Aug
25
25
2008 Fall National Meeting
Good Times in Philly
Posted by Linda Wang on August 25, 2008 in 2008 Fall National Meeting, ACS Meetings
I always have mixed emotions leaving a national meeting. On the one hand, I had an absolute blast. I met interesting people, learned new things, and experienced a different city. But it’s also good to be home. Here are some of my favorite moments from the past week:
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Music: “Miranda” by Stephen Duros.
See you in Salt Lake City!
Blogger In The Press Room
Aug
22
22
Posted by Bethany Halford on August 22, 2008 in 2008 Fall National Meeting
For several years now both seasoned science writers trying their hand at new media and graduate students turned citizen journalists have been bringing their take on ACS meetings to the blogosphere. But until now, only bloggers working for a media outlet had been enjoying the perks of the press room.
That all changed this week, when Mitch Andre Garcia, the tech savvy UC Berkeley grad student behind Chemical Forums and Chemistry Blog, was granted access to the journalists’ inner sanctuary. Mitch says his new media credentials haven’t changed the way he navigates the meeting, although he does appreciate the press room’s free coffee and Internet access.
Charmayne Marsh of the ACS Communications Office says that the society is keen to get news from the ACS meeting to the public and that blogs are increasingly becoming a venue for science journalism. Bloggers who’d like to get credentials to the press room in Salt Lake City will be able to apply via the National Meeting Press Center, which goes online before the meeting.
Just having some real estate in cyberspace won’t automatically get you a press badge, though. Charmayne says that before giving Mitch the stamp of approval, she had a look at the type of posts he writes and had a few e-mail exchanges with him. She says she found him to be extremely professional.
Synthesizing A Sound
Aug
21
21
Posted by Carmen Drahl on August 21, 2008 in 2008 Fall National Meeting, ACS Meetings
This time around, I came prepared for the joint Organic and Medicinal Divisions’ poster session/concert. In New Orleans, Organic Division Program Chair Scott Sieburth added the local sound (and local beer) to the poster session’s program. The result was a lively concert that had chemists sticking around the convention center much longer into the night than they might otherwise have planned.
I had high expectations in Philadelphia (Sieburth is a professor at Temple University, which makes him a local), and I wasn’t disappointed.
Desirable Philly Addresses?
Aug
21
21
Posted by Carmen Drahl on August 21, 2008 in 2008 Fall National Meeting, ACS Meetings, Chemistry is Everywhere
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| Spotted on a morning stroll. (Photo by Carmen Drahl/C&EN) | Thanks to Beth Halford for pointing this one out. (Photo by Carmen Drahl/C&EN) |
Olympic Dreaming From Philadelphia
Aug
20
20
Posted by Carmen Drahl on August 20, 2008 in 2008 Fall National Meeting, ACS Meetings
Filed by Susan Ainsworth & Linda Wang
This week, the ACS national meeting in Philadelphia is coinciding with the final week of the 2008 summer Olympic Games in Beijing. So, it’s not surprising that the latest Olympic news has been a popular topic of conversation during the meeting’s breaks and social events.
Associate Editor Linda Wang and I wandered the Expo Center on Tuesday, asking unsuspecting visitors to talk about their favorite Olympic events. We also asked them to tell us how they stay active and to identify the Olympic event they would choose to enter if given that chance.
Gin And Juice With Harold McGee
Aug
20
20
Posted by Bethany Halford on August 20, 2008 in 2008 Fall National Meeting, Chemistry and Food
I decided to pass up the lure of free beer at Monday night’s SciMix poster session and instead headed for the rarefied air of the 57th floor of Philly’s One Liberty Place. That’s where the ACS Communications Office feted author and curious cook Harold McGee (that’s him on the right), who won this year’s Grady-Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public.
Cocktails-wise, I clearly made the right decision. David Arnold (left), director of culinary technology at the French Culinary Institute in New York City, was preparing drinks for the crowd of chemists and science writers. McGee described Arnold as “the expert on bubbles and pleasure” and the potables he and his assistant Mindy Nguyen served up certainly didn’t disappoint.
Meet Jonquil Bandy, An “Ask Me” Guy
Aug
20
20
Posted by Linda Wang on August 20, 2008 in 2008 Fall National Meeting, ACS Meetings
You see them everywhere. And they seem to know everything. But who are they?
Top 5 For Wednesday
Aug
20
20
Posted by Carmen Drahl on August 20, 2008 in 2008 Fall National Meeting, ACS Meetings
A few things we’re excited to see and do today …
1. Protecting the Chesapeake Bay. (8:15–11:35 AM, and 1:40–5 PM, Crowne Plaza City Center, Liberty C, AGRO Division)
2. Nose into a session on Chemical Senses and Health, and hear about a new way to “sniff out” skin cancer. (8:30 AM–12 PM and 1:30–5:20 PM, Convention Center, Room 113C, AGFD Division)
3. Check out the cool books and illustrations used to teach chemistry in the 19th century. (2:15–2:35 PM, Sheraton Philadelphia City Center, Salon 10, CHED Division)
4. Visit the expo, where you can snag some free stuff before they close up shop this afternoon. (Convention Center, Halls A and B, 9 AM–1 PM)
5. Catch cutting-edge research in organic and medicinal chemistry, plus refreshments and local band Boris Garcia (7–9 PM, Convention Ctr Ballrooms A/B. Band starts at 8:30 PM, ORGN/MEDI Divisions)
Revolutionary Chemistry
Aug
19
19
Posted by Carmen Drahl on August 19, 2008 in 2008 Fall National Meeting, ACS Meetings
Forget Ben Franklin and his kite. Chemists have their answer to Philadelphia’s gregarious Founding Father in Joseph Priestley, an 18th century clergyman, teacher, philosopher, and scientist. Priestley shared the credit for discovering oxygen with Carl Wilhelm Scheele and Antoine Lavoisier, and he spent his final years in a country house in Pennsylvania.
At the ACS Meeting, Joseph Priestley (actually chemistry teacher and reenactor Ronald Blatchley) is showcasing some of his more famous experiments. Fire? Check. Loud ‘pops’ and ‘bangs’? Check.
I asked Priestley whether he ascribes to a credo that pops up a lot on C&ENtral Science, “Chemistry is everywhere.”
He told me that chemistry is all around us, indeed in the very air we breathe. However, Priestley went on to say, “I studied chemistry to understand the mind and work of God, which is also everywhere.”
Spoken like a true Enlightenment-era scholar.
He will be performing experiments at the expo again on Wednesday from 9AM to noon (Convention Center Halls A/B, Booth 1557).
Joseph Priestley describes “dephlogisticated air”, which is what we today call oxygen.
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Happy Birthday To Us
Aug
19
19
Posted by Bethany Halford on August 19, 2008 in 2008 Fall National Meeting
C&EN turns 85 this year (and we think we’re still looking good) and C&EN Online celebrates its 10th year on the Internet. A small crowd gathered yesterday to share some cake with us, to hear Rudy reminisce about the birth of C&EN Online, and to play a “How well do you know C&EN Online” quiz. (You can take the quiz for yourself by clicking on the “more…” link.)
If you get a chance, stop by C&EN’s booth on the exhibition floor to wish us a Happy Birthday and to pick up a free t-shirt. Folks sporting such C&EN fashions at the booth at 3pm today will be entered into a drawing for a Starbucks gift card or a $50 gas card.
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