The lecture programme put together under the direction of Prof. Heribert Offermanns was the foundation for entertaining conference days. Not only the topics of the Conference, but also the contents presented by the invited speakers were characterised by the breadth that is often lacking in today's GDCh local association colloquia. Whether it was the basics of nanotechnology (Prof. Horst Hahn, Karlsruhe Research Centre), nanotechnology in medicine (Prof. Helmut Ringsdorf), the German biotechnology industry (Prof. Axel Kleemann), the chemistry of ageing (Prof. Gerhard Spiteller) or the question of whether and what dangers arise from the consumption of genetically engineered food (Prof. Dieter Jany, Federal Research Centre for Nutrition and Food), the audience followed the socially relevant presentations with great interest. The excellent speakers also contributed to the fact that there was barely enough time for the discussion.

Energy of tomorrow

The topic of climate change was of particular interest. Prof Christian-Dietrich Schönwiese, a well-known author, fascinated the audience with the clarity of his presentation. "Alternatives to oil and gas as energy and chemical raw materials of the future" was the topic of the subsequent panel discussion, which was rounded off by Dr Herrmann Pütter, formerly of BASF and now GDCh representative for energy issues, Dr Winfried Hoffmann, Executive Director of Applied Materials and President of the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, Prof Jürgen O. Metzger from Oldenburg ("Wöhler Prize for resource-saving processes) and Dr Ludwig Lindner (Bürger für Technik). The exchange of opinions was controversial and a general consensus could not be found on this day. However, the lively discourse was undoubtedly a success of the conference and the discussions continued over dinner.

The annual meeting concluded with a discussion with Executive Director Wolfram Koch. The open discussion got to the heart of the matter: the seniors want to make their contribution to greater involvement in the interests of the GDCh. At the same time, however, the way must also be paved structurally to better integrate the growing community of over 60-year-olds into the committees of the GDCh.

Golden CDCh

On the opening evening, Prof Hans-Gert Bachmann captivated everyone with his lecture "The myth of gold". Three golden GDCh members with more than 50 years of loyal membership were among those attending the Conference. Was Steinheim 2007 also the start of a golden path for the GDCh towards intergenerational cooperation?

Holger Bengs, Steinheim

(From Nachr. Chem. 2008, 56, 203-204)