments to kilogram-scale pilot plants. In this course, they also learn about safety and risk assessment, synthetic route and solvent selection, in-process monitoring and control (such as temperature, pressure, and calorimetry), and tools for evaluating reaction hazards.
During the tour, students got a glimpse into Apotex’s research and development, and manufacturing and logistics areas to learn more about how medicines and health products make it to market. These visits are vital in preparing the next generation of scientists to confidently move from the lab to industry.
“This annual tour connects what students learn in the classroom with how chemistry operates in the real world. From massive 2,000‑litre reactors to precise analytical and scale-up labs, students see the full scope of the industry in action. Experiencing these concepts firsthand brings their studies to life and shows exactly how their knowledge can drive real innovation.”
- Dr. Steven Forsey, Associate Professor, Chemistry
"The Apotex tour was an excellent experience that made the material from CHEM 363 feel much more concrete and connected to real‑world practice. Seeing the scale of the equipment and how reactions are carefully controlled in an actual manufacturing setting was eye-opening. It was especially interesting to hear from the chemists about their work and career paths. Overall, it gave me a much better sense of how classroom concepts translate into industry."
- Emma Tamblyn, third-year chemistry student
"I had the honour of visiting Apotex last year as well, and returning this year really showed how much I have learned. Before taking Dr. Forsey’s Process Chemistry course, I was most familiar with lab-scale work. Seeing large reactors in person and realizing that litres of solvent and materials go into each process, along with the associated costs, left me in awe and made the differences between lab and production scale much more tangible."
- Roger Tsang, fourth-year chemistry student