The Executive Committee of the Virginia Section will
meet at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, January
24, 2009.
The meeting will be held in Room 662 of the
Downtown Campus of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in
Richmond. Additional information can
be obtained from the incoming Section Chair, Mr. Ken
Chapman, (804) 448-4852. Members of the Section are invited to attend
the meeting. Details will be included in the January issue of the
Bulletin and on the Virginia Section Website:
http://membership.acs.org/V/VA/.
| December 4 -
|
Lou Allamandola, |
NASA, Ames |
| |
"Exploration and
Application of Carbon Nanomaterials - from Nanotubes to Carbon Dots" |
Seminars are held at 3:30 p.m. in the
Kapp Lecture Hall, Room 1024 in the Mary E. Kapp wing of Oliver Hall, 1001
West Main Street in Richmond. For more information, call (804) 828-1298.
DESPERATELY
SEEKING CHEMISTS AGED 21-40!
Are you a young professional chemist? Looking to socialize and meet
other chemists to network? Want to talk with other chemists outside
of your job/field? Need advice and strategies from accomplished and
successful chemists?
Visit us online at
http://groups.google.com/group/ycc-vaacs, fill out our
survey now through December, and please tell us how we
can get the Younger Chemists Committee to suit your
needs and off to a great start!
|
The October 17 Virginia Section meeting at
the Philip Morris Center for Research and Technology in Richmond was well
attended with nearly 70 persons at the program. Chuck Stiff, Director of RD&E
Technical Operations at Altria Client Services, provided a virtual tour of the
new facility. Trey Gregory, Chair of the Virginia Section, introduced Dr. Jane
Lewis, Vice President of Analytical Sciences and Technical Operations at Altria
Client Services, who spoke on "In Pursuit of Reduced Risk Cigarettes - a Story
of Leadership in a Technical Organization." A lively question-and-answer session
followed Dr. Lewis' talk. Thanks to Will Lewis and his colleagues at Altria
Client Services for hosting this excellent meeting.
The Solar Energy Research Center will hold a
meeting on "Securing Our Energy Future: Next Generation Photovoltaics and Solar
Fuels" at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on January 15-17,
2009. The keynote lecture will be given by Nate Lewis of Caltech. There will be
a variety of scientific and poster sessions. Information can be found on the
Center's website: http://www.unc.edu/serc.
Help
out the Virginia Section by serving on one of our committees: Awards, Chemical
Education, Chemical Technicians, Chemistry Olympiad, Entertainment, Government
Relations, Hospitality, Industrial Relations, Media/Public Relations,
Membership, Minority Affairs, National Chemistry Week/Chemists Celebrate Earth
Week, Publications, Safety, SERMACS-2011, Student Affiliates, and Younger
Chemists (YCC). To get more information, volunteer your services, or make
suggestions, contact Mr. Charles E. (Trey) Gregory) at (804) 504-8840;
trey.gregory @ boehringer-ingelheim.com. Suggestions for new committees or
committee activities are welcome. Have an idea for a future meeting, a speaker,
a topic, a location? Contact Yezdi Pithawalla who is planning the programs for
2009: (804) 274-4587; yezdi.b.pithawalla @ altria.com.
The Virginia Section awards a number of
prizes to students and schools that participate in
the Chemistry Olympiad. School awards are given in three categories. Within each category, the school with the highest total
of the top three student scores receives a plaque and a certificate
of achievement. These team awards will be
presented at the Section meeting on
December 5.
Here are the team award winners for the 2008 competition:
| First-Year Examination
|
| Category |
School |
Teachers |
| Small School / Small
Governor's School |
The Steward School |
Leslie Kovach |
| Large School / Large Governor's School |
Maggie Walker Governor's School |
Anna Shore, Jeremy Clark |
| Second-Year
Examination |
| Small School / Small
Governor's School |
The Steward School |
Leslie Kovach |
| Large School / Large Governor's School |
Albemarle High School |
Marvin T. Curry |
Dr.
Ernest Eliel, W. R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Chemistry at the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill and former President of the American Chemical Society,
died on Sept. 18, 2008 at the age of 86. During his career in chemistry, he made
outstanding contributions to stereochemistry. He wrote a classic textbook,
"Stereochemistry of Carbon Compounds,"
in that field. Dr. Eliel was President of the American Chemical Society in 1992
and received the Society's Priestley Medal in 1996. He
visited the Virginia Section at least three times. On March 15, 1974, he spoke
at the University of Virginia on "The Information
Explosion - What Can Be Done about It?"
and his presentation at the University of Richmond on Feb. 16, 1990 was titled
"Whither Chemistry." He also
attended the Southeastern Regional Chemistry meeting in Richmond in November,
1991. Dr. Eliel's autobiography, "From
Cologne to Chapel Hill" was edited by Dr. Jeffrey I.
Seeman, recipient of the Virginia Section's
Distinguished Service Award in 2007. In 2002, Dr. Seeman wrote a moving
biographical sketch of Dr. Eliel for the publication Chirality (Volume 14, pp.
