... began the moment I stepped off the plane. With my poster in one hand and luggage in another, the intent of my visit was obvious: to participate in the 231st National American Chemical Society Meeting. This would be my first professional conference where I would have to present a poster, which made me both excited and nervous. Thinking about what was in store for me, I proceeded from the airport to the Highland Inn Hotel.

The next morning, in slightly cool rainy weather, I set off for downtown Atlanta. Downtown Atlanta was very beautiful, especially Centennial Olympic Park with the trees in bloom and a fountain that danced to music. Water would spray up from the fountain in pulses, and the pulses were coordinated with the beat of music. The Georgia World Congress Center was only a few feet away. The massive building was completely filled with people hustling from one end to the other. I browsed through the 325-page program, trying to make out the 8-point font. I decided to limit my choices to the inorganic division. Even after this reduction, deciding was still difficult. I ended up making my first two days much more jam-packed than I had anticipated.

For the first couple days, I would arrive at the convention center at around 8:00 am and attend various talks until 5:00 pm. I would then go to dinner only to be back at the convention center at 7:00 pm for the poster sessions. My tired self would return to the hotel close to 11:00 pm. However, the intriguing lectures were definitely worth the fatigue. The amount of material I learned was extraordinary, and it would take pages to summarize. So, to give a brief idea of the kinds of talks I heard, I will elaborate on a few.

The very first talk I attended was titled "Platinum-DNA structural and mechanistic chemistry at the nucleosome level." S. Lippard was the speaker. He discussed platinum complexes, such as cisplatin, oxaliplatin, and carboplatin, and their uses as antitumor drugs. These complexes induce apoptosis of the tumor cell by binding to the DNA of the cell and inhibiting transcription and DNA replication.

H. B. Gray discussed such intriguing subjects as electron tunneling and hopping, and how electron transfer triggers protein folding in his presentation, "Mapping heme protein folding landscapes." In addition, he discussed possible electronic coupled pathways, which included hydrogen bonding. His work involved using photochemical methods to trigger protein folding, and observing the folding through absorption spectroscopy.

Another interesting talk given by T. Ren entitled "Supramolecular chemistry based on Ru2-alkynyl building blocks." He discussed the electrochemical properties of various Ru2-alkynyl complexes, and the possibility of creating molecular wires with these ruthenium complexes. During the question session, an older man challenged some of Ren's conclusions, which reminded me of a great merit in the culture of science: peer review.

After listening to other people communicate their research, I was anxious to present mine. On Tuesday evening, I arrived at the poster locale 15 minutes before the session was to start. Right after hanging my poster, people began to come and ask me questions. The title of my poster was "Coupled Electron Proton Processes at Oxo-Molybdenum Center." I discussed the goal of my experiment, which was to determine pKa values of coordinated H2O and OH ligands of Oxo-Molybdenum complexes. These pKa values are important for understanding the catalytic cycle of sulfite oxidase, an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of sulfite to sulfate, the last step in sulfur metabolism. I proceeded to discuss my experimental methods, which involved cyclic voltammetry and EPR to investigate the effect of varying Brønstead acids on the electrochemical reduction of oxo-molybdenum complexes. Subsequently, I explained to the audience my electrochemical and EPR data. I was a little nervous at first, but I became more comfortable over the course of the evening. It was a great experience, discussing my research and gaining new ideas and insight from others. I had a fantastic time.

The moment finally came for me to leave. I packed my bags, checked into the airport, and boarded the plane. Looking out of the plane window, I was comforted with the memory of my trip. In such a sort time, I had learned so much, and had gained wonderful acquaintances and friends. It had been incredible, and slightly surreal, to be under one roof with thousands of scientists sharing their research. As the plane landed, I thought about how grateful I was to have been given the opportunity for this experience.

Rae Ana Snyder, Beckman Scholar, Dr. John Enemark's lab, Chemistry