Southwest Regional Call for Abstracts

Abstracts are requested for the 62nd Southwest Regional Meeting (SWRM 2006), hosted by the ACS Greater Houston Section, which will take place from Thursday, Oct. 19, through Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Marriott Westchase Hotel in Houston. The meeting's theme is "Nano Scale—Giga Vision," and sessions will encompass biochemistry and medicinal chemistry; chemical education; and analytical, inorganic, organic, polymer, and physical chemistry. Featured topics include nanoscience, biochips, anticancer carbohydrates, catalysis and kinetics of polymers, carbon black in tires, chemical utilization of solar energy, and chemical safety on the Gulf Coast.

Planned symposia include "Chemical Utilization of Solar Energy," "Bridging the Scale: Study of Large Biomolecular Complexes at Multiple Scales," "Advanced Oxides," "Relaxation & Transport in Strongly Nonequilibrium Media," "Molecular Motors," "Modeling Chemical Dynamics in the Quantum Regime," "Signal Proteins," "Computational Chemistry & Drug Design," "Surface Microscopies: AFM & STM," and "Small Chemical Businesses."

Monte Pettitt is the technical program chair, and he may be contacted by e-mail at pettitt@uh.edu or by phone at (713) 743-3263. Please visit the SWRM 2006 website, www.chem.uh.edu/swrm06, for program and event details; to submit an abstract, register for the meeting, or make hotel reservations; and for other important information.

SWRM 2006 special events begin with an opening reception in the exhibition hall on Thursday evening. Other special events include the Welch Summer Scholar Reunion Symposium & Dinner, a Women in Chemistry Symposium & Luncheon, and a Technicians' Symposium. Educator's Day will take place on Saturday, Oct. 21, and programming is planned for K-12 educators. A luncheon is also planned for the educators attending the sessions.

An undergraduate symposium and poster session is planned, and students are encouraged to submit abstracts to participate in the presentations and poster sessions.

On Friday morning, Oct. 20, all registered attendees are invited to the complimentary ACS District Director's breakfast, hosted by ACS board member and District IV Director Eric Bigham. On Oct. 21, the ACS Member Insurance Program is hosting a complimentary breakfast for members to share information on the value of and opportunities provided by the ACS Member Insurance Program. Register early if you plan to attend, as seating is limited to the first 50 people.

The SWRM 2006 Awards Banquet will be held on Friday evening and will feature presentations of national, regional, and local awards, including the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences, the Regional Industrial Innovations Award, and the Regional Volunteer Service Award.

The Chemjobs Career Center, hosted by the ACS Department of Career Management & Development, will host on-site employment interviews with preregistered job seekers for current job openings. Reviews of individual résumés will be conducted, so bring a copy of your résumé. For more information and to sign up, contact the ACS Department of Career Management & Development at (800) 227-5558 ext. 6210.

The Chemjobs Regional Employment Center (CREC), ACS's employment center, provides members and employers with a venue to meet and discuss job opportunities. CREC services are open to ACS members and national and student affiliates. All participants must sign up for CREC as well as register for the meeting. CREC will be open on Thursday and Friday from 8:30 AM to 5 PM. Job seekers must sign up at chemistry.org/careers. Employers interested in recruiting on-site or posting positions in absentia can obtain registration and fee information from the Department of Career Management & Development home page at chemistry.org/careers or by calling (800) 227-5558 ext. 6209.

An exposition will be held in the Grand Pavilion of the Houston Marriott Westchase Hotel and will feature workshops, posters sessions, and coffee breaks. Space is still available, and vendors wishing to participate should visit the SWRM 2006 meeting website at www.chem.uh.edu/swrm06/Exposition.htm for additional information. An application form is available in the exposition section of the SWRM 2006 website, or you may contact the exposition chair, Tecle Rufael, at (713) 954-6346, by e-mail at tecle.rufael@chevron.com, or by fax at (713) 954-6369.

The online abstract submittal program and online and downloadable advance registration forms are now available at the SWRM 2006 website, www.chem.uh.edu/swrm06. The deadline for abstracts is Friday, Sept. 1. Advance registration is also open, and attendees are encouraged to take advantage of the registration discounts for early registrants. Registration is also available through the ACS regional meetings website at www.chemistry.org/meetings/regional.

For more information, contact one of the general meeting cochairs, Mamie Moy at mmoy@uh.edu or Joe Hightower at jhigh@rice.edu.

SWRM 2006 has reserved a block of rooms at the Houston Marriott Westchase Hotel. Use the group reservation code "ACS." Reservations can be made through the meeting's online hotel registration at www.chem.uh.edu/swrm06, by telephone at (713) 978-7400, or at www.marriott.com.