Purpose: To maintain an awareness of ongoing hides and leather research, to foster research collaboration, and to assist the USDA and other public research institutions in establishing research priorities.

Chair:  Lori Hyllengren

Members: Janice Barnes, Eleanor Brown, Jay Brown, Jim Carter, Nick Cory, Ed Godsalve, Adel Hanna, Doug Morrison, Nathan Mullinix, David Ouellette, David Peters, John Reddington, and Maryann Taylor.

NEXT MEETING NOTICE

TO:                  ALCA Member and Other Contributors to Leather and Rawstock Research

FROM:            LORI HYLLENGREN and ELEANOR BROWN

SUBJECT:       2011 MEETING OF THE ALCA Research Liaison Committee

Starts:         12:00 nOON Tue     april 26, 2011

Wraps up:    12:00 NOON Wed   april 27, 2011

VENUE:          USDA Eastern Regional Research Center

                        WYNDMOOR, PA (Suburban Philadelphia)

You are invited to participate in the 2011 ALCA-RLC (Research Liaison for Rawstock and Leather Committee) meeting.  This annual meeting provides an opportunity for dialog between researchers, customers and stakeholders.  These meetings assist the scientists in aligning their research with the needs of the industry, and can lead to industry specific research agreements.  If there is another person in your organization who would benefit from this opportunity, please forward this announcement to that person.

Please note, this meeting will run from 12 Noon on Tuesday April 26^th through 12 Noon on Wednesday April 27^th, following the schedule adopted in 2009 so that those traveling to attend will need to spend only (1) night over. We have continued the recent practice of scheduling the Spring meetings of the Research Liaison Committee (RLC) and the Committee on Methods and Specifications (ALCA/ASTM D-31) back-to-back in the same week and at the same venue to conserve on travel expense for members of both committees. This scheduling device allows for optimal consideration of common ALCA interests in RLC, Rawstock, and Methods, while reducing travel expenses and time away from business for the significant overlapping membership between RLC and Methods Committees.

If you have not yet responded, let us know now, that you are planning to attend by sending a e- mail to Eleanor Brown (ellie.brown@ars.usda.gov). Because this meeting will be held in a US government (USDA) facility we must make available to the ERRC the name and citizenship of all attendees prior to the meeting.

Travel and Lodging information: Lodging can be obtained at the Hilton Garden Inn (215-646-4637) in Ft. Washington, PA.  Please make your reservation via our personalized web page at <http://hiltongardeninn.hilton.com/en/gi/groups/personalized/P/PHLFWGI-USDA-20110424/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG>. Reservations made before 4-8- 2011 are eligible for the discounted rate of $115 per night plus tax.

Transportation to the Hotel and ERRC: Tropiano Transportation shuttle provides services to the Hilton Garden Inn (dial #19 at the PHL ground transportation board, or 1-800-559-2040). Local transportation options and directions to ERRC are available on the ERRC, directions/lodgings web page.