ChemLine

Marion Johnson
563-243-5350
Secretary
marjoh@clinton.net
May 2004

If you have items to be included in the next newsletter, submit the items by August 15 to the Secretary.
For the latest information about upcoming events, visit our website at http://membership.acs.org/I/ILIA/

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

MAY MEETING

Thursday, May 6, 2004

Sponsor-a-Student: We are again looking for volunteers to sponsor a college student at the May 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 with Randall Wanke or Jerod Corbin.

ABSTRACT/BIOGRAPHY

The Distinguished Scientist Lecture Series, presentation, "The Imagery of Felice Frankel," is partially sponsored by the National ACS through an Innovative Grant awarded to our Illinois-Iowa Section and the Peoria Section. Science photographer Felice Frankel is a research scientist in the School of Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Director of the Envisioning Science Project. Working in collaboration with scientists and engineers, Frankel creates images for journal submissions, presentations and publications for general audiences. She has received awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Science Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, and the Camille and Henry Dreyful Foundation. She was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University's Graduate School of Design for her previous work photographing the Built landscape and architecture. She is a Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science. She is coauthor with George M. Whitesides of On the Surface of Things, Images of the Extraordinary in Science, and her own book entitled Envisioning Science: The Design and Craft of the Science Image. Her work has been featured on the cover of many scientific journals including Scientific American, Nature, Physics Today, American Institute of Chemical Engineers Journal and The Journal of Chemical Education.  Whether it is adhesion or patterns made by bacterial colonies, Frankel captures magnificent images at the macro- and microscopic level to communicate scientific phenomena.

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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

"Reaction" from the Bench

The April meeting was great. Kudos for Monmouth College! The food was great and the speaker left us wanting to "taste" some more. Yeah, another bad pun.

The May meeting is a special meeting in that it is partially sponsored by the National ACS Office through its Innovative Grants program. The Peoria section approached me earlier this year with a proposal to bring together the Art community with us scientists. This, of course, is centered on a keynote speaker, Felice Frankel. Originally it was to be held at an Art museum and that Felice was to have two lectures at each section over a period of 4 days. Sites changes and the program had to be scaled back as per the request of the speaker. Plans are finally set (fingers crossed) and things are now running full bore. Due to the prestige of the speaker and the uniqueness of this meeting, we have contacted the local media, museums, and even a few libraries. Turn out for the main lecture should be great! To find out more about the meeting and to see a little of Felice's work, visit our website at http://membership.acs.org/I/ILIA.

The other Innovative Grant proposal, for the Illinois State Fair, has been submitted, but planning has not stopped. I meet with the other sections involved on the 24^th of April in Bloomington/Normal. We still need volunteers and more ideas. Please check out the full proposal and the last meeting's minutes also at the website.

I want to give a special thanks to the Augustana ACS Student Affiliate group and the Chemistry faulty of Clarke College and Loras College for taking time to meet with me this past month. These visits had a two-fold purpose in finding out what the section can do for them and giving thanks for what they have done for this section. More involvement with full extent of this section's geographical area and to hear/support young chemists is vital to remaining a strong section.

Jerod Corbin

2004 Chair

CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD

The Chemistry Olympiad 2004 held March 27, at Clinton Community College was a great success. Eighty-eight students from 11 high schools in Illinois (Amboy, Fulton, Moline, Morrison, Sterling, United Township) and Iowa (Bellevue-Marquette, Bellevue Public, Camanche, Clinton, Dubuque Hempsted) participated. In addition, there were representatives from Augustana College, Black Hawk College, Clinton Community College, Muscatine Community College, St. Ambrose University and The Franciscan University.

The following businesses and industries gave financial support to the event: Archer-Daniels-Midland, Barnstead-Thermolyne Corporation, Bemis Clysar, Inc., Equistar Chemicals, Midland Scientific, Mestle' Purina Petcare Co., Sethness Products, 3-M Corporation, Dr. Randall E. Schmitt, V.W.R. Scientific, Wal-Mart Supercenters. In addition an estimated $1200 of donated materials was received as well as $3000 (est. retail value) in textbooks.

