MEETINGS
2013 WESTERN REGIONAL MEETING “THE MANY ELEMENTS of Chemistry”
is the theme of the 44th Western Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (WRM2013), which will be held on Oct. 3–6 at the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara in Santa Clara, Calif. The theme was chosen to highlight the diversity of chemistry and its involvement in all aspects of science and life. The meeting will be cohosted by the California and Santa Clara Valley Sections. Santa Clara is located at the south end of San Francisco Bay. The city is convenient to San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and the entire San Francisco Bay Area, which is home to Silicon Valley, the biotech industry, and many small, entrepreneurial, chemistry-based firms engaged in nanotech, solar energy, biofuels, wine, food, and other fields. The Bay Area is also the home of leading corporations in pharmaceuticals, oil and gas production and refining, and home care products, as well as several outstanding universities and government labs. Lee H. Latimer of LHLatimer Consulting and Natalie L. McClure of Adamas Pharmaceuticals are the general cochairs for WRM2013. The program cochairs are Janet L. Gunzner-Toste of Genentech and Bonnie A. Charpentier of CymaBay Therapeutics. For evolving details about the meeting, please visit www.wrm2013.org. TECHNICAL PROGRAM. A highly diverse
program has been organized to reflect the theme of the meeting. Two special symposia, several workshops, and beer chemistry and food chemistry social events will anchor the substantial technical program. On Thursday, a symposium will honor 2000 Priestley Medalist Darleane C. Hoffman of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley, for her groundbreaking research in nuclear chemistry. A Friday symposium on “Advances in Total Synthesis” will honor 2013 Cope Scholar Sarah E. Reisman of California Institute of Technology as part of the organic chemistry program. Technical sessions are scheduled in many areas of chemistry. Sessions in analytical chemistry will cover semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, mass spectrometry
applications and novel techniques, and recent advances and applications in NMR spectroscopy. Biochemical technology sessions will examine advances in upstream and downstream bioprocessing. Chemical safety will be addressed in a presentation on changes in laboratory waste management informed by the revised OSHA Laboratory Standard and the Globally Harmonized System of Classification & Labelling of Chemicals. Chemistry and the law sessions will explore the America Invents Act and alternative careers. Environmental chemistry will be covered in talks on hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in California in the largest shale oil formation in the U.S. Fuel chemistry will offer a session on petroleum and bio-fuel analysis. Inorganic chemistry will be the focus of presentations on small-molecule activation and redox catalysis with metal complexes and surfaces. Presentations related to medicine and natural products will include ethnobotany as inspiration for drug discovery and development, new technologies in natural product discovery, organic chemistry approaches to natural products development, and recent advances in medicinal chemistry. A pharmaceutical science session will discuss solid-state properties in drug development. Polymer chemistry will be explored in talks on the role of 14Si in polymer chemis-
WRM2013 At A Glance Dates: Oct. 3–6 Location: Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, Santa Clara, Calif. Information contacts: Lee Latimer and Natalie McClure, general cochairs,
[email protected]; Bonnie A. Charpentier and Janet GunznerToste, program cochairs, program
[email protected]; Nicole Fisher, ACS Department of Meetings & Expositions,
[email protected] Website: www.wrm2013.org
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try and materials science and on polymers at the interface with biology. Sessions on renewables chemistry will explore biomass-based commodity chemicals from biofuel platforms as well as chemicals and polymers. Solar chemistry sessions will include low-cost materials for photovoltaics and nanomaterials for solar energy. Other talks will cover functional carbonbased nanomaterials, innovation in process chemistry, the many flavors of food chemistry, modern computational chemistry, physical chemistry for a sustainable future, and recent advances in organic chemistry. Special sessions will be presented in several areas. A two-day symposium will address entrepreneurship in chemistry; invited speaker sessions will cover business considerations for science entrepreneurs, models and roles of incubators, sources of funding for entrepreneurs, and true stories of entrepreneurs. The California Section Women Chemists Committee will present several talks by women chemists at various stages of their careers. The education program will include a session on the two-year college as a legitimate pathway for underrepresented minorities pursuing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. A broad range of poster sessions is planned to showcase original research in the topics outlined above, including undergraduate and graduate research. The poster sessions will be integrated into the exhibition space to encourage broad interaction. WORKSHOPS. Several technical and
