ICSM is the longest-running conference series in the field of conducting and semiconducting organic materials. It started in the mid-1970's with the advent of highly electrically conducting molecular crystals and conjugated polymers (hence, the original reference to synthetic metals!). It has now become a premiere venue for discussion of the latest developments in the areas of organic electronics and photonics, from synthesis to characterization, computational modeling, device fabrication, and real-world applications. We are glad to bring ICSM back to the US for the first time since 1996 (the most recent editions took place in Montpellier, France, 1998; Bad Gastein, Austria, 2000; Shanghai, China, 2002; Wollongong, Australia, 2004; Dublin, Ireland, 2006; Porto de Galinhas, Brazil, 2008; and earlier this year, Kyoto, Japan).