Register for the 2023 Northeast Regional Meeting

The Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society is hosting the Northeast Regional Meeting (NERM) June 14–17 at Northeastern University. The meeting theme is “Chemistry: Crossing Intersections.” Details can be found at 2023.nermconference.org.

Technical program. Highlights of the meeting include four plenary lectures: Stuart Schreiber, a professor at Harvard University, on Wednesday, June 14; Alexa Dembek, chief technology and sustainability officer at DuPont, on Thursday; Cato T. Laurencin, a professor at the University of Connecticut and the 2023 Priestley Medalist, on Friday; and Elizabeth O’Day, founder and CEO of Olaris, on Saturday.

This meeting will have nearly 70 half-day technical oral symposia. These are grouped into the following themes: analytical chemistry; biochemistry and chemical biology; chemical education; chemical entrepreneurship; communities in chemistry; computational and physical chemistry; industrial chemistry; inorganic chemistry and sustainability; medicinal chemistry; organic chemistry; and polymer and materials chemistry. The complete list of symposia is on the conference website. Five poster sessions covering nine disciplinary areas will also be held during the meeting. More than 630 abstracts, including more than 180 posters, have been submitted for the technical sessions.

Workshops. Several career development workshops will take place on Wednesday. These include “ACS Career Consultants,” “ACS CHAS Empowering Academic Researchers to Strengthen Safety Culture,” “ACS Careers in Industrial Chemistry,” and the presidentially supported workshop “Trust and Believe in the Science.” Additional technical workshops in proteomics, small-molecule quantification, nuclear magnetic resonance automation, consultancy within the pharmaceutical value chain, and scientific publishing will be held throughout the meeting. A job fair will be held on Friday afternoon for job seekers and employers. The High School Teacher Program will be held on Saturday. It is sponsored by Beyond Benign, a consulting company for incorporating sustainable chemistry in education, and will feature new sustainable laboratory experiments.

Undergraduate programming. A dedicated oral session for undergraduate researchers will be held on Friday. This will be followed by the Undergraduate Careers Luncheon, where panelists will talk about careers in chemistry for bachelor’s-​level chemists. Undergraduate posters will be included in the poster sessions, allowing the students to network with more experienced scientists. A graduate school fair on Wednesday evening will provide an opportunity for students to learn more about advanced degrees in the field of chemistry.

Exposition. The exposition will be held on Thursday and Friday. Attendees will be able to learn about the latest products and services on the market from nearly 30 companies.

Awards. Regional awards to be presented at NERM 2023 include the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences, the E. Ann Nalley Northeast Region Award for Volunteer Service to the ACS, the ACS Division of Chemical Education Regional Award for Excellence in High School Teaching, and the Partners in Progress and Prosperity Award. The awards dinner will take place on Friday evening with a 360° view of downtown Boston.

Social events. Join attendees in the Curry Student Center on Wednesday evening after the plenary talk for the opening reception, poster session mixer, and graduate school fair. On Thursday, help celebrate LGBTQ+ scientists at the Pride Lunch. A “Graduate Careers beyond the Bench’’ panel will be held during lunch on Thursday. The Northeastern Section Younger Chemists Committee is sponsoring a social event on Thursday evening at Lucky Strike Boston at Fenway and Cheeky Monkey Brewing. On Friday, the Women Chemists Committee and Empowering Women in Organic Chemistry Boston are sponsoring a joint luncheon to celebrate women chemists. Finally, the Northeast Region of the American Chemical Society Board Member Breakfast will be held on Saturday. A closing ceremony with poster award presentations will take place on Saturday after the plenary session.

Registration. Online registration is available through the conference website. On-campus housing can be reserved during registration. There are also several hotels within walking distance of the Northeastern campus. On-site registration will be available through the end of the meeting.

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