Left: The first Volcano Conference in Chemical Biology was held in Feb. 1991 at Pack Forest. Attendees are standing in front of Pack Hall which houses the poster session and a variety of antique lumbering equipment used before the turn of the century.

In 1991, Prof. Steve Withers (Univ. of British Columbia) and Prof. M. Gelb put together a conference in bioorganic chemistry. This annual event is typically held on the last weekend in February or the first weekend in March, at Pack Forest, a rustic lumber camp just outside of Mt. Rainer National Park (hence the name Volcano Conference).

The conference is held annually in late February/early March and is attended by students, postdocs, and faculty from universities in the Pacific Northwest (US and Canada) (typically 100 people). A researcher from each lab gives a lecture on their research efforts, and there is a plenary lecture by a well known professor from a university outside of the Pacific Northwest and one by a scientist from chemical/biochemical industry. A poster session enables all conference attendees to present and discuss their research. Saturday afternoon is left open for cross country skiing at Paradise in Rainier National Park or other activities, and following the Saturday evening scientific session there is a game event in which faculty and postdocs take on graduate students.

For further information about Volcano Conference, contact Catherine Holliday.

Getting to Pack Forest

Above: Cabins at Pack Forest

About Pack Forest

Past Plenary Speakers

Next Year's Volcano Conference

Details have not yet been set for Volcano Conference 2021.

Contact Catherine Holliday for more information about next year's Volcano Conference.

Above: Mount Rainier

Above: Photo Taken at 25th Anniversary Volcano Conference in 2016