Eight students qualified to compete on the national chemistry exam April 17 at Clinton Community College: Paul Say (Grand Chemist) and Matthew Whittaker of Sterling High School, Mark Boerker of United Township High School, Stephen Longfield of Dubuque Hempstead High School, Philip Schmitt of Fulton High School, Drew Luder of Moline High School and Mark McEleney and Justine Bormann of Clinton High School. (see pictures on the website). The competition is part of a process to choose a team for the United States that will compete in the International Chemistry Olympiad in Kiel, Germany this summer. (pictures are available on our website)

Members of the committee include John Bonte (Clinton Community College), Jerod Corbin, Terry Geerts, Will Grimes, and David Tuescher (Sethness Products), Bob Haack (ADM - retired), Marion Johnson and Todd Miller (The Franciscan University), Dick Kissack (Clinton High School - retired),>

Dick Roberts (DuPont - retired), Janelle Torres y Torres (Muscatine Community College).

UPCOMING MEETINGS

The September meeting will be held at the North Liberty Radio Satellite in North Liberty, Iowa. A tour of the facility will be given by Mike Burgert. Brian Mundell is the host.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monmouth College will be hosting a week-long workshop from June 13-19 entitled "Computational Science in Undergraduate Education: A First Look".  This will be an interdisciplinary meeting which features computational methods used in chemistry, biology, and physics.  The workshop is sponsored by the National Computational Science Institute (NCSI), a branch of the Shodor Educational Foundation.  The workshop is free for all participants, the deadline for registration is May 1. Online registration, as well as more information, can be found at: www.computationalscience.org/workshops/ . James Godde is the contact person

Here is some interesting ACS news.  Our Section Chair along with some Illinois ACS member sections got together in Peoria recently and decided to ask the ACS for a grant to have a booth at the Illinois State Fair on August 13-22, 2004.   Volunteers are needed to attend the fair and help put on demonstrations for the public.  The committee needs suggestions for demonstrations that would appeal to all ages, volunteers to carry them out and a supply of materials.  If you can help in anyway or know someone who could help, please e-mail, or phone at the addresses given below. The committee is thinking of having 4-hour time blocks for commitments.  Many details are yet to be worked out.  However, this will be a great venue for Illinois Sections to work together. Frank Salter, (573)-221-1740 ext. 264, fsalter@continentalcement.com or Jerod Corbin (563) 243-3943, sethnesslab@revealed.net.

KISER MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

Many applications for the Donald Kiser Memorial Scholarship offered by the Illinois-Iowa Section have been received. They are being reviewed, and the committee plans to announce the 2004 winner at the May meeting.

NATIONAL CHEMISTRY WEEK

Under the leadership of Janelle Torres y Torres, the National Chemistry Week committee has made a great start in planning NCW 2004, to be held October 17-23. A letter has been prepared outlining the event, ways in which educators can participate and how to access information from section members and the ACS website. Two national events sponsored by the ACS during NCW include a poster contest for kindergarten through 12^th graders and the Chemists in the Library program. You can help by sponsoring an event at a school in your area or a donation of prizes and activities.

COUNCILOR'S REPORT

Dr. Brian Mundell, reports the following highlights from the Councilor's meeting held March 31, 2004 during the Spring National ACS meeting held in Anaheim, CA.

President - Elect candidates for 2005: F. Sherwood Rowland, Isiah M. Warner, and E. Ann Nalley.

Attendees: 14,141.

Committee recommendation to minimize committee verbal reports and streamlined Council meeting.

2005 dues set at $123 - passed.

Chemist unemployment at ~3.5 % as of 12/31/03.

Employment guidelines have been revised. I can copy and make available to those who wish them.

Considering electronic balloting.

Voted to honor Anaheim hosts for meeting.

2003 membership (as of 12/31/03) was 159,393, which is -1.0 % over year 2002.

Please Post

"The Imagery of Felice Frankel"

Felice Frankel

MIT Artist-in-Residence

May 6th, 2004

7:45- 9:00 PM

Lecture: Room 102

Science Building

Augustana College

Rock Island, Illinois

Contact: Jerod Corbin, sethnesslab@revealed.net

Quad Cities Area Map

(Abbreviated Campus Map)