The American Chemical Society is the world's largest scientific society and its Akron Section is one of the society's 188 local sections. The ACS Akron Section serves Summit, Stark, and Portage counties, including the cities of Akron, Canton, and Kent, in the state of Ohio.
Winter/Spring 2002
Summer Break
The ACS Akron Section will not hold general meetings during June, July, and August, but this web site will be updated whenever other news is available. Have a great summer!
Nominations Needed
The Section is soliciting for nominations for the 2002 ACS Rubber Division Science and Technology Awards. The awards are The Charles Goodyear Medal (outstanding invention, innovation, or development which has resulted in a significant change or contribution to the nature of the rubber industry), The Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award (exceptional technical competency by making significant and repeated contributions to rubber science and technology), The Fernley H Banbury Award (innovations of production equipment widely used in the manufacture of rubber or rubber-like articles of importance), The Sparks-Thomas Award (contributions and innovations in the field of elastomers by younger scientists, technologists, and engineers), The Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award (significant contributions to the advancement of the chemistry of thermoplastic elastomers), and The George Stafford Whitby Award for Distinguished Teaching and Research (outstanding international teachers of chemistry and polymer science and recognizing innovative research).
For award criteria and nomination forms, contact Valerie Woodward>, Nominations and Awards Chair. The deadline is August 1, 2002. Any submissions for Rubber Division Awards should be sent to Valerie Woodward no later June 1, 2002 in order to allow time for processing before submission to the Rubber Division.
Annual Reports
Eighty-seven percent of the ACS local section annual reports this year were submitted through SOLAR (Submit On-Line Annual Reports). Also this year, local sections were invited to file a shorter EZ report form, and about fifty percent accepted.
Shrinking Membership
The size of the Akron Section's postal service mailing list in April of 2002 has decreased to 938 people, while the size of its Internet routing list has increased to 420 people. For comparison, two months earlier the size of the mailing list was 970 people, while the size of the routing list was 372 people. These are large changes for such a short time. In the early years of the Akron ChemLine newsletter, in the late 1980's, the mailing list consisted of the over 1000 members of the section. The membership had a slow decline in the early 1990's to about 970 or so members, but the size of the mailing list increased to 1000 people again in the late 1990's by including high school chemistry teachers and technical business executives. The membership of the section is now shrinking again, though a larger fraction of that membership can be reached using the Internet. A check of the membership database shows that there were 921 members of the section in March of 2002, which represents a net loss of exactly 50 members since September just six months earlier. Note that there have been a steady 970 or so members of the section since the middle 1990s, so this recent drop is relatively sudden.
General Meeting
The May general meeting of the ACS Akron Section will be held on Thursday evening May 16, 2002 at Tangier in Akron. Kathy Sparrow of the Akron Public Schools speaks on Science Education: Then and Now. The schedule is networking at 5:15, dinner at 6:00, and presentation at 7:00. The program is free and open to the public. This is Education Night and Fifty-Year Member Night. Dinner costs $14 for members and guests and $7 for students. Dinner reservations are required by noon on Monday May 13; please send e-mail to Ann Bolek or call 330-972-6264.
New Newsletter Format
In recent years, the Internet has become an important tool for the Akron Section to communicate to its membership, and use of the Internet affects the role of its traditional newsletter, the Akron ChemLine. At Executive Committee meetings last year, there was much discussion by the Executive Committee members of the future of the Akron ChemLine. Input was also solicited from the general Akron Section membership through newsletters, e-mail, the web site, and an announcement at a general meeting. After thorough consideration of various options and member's opinions, the Executive Committee has reached a consensus that the section should gradually phase out the practice of using paper and the postal service. A provision will be made for an indefinite time to use postcards to announce general meetings to members who cannot be reached using e-mail. In April, postcards were sent to the Akron Section's entire postal service mailing list to demonstrate the concept. In May, the Akron ChemLine might be published once more using traditional procedures, but then paper and the postal service will be retired as a tool to communicate with members who we can reach with the Internet.
Attention Job Seekers
The Akron Section will have resources available at the May general meeting to help you get the job you want. We will have the following resources available to answer these questions: 1) How to avoid common mistakes when preparing a resume, 2) Where to look for jobs - newspapers?, journals?, online?, ACS?, 3) What is the outlook for jobs in the chemical industry, 4) How to advertise for free in C and E News and potentially reach 150,000 people, 5) How to get 1000 employers to read your resume. Additionally, we have four Career Consultants available to ACS members and student members. These individuals can sit down with you and critique your resume and give you tips to use during your job search. Time will not allow for resume critiquing at the monthly meeting, but there will be a sign-up form for those wishing to take advantage of this opportunity. The career consultant will contact you to arrange for a meeting.
Fifty-Year Members
Congratulations to the Akron Section's newest fifty-year ACS members; Emery Braidich, David Cobbledick, Ray Dove, John Frankfurth, Donald Hardies, Gordon Huber, Peter Spink, John Swarts, and Charles Wagner. These individuals will be honored at the May general meeting.
