The Western Regional meeting for 2025 was held October 25-28 at the Hotel Signia in San Jose California. It was a very successful meeting. Over 1100 people attended the 3.5 day meeting. We had intentionally designed this meeting to attract chemistry students, with extra programming and oral/poster presentations. As can be seen by the breakdown of the attendees, this goal was met. Undergraduate students were the largest group of attendees. 72% of the post meeting survey respondents indicated that this was their first experience at an ACS meeting, and the majority of respondents enjoyed the meeting, the location, and considered it worth the cost. The students primarily attended for networking and to present their research.
A full program can be found on the WRM website (https://wrm2025.org/index.php/wrm-2025-program-book/) and has been described in previous issues of this newsletter.
Some of the feedback:
- My most memorable experience was presenting a poster for the first time at an event like this. It was amazing getting to talk to likeminded individuals.
- I enjoyed meeting the ACS Board members. It was nice to talk to chemists that were well-versed in the field. I’m very grateful to have made memories with them and share laughs/conversations.
- A highlight was the College and career fair. I enjoyed speaking to different colleges and chemists to learn more about their programs and fields.
Submitted by Natalie McClure
