Media Registration Opens for ACS National Meeting in Philadelphia, Aug. 17-21

Newswise — Mark your calendars for the 236th National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), which will be held Aug. 17-21, 2008, in Philadelphia. The multi-disciplinary theme for this meeting is Chemistry for Health: Catalyzing Translational Research, with talks on drug discovery, drug delivery and drug testing. Other areas of emphasis include nano science and international energy issues, which is the topic of a presidential symposium led by Bruce E. Bursten, Ph.D., ACS President and Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

The ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry will host a two-day special symposium, Legends of Environmental Chemistry, Aug. 18 - 19, with 15 speakers whose research has significantly impacted and influenced current thinking and practices in the field of environmental chemistry and science.

With more than 160,000 members, ACS is the world's largest scientific society. At least 12,000 scientists and others are expected for the meeting. It will include more than 8,000 reports on new discoveries about medicine, health, energy, environment and other fields that involve chemistry.

Another highlight and presidential symposia topic will be a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Project SEED, the Society's most successful social action program. Speakers will include past students and the mentors they worked with to conduct summer research projects in industry and academic institutions

For media registration, housing reservations and future news releases and other meeting resources, go to www.acs.org/pressroom. The on-site press center will be located on the second level of the Philadelphia Convention Center, on the bridge between the Grand Hall and the convention center near the EXPO. There is no room number, but watch for signs that will direct media to the press center. ACS provides a media workroom, press conferences, wireless Internet access, telephones, computers, photocopy machine, fax services and refreshments. Staff are also available to help arrange interviews. For reporters planning to cover the meeting from their home bases, the ACS Office of Communications will schedule chat rooms on key research, and non-technical summaries of research presentations will be available electronically. A schedule of chat room briefings will be available closer to the start of the meeting.

The American Chemical Society — the world's largest scientific society — is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.