GAITHERSBURG, MD - A group of public and private organizations announced plans for the Third International Symposium on Service Life Prediction, "Challenging the Status Quo," scheduled for Feb. 1-6, 2004, in Sedona, AZ.

The event is described as an international forum for presenting and discussing scientific and technical advances leading to more reliable and quantitative predictions of the weathering performance of polymeric materials. The sponsoring organizations are involved with the production, supply, research, and use of polymeric materials and products.

Information on the technical program is available from Rose Ryntz, Visteon Corp., phone 313/755.6164, e-mail rryntz@visteon.com. Online registration is available at the website located at www.ebiks.com/slpsymposium.

Symposium sponsors include the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Engineering Directorate; Atlas Materials Testing Laboratory L.L.C.; Federal Highway Administration; HUD-PATH; National Science Foundation; and the USDA Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory.