Todd Miller 319-659-4476 (PH) Secretary 319-895-5764 (FAX)

tmiller@cornell-iowa.edu

March 2001

For the latest information about upcoming events, visit our website at http://membership.acs.org/I/ILIA/

Wednesday, March 14^th , 2001

Our next meeting is April 22 at Family Museum of Arts and Science in Bettendorf, IA.

All of us in the temperate world use the agricultural products the tropical world sends us, but we think little of the processes that these products undergo before they reach us. This is perhaps a bit strange, as in most tropical countries the chief form of chemical processing is that conducted on agricultural materials, and these include such everyday items as coffee, tea, bananas, coconuts, sugar, and palm oil. Scientists knowledgeable in these areas can play a significant advising role in many third-world environments. Requirements in addition to knowledge of the subject matter are patience, cheerfulness, and an ability to communicate with others at their level. Events do not usually move at the pace those of us chained to a clock expect, but things get done anyway, often better than we do them. The payoff is the satisfaction gained from being able to function successfully in environments and cultures often very different from our own.

Peter J. Reilly, a New Jersey native, received an A.B. in chemistry in 1960 from Princeton University and a Ph.D. in chemical engineering in 1964 from the University of Pennsylvania. He spent four years with DuPont's Organic Chemicals Department in Deepwater, New Jersey; six years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; and since 1974 has been at Iowa State University, where he is a professor of chemical engineering and, since 1992, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor in Engineering. During the 1983-84 and 1992-93 academic years, he was an invited professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland. Dr. Reilly's research interests are in the areas of enzyme and carbohydrate technology and utilization of agricultural byproducts, specifically in the enzymatic hydrolysis of starch and cellulosics and in sugar chromatography. He coordinates Iowa State University's exchange programs with the University of Glasgow, Scotland, and with the University of Lausanne, Switzerland, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne.

ChemKid is a childcare program for IL-IA section members coordinated through chem. clubs at colleges hosting the monthly section meeting. The program is designed to try to give parents a "night-out" with ACS. Volunteers from these student groups would look after school age (1^st - 8^th grades) children of ACS members who attend the monthly meeting.

St. Ambrose University will host our first ChemKid program during the March 14^th ACS meeting. The program will start with a pizza supper for the kids and then the student childcare providers will have science activities to entertain the kids.

To take advantage of the program, parents would sign a release form detailing the program activities and stating their willingness to enroll their children in the activities.

On Thursday, March 29^th, David Levy will speak in Centennial Hall at Augustana College at 8:00 pm. The public is invited and there is no charge.

David Levy is the co-discoverer of comet Shoemaker-Levy and numerous other comets. He has authored over twenty books, and is the science editor of the Sunday Parade magazine, having replaced Carl Sagan. He writes a monthly column in Sky & Telescope magazine, and has recently completed biographies of his close friends Gene Shoemaker and Clyde Tombaugh (discoverer of Pluto).

• Kiser Scholarship The Illinois-Iowa Section of the ACS is pleased to announce the Kiser Scholarship, which will award $500 to eligible high school seniors who intend to continue in chemistry. Application deadline is April 1, 2001. For more information, contact Mr. Rich Craddick at (319) 264 – 4367 or rich_craddick@kentfeeds.com

A call goes out to IL-IA section members who typically attend the Great Lakes Regional Meeting (GLRM) and would like to have a larger impact on this annual meeting The GLRM is typically held in early June of each year, at various locations. The 2001 meeting will be June 11-13 in Grand Rapids, MI. For more information on ACS Regional Meetings and Steering Committees, go to http://www.acs.org/meetings/regional/index.html. This Committee meets once annually, at the GLRM.

As GLRM Steering Committee Representative, your responsibilities include the following:

• Attend the annual GLRM Steering Committee meeting, held at the GLRM, and submit a brief (one page) written report of highlights of this meeting to the IL-IA section Executive Committee upon your return
• Represent the interests of the Section, to the best of your ability
• Submit items, such as upcoming GLRM meeting announcements, to the section Secretary for inclusion in the section newsletter
• Plan for a three-year commitment to this position

There is opportunity for additional involvement by taking a more active role, but that is at your discretion.

Support from the local Section includes reimbursement for the cost of Advance Registration for the meeting (typically about $75) if you desire this. The Section cannot pay for your travel expenses for this trip.

If you would like to serve as the Section's representative or you have any questions, contact Lisa Fields, (319) 264-6039, lmfields@muscanet.com.

Great progress has been made on the 2001 Chemistry Olympiad. As of February 15, we already have nine high schools registered. This guarantees us a record number of schools and students. Our goal is 12 high schools and 125 students. We have planned a program of valuable, interesting and enjoyable activities for both students and teachers.

The 2001 Olympiad will be held at Clinton Community College on Saturday, March 31, 2001, and we need your help. We need people to proctor exams, supervise activities and talk to chemistry teachers.

Our Section website has a link to the Olympiad website. Please visit it for more information. To volunteer to help at the Olympiad, contact:

For more information contact: