Greetings from sunny -- okay, slightly overcast -- Seattle, Washington, where for the second year in a row, the annual meeting of the American Vacuum Society also hosts the Industrial Physics Forum (IPF). This year's IPF theme is "The Energy Challenge," with a host of distinguished speakers on hand to explore the ways in which we might power the world of tomorrow -- and do so in a clean, safe, cost-efficient manner. Tall order, but fortunately scientists aren't ones to run away from a challenge.

I'll be posting highlights from the sessions periodically here over the next few days, ably assisted this year by three members of the Society of Physics Students: Shane Landey of Colorado University in Denver; Lee Massey of the University of Wisconsin, River Falls; and Justin Stimatze of Georgetown University in Washington DC.

Among the topics we'll be tackling: the latest in hydrogen-fueled cars, better fuel cells, and low-carbon impact fuels; solid state lighting and photovoltaics; the status on fusion power and improvements to conventional nuclear power plans; and renewable energy sources such as solar cells, biomass, and wind power. The IPF conference closes on Tuesday afternoon with the traditional "Frontiers in Physics Session," outlining some of the cutting-edge physics research taking place that will lead to the revolutionary (one hopes) technologies of tomorrow.

We hope you'll check back over the next few days as we post reports on the meeting's progress.