The Association for Chemoreception Sciences is an international

professional society A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and th ...

in the field of chemosensory science. It is a

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that seeks to promote and advance the interests of the science of senses such as

taste The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste recepto ...

and

smell Smell may refer to; * Odor, airborne molecules perceived as a scent or aroma * Sense of smell, the scent also known scientifically as olfaction * "Smells" (''Bottom''), an episode of ''Bottom'' * The Smell, a music venue in Los Angeles, Californ ...

. In order to do this, it holds an annual meeting that is a scientific forum for the research community and also provides outreach to the public about olfaction (smell),

gustation The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

(taste) and chemesthesis (trigeminal chemosensation). The association was founded in 1978 by Maxwell M. Mozell, a

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, Biological neural network, n ...

at the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY, , ) is a system of public colleges and universities in the State of New York. It is one of the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States. Led by ...

, with the help of a grant from the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

. The first research meeting was held in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

, in April 1979. Officers elected at the first meeting included

Linda Bartoshuk Linda May Bartoshuk (born 1938) is an American psychologist. She is a Presidential Endowed Professor of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science at the University of Florida. She is an internationally known researcher specializing in the chemi ...

Rose Marie Pangborn Rose Marie Valdes Pangborn (1932 – March 17, 1990) was a Mexican-American food scientist, food technologist, professor, and a pioneer in the field of sensory analysis of food attributes. She worked as a sensory scientist in the Experiment Sta ...

and

Gary Beauchamp Dr. Gary K. Beauchamp was the director and president of the Monell Chemical Senses Center from August 1990 to September 2014. Dr. Beauchamp graduated from Carleton College in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in biology. He received his Ph.D. in bi ...

. A meeting is held in April of each year that is attended by an international cohort of physicians and scientists. This annual meeting consists of presentations on olfaction, gustation, and

chemesthesis Chemesthesis is the chemical sensitivity of the skin and mucous membranes. Chemesthetic sensations arise when chemical compounds activate receptors associated with other senses that mediate pain, touch, and thermal perception. These chemical-in ...

, as well as workshops sponsored by the

National Institute of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

. Commercial exhibitors also attend the event. The organization has enjoyed strong support from the National Institute on Deafness and Communicative Disorders. and its director. In collaboration with two other scientific societies focused on the chemical senses – the European Chemosensory Research Organization and the Japanese Association for the Study of Taste and Smell – AChemS alternates as host of the quadrennial International Symposium for Olfaction and Taste. The last AChemS-hosted ISOT meeting took place in Portland, Oregon in August, 2020. In 2004, AChemS member

Linda Buck Linda Brown Buck (born January 29, 1947) is an American biologist best known for her work on the olfactory system. She was awarded the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, along with Richard Axel, for their work on olfactory receptors. Sh ...

and

Richard Axel Richard Axel (born July 2, 1946) is an American molecular biologist and university professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Columbia University and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His work on the olfactory system won ...

were awarded the

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ( sv, Nobelpriset i fysiologi eller medicin) is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute, Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or ...

"for their discoveries of odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system". To celebrate this honor, at the 2005 AChemS annual meeting, Buck and Axel were keynote speakers, recapping their research published in the journal Cell in 1991, which led to the Nobel award. ''

Chemical Senses ''Chemical Senses'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of chemoreception, including taste, smell, vomeronasal, and trigeminal chemoreception in humans and other animals. It is published by Oxford University Press and the ed ...

'', the official journal of the association, is published by

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

. The editor is Dr. Steven Munger; it was edited by Maxwell Mozell from 1992 until 1998. The Association gives a series of annual awards, including the Max Mozell Award, the Barry Jacobs Memorial Award, the Ajinomoto Award, and the Polak Young Investigator Award. Travel awards are also given to diverse and young scientists to encourage their attendance at the meeting.

References

External links

National Institute on Deafness and other Communication DisordersEuropean Chemosensory Research OrganizationJapanese Association for the Study of Taste and SmellInternational Symposium for Olfaction and Taste
Scientific organizations based in the United States 1978 establishments in the United States International scientific organizations {{US-org-stub