Register for the 2023 Joint Midwest–Great Lakes Regional Meeting

The American Chemical Society Saint Louis Section and East Central Illinois Local Section invite you to attend the 2023 Joint Midwest–Great Lakes Regional Meeting (MWGLRM). Join chemists Oct. 18–21 at the St. Charles Convention Center in Saint Charles, Missouri. The meeting theme is “Scale Up Your STEM.” Details can be found at www.mwrm2023.org and www.glrm2023.org.

Technical program. Oral and poster sessions in all major chemistry topical areas will be featured. Additionally, 25 special symposia will showcase recent results in cutting-edge research. With 12 concurrent sessions throughout the meeting, you are sure to find presentations and activities of interest. One of the highlights of the meeting will be a plenary talk on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. given by the 2023 recipient of the ACS Midwest Award, Gary Patti from Washington University in St. Louis.

The meeting will kick off with a special event Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. highlighting the attraction, training, and retention of talent in the regional bioscience sector. Learn about ongoing efforts in academia, industry, and workforce development that are turning this region into an area that chemistry professionals want to live and work. “Don’t Flyover . . . Land (in St. Louis)” will bring together panelists from across the region to share their stories, successes, and ongoing challenges. A networking reception will follow. ACS communication personnel will offer a “Trust in Science’’ workshop on Friday 1:30–5:15 p.m. ACS career consultant Lisa Balbes will lead a workshop, “Acing the Interview: Setting Yourself Up for Success in an Interview,’’ and offer individual résumé reviews. A Small Chemical Business Roundtable is scheduled for Friday morning.

Exposition. A Wednesday evening reception and the first poster session will kick off the exposition 7:00–9:00 p.m. Multiple vendors will display new equipment, accessories, and supplies. This is a great opportunity to learn about the latest products on the market. The expo will run on Thursday 8:15 a.m.–5:15 p.m. and on Friday 8:15 a.m.–noon. Applications for exhibitors are available on the meeting’s website.

Undergraduate programming. If you are considering what to do after you complete your undergraduate degree, MWGLRM 2023 has programming that could provide some guidance. Various sessions on career path options will be available, including presentations on Saint Louis start-ups Thursday afternoon and a career panel Friday afternoon. Several sessions of a Graduate School Fair will take place throughout the meeting to minimize schedule conflicts. Applications for schools that want to participate in the fair can be found on the meeting website. Undergraduates can also participate in an Undergraduate Ice Cream Social on Wednesday 5:30–7:00 p.m., right before the expo kick-off.

High school teacher programming. In addition to Thursday and Friday technical sessions and symposia on recent research in chemical education, a Saturday morning minisymposium and workshop titled “Laboratory Safety for the High School Chemistry Lab” are scheduled. The Saturday events are designed specifically for high school chemistry teachers and will particularly emphasize the storage and management of chemicals in the high school setting. Workshop materials will build on the free ACS online course Foundations for Storing, Organizing and Disposing of Chemicals in Educational Settings.

Awards. Several awards will be presented at the meeting for both the Midwest region and the Great Lakes region. These are the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences, the E. Ann Nalley Regional Award for Volunteer Service to ACS, the Division of Chemical Education Region Awards for Excellence in High School Teaching, the Partners for Progress and Prosperity Award, and the ACS Midwest Award. The Awards Banquet will take place Thursday evening, and registration is required.

Social events. You are also invited to sign up for the Thursday Diversity Luncheon featuring a panel of business owners of color and the Friday Mentoring Luncheon to learn about mentoring, coaching, and networking. An Awards Reception will follow Patti’s plenary talk and precede the Awards Banquet. Please be sure to register for these events. In addition, the Younger Chemists Committee is hosting a “Cocktails with Chemists” event on Thursday evening—you are invited to join. The first beverage is complementary; more details are to come.

Lodging and registration. Early-bird registration for the meeting ends at 11:59 p.m. (CDT) Sept. 15, but you can register at the on-site rate through the end of the meeting. The conference hotel is the Embassy Suites by Hilton St. Louis St. Charles, connected by a short bridge to the St. Charles Convention Center. The Embassy Suites features cooked-to-order breakfasts and a happy hour each afternoon. Your opportunity to reserve a room at a reduced rate ends at 11:59 p.m. (CDT) Sept. 27. Please see the meeting website for more information about reserving your room.

Nina Notman is a freelance writer based in Salisbury, England.