WELCOME FROM THE CHAIR

Welcome to the 2011 Western Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Beautiful Pasadena In this International Year of Chemistry the Southern California section of ACS is also celebrating its Centennial. Please join us in celebrating these historic events. We kickoff the meeting Thursday evening with a special symposium at Caltech honoring the Legacy of Arnold Beckman. Thanks to generous funding from the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation this symposium begins with a complimentary Buffet-Dinner Reception. Friday features a complimentary luncheon hosted by the ACS Board of directors. Come and meet ACS governance and staff members attending the meeting. Friday evening will feature a special banquet and panel discussion focusing on the outstanding chemistry that has occurred in southern California over the last hundred years. While this meeting may be shorter than most, we have arranged an incredible diversity of symposia and plenary sessions presented by luminaries in chemistry, for Thursday and Friday, plus a special computational chemistry symposium on Saturday. Saturday also features our educators sessions covering elementary through college chemistry teaching as well as workshops on topics such as intellectual property. We are featuring a comprehensive undergraduate program throughout the meeting including a judged poster session Friday evening and In The Fast Lane a career-focused “speed-dating” event where students meet informally with chemists from industry, academia, and government. Saturday will feature workshops on applying to graduate school and jobs in industry, and culminate in a free docent led tour of The Huntington Library. Join us for the 2011 Western Regional Meeting - a meeting like this comes only once a century!

Chris Brazier and Bob de Groot, Co-chairs of the 2011 Western Regional Meeting

The 2011 Western Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society