The Crescent City plays host to the 27th Annual International Waterborne, High-Solids and Powder Coatings Symposium on March 1-3 at the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. Sponsored by the Department of Polymer Science at the University of Southern Mississippi (USM), the conference is an excellent opportunity to learn of the latest technologies in waterborne, high-solids, and powder coatings.

Dr. Loren W. Hill, Solutia Inc., will present the plenary lecture, "Mechanical Properties of Coatings," on Wednesday, March 1. The lecture will be followed by two days of technical presentations on topics including "The Death of Solvent-Based Coatings? Why Solvent-Based Systems Will Continue to Be Needed in the 21st Century and How They Can Meet Environmental Requirements," "A Tough Corrosion-Resistant Powder Coating," "New Zero-VOC Waterborne Epoxy Technology for Compliant Coatings," "Waterborne Polyurethane Resins for Glass Coatings," and "New Low-Odor Benzoate Coalescent for Latex Paint."

The Elias Singer Best Paper Award will be presented after the last presentation on March 3.

The conference also features a Technology Showcase, which will serve as a forum for scientists from manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers to present their most recent developments in a booth format. The Showcase pairs the details of a scientific presentation with the directness of a commercial exhbit, and was designed to provide interaction among professionals interested in the advancement of waterborne, high-solids, and powder coatings.

Five short courses, led by USM professors and industry experts, will take place Feb. 27-29. Short-course topics are: The Physical Principles of Formulation, Design of Experiments for Coatings Scientists, Modern Coatings Technology, Reformulating to Waterborne Coatings, and Water-Soluble/Waterborne Polymers.

For more information on the conference or for registration information, call 601/266.4475; fax 601/266.6265; e-mail waterbor@usm.edu; or visit www.psrc.usm.edu/waterborne.

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