17th Winter Fluorine Conference

The 17th Winter Fluorine Conference (17th WFC) will be held Jan. 9–14, 2005, at the Tradewinds Island Grand Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach, Fla. The biennial conference is the premier meeting of the ACS Division of Fluorine Chemistry. The program will feature presentations on the multiple roles of fluorine in pharmaceuticals, materials science, and industrial chemistry, fostering a tradition of enabling new and next-generation technologies. Fluorine, considered a “small atom with a big ego,” plays a major role in all facets of chemistry.

During this six-day international interdisciplinary forum, 16 plenary lectures and 100 oral and poster presentations emphasizing the pivotal role that fluorine plays from materials to medicines will be showcased. A comprehensive tutorial on the role of fluorine in medicinal chemistry and drug discovery research will also be featured. The importance of fluorine in industrial chemistry will be expounded. The conference has no parallel sessions, thus enabling the attendee to get the full benefit of all the presentations. Two student poster awards sponsored by SynQuest Laboratories will be presented for the best poster paper.

At the 17th WFC, the 2005 ACS Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry, sponsored by Honeywell, will be presented to Shlomo Rozen of Tel Aviv University, Israel, for his ground-breaking contributions to the use of elemental fluorine and derived reagents in the area of synthetic intermediates, medical diagnostics, and materials chemistry. Rozen will present an award address titled “Elemental Fluorine—From Back Stage to Central Stage” during the conference banquet on Thursday, Jan. 13. The 17th WFC is expected to exceed previous meetings in both attendance and the variety of presentations.

Committed sponsors of this year’s conference include Air Products & Chemicals, Asahi Glass Co., Atofina, Avery Dennison, Central Glass International, DuPont Central R&D, DuPont Fluoroproducts, Eli Lilly & Co., Halocarbon Products, Kanto Denka Kogyo, Merck KGaA, Oakwood Chemicals, and SynQuest Laboratories.

Information on the technical program and online registration are available through the conference website, http://membership.acs.org/F/FLUO. The advance registration deadline is Dec. 15. Questions regarding registration can be submitted via e-mail to help@acs.org.

A conference housing rate of $140 per night (plus tax) per single/double occupancy room has been arranged with the Tradewinds Island Grand Beach Resort. A special reduced room rate of $99 per night (plus tax) is available for students. A limited number of student rooms are available. Present student ID upon check-in. Reservations can be made directly with the hotel until Dec. 6. Please indicate the conference name when you reserve a room in order to get the conference rate. A one-night’s deposit is required to guarantee a reservation. Tradewinds Island Grand Beach Resort & Conference Center, 5500 Gulf Blvd., St. Pete Beach, FL 33706; phone (727) 367-6461, fax (727) 562-1214, e-mail: reservations@twresort.com or call (800) 808-9833.

ACS has secured discounted transportation rates for the 17th Winter Fluorine Conference. For airline arrangements, contact Delta at (800) 241-6760 and refer to File No. 202142A; United, (800) 521-4041, Meeting Plus Code 517SM; or US Airways, (877) 874-7687, Gold File No. 97692959. All of these airlines offer 5% off the lowest applicable published domestic fares and 10% off unrestricted coach fares, with no Saturday night stay required. United offers an additional 5% off fares booked 30 days in advance.

Automobile rental discounts have also been arranged. Contact Avis at (800) 331-1600, ID Code B120799, or Hertz, (800) 654-2240, ID Code CV No. 02UZ0004.

2005 Regional Meetings

Regional meetings offer ACS members and others the chance to hear about cutting-edge research from academic and industrial chemists, network with colleagues, meet and mentor undergraduate and graduate students, and recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of chemists in their region.
In addition, each meeting hosts the ACS Regional Industrial Innovation Awards, Regional High School Teaching Awards, Chemagination contests, and undergraduate programs.

For more information on the 2005 regional meetings program or to register, go to http://chemistry.org/meetings or send an e-mail to reglmtgs@acs.org.
May 22 –25. Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting, New Brunswick, N.J.
June 15 –18. Northwest Regional Meeting, Fairbanks, Alaska
July 14 –17. Northeast Regional Meeting, Fairfield, Conn.
Oct. 26 –28. Midwest Regional Meeting, Joplin, Mo.
Nov. 1 –4. Southeast/Southwest Regional Meeting, Memphis