98-109). This is available at the website
http://imageserve.chem.unc.edu/resources/pdf_files/home_page/eliel.pdf
This question was asked in the
November issue of the Bulletin: At
least three Section meetings were planetarium shows. Where and when were
those three meetings held? The March 29, 1982 show at the John C. Wells
Planetarium at James Madison University was titled "The
Stellar Thread." The planetarium at the Science Museum
of Virginia in Richmond was the site of "The Star of
Christmas" on Dec. 2, 1983. And the Section returned
to the Wells Planetarium at JMU on Dec. 11, 1992 for "The
Christmas Star."
New Question: When the Section changed to a calendar-year term
for its officers, it meant that the first set of officers under the new basis
actually served 18-month terms of office (from July of one year through December
of the next). At that time, the Section had just over 600 members (member-ship
is now over 1400) and the Section Chair was Clinton W. Baber. What years are
we talking about - 1939-40; 1953-54; 1962-63; or
1977-78? Can you name any other Section officers who served the
year-and-a-half terms?
The Virginia Section provides small grants to schools for science
projects in grades K through 12. Erin Flanagan of the Mary Munford
Elementary School in Richmond received one of these grants which
enabled them to purchase some scientific models. Here is the
thank-you note that the Virginia Section received from Ms. Flanagan:
"Thank you and the VA Section ACS so much
for your decision to fund our project. I have just spoken to the
other second grade teachers and we are so thrilled. We cannot wait
to order the models and begin the experiments with our classes.
Since writing the proposal, I have since thought of several other
ways to use the models. We are definitely going to have to draw
straws to see who gets to use what first! Again, thank you."
See the article below for more information on the educational
grants.
|
The Virginia Section is soliciting proposals for grants to
support school science projects in grades K through
12. The $50 to $500 grants will be provided to teachers in the Virginia Section
for the purchase of materials and supplies. To apply
for support, request an application form from
Ryan Warren, 6001 Grove Avenue, Richmond, VA 23226; (804) 288-2804; warrencr @
vcu.edu. Or complete an application on-line by
accessing the Virginia Section website at
http://membership.acs.org/V/VA/grants.htm.
Articles and information for the Virginia Section Bulletin
should be sent to the Editor:
James D. Beck, 1977 Vesonder Road, Petersburg, VA 23805;
(804) 733-5286; beckjd1977 @ comcast.net.
Announcements of positions available are especially welcomed and
are printed at no charge.
The
Virginia Section celebrated National Chemistry Week on Saturday, October 25 with
a grand day of activities at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond. The
theme of this year's NCW was "Having
a Ball with Chemistry." Visitors to the Science Museum
were given "Hoorah for Chemistry"
goodie bags and other items. They could then choose from 20 stations with
demonstrations and hands-on activities. Stations included making a buckyball,
elephant toothpaste, superball production, turning copper into silver, making an
Olympic bracelet, chromatography butterflies, making slime putty, and preparing
play paint. Dozens of volunteers in NCW t-shirts revealed the exciting world of
chemistry to the Museum guests. Dr. Kristine Smetana coordinated the NCW
activities. Special thanks to all those who helped in this project!
The Virginia Section will host the 2009 Chemistry Olympiad for
all high school chemistry teachers and students who are interested in
participating. The Local Section competition will be held in March, 2009. For
more information and the application forms, go to the Virginia Section Chemistry
Olympiad site at
http://membership.acs.org/V/VA/olympiad/default.htm.
The students who do well in the Local competition will be nominated
to compete in the National competition hosted at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community
College in Richmond in April. Dr. Ann Sullivan is the coordinator for the
Chemistry Olympiad in the Virginia Section.
John Tyler
Community College is a public two-year institution of higher education that has
been serving the community since 1967. The College offers a variety of programs
and services to primarily the residents of the cities of Colonial Heights,
Hopewell, and Petersburg, and the counties of Amelia, Charles City,
Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Prince George, Surry, and Sussex. JTCC is the sixth
largest of the 23 community colleges in Virginia. It has two main campuses, in
Chester, and Midlothian, and offers classes at locations throughout the area.
The colleges serves more than 9,500 for-credit students each year and offers 13
associate degrees, 8 certificates, and 31 career studies certificates. In
addition, the institution serves 14,000 non-credit students and 500 companies
and government agencies annually through the Community College Workforce
Alliance. The Chester Campus opened in 1967 and is located at 13101 Jefferson
Davis Highway; the Midlothian Campus opened in 2000 and is at 800 Charter Colony
Parkway. The College has 73 full-time teaching faculty, 23 administrative
faculty, and about 250 adjunct instructors. Dr. Marshall W. Smith is President.
The department of chemistry presently has three full-time
chemistry faculty; one at the Chester campus and two at the Midlothian campus,
and an average of four part-time faculty each semester shared between the
campuses. Faculty teach both the lecture and laboratory components of their
classes. Courses offered include a college chemistry course predominantly for
the science/ engineering major, a general chemistry course for nursing and
allied health majors, and a funeral services/veterinary technology chemistry
course. The department has grown over the last seven years to meet the demands
of John Tyler's Nursing Program and the growing number of students who
participate in the transfer agreement that the VCCS has with participating
four-year colleges.
