Calls for Papers: MARM, CERMACS 2008

Abstract submissions are sought for the 40th Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting (MARM 2008), which will be held May 17???21 at Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York, Bayside (Queens).

The meeting will be hosted by the ACS New York Section. Many symposia and events are planned around the theme "Chemistry and Health," reflecting the importance and impact of the health sciences in the New York metropolitan area. The meeting will also feature exciting plenary lectures by Ronald Breslow of Columbia University and Roald Hoffmann of Cornell University.

Abstracts are welcome in all selected topics, which include sessions and symposia on analytical chemistry; biomimetic catalysis and biocatalysis; biochemistry; chemical education; chemical evolution; chemistry and the arts; and clinical, computational, environmental, forensic, and green chemistry. Other topics to be addressed are HIV/AIDS, industrial chemistry, inorganic chemistry, ionic liquids, materials chemistry, organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, photochemistry, physical chemistry, polymer chemistry, spectroscopy of biological systems, and infrared spectroscopy. For more information contact technical program cochairs Jack Norton at jrn11@columbia.edu and John R. Sowa Jr. at sowajohn@shu.edu.

Abstracts on general topics are also welcome. Undergraduate and graduate students are encouraged to contribute papers to the technical sessions and will present alongside working scientists. The online abstract submission program opened Jan. 7 and will close March 15. Abstracts must be submitted electronically through the MARM 2008 website at www.marmacs.org.

Programming for students and teachers is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18, beginning with the 56th NY-ACS Undergraduate Research Symposium (URS) on May 17. Students who make oral presentations at URS will receive free MARM registration. Chemagination and Project SEED poster sessions, as well as activities planned by the student affiliates chapter of St. John's University are also scheduled. Chemical educators are invited to attend the free Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning workshop, the New York Section Nichols Teacher forum, probeware workshops, and chemical demonstrations.

Several special symposia and events will take place at MARM 2008. The U.S. section of the Royal Society of Chemistry will hold its spring meeting on Saturday night, May 17, and a meeting and luncheon of the Women Chemists Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, May 20. A banquet will honor recipients of many awards—the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences, the E. Emmet Reid Award in Chemistry Teaching at Small Colleges in the ACS Mid-Atlantic Region, the ACS Division of Chemical Education Mid-Atlantic Region Award for Excellence in High School Chemistry Teaching, the Regional Industry Innovation Award, the Delaware Valley Chromatography Forum 2008 Student Award, and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Volunteer of the Year Award. Symposia are planned around many of these awards.

MARM 2008 will also feature an exposition where vendors are encouraged to showcase products and services that complement the program. Exhibitors who are interested in participating should visit the meeting website for additional details or contact the exhibits chair, Luis Avila, at laa4@columbia.edu.

For more information on MARM 2008, please contact the general chair, Paris Svoronos, at (718) 631-6280 or psvoronos@qcc.cuny.edu, or the secretary, David Sarno, at dsarno@qcc.cuny.edu.

Periodic updates on the program, as well as detailed information on transportation and lodging, will be available on the meeting website, www.marmacs.org.

The 40th Central Regional Meeting (CERMACS 2008) will be hosted by the ACS Columbus Section and will take place June 10-14 at the Hyatt Regency in Columbus, Ohio. The abstracts program is now open for submission of papers at the meeting's website, www.cermacs2008.org, where users can also monitor meeting updates.

Abstracts are requested on green chemistry; homogeneous catalysis; membrane-active peptides and lipid recognition; protein engineering and design; theoretical modeling of solvation: methods and applications; chemistry of supramolecules and assemblies; biomolecular solid-state NMR spectroscopy; nanoscale materials chemistry; alternative energy technologies: chemistry, chemical engineering, and environment; and plastics and polymers. The deadline for submission is April 1. For more information, please contact Claudia Turro, program chair, at turro@chemistry.ohio-state.edu or (614) 292-6708.

CERMACS 2008 will open Tuesday afternoon with a reception and Sci-Mix at COSI, a hands-on science center (www.cosi.org) that attendees will be able to tour. COSI is within walking distance of the Hyatt. Details will be available on the CERMACS 2008 website. Programming is planned in the areas of high school and college chemistry, and attendees can also participate in various workshops.

The meeting will include an exposition of scientific products and services; vendors are invited to take part. Exhibitors wishing to participate should e-mail Sherry Hemmingsen, exposition chair, at sherry.hemmingsen@varianinc.com or call (614) 264-4660 for additional details.

Blocks of rooms have been reserved at the Hyatt Regency for meeting attendees. Visit the meeting website for more information on hotel reservations, as well as to register for CERMACS 2008 early and take advantage of the lower advance rate.