make use of them as much as possible.” Johnson added: “We have a huge program of many, many different tech- nical areas being presented. So it’s a great opportunity to present at these meetings, because it’s the cutting-edge

research that’s going on in the industry and in national labs.”

. — Sarah Beauchamp

For more information: aiche.org/ conferences/annualmeeting

year — and has set an all-time record for abstract submissions, receiving well over 6,000, according to Stephen Zitney, co-meeting program chair.

INITIATIVES Because the Annual Meeting will be held in Pittsburgh, a former coal town, energy will be the main focus. “Energy has been a focus of AIChE for years now,” said Zitney, who works in the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Lab, “but given the location, there will be a big focus on traditional fossil energy, coal, and natural gas, as well as more renewable energy sources, [such as] solar and wind.”

The purpose of the conference will remain the same: to allow chemical engineers interested in innovation and professional growth to meet and exchange ideas. Likewise, AIChE’s approach remains unchanged: stay- ing ahead of the curve in the world of chemical engineering by providing edu- cational sessions on sustainable energy and new developments in biomedicine. It’s a job that becomes a little easier in a city full of premier higher-learning institutes, including Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pitts- burgh. “It’s nice to have major regional universities involved,” Zitney said, “and

PCMA.ORG AUGUST 2012 PCMA CONVENE 31