Committee Meeting
The May Executive Committee meeting of the ACS Akron Section will be held on Tuesday May 7, 2002 at 5:00 pm in the University of Akron Knight Chemical Laboratories room 401. Members of the committee who cannot attend are urged to submit reports to Brad Weedon. Other issues can be addressed to Anoop Krishen.
Survey Rankings
Local section activities were ranked among the most important ACS products and services to younger chemists, according to preliminary results of Early Careers of Chemists, a new survey of ACS members in the early stages of their careers. The survey found that fourteen percent of all respondents ranked local section activities among the top eight ACS programs they considered most important professionally. An equal proportion of respondents said local section activities were among the nine ACS services they most used personally.
The Early Careers of Chemists was conducted by the ACS Department of Career Services under the auspices of the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs. In the study, ten thousand ACS members under the age of forty were asked about their educational and employment experiences. Of those solicited for participation, 2,726 men and 1,547 women completed the questionnaire for a forty-four percent response rate. According to the ECC study, chemists early in their careers are reasonably satisfied with the training they received, their current job situation, and their career progress, and career prospects to date. It also indicates that, at the time the survey was taken, they were essentially fully employed, according to an initial report in Chemical and Engineering News, December 24, 2001. Copies of the final report are scheduled to be available in April.
General Meeting
The April general meeting of the ACS Akron Section will be held on Thursday evening April 25, 2002 at Tangier in Akron. Sebastian Kanakkanatt of United Polymer Technology speaks on Going from Research to Commercialization - Polymer Candles. The schedule is networking at 5:15, dinner at 6:00, and presentation at 7:00. The program is free and open to the public. This is a joint meeting with ACESS and its member societies. Dinner costs $14 for members and guests and $7 for students. Dinner reservations are required by noon on Monday April 22; please send e-mail to Ann Bolek or call 330-972-6264.
Nominations Needed
If you know of a high school chemistry teacher within the Akron Section geographic area of Summit, Stark, and Portage counties who does an exceptional job at presenting chemistry to students, please encourage him or her to apply, or please make a nomination, for the 2002 Gene Easter Award for Exemplary High School Chemistry Teaching. The award consists of an individual plaque, a large traveling plaque, and a $100.00 honorarium. The award will be presented at the May 2002 general meeting. Please contact Valerie Woodward, Nominations and Awards Chair, at Valerie.Woodward@noveoninc.com or 216-447-5408 for nomination information. The deadline is April 15, 2002.
Memorial Lecture
The fourth annual Crano Memorial Lecture will be held on Wednesday afternoon April 10, 2002 at the University of Akron Mary Gladwin Hall. Douglas Neckers from Bowling Green State University will lecture on Recent Advances in Photopolymerization. the schedule is refreshments at 2:15 and presentation at 2:30. The program is free and open to the public.
Committee Meeting
The April Executive Committee meeting of the ACS Akron Section will be held on Tuesday April 2, 2002 at 5:00 pm in the University of Akron Knight Chemical Laboratories room 401. Members of the committee who cannot attend are urged to submit reports to Brad Weedon. Other issues can be addressed to Anoop Krishen.
Scholarship
One of the Akron Section's Project SEED students has earned a national scholarship based on his work under the supervision of Carla McBain at Omnova Solutions. While a student at East High School, Glenn Curtis researched the "Choice of Surfactant in Industrial Emulsion Polymerization". The ACS Committee on Project SEED selected Glenn as one of thirty-three recipients who demonstrated a high potential for success in chemistry. The ACS scholarships are intended to assist former Project SEED participants in their transition from high school to college and are worth up to $5,000 each.
To be eligible for the scholarship, Mr. Curtis completed at least one chemistry course, met income requirements, obtained a recommendation from his high school teacher, and worked at least one summer under the auspices of Project Seed. He is now majoring in chemistry at the University of Akron.
General Meeting
The March general meeting of the ACS Akron Section will be held on Thursday evening March 21, 2002 at Tangier in Akron. Sister Mary Orna of the College of New Rochelle speaks on The Art in Chemistry. The schedule is networking at 5:15, dinner at 6:00, and presentation at 7:00. The program is free and open to the public. Dinner costs $14 for members and guests and $7 for students. Dinner reservations are required by noon on Monday March 18; please send e-mail to Ann Bolek or call 330-972-6264.
Judges Needed
Help our young people in their study of science and encourage them to consider science as a career. There are two science fairs for middle and high school students in March that need judges. On Saturday, March 2, the Akron Public Schools holds its annual Akron Science and Technology Expo at Central-Hower High School. On Saturday, March 16, the Western Reserve District Science Day will be held at the Gardner Student Center on the campus of the University of Akron. The district day is last step at which students qualify to attend the State Science Day. At both events, judges will meet at 7:30 am for a brief instructional meeting with coffee and donuts and will finish by 12:00 noon with a complementary lunch.
Committee Meeting
The March Executive Committee meeting of the ACS Akron Section will be held on Tuesday March 5, 2002 at 5:00 pm in the University of Akron Knight Chemical Laboratories room 401. Members of the committee who cannot attend are urged to submit reports to Brad Weedon. Other issues can be addressed to Anoop Krishen.
