PITTSBURGH—More than 3,000 are expected to converge on the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh for the ACS Rubber Division's 2016 International Elastomer Conference and 190th Technical Meeting and Educational Symposium.
The event will be held Oct. 10-13 at the 236,900-sq.-ft. facility, which last hosted it in 2009. Nearly 200 exhibitors are scheduled to appear at the conference. The expo will run Oct. 11 and Oct. 12, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“This is a year where we plan to continue to improve upon all aspects of the conference, so we provide a positive and beneficial experience for all attendees and exhibitors,” said Gretchen Cermak, marketing manager of the Rubber Division.
In addition to the technical meeting and educational symposium, other highlights of the event include presentations in the Expo Theater; Student Colloquium and Poster Session; a career fair, a 5-kilometer walk/run; the 25-year club reception and luncheon; and the biennial Business and Awards meeting.
Firuza Mir of Lanxess Sybron Chemicals Inc. will deliver the keynote address, titled “Water Treatment, Current and Future Trends,” on Oct. 11 from 9-10 a.m. The talk is open to all attendees.
Mir, president and CEO, head of region, Americas for Liquid Purification Technologies, joined Lanxess in July 2004, when she moved to the U.S. and became president and general manager of Lanxess Corp.'s North American operations of business unit Textile Processing Chemicals. She was promoted to her current position in 2009.
Born in Mumbai, India, Mir received her undergraduate degree from the University of Bombay in 1979 and an MBA from NMINS in 1982 in finance and marketing. She initially worked at Klockner Windsor Desma GmbH in Mumbai, holding positions of increasing responsibilities.
In 1995, Mir joined Bayer India as a divisional and marketing services manager for its Animal Health and Environmental Services Division and later was promoted to head of corporate controlling and strategic development for Bayer Group in India. In 2000, she moved to Canada as the controller for the Chemicals and Polymers Division and was promoted in 2003 to vice president and general manager of Bayer Chemicals.
The scheduled symposia for the IEC includes rubber reinforcement; new commercial developments; cure systems and networks; regulations for rubber industry; synthetic rubber and synthetic rubber-based products; tire traction, handling and tire performance prediction; aging and degradation; natural rubber and bio materials for rubber; adhesion; mechanics and modeling of rubber; and silicon materials for rubber.
In addition, five one-day courses will be offered at the educational symposium, with two scheduled for Oct. 12 and three on Oct. 13.
The welcome reception will be held Oct. 11 from 5 to 7 p.m. The event, featuring hors d'oeuvres and beverages, is open to all registered attendees, and there is no cost to attend.
The 5K walk/run will be held Oct. 12 at 6:30 a.m. Runners, walkers and guests are invited to participate. The event will be facilitated by a professional race management group, so the route will be marked and times will be given at the turn and finish of the event.
Prizes will be awarded to the top male and female placers. All participants will receive a long-sleeved T-shirt courtesy of H.M. Royal Inc. and their sponsors.
The 25-Year Club Reception and Luncheon is Oct. 12 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each year, the 25-Year Club Reception and Luncheon honors individuals for their years of service to the Rubber Division and the rubber industry.
Cost to attend the 25-year Club Reception and Luncheon is $60 per person. Limited seating is available and reservations are required.
Also on Oct. 12, college students from around the globe will gather for a full day of presentations and posters for the 13th annual Student Colloquium and Poster Session.
The event includes a keynote speaker presentation, followed by oral presentations by graduates. The poster session will be held concurrently with the student presentations on the expo floor.
All student work is judged by attendees, as students are competing for four awards in the areas of Best Undergraduate/Graduate Paper and Best Undergraduate/Graduate Poster.
Presentations will be judged on content, scope, originality, clarity, organization, delivery, visual aids and subject knowledge. Posters will be judged on originality, neatness, a clearly defined subject and subject knowledge. Conference attendees may watch these presentations and view the posters at no additional cost.
“The Student Colloquium and Poster Session provides students the opportunity to present their best work to industry professionals and network with them during special events at the conference,” Cermak said. “Many of these professionals could soon be their employers and co-workers.”
The awards to be presented include Best Paper, Graduate; Best Paper, Undergraduate; Best Poster, Graduate; and Best Poster, Undergraduate. Each winner receives a plaque and a check for $1,500.
Six Expo Theater presentations will be held throughout the day Tuesday and Wednesday. They include:
- “New Bonding Products,” Lord Corp., Oct. 11, 11:30 a.m.-noon;
- “Preferred Compounding—A True Partner in Rubber Compounding,” Preferred Compounding, Oct, 11, 2-2:30 p.m.;
- Lianda Corp. presentation, Oct. 11, 3:30-4 p.m.
- TA Instruments presentation, Oct. 12; 11:30 a.m.-noon.
- “Understanding and Selecting Specialty Products for Rubber Compounding,” Hexpol Compounding, Oct. 12, 2-2:30 p.m.
- “Single Wall Carbon Nanotube Additive Technology from OSCiAl,” OCSiAl, Oct. 12, 3:30-4 p.m.
The IEC wraps up on Oct. 13 with the semiannual Business and Awards Meeting.
The International Elastomer Conference takes place every October. It is held in Cleveland during odd-numbered years and travels to different locations on even-numbered years.