The 21st IIR Congress, held in Washington, DC on August 17-25, 2003 gave scientists and engineers an opportunity to work with their colleagues from around the world and share ideas that may shape refrigeration technology for decades to come. With ‘Serving the Needs of Mankind’ as its theme, over 750 people from 58 countries attended this important event. Each morning’s plenary session included a noted speaker. Nobel Laureate William Phillips of NIST opened the Congress, speaking about breakthroughs in low temperature physics while entertaining the crowd with some fascinating demonstrations. USDA Undersecretary Elsa Murano spoke of new federal initiatives in food safety. Details of Dr. Murano's presentation can be found here. During these plenary sessions, the audience also heard about the history of refrigerants and how the IIR has served the needs of mankind for almost 100 years. On the final day, David Herbek from NASA spoke about comfort conditioning for the International Space Station. The attendees also viewed a five-part video called Serving the Needs of Mankind. This video traces the history of refrigeration and its relation to other historical events in the world at the time. Almost 440 papers by 1031 authors from 46 countries were presented at the Congress. Many of them had to do with new technology; e.g. CO2 systems, advanced heat exchange techniques, absorption systems, and the cold chain. All papers are included on the Congress Proceedings CD ROM, which can be purchased through this site. In addition, thirteen short courses were held ranging from technician certification to handling cryogenic fluids. In addition to the variety of Washington tours offered to the delegates and those accompanying them, there was also a wide selection of technical tours, including visits to two ARI members’ facilities, viewing bio-cryogenics at the National Zoo, and visiting the retrofitted cooling system at the National Cathedral. The social highlight of the week was the IIR Awards Banquet. Several IIR awards were presented, including seven to outstanding young researchers in the refrigeration field. Many people worked for several years to make the Congress a success. The support of the Congress sponsors is especially appreciated.