The ACS fall conference is one of the biggest events in the chemistry calendar, and this year was no exception. Up to 15,000 attendees descended on Boston between the 16th and 20th of August. This meeting was particularly special, marking the 250th ACS national meeting.

MDPI at the ACS conference

MDPI was excited to be in Boston, and was the only fully Open Access publisher present. It was a pleasure to meet a large number of our editors, reviewers, and authors in person. It was also an excellent opportunity to introduce our journals to potential new readers and authors. Ran Dang, the Managing Editor of Molecules and Martyn Rittman, the Chief Production Editor, were joined by the Editor-in-Chief of Pharmaceuticals, JJ Vanden Eynde and Associate Editor Annie Mayence.

Chemistry matters at MDPI

Chemistry has been a particular area of strength for MDPI, having started in 1996 with Molecules and following with the International Journal of Molecular Sciences in 2000. Now we publish a number of journals in the fields of chemistry and materials science.

Set in the pleasant surroundings of Boston, the array of research on offer was bewildering. The meeting attracted organic, inorganic and computational chemists along with biologists and materials scientists. Experienced professors rubbed shoulders with undergraduates and school children. There was something on offer for anyone with even the slightest interest in chemistry.

Thoughts about the ACS conference

JJ and Annie had this to say about their experience:

The conference offered an incredible chance to disseminate your expertise and to widen your knowledge. During the exhibition we came into contact with representatives of many scientific companies and publishers demonstrating their latest innovations and publications.

In particular, the MDPI booth was visited by hundreds of readers, authors, and other scientists interested in Pharmaceuticals, as well as the many other MDPI journals. It was also a unique opportunity of publicizing the 1^st International Electronic Conference on Medicinal Chemistry organized and sponsored by Pharmaceuticals. Frankly speaking, when you are editor of a scientific journal, it is obvious that a national meeting of the ACS is the place to be!

A look forward to other ACS conferences

The ACS conference was a tremendous success, and we at MDPI believe that collaboration and Open Access (which achieves a rapid dissemination of research) are of pivotal importance to the academic community. We look forward to participating in future ACS conferences and will continue to strive to support chemistry, in all its permutations, by making research free to the reader.