The scientific field that focuses on the ultra-small - nanotechnology - will
play the biggest single role in the 237th National Meeting + Exhibition of the
American Chemical Society (ACS),
which takes place here from March 22-26. ACS, the world's largest scientific
society, has scheduled more than 135 major symposia on aspects of nanotechnology.
The topics, which will be discussed in nearly 1,000 research papers, range from
"green" manufacturing processes to the medical, commercial, and industrial applications
of nanotech that are predicted to spawn new multi-billion-dollar industries.
The nanotech sessions are part of a larger program, expected to bring more
than 11,000 scientists and others to the capital city of Utah. The scientific
sessions include 7,200 presentations on new discoveries that span science's
horizons, from astronomy to zoology. The topics include food and nutrition,
medicine, health, energy, the environment, and other fields where chemistry
plays a central role. Sessions will be held in the Salt Palace Convention Center
and downtown hotels. In addition, the meeting - among the largest scientific
gatherings of 2009 - will feature a sprawling exhibit area, with more
than 200 exhibits of scientific instrumentation, journals, and other items.
In keeping with the meeting theme, "Nanoscience: Challenges for the Future,"
several special Presidential Events will be held, organized by ACS President
Thomas H. Lane, Ph.D. Among them are a keynote address, "From Nature and
Back Again: Giving New Life to Materials for Energy," March 22, by noted
Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist Angela Belcher, Ph.D.; "The
Kavli Foundation ACS Presidential Plenary Session on Challenges in Nanoscience,"
on March 23; and "Naturally Nano," a symposium on March 24.
The ACS Press Center for the meeting will be located in Hall A of the Salt
Palace Convention Center. It will include press briefings and a news media workroom
with staff to assist in arranging interviews, wireless Internet access, telephones,
computers, photocopy and fax services, and refreshments.
For reporters planning to cover the meeting from their home bases, the ACS
Office of Public Affairs (OPA) will hold daily press briefings with audio and
video available over the Internet. Embargoed copies of press releases and a
press briefing schedule will be available at the ACS Press Room on Eurekalert,
http://www.eurekalert.org/acsmeet.php,
in March. Reporters also will have access to abstracts of research papers and
hundreds non-technical summaries of research presentations written by the scientists.
In the press briefing room - organized in ACS' popular "LiveChat" format, scientists
and news media will gather onsite in a setting much like a traditional press
conference. However, audio and video from proceedings will be available over
the Internet. Reporters working from home bases will have the ability to question
scientists at each chat session. Details on obtaining access to the chat room
will be available in March.
News media can apply for complimentary registration now at media registration.
Hotel reservations and other information also are available at meeting pressroom.
The OPA will issue a link to all embargoed news releases to the media shortly
before the meeting.
For reporters planning to cover the meeting from their home bases, the OPA
will provide an expanded suite of resources, including press releases, non-technical
summaries of research presentations, and staff to arrange interviews.