The Chemistry Club at John Tyler Community College has been a
very active organization for three years. The club, consisting of 63 members,
has hosted National Chemistry Week at the college to promote chemistry and
science awareness, a kid's chemistry event, speakers,
and social events revolving around scientific movies. In October, chemistry club
students participated in the ACS National Chemistry Week at the Science Museum
of Virginia.
Dr. W. Allan Powell compiled a history of the Virginia Section
that was published in 1996 as "The First Seventy-Five
Years" (the Virginia Section received its charter from
the American Chemical Society on April 9, 1915; Dr. Powell's
account ended in 1990). We are beginning the process of updating the history.
Listed below is a draft of a narrative account of the Section's
activities in the year 1992. We would appreciate comments, corrections, and
suggestions on this. Please communicate your thoughts to James Beck, (804)
733-5286; beckjd1977 @ comcast.net.
1992
Chair - Sheryl Baldwin
Chair Elect - Patrick G. Barber
Vice Chair - Philip P. Burks, Jr.
Secretary - Elizabeth M. Hairfield
Treasurer - Larry H. White
Councilors - Oscar R. Rodig, William F. Kuhn, R. Gerald Bass
Trustees - William R. Smithey, James E. York, J. Samuel Gillespie, Jr.
The Virginia Section held eight regular meetings during
1992:
| January 24 - |
Randolph Macon College, Ashland. C. Jean Watts,
"The Value of Wetlands and the
Chesapeake Bay" |
| February 21 - |
University of Richmond, Richmond. Frederick M.
Hawkridge,
"Heme Protein
Electron Transfer and Ligand Binding Reactions" |
| February 21 - |
University of Richmond, Richmond. Mark Stephen
Wrighton, "New Materials,
New Phenomena: What's Real in
Molecular Electronics?" (W. Allan Powell
Lectureship) |
| March 27 - |
Longwood College, Farmville. Alfred Burger,
"How Do Medications Act in the
Body and How Are They Discovered?" |
| April 17 - |
University of Virginia, Charlottesville. John F.
Christman,
"Serendipity -The
Luck in Scientific Discovery" |
| September 25 - |
Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond. Donald
D. Shillady,
"Some Adventures in Quantum
Chemistry" |
| October 23 - |
Shenandoah University, Winchester. Leonard J. Fine,
"From Nylon and
Polycarbonates to Kevlar and Polyetherimides...and Beyond"
|
| November 20 - |
Mary Washington College, Fredericksburg. John J.
Fortman, "Dazzling Demos
and Videdotaped Bloopers" |
| December 11 - |
James Madison University, Harrisonburg,
Planetarium Show,
"The Christmas
Star" |
The average attendance at Section meetings in 1992 was 65.
The April meeting included a poster session that featured
student research with 19 posters from six colleges and universities and
one from a student at Harrisonburg High School. A Vendor's
Show was held in conjunction with the September meeting. The October meeting at
Shenandoah University featured two door prizes. Dorothy Stevens received a
package of Virginia apple products and Mike Pearson, a student at Mary
Washington College, won a print of an oil painting by Winchester artist Joanne
Happ. On November 20, a special program was held at Mary Washington College for
high school teachers and students. Participants learned how to use
demonstrations in chemistry instruction. About 150 high school teachers and
students participated in the workshop that was organized by Bill Rademaker and
Larry White.
The Virginia Section continued its longstanding practice of
presenting awards to deserving individuals. The Distinguished Service Award was
presented to Donald D. Shillady. Daniel F. Lynch of Mills E. Godwin High School
in Henrico County received the Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding High
School Chemistry Teaching. The Distinguished Service Award for Outstanding
Middle School Science Teaching was given to Ronnie Sours of Thomas Harrison
Middle School in Harrisonburg. Special recognition was given to Kenneth S.
Houghton, R. Gerald Bass, and William F. Kuhn for their outstanding work on
SERMACS-91. Ten senior chemistry majors from colleges and universities within
the Section were honored; each received a one-year membership in the American
Chemical Society and a certificate of achievement. The Section recognized nine
fifty-year members of the ACS. The student affiliate chapters at James Madison
University and Mary Washington College received commendations from the national
ACS.
The Section participated in the Chemistry Olympiad with a record
number of high school students - 255 from 22 different
schools - taking the local examination. Five of these
students competed in the national Olympiad. John Comerford coordinated the
Olympiad. In November, National Chemistry Week was celebrated with a full
range of activities at the Virginia Museum of Science in Richmond. Over 100
volunteers helped to entertain and enlighten Museum visitors about chemistry.
There was also a crystal growing contest for elementary and high school
students. The NCW activities at the Science Museum were coordinated by Stuart
Monroe, Bill Wingfield, and Mary Randolph Spencer.
The
photograph is from 2001 when the subject and a colleague were awarded an
Outstanding Innovation Award by the Virginia Section. They were recognized
as the founders of eduSoft, LC, a company that provides novel computer-based
tools for drug design and molecular biology. He received a B.S. from the
University of New Mexico and a Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. He
joined the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at Virginia Commonwealth
University in 1989 and is now an Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry
there. His research focuses on the design, development, and application of
new computational tools for molecular modeling and drug design. 