Curated News: Scientific Meetings

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With limited water and an increasing number of people depending on it, water security is tenuous. But integrated water management plans using “blue,” “green,” and “gray” water can increase water security. At the annual meetings of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America on Nov. 3-6, 2013, speakers will address what those colors mean and why those waters are vital.

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In a year-long case study of a major American transportation company, researchers at The Ohio State University have uncovered the strategies that helped the company maintain safety and meet customer demand during 2012’s Hurricane Sandy.

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As more and more people recognize the importance of the wild relatives of crop plants to agriculture and food security, interest in cataloging and conserving these plants is building around the world. At the annual meetings of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America on Nov. 3-6, 2013, two speakers will describe the latest efforts to identify and protect the wild relatives of domesticated crop plants both in the United States and abroad.

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Sandia National Laboratories researchers are studying the movement of iodine-129 from spent nuclear fuel through a deep, clay-based geological repository. Understanding the process is crucial as countries worldwide consider underground clay formations for nuclear waste disposal.

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UAH graduate student John Bennewitz will be a visiting lecturer at Space-X in Hawthorne, Calif., on Friday, Sept. 27, to talk about his success in applying band-limited white noise to neutralize combustion instabilities.

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A weekly news magazine that has been around since before Time began celebrates its 90th anniversary this week with a special issue commemorating chemistry’s contributions over the past nine decades to medicine, industry and other scientific advances that have improved people’s lives. The magazine, Chemical & Engineering News, a publication of American Chemical Society (ACS), is also sponsoring a slew of celebratory events at the 246th ACS National Meeting & Exposition in Indianapolis.

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University of Utah electrical engineers have developed a network of wireless sensors that can detect a person falling. This monitoring technology could be linked to a service that would call emergency help for the elderly without requiring them to wear monitoring devices.

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The scientists responsible for four inventions that affect the lives of millions of people around the globe will be inducted into the highly prized scientific “Hall of Fame” today as the latest Heroes of Chemistry chosen by the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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A major science celebration is on tap at the Indiana Motor Speedway Sept. 8 in a collaboration between Celebrate Science Indiana and the Indiana Local Section of American Chemical Society (ACS) the world’s largest scientific society. The fair coincides with the ACS 246th National Meeting & Exposition, Sept. 8-12, in Indianapolis.

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The first field investigations of the effect of terrain elevation changes on tornado path, vortex, strength and damage have yielded valuable information that could help prevent the loss of human life and damage to property in future tornadoes. Engineering researchers at the University of Arkansas analyzed Google Earth images of the massive 2011 Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Joplin, Mo., tornadoes and found similarities between the two in behavior and interaction with the terrain. The findings likely apply to all tornadoes.

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Hints that a favorite ingredient in Mexican, Southeast Asian and other spicy cuisine may be an inexpensive new way of purifying drinking water are on the menu today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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The world’s largest scientific society today issued guidelines to better ensure the safety of the tens of thousands of personnel who work in research laboratories around the country. The American Chemical Society issued the report, requested by a federal safety board, during its 246th National Meeting & Exposition. The meeting, which includes almost 7,000 reports on new advances in science and other topics, continues here through Thursday.

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The citrus flavor and aroma of grapefruit — already used in fruit juices, citrus-flavored beverages, and prestige perfumes and colognes — may be heading for a new use in battling mosquitoes, ticks, head lice and bedbugs thanks to a less expensive way of making large amounts of the once rare and pricey ingredient, a scientist said here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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The vision for a new branch of medicine, inspired by the ancient field that began with peg legs and hand hooks, commanded the spotlight in a major address by its pioneer here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. He focused on the field he has named “molecular prosthetics.”

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Mention cars that get barely 3 miles to a gallon and are built for speed rather than cleanliness, and images of gas-guzzling, pollution-belching menaces burning leaded gasoline or nitro may spring to mind. But experts today described how ethanol blends used as fuel in the race cars of the Indianapolis 500 actually make those emissions cleaner than cars on the street. They spoke at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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One of the first analyses of laws banning disposal of electronic waste (e-waste) in landfills has found that state e-waste recycling bans have been mostly ineffective, although California’s Cell Phone Recycling Act had a positive impact. However, e-waste recycling rates remain “dismally low,” and many demographic groups remain unaware of their alternatives, according to the study, which was presented today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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After studying the functioning of the lungs of birds and the swim bladders of fish, scientists described how they created an improved method to capture carbon dioxide that acts like a reverse natural lung, breathing in the polluting gas. Their study on the best way to arrange tubes in a carbon dioxide capture unit was presented at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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The pavement recipe for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500, could be used to improve the smoothness, durability and safety of some of the 2 million miles of paved roads and streets where people move at ordinary speeds, scientists said here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, being held here this week.

