2019 Great Lakes Regional Meeting

The American Chemical Society Joliet and Chicago Local Sections will host the 2019 Great Lakes Regional Meeting at the Sheraton Lisle Naperville Hotel in Lisle, Illinois, May 1–4.

Technical program. The meeting theme is “Chemistry Connections: Careers, Education, and Sustainability.” Symposia sessions will highlight advances in inorganic chemistry, electrochemistry, physical chemistry and spectroscopy, chemical education, materials chemistry, organic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, consumer chemistry, analytical chemistry, and biorelated chemistries. There will also be a general poster session and technical workshops.

On Wednesday evening, 2016 Nobel laureate Sir Fraser Stoddart will deliver the keynote lecture. In addition, a symposium on photochemistry will honor Frederick D. Lewis, a professor emeritus at Northwestern University. The ACS Joliet Section will sponsor a symposium in honor of Marcetta Darensbourg, a chemistry professor at Texas A&M University, and the ACS Chicago Section will present her with the Willard Gibbs Award.

Workshops. Workshops will cover topics on active learning, new curriculum tools, molecular modeling, fostering innovation, chemistry careers, online platforms for professional development, and improving ACS local section and student chapter outreach.

For midcareer chemists, students, and postdocs, the ACS Career Day and Employer Showcase on Saturday, May 4, will provide an opportunity to learn about various career options and how to prepare for them. In addition to the workshop, expert consultants will be available for students to schedule one-on-one résumé and curriculum vitae reviews as well as interview practice. The “ACS Student Chapter Workshop” will focus on community outreach and fundraising.

Undergraduate programming. Two undergraduate student oral presentations will be featured, “Undergraduate Research at the Frontiers of Inorganic” and “Accomplishments in Research by Undergraduate Students,” as well as two days of general poster presentations. In addition, representatives from graduate schools will be available at the exposition to share information on their programs.

Exposition. A reception on Wednesday evening will help kick off the exposition, which will run all day Thursday and Friday. The exposition will offer an opportunity to learn about the latest products on the market. Applications for exhibitors are still available on the meeting’s website.

Awards. Several awards will be presented at the meeting, including the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences, the ACS Division of Chemical Education Great Lakes Regional Award for Excellence in High School Teaching, the E. Ann Nalley Regional Award for Volunteer Service to ACS, and the Partners for Progress and Prosperity Award. The awards will be announced during an awards banquet on Friday, May 3.

Social events. Among the social highlights will be a keynote reception on Wednesday night. At the event, meeting attendees will mingle and enjoy jazz and cocktails. Participants are also invited to attend the Women in STEM Luncheon on Thursday and an ice cream social at the poster session on Thursday evening. A Project SEED 5K fundraiser will take place on Thursday morning. A new social event called Young Chemists Tweet-Up will take place on Friday after the banquet awards dinner.

Lodging and registration. Early-bird registration for the meeting ends on April 3, but the on-site rate will be available through the end of the meeting. A block of rooms is available at a reduced rate at the Sheraton Lisle Naperville Hotel. More details are available at the meeting website, www.2019ACSGLRM.org.