News Release

235th ACS National Meeting in New Orleans -- press briefing schedule

Live from New Orleans

Meeting Announcement

American Chemical Society

See Instructions, below* for joining live briefings at at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acs-live-from-new-orleans Digital files of all sessions will be available under “Press Room” at www.acs.org

Sunday, April 6

12:00 p.m.

Alligator blood may put the bite on antibiotic-resistant infections - Embargoed for April 6 at 7:00 p.m. CST

Despite their reputation for deadly attacks on humans and pets, alligators are wiggling their way toward a new role as potential lifesavers in medicine. Scientists report that proteins in gator blood may provide powerful new antibiotics to help fight infections associated with diabetic ulcers, severe burns, and “superbugs” that are resistant to conventional medication. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for AGFD 32.

Kermit K. Murray, Ph.D., Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Louisiana State. Lancia N.F. Darville is a doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, La.

2:30 p.m.

Expert foresees 10 more years of R&D to make solar energy competitive - Embargoed for April 7 at 4:15 p.m. Central Standard Time

Despite oil prices that hover around $100 a barrel, it may take at least 10 or more years of intensive research to reduce the cost of solar energy to levels competitive with petroleum, according to a leading expert on the topic. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for PRES 063.

Harry Gray, Ph.D., is the Arnold O. Beckman Professor of Chemistry and Founding Director of the Beckman Institute at the California Institute of Technology.

Paul Alivisatos, Ph.D., of the University of California at Berkeley and co-editor of the ACS journal Nano Letters, will describe potential advantages of future solar cells using nanoscale materials, and address some of difficulties that need to be overcome.

3:30 p.m.

Isle of Stability - Embargoed for April 6 at 8:45 a.m. Central Standard Time

Those exploring the uncharted seas at the fringes of the Periodic Table of the Elements have landed on one long-sought island — the fabled Island of Stability, home of a new genre of superheavy chemical elements sought for more than three decades. Researchers now are eying other islands on the more-distant fringes of the periodic table. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for NUCL 007.

Yuri Oganessian, Ph.D., is with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia. Ken Moody, Ph.D., is a nuclear chemist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, CA.

4:00 p.m.

Meteorites delivered the “seeds” of Earth’s left-hand life - Embargoed for April 6 at 1:35 p.m. Central Standard Time

Desert heat, a little water and meteorite impacts may have been enough to cook up one of the first prerequisites for life: The dominance of “left-handed” amino acids, the building blocks of life on this planet. Ronald Breslow will describe how our amino acid signature came from outer space. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for ORGN 001.

Monday, April 7

9:00 a.m.

As nanotech goes mainstream, “toxic socks” raise concerns - Embargoed for April 6 at 3:55 p.m. Central Standard Time

Valued for its antibacterial and odor-fighting properties, nanoparticle silver is becoming the star attraction in a range of products from socks to bandages to washing machines. But as silver’s benefits propel it to the forefront of consumer nanomaterials, scientists are recommending a closer examination of the unforeseen environmental and health consequences of nanosilver. Paul Westerhoff, Ph.D. and Troy M. Benn will discuss the research. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for ENVR 031.

Paul Westerhoff, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz. Troy M. Benn is a Graduate Researcher in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.

10:00 a.m.

Fungus fight: Researchers battle against dangerous corn toxin - Embargoed for April 8 at 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time

At the 235th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans, scientists presented advances towards the production of corn less susceptible to aflatoxin contamination. The new varieties could contribute to the reduction of the worldwide threat of the deadly toxin, improve food quality in developing countries and increase corn yield for food in the United States. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for AGFD 081.

Bruce Hammond, Ph.D., is a researcher in the Product Safety Center at Monsanto.

11:00 a.m.

Protecting a life-saving blood product from human form of mad cow disease - Embargoed for April 8 at 1:30 p.m. Central Standard Time

Amid concern that recipients of certain blood transfusions may risk infection with a deadly protein responsible for the human form of mad cow disease, researchers in Canada now report development of a special filter that quickly and effectively removes the protein from blood. The use of the device will significantly decrease the risk of acquiring variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), the human form of mad cow, through blood transfusions, the researchers say. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for I&EC 064.