career workshops will take place during the meeting. Attendees can sign up during registration. The Pharmaceutical & BioScience Society (CACO-PBSS) will cohost a workshop on “Polymorph & Salt Selection: Advanced Approaches for Screening, Preparation & Characterization of Small Molecule Drugs” on Thursday. Safety-related workshops will include “Laboratory Waste Management 2013” on Thursday and “How To Be a More Effective Chemical Hygiene Officer (CA Version)” on Friday. The National Registry of Certified Chemists’ Chemical Hygiene Officer certification exam will be offered on Saturday. The ACS Office of Career Management & Development will present the “Finding Your Pathway” workshop twice on Friday, with a morning session primarily for midcareer
professionals and an afternoon session primarily for students. Résumé reviews by an ACS career consultant will also be available through sign-up at the meeting registration desk. Two half-day courses from the ACS Leadership Development System will be offered on Thursday: “Strategic Planning” and “Collaborating Across Boundaries.” Attendees should sign up for these leadership development courses at
[email protected]. STUDENT PROGRAMMING. A two-day
program for undergraduate chemistry students will include networking sessions sponsored by ACS Corporation Associates, a poster session with a graduate school reception, a program for students interested in studying abroad sponsored by the International Affairs Committee, and a “Skills for Success” networking session developed with the ACS Two-Year College Advisory Board. SPECIAL EVENTS. Several social events
are planned for the meeting and will take place at the hotel. Event tickets may be purchased through registration or as available on-site. On Thursday, the ACS Office of Public Affairs will host a discussion moderated by Edward E. Penhoet, a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology and cofounder of Chiron, on STEM education and national and California state legislative support. That evening, Charles W. Bamforth of the University of California, Davis, will present a talk on “Pilsner, Porter, Polysaccharides & pH: The Classy Chemistry of Beer.” Local microbreweries will provide a beer tasting at the reception. On Friday, District VI Director Bonnie A. Charpentier and other members of the ACS Board of Directors will host a free luncheon and ACS Strategy Café to provide an opportunity for dialogue among the membership. The Western Region Awards Banquet on Friday evening will feature a plenary presentation by 2010 Priestley Medalist Richard N. Zare of Stanford University on “Why Shaken, Not Stirred.” The California Section Women Chemists Committee will host a Saturday luncheon featuring ACS President Marinda Li Wu. Food chemists Shirley O. Corriher, a cookbook author and 2013 GradyStack awardee, and Sara J. Risch, of Popz Europe, will explore “Food Mysteries” at a reception on Saturday evening.
PUBLIC OUTREACH. A poster session on
the “Chemistry of the Elements” for middle and high school students will take place on Saturday. Students are encouraged to present posters on the chemistry and societal impact of the chemical elements important in the formation of and life in the western U.S. Also on Saturday will be a “Teach the Teachers” workshop for middle school teachers, focused on the National Chemistry Week theme of “Energy: Now & Forever!” The meeting will conclude on Sunday with a fun public outreach event of handson chemistry activities at California’s Great America amusement park, adjacent to the hotel. EXHIBITION & SPONSORSHIPS. The
vendor exhibition will be held Thursday through Saturday in the hotel ballroom. The poster sessions and refreshment breaks will also be held in the exhibition area. To reserve space in the exhibit, please visit the meeting website. Sponsorship of the meeting generally, or of specific sessions, refreshment breaks, special events, and handouts, can be arranged through the website or by contacting the cochairs at
[email protected]. LODGING. The Hyatt Regency Santa Clara
has reserved a block of rooms at $139 per night including Wi-Fi service; that rate is available until Sept. 12. Reservations can be made through the meeting website or by contacting the hotel directly and requesting the meeting rate. The hotel offers free parking. It can be easily accessed from I-880 and U.S. 101 and from the San Jose, San Francisco, and Oakland airports. The hotel is located on the San Jose light-rail line (Santa Clara Convention Center stop) and is also approximately a 15-minute walk from a Caltrain station. REGISTRATION. Meeting registration for
members and nonmembers is available at www.wrm2013.org. Discounts are available for students, unemployed and retired members, and several other categories of attendees. Early registration closes Sept. 12. Online registration will remain open at the on-site rates until Sept. 30. After that date, attendees must register onsite. On-site registration will be available from 8 AM to 5 PM from Thursday, Oct. 3, through Saturday, Oct. 5. CEN.ACS.ORG
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