2019 Southwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting

The American Chemical Society Rio Grande Valley Local Section and the Wyoming Local Section will host the 2019 Joint Southwest and Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting (SWRM-RMRM). The conference will take place Nov. 13–16 at the El Paso Convention Center in El Paso, Texas. The general chairs are Geoffrey Saupe of the Rio Grande Valley Local Section and Dean Roddick of the Wyoming Local Section.

Technical program. ACS president-elect Luis Echegoyen will deliver a keynote presentation on his work with fullerenes. His talk is titled “Buckyball Maracas.” Technical sessions will include “The Science of Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking),” “Environmental Implications and Applications of Nanotechnology,” “Innovative Nanomaterials for Electronics, Energy, Photonics, and Bioanalytics,” “Biomaterials—Synthesis, Function, and Application,” “Bioanalysis,” “Advances in Electrochemistry and Electrochemical Analysis,” “New Horizons in Physical Organic Chemistry,” “New Directions in Metal-Mediated Conversions for Fuels and Feedstocks,” “Organometallic and Coordination Chemistry,” “Ultrafast Processes in Chemistry to Picoseconds and Below,” “Inorganic Chemistry for Energy and the Environment,” “Chemistry for Sustainable Water Treatment and Disinfection,” “Light for Energy: Photonic and Thermal Nanotechnology,” “International Chemical Business: Best Practices,” “Nuclear and Radiochemistry,” “Celebrating the Elements and Their Discoverers,” “Functional Polymers: Synthetic Methodologies and Uses,” and “Undergraduate Peer Facilitation of Learning.” There will also be general sessions in biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry.

Special events. Attendees are invited to attend the welcome mixer, awards banquet, Women in Chemistry Luncheon, Senior Chemists Luncheon, Undergraduate Luncheon, High School Teacher Luncheon, industrial and academic exposition, and poster sessions.

Workshops. For students and postdocs, the ACS Career Pathways Workshop and the ACS Resume Review Workshop on Friday will provide an opportunity to learn about career options and how to prepare for them. The ACS Leadership workshop will provide tools for emerging and veteran organizers to manage organizations and groups of any size.

Undergraduate programming. For those interested in undergraduate education and active learning strategies, Saturday’s symposium events will address best practices, and there will be presentations on what can be brought into a classroom. Talks on other educational topics are also included.

Exposition. A reception and poster session on Wednesday evening will kick off the 3-day industrial and academic exposition in the main hall. The expo will offer attendees an opportunity to learn about the latest technologies and scientific products on the market. Applications for exhibitors are available on the website.

Awards. Several major awards for both the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions will be presented at the meeting. These include the E. Ann Nalley Regional Award for Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society, the Regional Award for Excellence in High School Teaching, the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences, the Partners for Progress and Prosperity (P3) Award, and the Southwest Region ACS Award. The awards banquet will be on Nov. 14.

Lodging and registration. Discount early-bird registration for the meeting ends on Oct. 31. Rooms are available at a reduced rate at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel until Oct. 28. Attendees can download the meeting program app on their phones to form discussion groups, explore social events, and explore local restaurants. Full meeting details are available at swrm.org.