Good turnout expected by ALCA

Initial response to the announcement of the 2001 ALCA Convention, to be held at Legends Resort in McAfee, New Jersey, has been excellent and a good turnout is expected. Registration for the convention will be on Sunday, June 17, and the technical programme will run from Monday, June 18, through Wednesday June 20. The resort is located approximately two hours drive west of New York City and is close to major tanneries and supply companies. Convenience will play a large role in boosting attendance. The technical programme for this year's convention is shaping up well. A highlight will be the attendance and presentation of a paper in the John Arthur Wilson series by Dr T Ramasami, director of the Central Leather Research Institute in Chennai, India. Dr Ramasami is well known and respected in the global leather industry and his proposed topic is 'Science in Leather: To Brave the New Material World'. This paper will look at some of the challenges posed by leather look-alike products. Other well known international scientists have indicated that they will be present and will contribute to the proceedings. The ALCA has also recently announced that due to an increase in submissions and a growing backlog of quality papers, it will increase the number of pages in each of the twelve issues of its journal, JALCA. Dr Kenneth Boni, editor of JALCA, said: 'We need to balance the desire to maintain a consistent publication schedule that is possible only with a backlog of papers with the author's desire to have their papers published within a reasonable time frame.' With a large international readership, JALCA remains a top choice for those wishing to publish their research in a peer reviewed leather industry publication. The ALCA also hosts a website with online access to abstracts of JALCA papers. The website: [http://www.leatherchemists.org] provides information on the association and facilitates a leather discussion forum. The association also fosters interest in the leather industry by coordinating a correspondence course that covers a basic overview of tanning technology. If you are interested in attending the upcoming convention or knowing more about the ALCA, please contact the associations executive offices as follows: American Leather Chemists Association, c/o Texas Tech University, Box 45300, Lubbock, TX, 79409-5300, USA; email: alca@leatherchemists.org; tel: +1 806 742 7296; fax: +1 806 742 7298.