ACS National Meeting In Salt Lake City

THIS WEEK'S ISSUE of C&EN contains information about the 237th ACS national meeting, which will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah, on March 22–26. An exciting program with a major focus on nanoscience awaits attendees.

As pointed out in the Feb. 16 issue (page 3), ACS national meeting and exposition preliminary and final technical programs are no longer entirely printed in C&EN. They are now available on the ACS website. In particular, this week's issue does not contain the full listing of papers that has traditionally appeared in the magazine.

The technical program summary grids, which present a listing of symposia titles and days organized by division, do appear in this issue. To access the division technical program, visit www.acs.org/saltlakecity2009 and select the "Technical Program" link on the left navigation.

The full technical program is also available in searchable PDF format on C&EN Online. You can access the entire technical program or select specific divisions for printing convenience. As always, the on-site meeting program book will be distributed at the meeting.

These changes are in accordance with the society's goals of environmental and financial sustainability. As ACS Executive Director and CEO Madeleine Jacobs put it in a recent e-mail to society members, this "green" initiative "is a departure from our tradition, but it is important to recognize new opportunities within challenges." C&EN and the Membership & Scientific Advancement Division have worked closely to ensure that members have efficient and timely access to all of the information they need to register for and plan their activities in Salt Lake City.

It promises to be an exciting meeting. I have visited the University of Utah and Salt Lake City on a number of occasions in the past 30 years, and in addition to its spectacular Rocky Mountain setting, the city is a vibrant metropolis with an excellent public transportation system.

The thematic programming for the meeting centers on "Nanoscience: Challenges for the Future." Paul S. Weiss, distinguished professor of chemistry and physics at Penn State and editor-in-chief of the new ACS journal ACS Nano, has played a major role in shaping the programming. Weiss was the primary organizer of the presidential keynote address on nanoscience, "From Nature and Back Again: Giving New Life to Materials for Energy," by Angela Belcher, a professor of bioengineering and materials science at MIT. Weiss also organized the Kavli Foundation ACS Presidential Plenary Session, "Challenges in Nanoscience," which will feature presentations by Vicki Colvin of Rice University, Jim Hutchison of the University of Oregon, George Whitesides of Harvard University, and C. Grant Willson of the University of Texas, Austin.

Weiss also was the coorganizer of seven nano-themed symposia being held during the meeting. Altogether, more than 40 symposia sponsored by 21 technical divisions fall under the nanoscience thematic rubric.

There's lots more happening in Salt Lake City, including five Presidential Events, ranging from one I'm particularly interested in, "Global Energy Challenges in the 21st Century," to one that is lighthearted, "Chemistry of Chocolate," to one that marks the launch of the ACS Leadership Development System, "Leadership: Facing the Challenges of Today & Tomorrow." In all, the ACS president, 30 technical divisions, and five committees will host programming in 613 half-day oral sessions and 89 poster sessions. More than 7,000 papers will be presented.

Most of the ACS national awards recognizing individuals or team accomplishments in diverse fields of the chemical sciences will be presented during the awards dinner and general meeting on Tuesday. Priestley Medalist M. Frederick Hawthorne will deliver his address that evening. I'll be donning my tuxedo as I do every spring national meeting for that delightful evening.

Thanks for reading.