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The bedbug’s most closely guarded secrets — stashed away in protective armor that enables these blood-sucking little nasties to shrug off insecticides and thrive in homes and hotels — are on the agenda here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. The talk includes implications for millions of people trying to cope with bed bug infestations that have been resurging for more than a decade.

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Already noted for saving gasoline and having zero emissions, electric cars have quietly taken on an unlikely new dimension –– the ability to reach blazing speeds that rival the 0-to-60 performance of a typical Porsche or BMW, and compete on some race courses with the world’s best gasoline-powered cars, an authority said here today at a major scientific conference.

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High school and college students got a recruiting call today to join the Solar Army and help solve one of the 21st century’s greatest scientific challenges: finding the dirt-cheap ingredients that would make sunlight a practical alternative to oil, coal and other traditional sources of energy. Harry B. Gray, Ph.D., described the army’s mission during the “Kavli Foundation Innovations in Chemistry Lecture” at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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With almost 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) released each year from burning coal, gasoline, diesel and other fossil fuels in the United States alone, scientists are seeking ways to turn the tables on the No. 1 greenhouse gas and convert it back into fuel. Those efforts are the topic of a symposium in Indianapolis today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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Nature has provided the food industry with the perfect packages to imitate in the drive to embrace a new genre of sustainable packaging material, according to a presentation on the topic here today. Speaking at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, Sara Risch, Ph.D., said that new packaging materials must meet the criteria for being sustainable without sacrificing the security, freshness and visibility of the food inside.

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A somber picture of the struggle against super-weeds emerged here today as scientists described the relentless spread of herbicide-resistant menaces like pigweed and horseweed that shrug off powerful herbicides and have forced farmers in some areas to return to hand-held hoes. The reports on herbicide resistance and its challenges to modern agriculture were part of a symposium at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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Honey bees should be on everyone’s worry list, and not because of the risk of a nasty sting, an expert on the health of those beneficial insects said here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society. Despite years of intensive research, scientists do not understand the cause, nor can they provide remedies, for what is killing honey bees.

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Even though the Great Recession officially ended more than three years ago in the U.S., lingering effects continue to impact careers for thousands of scientists. Advancing those careers for chemists and other scientists is the topic today of a special presidential symposium at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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In an advance toward providing mosquito-plagued people, pets and livestock with an invisibility cloak against these blood-sucking insects, scientists today described discovery of substances that block mosquitoes’ ability to smell and target their victims. The presentation was among almost 7,000 scheduled this week at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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Unlikely as it may sound, giant pandas Ya Ya and Le Le in the Memphis Zoo are making contributions toward shifting production of biofuels away from corn and other food crops and toward corn cobs, stalks and other non-food plant material. Scientists presented an update today on efforts to mine Ya Ya and Le Le assets for substances that could do so during the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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Chemical processes are involved in production of almost 96 percent of all manufactured goods, and some of the latest advances in efforts to redesign those processes from the ground up with “green chemistry” are on the agenda here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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The first study under realistic field conditions has found reassuringly low levels of chemicals from pharmaceuticals and personal care products in crops irrigated with recycled sewage water, scientists reported here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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An historic shift is occurring in traditional innovation in chemistry — which touches more than 96 percent of all the world’s manufactured goods — away from large companies and toward smaller entrepreneurs and startups. Amid that new landscape for transforming ideas and inventions into goods and services, the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, today hosts a special symposium on innovation and entrepreneurship at its 246th National Meeting & Exposition.

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The diets of people in North America shed almost 1.5 billion pounds of unhealthy saturated and trans fat over the last six years thanks to a new phase in the agricultural revolution, an expert said here today. In an interview before his address at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, Daniel Kittle, Ph.D., cited the achievement as part of an expanded mission for agricultural science and biotechnology.

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Mention purple sweet potatoes, black carrots or purple carrots, and people think of dining on exotic veggies. But those plants and others have quietly become sources of a new generation of natural food colorings that are replacing traditional synthetic colors and colors derived from beetles. That back-to-the-future trend is on the agenda today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

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New discoveries from the labs of several Nobel laureates will be presented here this week during the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. Research from the laureates’ teams will be among almost 7,000 presentations during the event.

