Chemistry International
Vol. 21, No. 4
July 1999
Reports
from IUPAC-Sponsored Symposia
37th International Symposium on Macromolecules (MACRO
'98)
13-17 July 1998,
Gold Coast, Australia
This meeting was the IUPAC World Polymer Congress '98, and with 1 060
participants from 46 countries it had truly international representation.
Three hundred sixty of the attendees were from Australia, and they made
all participants very welcome.
Lecture rooms and poster areas based in the Conrad Jupiters Hotel,
Gold Coast, Queensland were excellent, and the facilities were serviced
efficiently. Accommodations were provided in the host hotel and in other
hotels in the vicinity of the sea coast. As Gold Coast is a holiday
area and the Congress was held in the off-season, convenient, excellent
accommodations were plentiful and reasonably priced.
The opening ceremony was quite impressive with 46 national flags around
the room. There were five plenary lectures, 540 contributed papers,
430 posters, and three workshops. Poster sessions and lectures were
all well attended, discussions were lively, and the symposium was very
active scientifically. Outstanding speakers included E. Rizzardo, CSIRO,
Clayton South, Australia; W. J. Feast, University of Durham, England,
UK; and A. R. Khokhlov, Moscow State University, Russia.
The social program was extremely well organized, with tours offered
each day to the surrounding countryside. The welcoming evening and symposium
banquet were outstanding. A memorial dinner for the late Professor J.
H. O'Donnell, original founder and designer of the symposium, was a
moving tribute.
Symposium Chairman Professor R. Gilbert and Organizing Committee Secretary
Dr. P. Pomery are to be commended for presenting a Congress of the highest
quality in terms of topics, speakers, and organization.
Professor
Robert F. T. Stepto
University of Manchester Vice President,
IUPAC Macromolecular Division
(IV)