Energy surrounds all aspects of life.  The ability to harness and use energy as economically as possible in the current milenium is a challenge which needs to be addressed by society and science.  Considering the shortage of the nonrenewable energy sources and the undesirable effects of pollution from burning fossil fuels, meeting world energy needs in a cleaner and more efficient way is the most crucial challenge before mankind.

As one of the most exciting and promising areas of research, nanotechnology has been able to exploit the boundaries between traditional disciplines to produce new technologies.  With the profound progress being made by nanoscience and technology, chemists and engineers are improving traditional energy through catalysis, as well as searching for alternative energy sources in areas such as hydrogen storage, solar cells, and fuel cells.  Today's discoveries will shape the world's energy supplies and help meet the energy needs of tomorrow. 

It is for these reasons that the Graduate Student Symposium Planning Committee for the 235th American Chemical Society National Meeting has chosen "NanoPower - Creating Energy for the Future" as its theme and topic.    Please feel free to explore the website, find out who is speaking, what topics they will be speaking about, and hopefully make arrangements to come to our symposium and hear talks on what we consider to be a vitally important topic for our future.