ACS Midwest Regional Meeting 2018

The ACS Ames Local Section will host the 2018 Midwest Regional Meeting (MWRM) at Iowa State University from Sunday, Oct. 21, to Tuesday, Oct. 23. The general chair is Tom Holme, and the program chair is Javier Vela, both of Iowa State University.

Technical program. The meeting’s theme is “The Critical Role of Chemistry,” with symposia focusing on materials and their critical roles in energy; biomedicine; optical, magnetic, and electronic devices; and carbon capture and storage. A symposium titled “Measurement & Evidence in Chemistry Education” will anchor the education program.

One of the highlights of the meeting will be the Midwest Regional Award symposium on Monday, which will honor the Midwest Regional Award winner, Qingfeng Ge, a professor of chemistry at Southern Illinois University. His talk is titled “Simulating Heterogeneous Catalysis for Energy- and Environment-Related Applications.”

For those interested in the business side of chemistry, the “Entrepreneurs Toolkit” symposium, sponsored by the Division of Small Chemical Businesses, will offer insights on resources and best practices available for those who are thinking about turning their chemistry discoveries into new business opportunities.

Workshops. ACS Career Services will be offering workshops, including “Finding Yourself,” which helps participants identify a career that matches their strengths and values. The workshop “Networking: How to Get Started” will help early-career chemists leverage their networking skills to enhance their job search. In addition to these workshops, meeting attendees can schedule one-on-one résumé and curriculum vitae reviews on Monday and Tuesday.

Undergraduate programming. More than 100 undergraduate research presentations will take place during the conference. In addition, an outreach and chemistry demonstration event will take place in Hach Hall, the main chemistry research building, on Sunday afternoon. Social events include a pub trivia night hosted by the Ames Younger Chemists Committee (YCC) chapter on Sunday evening. And a YCC luncheon on Monday will feature author Teresa Waldof, who will give a talk titled “Code Name—Quik-Phix: Dr. Wilhelm, the Manhattan Project & the Secret Work of Ames Lab.” The talk will highlight the discovery by H. A. Wilhelm of Iowa State University of a process to generate uranium metal from its oxide, which played a key role in the Manhattan Project in World War II.

Exposition. A reception on Sunday evening will help kick off the exposition, which will run through Tuesday. Undergraduates can learn about opportunities for graduate school from representatives of chemistry departments across the U.S. Attendees can stop by the membership lounge to learn about the many ways that ACS can benefit chemists at all stages of their careers.

Awards. Several awards will be presented at the meeting. These include the ACS Midwest Chemistry Award, the ACS Division of Chemical Education Midwest Region Award for Excellence in High School Teaching, and the E. Ann Nalley Regional Award for Volunteer Service to ACS. The awards banquet will take place on Monday.

Social events. Among the social highlights of MWRM 2018 will be a reception on Sunday evening, along with a Sci-Mix selection of some of the most interesting posters that have been submitted from all aspects of the technical program. An awards reception will follow the awards banquet on Monday evening.

Lodging and registration. Early-bird registration for the meeting has ended, but the on-site rate is available through the end of the meeting. Rooms are available at a reduced rate at the primary conference hotel, the Gateway Hotel & Conference Center, located 1.6 km from the Scheman Building. The Best Western Plus University Park Inn & Suites and the Radisson Hotel Ames Conference Center at Iowa State University also have room blocks at reduced rates. For more information about attending MWRM, visit the meeting website at mwrm2018.chem.iastate.edu.