USACICS

CARB representatives join an equal number of CELL representatives to form the US Advisory Committee for International Carbohydrate Symposia (USACICS). The USACICS was originally incorporated in the State of Illinois on October 4, 1982 and the original bylaws remain mostly unchanged. The USACICS is currently incorporated in the State of Michigan (as a general not-for-profit incorporation). 

The purpose of the corporation is to ensure the interests of the carbohydrate chemists and biochemists of the US are represented to the International Carbohydrate Organization (ICO), to plan International Carbohydrate Symposia (ICS) in the US and manage the funds and financing for the US meeting.

The USACICS holds the funds that result from any surpluses from ICS in the US, and promotes carbohydrate chemistry and biochemistry, for example, with sponsorships for graduate and post-doctoral students. 

It also sponsors the R. L Whistler Award in Carbohydrate Chemistry and the ICO Young Researcher Award which are presented at ICS events every two years in one of the countries that is a member of the ICO. Because there are currently 34 member countries, there are fairly long periods between ICS in the US. Previous meetings have been in 1972 (Madison, Wisconsin); 1986 (Ithaca, New York); 1998 (San Diego, California) and 2016 (New Orleans). The next ICS meeting in the US will be held in 2040 (tentatively Boston, Massachusetts).

ICS events are under the aegis of the ICO, an Associated Organization of IUPAC and an Interest Group of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, see figure above. The USACICS represents the ACS and US to the ICO.

USACICS Taxes for the year 2025 have been submitted and accepted by the IRS.  For inquires, contact Peter R. Andreana, Secretary/Treasurer at peter.andreana@utoledo.edu.

The USACICS looks forward to supporting upcoming ICS meetings which are scheduled to be held in Bratislava (Slovakia, July 5-9, 2026) and Vancouver (Canada, July 16-19, 2028), and to working with the carbohydrate community and industrial sponsors to ensure continued support of future symposia and awards that we sponsor.

The updated Board of Directors list of the USACICS is available below, and you are always welcome to contact any of us with suggestions or comments.

Membership status for the USACICS (US Advisory Committee for the International Carbohydrate Symposia)