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Glimpses of the nursery of life on Earth more than 3.5 billion years ago are coming from an unlikely venue almost 1 billion miles away, according to the leader of an effort to understand Titan, one of the most unusual moons in the solar system. In the talk here today at the 246th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society, he said that Titan is providing insights into the evolution of life.

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Thousands of scientists and others will get a first-hand look at some of the latest innovations in laboratory instruments today and tomorrow during the 246th National Meeting and Exhibition of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society. Those encounters, plus live equipment demonstrations, previews of new books and journals, and other attractions will come at the exposition part of the meeting.

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Advance news media registration for onsite coverage of the American Chemical Society’s 246th National Meeting & Exposition, Sept. 8-12, 2013, in Indianapolis remains open for two more weeks. After Aug. 30, journalists must register onsite in the ACS Press Center, Room 211, of the Indiana Convention Center.

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Stephen J. Lippard, Ph.D., Arthur Amos Noyes Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and associate editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, will receive the 2014 Priestley Medal, awarded by the American Chemical Society. It is the highest honor bestowed by the world’s largest scientific society.

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One scientist is pioneering a new field in medicine — curing diseases by replacing the missing proteins that cause certain disorders, almost like an artificial hand replaces the function of a hand lost to injury. Another is an internationally known leader in research on using artificial photosynthesis to make energy from sunlight and water. They will deliver the next lectures in the Kavli Foundation Lecture series at the 246th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

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The international Daya Bay Collaboration has announced new results about the transformations of neutrinos - elusive, ghostlike particles that carry invaluable clues about the makeup of the early universe. The latest findings include the collaboration's first data on how neutrino oscillation varies with neutrino energy, allowing the measurement of a key difference in neutrino masses known as "mass splitting."

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Virginia Tech researchers integrated a specific type of sensor into a typical construction helmet to allow continuous and noninvasive monitoring of construction workers’ blood gas saturation levels. The results of their study showed that a user of this helmet would be warned of impending carbon monoxide poisoning with a probability of greater than 99 percent, and won them a Best Paper award.

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In a world full of hungry predators, prey animals must be constantly vigilant to avoid getting eaten. But plants face a particular challenge when it comes to defending themselves.

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Biology students guided by professional mentors network at a scientific meeting by writing news stories suitable for the public. Their web stories explain topics from coral reef diversity to the evolution of soccer kick skills.

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Today at the European Physical Society meeting in Stockholm, the international T2K collaboration announced definitive observation of muon neutrino to electron neutrino transformation. In 2011, the collaboration announced the first indication of this process, a new type of neutrino oscillation, then; now with 3.5 times more data this transformation is firmly established. The probability that random statistical fluctuations alone would produce the observed excess of electron neutrinos is less than one in a trillion. Equivalently the new results exclude such possibility at 7.5 sigma level of significance. This T2K observation is the first of its kind in that an explicit appearance of a unique flavor of neutrino at a detection point is unequivocally observed from a different flavor of neutrino at its production point.

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If you squeeze a normal object in all directions, it shrinks in all directions. But a few strange materials will actually grow in one dimension when compressed. A team of chemists has now discovered a structure that takes this property to a new level, expanding more dramatically under pressure than any other known material. The finding will be discussed at the American Crystallographic Association Meeting, held July 20-24 in Honolulu.

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A team of researchers led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA has developed a strategy for inducing a key part of an effective immune response to HIV. At a talk at the American Crystallographic Association meeting in Hawaii, the team will present multiple crystal structures, which like detailed architectural blueprints show how the virus interacts with components of the immune system.

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Social media has expanded to reach an unlikely new target: molecules. Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created networks of molecular data similar to Facebook’s recently debuted graph search feature.

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University of Washington engineers found in a recent study that the user's experience could be key to creating an authentication system that doesn't rely on passwords.

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Artificial and natural knowledge researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago IQ-tested one of the best available artificial intelligence systems and learned that it’s about as smart as the average 4-year-old.

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New materials and potential new drug targets are just some of the discoveries featured this month at a major scientific meeting on the structure of molecules. The Annual Meeting of the American Crystallographic Association (ACA) will be held July 20 – 24, 2013, at the Sheraton Waikiki Beach Hotel in Honolulu, Hawaii.