Monday, August 23 at the Seaport Hotel - Plaza Ballroom A

Morning Session:

8:30 AM Introductory Remarks - The Interface, Health, Environment, and Security

8:35 AM David Goldston - When Science and Politics Meet

No Abstract Available

9:20 AM Jay Keasling - Engineering Microbial Metabolism for Production of the Anti-Malarial Drug Artemisinin

We are using synthetic biology to create inexpensive, effective, anti-malarial drugs.  Currently, malaria infects 300–500 million people and causes 1-2 million deaths each year, primarily children in Africa and Asia. One of the principal obstacles to addressing this global health threat is a lack of effective, affordable drugs. The chloroquine-based drugs that were used widely in the past have lost effectiveness because the Plasmodium parasite which causes malaria has become resistant to them.  The faster-acting, more effective artemisinin-based drugs — as currently produced from plant sources — are too expensive for large-scale use in the countries where they are needed most.  The development of this technology will eventually reduce the cost of artemisinin-based combination therapies significantly below their current price. To reduce the cost of these drugs and make them more widely available, we have used synthetic biology to engineer microorganisms to produce artemisinin from renewable resources.  I will describe the process by which we engineered production of this important drug and the prospects for translating this research to people most in need of the drug.

10:20 AM Joan Berkowitz - Better Things for Better Living through Chemistry

The slogan has disappeared. Chemistry has been transformed, but continues to create better things for better living. An example is nuclear magnetic resonance.

11:05 AM William Rees, Jr. - LANL Contributions to Chemical Research, Public Policy, and National Defense

Los Alamos is a laboratory with a long, and justifiably proud, history of science not simply for the sake of itself, but devoted to the most pressing issues of national security. Security today demands the fullest attention of the most talented citizens from all segments of society. LANL chemists have a special technical leadership role to fulfill in this regard.

11:50 AM Concluding Remarks

Afternoon Session:

1:30 PM Introductory Remarks - The Scientist in Public Service, Energy, and Innovation

1:35 PM Janan Hayes - Scientist, Politician, Policy Maker: A Historical Perspective

When asked to name a historical American scientist who was also a politician or a policy maker, most answer Benjamin Franklin. But since then, who? In this presentation, I will explore a selection of American scientists on a timeline from Franklin to Glenn Seaborg and Mary Good in this modern era. The aim will be to identify characterists of scientists that resulted in their being an influence in American public policy.

1:50 PM John Gavenonis - Federal Public Policy Advocacy for Chemists

Communicating with federal legislators is a key mechanism to advocate for specific public policy outcomes that support the chemistry profession and our communities. The importance of advocacy is emphasized in the American Chemical Society's National Charter (approved by Congress in 1937) and its strategic goals. In Delaware, individual ACS members and local section leaders have been particularly successful in representing ACS policy positions to federal legislators. ACS policy statements are crafted by the Office of Public Affairs / Government Relations, the Committee on Chemistry and Public Affairs (CCPA), and other interested Society members for approval by the Board of Directors. Individual members can interact directly with legislators through local section Government Affairs Committees (GAC) and the Legislative Action Network (LAN) / Act 4 Chemistry. This presentation will provide an overview of the processes used to develop ACS public policy statements and the tools and resources available for communicating policy positions to federal legislators.

2:35 PM Kathryn Beers - A Chemist in Public Service: From Government Lab to the Executive Office and Back

Experiences in being a bench scientist in the NIST Laboratories to representing the Physical Sciences and Engineering in the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), as well as the lessons and challenges encountered when returning to the lab will be discussed.

3:35 PM John Deutch - Energy Technology Innovation

Energy innovation. What does it mean? What are the problems? What are the opportunities?

4:20 PM George Whitesides - Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Chemistry

Society now faces very large-scale problems for which chemistry is an important part of any solution. How should chemistry change, to make the process—from problem to solution—more efficient? (¼as well as more profitable and more fun?)

5:20 PM Concluding Remarks