Patrick V. Gurgel, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at PromMetic Life Sciences in Mont-Royal, Quebec, Canada.

Tuesday, April 8

9:00 a.m.

DVDs and CD-ROMs That Thwart Global Warming - Embargoed for April 8 at 1:30 p.m. Central Standard Time

Chemists report that carbon dioxide removed from smokestack emissions in order to slow global warming could become a valuable raw material for the production of DVDs, beverage bottles and other products made from polycarbonate plastics. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for FUEL 150 and FUEL 155.

[Tentative] Thomas E. Müller, Ph.D., is a Professor at the Institute for Technical Chemistry and Macromolecular Chemistry at RWTH Aachen University in Aachen, Germany.

Toshiyasu Sakakura, Ph.D., is a researcher with the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Tsukuba, Japan.

10:00 a.m.

Biochemical signals associated with atherosclerosis may damage other organs - Embargoed for April 9 at 2:00 p.m. Central Standard Time

In a finding that challenges conventional medical knowledge, researchers report that plaques formed in during atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, are associated with certain harmful chemical reactions that can contribute to damage in the lungs, liver, and other organs. The study suggests that the effects of the disease are more widespread than previously believed. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for BIOL 152.

Rita K. Upmacis, Ph.D., is an Associate Research Professor in the Department of Pathology at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY.

1:00 p.m.

How sweet it is: “Revolutionary” process points to sugar-fueled cars - Embargoed for April 9 at 3:15 p.m. Central Standard Time

Chemists are describing development of a “revolutionary” process for converting plant sugars into hydrogen, which could be used to cheaply and efficiently power vehicles equipped with hydrogen fuel cells without producing any pollutants. See corresponding news release, abstract, and nontechnical summary for FUEL 213.

Y.-H. Percival Zhang, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Biological Systems Engineering Department at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va.

2:00 p.m.

Anshul Samar, the “Elementeo Kid”

Age seems to be no obstacle when it comes to starting a business. That’s the case with 14-year-old Anshul Samar, CEO of Elementeo, who invented a board game that aims to teach chemistry to students (www.elementeo.com) in a fun, unusual way.

* Instructions for joining chat room sessions

Reinventing the Press Conference: Chat Room Sessions from ACS National Meeting in New Orleans

The American Chemical Society (ACS) Office of Communications is offering the news media the opportunity to join press briefings whether covering the meeting onsite or from a remote location. This new updated format during ACS’s 235th national meeting April 6-10 in New Orleans will provide access to the increasing number of journalists who cover scientific meetings from their home base.

Borrowing the popular chat room concept from the Internet, we will provide news media with access to both real and virtual chat room sessions during the New Orleans meeting.

Reporters attending the meeting can gather with scientists in an informal setting in our Press Center in Room 206 of the Morial Convention Center. Scientists will summarize their research and field questions. Offsite reporters can enter a virtual version of this Chat Room over the Internet. In addition to seeing and hearing the real-world activity, offsite reporters can submit questions.

Like hosts of a traditional chat room, we never know how many participants will join a session. Each session will proceed, regardless of attendance, so that digital transcripts can be made and posted online as a resource for individuals unable to attend.

Chat Room sessions begin at noon on Sunday, April 6, and continue during the week. A full schedule will also be available at www.acs.org. For now, get a head start by registering at Ustream.tv, a live, interactive online video site.

To register with Ustream.tv, go to http://ustream.tv/sign-up-step-1. It’s free and only takes a minute or two to sign up. To join the chat room during one of our sessions, visit http://www.ustream.tv/channel/acs-live-from-new-orleans and click the “Login” button at the top right of the Ustream window. Ustream requires the latest version of Adobe Flash, which can be downloaded without charge at http://www.adobe.com/products/flashplayer/.

Use the chat box to the right of the video window to submit questions to the researchers. After the press conference is complete, recorded versions of the sessions and accompanying chat transcripts will be available by going to the ACS Press Room (www.acs.org) and clicking on “Chat Sessions.”

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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.


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