World's largest scientific society holds regional meeting in Long Beach, Calif.

• Industrial Innovation Award presentation and address at noon on Oct. 15, by Kenneth N. Edwards of Dunn-Edwards Corporation, Los Angeles, Calif. Edwards is the award recipient for his development of the tint base that accomplishes precise color matches; development of polyester coatings for specialty applications; and development of continuous slurry methods for economically advantageous computer controlled processing of paint manufacturing.
• Flavor chemistry presentation during the Oct. 16 luncheon at noon, by Sara J. Risch of Science by Design, Inc., Chicago, Ill.
• High school chemistry teaching presentation and address on Oct. 18, 12:15 p.m., by Andree Prigoda Reed of Las Vegas High School in Nevada. Reed will receive the ACS Western Regional Award in High School Chemistry Teaching at the College-High School Teachers Interface Luncheon. Chemistry is Reed's tool to get students to take information from every area of learning and apply it to solving problems.

Selected session topics are as follows:

Wednesday, Oct. 15

9:00 a.m. (Poster Session)
A breath sensor for the detection of acetylaldehyde as a potential indicator for alcohol induced liver disease — Presenters will show research developments for enhancing the early discovery of liver sclerosis. The technique is comparable to what is used by law enforcement officers when testing automobile drivers for potential DUI offenses. (Kent Murray, University of Nevada, Reno, Mechanical Engineering, 775-784-7002, kmurray@unr.nevada.edu; and Garry Barrett, gbarrett@unr.edu)

1:35 p.m.
Targeting melanoma via metal-based oxidative stress — Melanins are black pigments formed by melanocyte cells. When these cells become cancerous, their production of melanin is altered and the pigment becomes more exposed within the cells. Researchers will discuss chemotherapy drug developments that target melanin pigments within the melanoma cancers. (Patrick J. Farmer, University of California, Irvine, Department of Chemistry, School of Physical Sciences, 949-824-6079, pfarmer@uci.edu; Dan Brayton, 949-824-7258, braytond@usi.edu; and Babbak Shanadaheh, 949-824-7258, bshahand@uci.edu).

4:15 p.m.
Photochemistry of hypericin (of St. John's Wort) and melanin — Hypericin is a photosensitizing agent found in various plants, including St. John's Wort, and is currently under investigation for cancer and HIV therapy. Hypericin defends the plant against insects and grazing animals by causing hypericism, a photosensitivity characterized by cellular damage in exposed areas. The hypericism doesn't differentiate between the cells, and both good and bad cells are damaged in the process. Hypericism is not observed in darkly pigmented animals. The researchers will present the chemical mechanisms that lead to this protection. (Colleen C. Trevithick-Sutton, University of California, Los Angeles, Chemistry and Biochemistry Department, 310-825-1058, colleen@chem.ucla.edu; and Christopher S. Foote, UCLA, foote@chem.ucla.edu).

Thursday, Oct. 16

8:35 a.m.
Perchlorate: The new environmental concern — Since the 1960s, ammonium perchlorate has been used in solid rocket engine fuels. However, perchlorate's limited shelf life required periodic replacement which was done by high pressure steam washing of the rocket casings into unlined waste discharge ponds, thereby releasing perchlorate to the environment. Since 1997, perchlorate plumes in groundwater have been detected in California and several other western states. Perchlorate contamination has been detected in surface water in the Colorado River and Lake Mead. At relatively high doses, perchlorate-contaminated water interferes with the body's iodine intake and inhibits human thyroid production. The researcher will discuss new forensic techniques to help trace the contaminants.

9:55 a.m.
Tooth enamel biomarker for assessing heavy metal exposure — Childhood exposure to high levels of lead has been linked to low IQ, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and increased violence, as well as other health problems. Manganese exposure has been linked to neurological diseases, including Parkinson's-like degeneration of brain cells and behavioral problems such as violence and attention deficit disorders. The effects seen may depend on when an individual was exposed and the route of exposure. The researchers will show how they can differentiate prenatal and postnatal heavy metal exposures through the tooth enamel and how knowledge of the exposures helps in the understanding and treatment of the problem. (Jonathon E. Ericson, University of California, Irvine, Environmental Health, Science, and Policy and Community and Environmental Medicine, Social Ecology & College of Medicine, 949-824-7261, jeericso@uci.edu; and Michael T. Keinman, 949-824-4765, mtkleinm@uci.edu)

3:00 p.m.
Alice Hamilton: Pioneer in occupational medicine — A medical doctor, pioneering industrial toxicologist, social activist, federal investigator, author and the first female faculty member at Harvard University's Medical School, Alice Hamilton's major scientific contribution was to research, document and publicize the dangers of working conditions within major U.S. industries. Her work revolutionized industrial hygiene and practices, and led to national recognition, which culminated in federal legislation establishing OSHA, signed three months after her death. In 2002, the American Chemical Society designated Hamilton's work in industrial medicine a National Historic Chemical Landmark. (Janan M. Hayes, Merced College, Science Division, Merced, Calif., 209-384-6345; and Patricia L. Perez, Mt. San Antonio College, Chemistry Department, Walnut, Calif., PatTheChemProf@aol.com). For more information about ACS landmarks, visit www.chemistry.org/landmarks.

Friday, Oct. 15

8:35 a.m.
The Long Beach Water Department's seawater desalination program — A new patent-pending technology to desalinate seawater utilizing approximately 20 percent less energy than traditional methods has been developed by the Long Beach Water Department. The presenter will discuss this new technology which has been in operation for almost two years. The 300,000 gallon-per-day prototype plant is the largest federally funded seawater research and development project in the United States. The federal government is contributing 50 percent of the project cost. (Robert C. Cheng, Long Beach Water Department, 562-570-2305, Robert_cheng@lbwater.org)

11:20 a.m.
The removal of chloroform from drinking water — This presentation describes the investigation of the reduction of chloroform in water using hydrated electrons generated by an electron beam. (Stephen P. Mezyk, California State University, Long Beach, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, 562-985-4649, smezyk@csulb.edu)

Saturday, Oct. 18

8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
High School Teachers Day: Chemistry on a shoestring — Morton Hoffman of Boston University will open the day with a keynote address entitled, "Exploring the High School-College Interface," followed by mini-sessions, hands-on-workshops and a panel discussion. The high school chemistry teacher winner, Andree Prigoda Reed of Las Vegas, Nev., will speak during the 12:15 p.m. luncheon.

The general co-chairs for the Western regional meeting are Arlene Russell of UCLA's chemistry department (310-825-7570, russell@chem.ucla.edu) and Peter Baine of the chemistry department at California State University, Long Beach (562-598-4130, pbaine@csulb.edu). The program chair is Joseph Casanova (714-342-2236, jcasanova@charter.net). For more information about the conference, visit www.westernregionalmeeting2003.org.