Annual Reports
The ACS Constitution and Bylaws require that each of the 189 local sections submit an annual report that details their programmatic and financial activities for each calendar year. As a national grassroots organization, ACS uses the annual reports to gauge the vitality of its local sections and to determine if the efforts of its local sections are meeting the strategic thrusts outlined in the Society's strategic plan. On the local level, the annual reports provide a comprehensive historical overview for each section's activities and accomplishments for the previous calendar year. This year, for the first time, The Akron Section is creating its annual report completely electronically and submitting it to the ACS via the Internet.
SOLAR (Submit On-Line Annual Reports) is a web-based application that provides a standardized template to allow local section officers to complete and submit their local section annual reports over the Internet. SOLAR was developed to streamline the annual report process and to provide an electronic "venue" for local section officers to collaborate and complete their local section's reports.
General Meeting
The February general meeting of the ACS Akron Section will be held on Thursday evening February 21, 2002 at Tangier in Akron. Ellen Burns of the College of Wooster speaks on The Chemistry of Congress. The schedule is networking at 5:15, dinner at 6:00, and presentation at 7:00. The program is free and open to the public. Dinner costs $14 for members and guests and $7 for students. Dinner reservations are required by noon on Monday February 18; please send e-mail to Ann Bolek or call 330-972-6264.
Engineers Banquet
The Akron Area celebration of National Engineers Week will take place on Thursday evening February 21, 2001 at Emidio's Banquet Center in Cuyahoga Falls. William Schweizer of McDermott Technology will speak on Fuel Cell Technology and Applications. The schedule is social at 5:30 and dinner and program at 6:30. Tickets cost $25 for adults and $20 for students. Dinner reservations and payments are required by February 8; please call Jan Ruthenburg at 330-836-5397.
Committee Meeting
The February Executive Committee meeting of the ACS Akron Section will be held on Tuesday February 5, 2002 at 5:00 pm in the University of Akron Knight Chemical Laboratories room 401. Members of the committee who cannot attend are urged to submit reports to Brad Weedon. Other issues can be addressed to Anoop Krishen.
General Meeting
The January general meeting of the ACS Akron Section will be held on Thursday evening January 17, 2002 at Tangier in Akron. Thomas Spittler of Arizona speaks on Contamination of an Aquifer by Hazardous Waste - A Case Study . The schedule is networking at 5:15, dinner at 6:00, and presentation at 7:00. The program is free and open to the public. Dinner costs $14 for members and guests and $7 for students. Dinner reservations are required by noon on Monday January 14; please send e-mail to Ann Bolek or call 330-972-6264.
Role of Government
The American Chemical Society has issued a statement on the government role in providing scientific and technical information. The ACS believes that the government should scrutinize its role as a provider in order to avoid harming the scientific enterprise, jeopardizing the stewardship of scientific and technical information, and competing unnecessarily with businesses and nonprofit groups. The following paragraph contains excerpts from the statement.
The core mission of scientific societies and professional organizations is to advance science and technology. Central activities to the mission of any of these organizations are disseminating ideas, discoveries, and research results, and ensuring the integrity of knowledge within a given scientific discipline. These nonprofit groups provide scientists many options to search a wide range of journals, abstracts, citations, and patents in specific fields and across scientific disciplines. Government-sponsored comprehensive databases that are a gateway to the scientific literature threaten the efforts of nonprofit organizations to advance science and engineering. The ACS, for example, has a significant investment in publishing, abstracting, and indexing the physical-sciences literature. Concentrating traffic on government websites would reroute online traffic and undercut or limit revenues for these activities. Government should exercise substantial caution in entering a market in which the private and nonprofit sectors already are active and where the costs of keeping up with technology are high. Government-sponsored databases simply could shift the costs that are currently borne by individual users to the taxpayer, without increasing the overall audience for the information.
Stop the Presses
The Akron ChemLine newsletter was founded fourteen years ago. At that time, the only practical means for the Akron Section to communicate with its entire membership was by sending paper through the postal service. Publishing the section's own newsletter was more viable than having articles included in the Isotopics newsletter (done in the 1970s), and was less expensive than stuffing flyers and letters in envelopes (done in the 1980s).
Times have changed. The Akron Section has had a web site for five years and has sent e-mail for two years. Maybe it is time to stop the presses; to eliminate some of the paper. One idea is to send postcards with simple meeting announcements every month or two. The Akron ChemLine could continue to be placed on the web site, or it could be sent as an attachment to the periodic e-mail, or it could be absorbed into various electronic communications. Please send a note to the web site webmaster or the newsletter editor with comments.
Committee Meeting
The January Executive Committee meeting of the ACS Akron Section will be held on Tuesday January 8, 2002 at 5:00 pm in the University of Akron Knight Chemical Laboratories room 401. Members of the committee who cannot attend are urged to submit reports to Brad Weedon. Other issues can be addressed to Anoop Krishen. Do not use parking passes or feed parking meters this month.
Akron ChemLine
The January issue of the Akron ChemLine newsletter was posted on this web site on December 29 and was mailed through the postal service on January 2.
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