February 2004
American Chemical Society
Nanotech, new burn therapy featured at chemists' meeting in Anaheim, March 28 - April 1The world's top experts will take a close look at the big picture of nanotechnology in a special presidential symposium at the American Chemical Society's 227th national meeting in Anaheim, March 28 - April 1. Other featured topics include ways to convert greenhouse gases into fuel, a new treatment for severe burns, a view of the L.A.P.D. crime lab, the first in the nation, and the latest developments in gene and stem cell research.
Program sessions will cover the gamut of health, food, agriculture, energy, new materials, astrochemistry and the environment.
ACS, the world's largest scientific society, expects more than 14,000 scientists to attend the meeting. More than 8,300 papers will be presented at nearly 700 technical sessions, which will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center, 800 West Katella Avenue, and at surrounding hotels.
The Presidential Colloquium: Big Promise from "Small" Science�How Nanotechnology will Change our Lives, will be held Sunday, March 28, from 2 p.m. - 5:40 p.m. The colloquium will examine the promise and possible impacts of nanotechnology and nanoscience now and in the future. The session, which brings together many of the top experts in the world, also will explore concerns over potential dangers and limitations of this evolving field. Including this colloquium, more than a dozen nanotechnology-related symposia will be featured during the meeting.
Another session, A Tripartite Presidential Symposium: The NRC Report, titled, Beyond the Molecular Frontier: Challenges for Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, will be held Sunday, March 28 from 7 - 9:30 p.m. It will focus on a National Research Council report on challenges faced by the chemical sciences. Speakers will describe the opportunities for chemical practitioners to make major contributions in the areas of medicine, the environment, homeland security and the quality of life in general.
A symposium, Stem Cell and Vector Biology, organized by the Division of Biochemical Technology, will be held Monday, March 29, from 8:45 a.m. - to 11:30 a.m. This session will highlight new findings about uses for bone marrow transplants, stem cell and gene therapies. Researchers also will present data on the development of treatments for hemophilia and viral hepatitis infection.
In addition to the scientific research, there also will be an exhibition Monday through Wednesday at the Anaheim Convention Center by more than 300 companies providing goods and services of interest to the chemical community.
Other symposia and research papers on the Anaheim program include:
- A new study looking at whether acrylamide, found in French fries and potato chips, is carcinogenic;
- A new treatment for severe burns using cellulose from bacteria that may help with wounds and bedsores;
- How natural foods, like tropical fruits, vegetables, and honey fight cancer and diabetes;
- Evidence showing the Colorado River is contaminated with perchlorate. About 95 percent of the lettuce consumed in the United States is produced near this body of water;
- A look inside the L.A.P.D. crime lab, the first in the nation, which opened seven years before the first FBI forensics lab;
- The hidden hazards of the entertainment industry's special effects;
- A new method of treating diabetes; and
- A presidential session reviewing polymers and other materials used for anti-terrorism and homeland defense.
For further information on the meeting click on [email protected]. Members of the news media interested in attending the meeting will find registration information at http://center.acs.org/applications/media/mediaregform.cfm.
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