2014 Southwest Regional Meeting

Cowboys, culture, and chemistry—Fort Worth will bring the best of the West and more to the American Chemical Society’s Southwest Regional Meeting (SWRM 2014).

Join the society’s Dallas-Fort Worth Section on Wednesday, Nov. 19, through Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel for the meeting. Whether you’re in academia, industry, or a nontraditional chemistry job, or you’re in transition, SWRM 2014 has something for you. Details can be found at the meeting website, swrm2014.org.

TECHNICAL PROGRAM. One of the highlights of the meeting will be a keynote symposium on Thursday. Speakers from several federal agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Aeronautics & Space Administration, will discuss innovation and the intersections between the federal labs, academia, and industry.

If environmental topics pique your interest, you can attend SWRM 2014’s entire day of programming focused on sustainability, climate change, and water purification.

And if you’re interested in starting a business, growing your business, or even selling your business, you’ll gain plenty of insight at SWRM 2014, where experts in financing, patenting, and other areas of business will be presenting. In addition, a pro bono patent assistance panel on Wednesday will offer tips on where independent inventors can gain patent assistance when they may not otherwise be able to afford it.

Abstracts are being accepted for symposia including, but not limited to, “Biochemistry, Cell Signaling & Drug Discovery”; “Bioinorganic Chemistry”; “Chemical Education”; “Computational Chemistry”; “Functional Polymers: Synthesis, Characterization & Applications”; “Main-Group Chemistry”; “Natural Product Discovery & Biosynthesis”; “New Advances in Mass Spectroscopy Research”; “New Methods in Forensic Chemistry”; and “Women in Chemistry.” General session submissions are also being accepted. The deadline to submit an abstract through the ACS Program & Abstract Creation System (abstracts.acs.org) is Oct. 17.

Other opportunities to present research will include the general poster sessions and the undergraduate poster session.

WORKSHOPS. If you’re interested in safety issues, the meeting will offer a workshop on Wednesday on “Essential Information & Training for the Chemical Hygiene Officer.” It will cover relevant regulatory requirements as well as best management practices and the development of chemical hygiene plans. It will also cover essential resource materials, fundamental risk assessment and management, fundamental exposure assessment, and basic emergency response.

For graduate students and postdocs, the “Preparing for Life After Graduate School” workshop on Thursday and Friday will serve as an opportunity to learn about various career options and how to prepare for them. In addition to the workshop, two expert consultants will be available on Friday and Saturday for students to schedule one-on-one résumé and curriculum vitae reviews.

SWRM 2014 also will offer the ACS career workshop “Finding Your Pathway” on Thursday morning. This workshop is ideal not only for graduate and undergraduate students but also recent grads and experienced professionals considering a career change.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMING. If you’re considering what to do after you complete your undergraduate degree, SWRM 2014 has programming that could provide you with some guidance. Various sessions on career path options will be available, including the “Finding Your Pathway” workshop and a graduate school fair that will take place on Friday evening. Applications for schools that want to participate in the fair can be found on the meeting website. Undergraduates can also participate in an undergraduate ice cream social on Friday between the undergraduate poster session and the graduate school fair.

EXPOSITION. A reception on Wednesday evening will help kick off the exposition, which will run through Friday. The expo will offer a great opportunity to learn about the latest products on the market. Applications for exhibitors are available on the meeting’s website.

AWARDS. Several awards will be presented at the meeting. These include the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences, the ACS Division of Chemical Education Southwest Region Award for Excellence in High School Teaching, the E. Ann Nalley Regional Award for Volunteer Service to ACS, and the Southwest Regional ACS Award. The awards luncheon will take place on Friday.

SOCIAL EVENTS. Among the social highlights of SWRM 2014 will be a gala reception on Thursday evening, sponsored by intellectual property law firm Klemchuk Kubasta LLP. At the event, you’ll mingle with fellow attendees and enjoy a taste of the West. Participants are also invited to attend the Women Chemists Luncheon on Thursday. And a new social event called Networking Dine Around will take place in the evening on Wednesday and Friday. Attendees can sign up to join other attendees at local restaurants, network with one another, and experience all that Fort Worth has to offer.

LODGING & REGISTRATION. Early-bird registration for the meeting ends at 11:59 PM CDT on Oct. 31, but you can register at the on-site rate through the end of the meeting. However, your opportunity to reserve a room at a reduced rate at the beautiful Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel—which is in the middle of downtown Fort Worth on Sundance Square—ends at 11:59 PM CDT on Oct. 28.