A publication of
The Illinois-Iowa Section of
The American Chemical Society
 

If you have items to be included in the next newsletter, submit the items by February 20 to the Secretary.
For the latest information about upcoming events, visit our website at http://membership.acs.org/I/ILIA/

Sponsor-a-Student: We are again looking for volunteers to sponsor a college student at the October meeting. Your part is to pay the meal cost of one student - or ask your employer to pay the cost - and spend the social and dinnertime visiting with the student that you are matched with. Whether you are currently employed, retired, or between jobs, you have much to offer to a student planning a science-based career. Additionally, after this brief mentoring experience you will likely find that you too have gained a lot. Please take part by signing up when you make your dinner reservation.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Jim Rutenbeck grew up in Clinton, Iowa and earned a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Iowa in 1972. He worked as a quality control technician and construction laborer while in school. He was a summer engineer in the pilot plant of Grain Processing before beginning to work for 3M.

Jim started his career with 3M as a production supervisor. He has been responsible for process engineering, project engineering, environmental engineering, purchasing and security. Jim is currently the Cordova Plant Engineering Manager with responsibility for maintenance, utilities and waste water treatment.

Jim has a variety of interest. He is married with five children and ten grandchildren. Jim has a private pilot's license He is a past member of the American Hosta Society and Clinton airport commission. Jim is currently the Vice President of the Quad Cities Astronomical Society and board member of the trustees for the Albany Indian Burial Mounds.

ABSTRACT

During this program, Jim will describe the 3M Cordova plant operation

CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD

On March 18, Chemistry Olympiad 2006 will be held at Ashford University in Clinton, Iowa. Please encourage high school chemistry teachers and students in your area to participate in this event. A brochure describing this event is being prepared by Dick Kissack, Todd Miller and Ashford University. (See details posted below in this ChemLine)

UPCOMING MEETING

Wednesday, March 8th is the date set for the March meeting; it will be held at Clinton Community College. Dr. Rhodes, a tour speaker, will give a presentation on Astrochemistry.

SECTION MEMBER RECEIVES ENDOWED CHAIR

Dr. Pamela Trotter has been appointed the inaugural Robert W. Beart Chair in Chemistry at Augustana College. This endowed professorship is made possible by the family of the late Robert Beart, a 1939 Augustana graduate who majored in chemistry and later earned a degree from Chicago-Kent College of Law. He became an expert in the area of intellectual property law and spent the vast majority of his professional life with Illinois Tool Works. His daughter, son-in-law and grandson all graduated form Augustana College. Members of the Beart Family will attend the official announcement and celebration of the Beart Chair later this spring.

Dr. Trotter joined the Augustana faculty in 2001. She earned her Ph.D. at Harvard University and was on the faculty of the University of Texas at Austin before coming to Augustana. Her research involves the coordination of metabolic pathways, using baker's yeast as a model cellular system. She and her students are attempting to gain a better understanding of fatty acid degradation and respiration within a cell's separate compartments.

Forty percent of the earnings from the endowment that funds the Beart Chair will be allocated to programmatic needs such as student-faculty research projects

BI-MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
FROM THE OFFICE OF LOCAL SECTION ACTIVITIES

The Office of Local Section Activities has put together a newsletter. Topics include call for papers, Regional and National meeting activities, Education programs, This Month in Chemical History, thoughts to ponder, etc. If anyone is interested in the entire newsletter from the Office of Local Section Activities, it can be accessed at http://chemistry.org/localsections/editors.html

THE 2006 CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD
sponsored by the Illinois-Iowa Section of the
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
will be held at ASHFORD UNIVERSITY
in Clinton, Iowa on Saturday, March 18, 2006.

THE CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD BENEFITS STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND SCHOOLS

• The Chemistry Olympiad is an event designed to stimulate interest, appreciation and enjoyment of Chemistry.
• The 2006 Chemistry Olympiad will be hosted by Ashford University in Clinton on Saturday, March 18 from 8:30 A.M. - 12:30 P.M.
• The Illinois-Iowa Section of the American Chemical Society offers this event specifically for Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois high school students.
• High school chemistry students and their teachers have the opportunity to "network" with students and teachers from other high schools and with college chemistry teachers and professional chemists and engineers.
• Prizes are awarded to the top students in first and second year exams.
• Students find participating in the testing to be useful in preparing for the ACT, SAT and Advanced Placement exams.
• Teachers learn new laboratory activities, demonstrations and effective teaching strategies designed to make chemistry an appealing and enjoyable course.
• High schools receive free college textbooks, laboratory equipment and instructional material from the American Chemical Society.
• The top eight students on the second year exam qualify to compete for a place on the United States team in International competition.
• The Chemistry Olympiad receives significant help from area businesses and industries.
• Participation in the Chemistry Olympiad is an indication of a serious interest in chemistry and a strong recommendation for awarding scholarships.
• Participation is a significant influence on the selection of a student to receive the American Chemical Society section scholarship which is awarded each year to a student pursuing studies in a chemistry related field.
• Chemistry teachers who have attended this event have developed an e-mail network through which they share ideas with other teachers throughout the year.

For more information visit our website: http://membership.acs.org/I/ILIA/ or contact one of the following: Dr. John Bonte, Clinton Community College, jbonte@eicc.edu Dr. Todd.Miller, Ashford University, Todd.Miller@ashford.edu Richard Kissack, rkissack@clinton.net.

ENHANCING CHEMISTRY CONFERENCE

The 19th Annual Enhancing Chemistry Conference will be held March 17, 2005 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Enhancing Chemistry is an opportunity for high school and community college-level instructors to attend sessions that are specifically geared towards teachers of Chemistry. Past conferences have included how-to sessions on educational software for use in the classroom, informational sessions on current research in the chemistry field, and discussions of teaching methods promoting maximum student engagement. This conference is co-sponsored by the University of Illinois, Department of Chemistry and the Illinois Association of Chemistry Teachers.

For more information, please contact Conferences & Institutes toll-free at 877-455-2687or visit the conference Web site at http://www.conferences.uiuc.edu/enhancingchem/

Please Post

Production at the 3M Facility

Jim Rutenbeck, Plant Engineer

Veranda
4619 34th Street
Rock Island, IL
(309) 732-1631

Wednesday, February 22, 2006
7:30 pm

Contact: Jerod Corbin (563) 243-3943,
CorbinJ@sethnessclinton.com