Honolulu was a spectacular setting for the Pacifichem conference. Photo credit: Roland Andersson
The Pacifichem conference, which takes place every five years, drew a record number of delegates to Honolulu, Hawaii last Dec. 15-20. With sun, surf and palm trees as the backdrop — and Polynesian dancers at the opening reception as well as the “Chemistry Orchestra” — chemists from around the globe gathered to present about 17,000 oral and poster presentations in 330 symposia. The 2015 theme was “Chemical Networking: Building Bridges Across The Pacific,” which emphasized the collaborative nature of chemistry and encouraged networking among all delegates, including members of the seven chemistry societies that run Pacifichem: the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the American Chemical Society, the Chemical Society of Japan, the Chinese Chemical Society, the Korean Chemical Society, the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. Complementing the technical program was an exhibition featuring 74 companies and organizations.