241st ACS National Meeting

Twenty-eleven is the International Year of Chemistry, and American Chemical Society President Nancy B. Jackson has an agenda to celebrate that event during the 241st ACS National Meeting. She will host 29 technical divisions and seven committees in original programming over 745 half-day oral sessions and 488 poster sessions, including Sci-Mix. Nearly 9,400 papers will be presented.

Symposia supporting the meeting’s theme, “Chemistry of Natural Resources,” are organized by Ann-Christine Albertsson of the Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm. Newly instituted, The Kavli Foundation Innovations in Chemistry Lecture program will highlight a lecture by Virgil Percec of the University of Pennsylvania on Monday, March 28, at 5:30 PM. A presidential outreach event will be held at the Discovery Science Center on Saturday from 11 AM to 2 PM. Two more events, Hollywood Chemistry and the Asia America Chemical Symposium, will be held during the meeting.

The majority of the 2011 ACS national awards will be presented during this spring meeting, with Ahmed Zewail delivering his Priestley Medal Address at the awards dinner on Tuesday, March 29, at the Anaheim Marriott Hotel. The Arthur C. Cope Award and Cope Scholar Awards are among others that will be presented during the 242nd national meeting in Denver.

Education-focused programs for high school teachers, undergrad and graduate students, postdocs, and chemical professionals who want to expand their options and manage their careers will be offered as well. For undergrads, two professional development symposia and a technical symposium on the chemistry of the Gulf Coast oil spill will be featured, in addition to David Phillips, Royal Society of Chemistry president, presenting “A Little Light Relief.”

For job seekers and employers alike, the ACS Career Fair once again will provide opportunities for actual interviews along with one-on-one career assistance. A wide variety of professional development workshops, including five offered by the ACS Leadership Development System, are available for a fee and registration. As usual, a range of professional development courses, known as ACS Short Courses, will be available with a separate registration and fee. The ever-popular exposition will feature more than 250 companies showcasing services, instruments, books, lab equipment, and much more in over 300 booths.

Even Anaheim has a theme: “Walking on Sunshine”; perhaps visitors will find time to do so.