Abstract
The Third College Park Colloquium on Chemical Evolution was held September 29 to October 1, 1976, at the University of Maryland. Under the direction of Dr. Cyril Ponnamperuma the colloquium attracted interested scientists from many parts of the world. A.I. Oparin of the Bach Institute of Biochemistry in Russia, considered the father of the chemical evolution theory of the origin of life, delivered the opening address, "The Problem of the Origin of Life in a Cosmic Context."