2013 Northeast Regional Meeting

The New Haven Section of the American Chemical Society will host the 39th Northeast Regional Meeting (NERM 2013) at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale, in New Haven, Conn., from Wednesday, Oct. 23, through Saturday, Oct. 26. For the most up-to-date information on program schedules, committee contacts, registrations, hotel reservations, and events, check the meeting website at nerm2013.sites.acs.org.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM. The technical program will include general sessions on analytical, inorganic, medicinal, organic, and physical chemistry. Symposia will include “Advancing Graduate Education in the Chemical Sciences”; “Alternative Technologies for Synthetic Organic Chemistry”; “Art & Archaeology: Analysis & Conservation Methods”; “Asymmetric Synthesis & Catalysis”; “Biochemistry”; “Biofuels”; “Bioinorganic Chemistry”; “Bioorganic Chemistry/Chemical Biology”; “Chemical Education”; “Drugs from the Northeast”; “Fluorescent Dyes & Vectors for Diagnostics”; “Forensic Analytical Chemistry”; “Green Chemistry,” with sessions focusing on success stories and on 21st-century workforce skills; “Intellectual Property Fundamentals: What Everyone in R&D Must Know”; “International Chemistry Connections,” in honor of the 13th annual student exchange between the Young Chemists Forum of the German Chemical Society and the Younger Chemists Committee of the Northeastern Section of ACS; “Nanoscience”; “Nitrogen Heterocycles: A Tribute to the Pioneer of Pyrimidine Chemistry”; “NMR Spectroscopy”; “Organometallic Chemistry & Catalysis”; “Phosphodiesterases as Drug Targets for CNS [central nervous system] Disorders”; “Safety in the Chemical Laboratory”; “Small Chemical Businesses,” with sessions focusing on resources for start-ups, best practices for entrepreneurs, and true stories of success; “Synthesis & Application of Isotopically Labeled Molecules”; and “The Use of Boron Reagents in Organic Synthesis.”

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM. Undergraduates will have the opportunity to interact with their peers during the undergraduate oral symposium on Friday afternoon and the undergraduate poster session on Saturday morning. In addition, they are invited to attend the Friday evening undergraduate mixer, where they can network with other students to learn about successful chapter operations.

WORKSHOPS & COURSES. The ACS Office of Career Management & Development will offer the workshop “Acing the Interview” on Wednesday morning, and an ACS career consultant will be available to review résumés on Wednesday afternoon. Sign-up will be available at the meeting registration desk; attendees must bring a copy of their résumé for review.

In addition, two ACS Leadership Development System courses will be offered during NERM 2013 to help attendees become highly skilled leaders. The course fee for each four-hour course is $150 for members and $300 for nonmembers. However, scholarships are available for both courses.

On Wednesday morning, the “Coaching & Feedback” course will provide leaders with a proven process, practical tools, and a hands-on opportunity to coach volunteers and employees more effectively.Anyone who has tried coaching without proper training will tell you it is not as easy as it looks. Yet, coaching effectively is central to your success as a leader, the success of volunteers, and ACS. It is a key skill that will help you increase performance, expand your team’s skills, improve relationships and morale, encourage creativity, and promote achievement.

On Wednesday afternoon, the “Developing Communication Strategies” course will focus on how to be more successful in communicating with others about issues of importance to you—especially in cases where you want them to take action in response to your communication.

A forensic chemistry workshop will be offered on Saturday morning. Howard Harris, a forensic science professor at the University of New Haven, will discuss applications of chemistry to a number of cases, followed by a hands-on session where participants will learn forensic chemistry techniques. Topics will include pattern evidence, document examination, controlled substances, trace evidence, firearms examination, and arson.

EXHIBITION. NERM 2013 will feature a variety of exhibitors from New England companies such as Alfa Aesar, Spectrum, and 3R Services as well as national and international firms including Sigma-Aldrich, Biotage, and Shimadzu. A number of graduate programs will also be represented.

SOCIAL EVENTS. A welcome mixer is scheduled for Wednesday evening. The plenary dinner on Thursday evening will feature guest speaker Donna J. Nelson, professor of chemistry at the University of Oklahoma and science adviser to the television show “Breaking Bad” (see page 32).The awards dinner on Friday evening will feature ACS President Marinda Li Wu as the guest speaker. Event tickets may be purchased on-site, as available. Check the NERM 2013 website for additional information.

LODGING. Rooms are available at the Omni New Haven Hotel at Yale. Check the NERM 2013 website for additional information about accommodations.

ACTIVITIES. NERM conference attendees and their guests can find information about New Haven attractions at www.visitnewhaven.com.

REGISTRATION. Meeting registration is available through the NERM 2013 website. The advance registration deadline is Oct. 4. Online registration will remain open at the on-site registration rates until Oct. 18. After that date, participants must register on-site.