The 38th Central Regional Meeting (CRM 2006), hosted by the ACS Midland Section, will be held in Frankenmuth, Mich., on May 16–20, 2006. In keeping with the meetings theme, Diverse Interactions: The Elements of Success, abstracts are sought for symposia on a wide variety of scientific interests. In addition, the 39th Annual Silicon Symposium will be held concurrently with the CRM 2006 meeting.

CRM 2006 will open with an exciting plenary presentation, Ecology, Economy, and the Sea by Jean-Michel Cousteau, son of the late Jacques Cousteau. Famous for his intimate knowledge of the sea, Cousteau is committed to preserving clean water and the ocean for all creatures.

The meeting will feature major symposia covering emerging, traditional, regional, and special topics, including advanced lithography, alternative feedstocks, emulsion polymerization and latex technology, olefin catalysis and plastic materials, polymer characterization, coatings technology, personal care, pharmaceuticals, and rubber and elastomers technology. There will be daily plenary lectures supplemented by nine parallel sessions over the four-day meeting.

Special symposia will include Brewing Science; History of Chemistry in the Midland Area; Analyzing the World around Us, a technicians symposium; Functionalized Polymer Interfaces & Adhesion; and Knowledge Management/Data Mining.

Special events throughout the week include the Women in Chemistry Luncheon plus local, regional, and national ACS award celebrations. Akira Sekiguchi of the University of Tsukuba, Japan, who is the recipient of the 2006 Frederic Stanley Kipping Award in Silicon Chemistry, will be honored. And both local and regional ACS awards will celebrate the contributions of teachers, students, and volunteers to chemistry education.

A half-day workshop, Nanotechnology: Its a Small, Small World, will be offered as part of the undergraduate and student affiliate program. Other workshops will cover science literacy, bringing science to life in the classroom, innovation, brewing science, and ACS career services.

The online abstract program and advance registration opened on Nov. 21. Abstracts will be accepted until March 10, 2006. Submit abstracts online and make hotel reservations through the CRM 2006 website at www.crm2006.org.

Early hotel registration is strongly recommended for CRM 2006 to ensure your lodging at the negotiated meeting rate at the Bavarian Inn Lodge, the principal meeting location. Visit the website for periodic program updates, and for more information, contact the program chairs at admin@crm2006.org.

This conference is expected to draw 1,300 attendees from the central region. Exhibitors may still reserve booth space by contacting the exposition chair at admin@crm2006.org.

... And For 2006 Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting

The 38th Middle Atlantic Regional Meeting (MARM 2006), jointly hosted by the ACS Southeastern Pennsylvania and Susquehanna Valley Sections, will be held on June 4–7, 2006, at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center in Hershey, Pa. Major symposia are planned around the themes of analytical chemistry, medicinal and organic chemistry, chemical history, chemical education, and solid-state and materials science.

Special symposia honoring the winners of the Alfred Burger Award in Medicinal Chemistry and the Cope Scholar Awards in Organic Chemistry are planned. The Delaware Valley Chromatography Forum student award recipients for 2005 will give presentations on their research, and the ACS Regional Industrial Innovation Award winners will receive their awards and present a symposium.

MARM is planning a celebration of the life of Joseph Priestley and the 100th anniversary of the Food & Drug Administration. There will be programs on the chemistry of chocolate, beer, tea, and wine; the role of mass spectrometry in toxicology and metabolite identification; the use of proteins as biomarkers; and the rational design of proteins.

Analytical sessions on capillary electrophoresis, fluorescence, nuclear magnetic resonance, food safety, pharmaceutical cleaning validation, and process technology will be interspersed with a variety of other invited sessions in biochemistry, carbohydrates, forensics, and computational chemistry.

Each evening will conclude with a plenary presentation from distinguished chemists, including Paul S. Anderson, Edward S. Yeung, and Sally and Howard Peters. Visit the meeting website at www.marm2006.org frequently to keep up to date as the meeting plans move forward.

On Sunday, June 4, Science Education & Career Day will offer programming focused on the needs of students, their parents, and their teachers. Student affiliate chapters have been invited to participate in a full program that will consist of sharing information on research and outreach programs along with eminent scientist lectures. Student events will be incorporated into the regular programming to maximize student interaction with working scientists.

The ACS Office of Career Services will be running sessions on Sunday on interviewing techniques and rsum writing, along with providing interview opportunities through the Chemjobs Regional Employment Center. Attendees can also explore the exhibition, which will feature a wide range of vendors and service providers including publishers, and chemical instrumentation, glassware, and other lab supplies. Interested vendors should contact Peter Christie at (717) 531-8048 or at pacwheat@aol.com.

In addition to technical symposia, there are a number of special events, including an awards banquet. There will also be special lunches for senior chemists and women chemists. Tours of the Hershey Food facilities will be available (advance registration required), and there is a lot of family fun to be had at Hershey Park.

Abstracts are requested for oral and poster presentations in all disciplines of chemistry. Abstracts must be submitted electronically through the MARM 2006 website at www.marm2006.org. Abstracts will be accepted until March 17, 2006.

For further information, visit the meeting website or contact program chairs Timothy Strein at strein@bucknell.edu or Stephen Waller at waller@njacs.org.