1. June 2, 2006

This meeting had 15 attendees and was most notable for developing a list of positions that would comprise the Executive Committee, as well as a preliminary list of topics that would comprise the Technical Program. Several names were suggested as potential Chairs for these Committees. Some attendees offered to Chair positions and some attendees offered to make contact with the recommended individuals.

2. October 13, 2006

This meeting had 22 attendees. The Executive Committee and Technical Sections lists were updated, including some added commitments to Chair or Co-chair some positions. Key discussions included the cost for using the QCC facilities and the availability of those facilities for different types of events. Other discussions included WCC events, Chemical Education activities, the Awards banquet, and policies regarding Travel funds. Two key suggestions were to hold a separate program Meeting to identify Topics and potential chairs, and also a proposal to hold the NY-ACS Undergraduate Research Symposium at QCC on the Saturday prior to MARM. This was proposed in the context of consolidating the activities of Exhibitors and other contributors.

3. December 2, 2006

This meeting had 33 attendees including Peggy Smith, the ACS Meeting Planner. The Executive Committee and Technical Sections lists were updated, including some added commitments to Chair or Co-chair some positions. Ms. Smith reported to the attendees that the facilities were well-suited to the needs of MARM, but she was concerned about the geographical location of the campus. Several suggestions were made, including links on the MARM website to online maps, the creation of a Transportation Committee, and the investigation of block prices and shuttles/vans at local hotels for meeting attendees. Ms. Smith also discussed the various ways in which she could assist the MARM planners (e.g. info regarding Awards, Workshops, Short Courses).

Various on-campus locations were discussed in the context of specific activities (e.g. exhibitions, poster sessions, Awards banquet). It was mentioned that the Royal Society of Chemistry expressed its interest in holding an event on the Saturday before the start of MARM. Recruiting Fundraising and Exhibitor Chairs was identified as extremely important. The purposes of fundraising were discussed in detail. Other discussions included a reiteration of the program theme of “Chemistry and Health” and the need to attract participants via this theme; methods of developing the Educational Program; procedures for inviting speakers; ways of facilitating communication between participants; and scheduling Budget and Program meetings in 2007.

4. February 3, 2007

This meeting had 25 attendees. The Executive Committee and Technical Sections lists were updated, including some added commitments to Chair or Co-chair some positions (see Attachments 1 and 2). Notably, two related sections titled “Artificial Control of Gene Organization” and “Biomimetic Catalysis” will be chaired by faculty at NYU. “Chemical Evolution II” will also be held at MARM 2008 as a follow-up to Chemical Evolution I which will be held at the National Meeting in Chicago. There was an extensive discussion of expected expenses and revenues for MARM which were complied into the preliminary Budget (see Attachment 3). Group rates for local hotels were presented. Other topics included Fundraising, Exhibitors, Publicity, and Publications. The NY-ACS Undergraduate Research Symposium was discussed in terms of hosting it at QCC the day before MARM begins. This would make it more likely to get contributions and exhibitors for both events. It was suggested that students who present their work at URS could be given free registration to MARM 2008 as an incentive.

It was suggested that the MARM 2007 website should have a link to MARM 2008 that would give contact information or perhaps link to a temporary website hosted on the QCC website that would have more extensive information (meeting minutes, etc.). An email directory has since been compiled and distributed to all meeting attendees. Paul Tukey, the MARM 2007 webmaster, has since been contacted and has agreed to provide his services for MARM 2008.

5. MARM 2007 VS. MARM 2008 Registration fees:
The recently posted website of MARM 2007 indicates an increase in registration fees as compared to previous conferences. Thus the budget will be revisited in the next meeting scheduled for March 3.