The AAAS Arctic Division will meet 26-29 June in Anchorage, Alaska, for an exploration of “Chemistry Under the Midnight Sun” in conjunction with the American Chemical Society’s Northwest Regional Meeting.
The joint meeting, which is open to the public, will draw scientists, educators, and students from the Arctic Division region — Alaska and Canada’s Yukon, Northwest Territory, and Nunavut.
AAAS’ Arctic Division will join the American Chemical Society in Anchorage, Alaska, for a meeting focused on chemistry. | Chris Boswell/Adobe Stock
Philip Power, professor of chemistry at the University of California, Davis, will deliver one of the two plenary lectures. His address entitled “Low-Coordination Numbers, Unusual Bonding, and Dispersion Force Effects in Molecules” will explore new research on the synthesis of molecules. David Constable, the director of the Green Chemistry Institute at the American Chemical Society, plenary lecture will examine the variety of innovations that chemists have created to advance sustainability.
Arlene Blum, a visiting scholar in chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley, and the executive director of the Green Science Policy Institute, is the featured speaker at two separate luncheons honoring women in chemistry and undergraduate students.
Experts in a range of chemistry fields will present symposia on topics including neurochemistry, the applications of analytical and radiochemistry in harsh environments, and the chemistry of pollution in high latitudes. Several sessions on science and chemical education will focus on new teaching methods and how to improve engagement in both urban and rural environments. Cathy Middlecamp of the University of Wisconsin is a featured speaker.
Meeting participants also have several opportunities to learn new skills to advance their careers at eight scheduled workshops. Several are targeted toward chemistry instructors at the high school or university level, including sessions on tools for teaching STEM courses in remote locations and the use of web-based molecular modeling or nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the classroom.
Participants can also explore Alaska’s natural beauty and cultural heritage during Glacier Discovery Train Tour or a dinner and dance performance by an Alaska Native dance troupe held at the Alaska Native Heritage Center.
AAAS’s three regional divisions — Pacific, Arctic, and Caribbean — serve as regional networks for scientists, organizing meetings on topics relevant to the area, and promoting publications from scientists active within the division.
Founded in 1951 as the Alaska Division, the renamed Arctic Division was established to foster scientific communication in the then-rather-isolated Arctic territory. The name change was made in 1982 to reflect the membership’s growing interest in high latitudes outside of Alaska. Any AAAS member regardless of location with an interest in the Arctic is invited to join the division.