Friday
March 27, 2009
The WCC of the Virginia Section is sponsoring a chemistry
career discussion panel for students interested in careers in the
chemical sciences. The panel will be held on Friday, March 27, 2009
at 12:30 pm in Room 124, Bird Hall at John Tyler Community College, 13100
Jefferson Davis Hwy, Chester, VA 23831. Speakers representing chemistry
careers in academia, industry, government, and forensics will share their
career stories and answer questions. All interested students are invited,
and light refreshments will be served. For more information or directions,
contact Kristine Smetana, ksmetana @ jtcc.edu or Ann Sullivan,
asullivan @ reynolds.edu or 804-523-5777.
The Virginia Section will hold its annual poster session at
the Friday, April 24 meeting at the University of Virginia in
Charlottesville. The emphasis is on student research, especially work
done by undergraduates. If you have a student who wishes to present a
poster, please contact Dr. James Demas at demas @ virginia.edu or call (434)
924-3343.
Lynchburg is an historic city with a number of attractions
for visitors. These include historic homes, churches, cemeteries, and
government buildings, along with art and Civil War museums. There are a
variety of facilities available in and around Lynchburg for persons who plan
to stay over and enjoy some of the interesting sites in the area. Most of
the major hotel and motel chains have locations in or near Lynchburg
(including Best Western, Comfort Inn, Courtyard by Marriott, Econo Lodge,
Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Holiday Inn Select, Radisson, Sleep Inn,
Super 8, and Wingate Inn). There are also numerous bed-and-breakfast
facilities. For information on attractions, accommodations, dining, etc.,
visit the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce website:
www.discoverlynchburg.org.
If you are looking for a ride to the March 27 meeting at
Lynchburg College, or are willing to provide transportation for someone
else, please contact Jim Beck at (804) 733-5286 or by e-mail to beckjd1977 @
comcast.net.
Service
and Growth Opportunities
Being a member of ACS often is viewed as a professional
obligation and a way of advancing support for chemistry and activities that
benefit chemists. Presenting papers at ACS meetings may result in new
opportunities as well as the enjoyment of being part of a professional
activity. However, serving as a volunteer within the ACS organization may
bring even more rewards and most of what the Society is resulted from the
efforts of member volunteers.
A reward of serving as a staff member in the ACS
national office was watching the growth of young volunteers as they took
leadership positions in sections, committees and divisions. With ACS
leadership training, which two Section officers received in January, and
assisted by staff members, these volunteers gained experiences in team
organization, communicating with other groups in the Society, making
presentations to sell ideas to others and organizing various activities.
These skill and confidence builders often resulted in more recognition and
opportunities for the volunteers in their regular jobs. Personally, I saw
several volunteers go from being assistants to a single lab chemist to
becoming managers of large groups over a period of several years, with
credit for the advancements given to the experience gained through ACS.
(This is an opportunity, not a guarantee.)
The Virginia Section has some great opportunities
for you to work with experienced and convivial leaders of activities that
continue to grow in importance and size. We have immediate assistant
openings to the following: SERMACS 2011 Chair Dr. Joe Pompano (the ACS
Regional Meeting is coming to Richmond); Chair Dr. Jim Beck of the
Publications Committee; WebMaster Dr. Ann Sullivan, and Chair of Community
Outreach Dr. Kristine Smetana. Please feel free to contact these individuals
directly at their email addresses listed elsewhere in this newsletter or
contact me at kmc97@aol.com.
Ken Chapman
2009 Virginia Section Chair
The 87th Annual
Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science will be held at Virginia
Commonwealth University in Richmond on May 27-29, 2009. Chemistry Papers
will be scheduled for presentation on May 28. There will be a Poster Session
that will run from May 27 through May 28. Persons interested in the
Chemistry Section program should contact Dr.Thomas DeVore, Chemistry
Department, MSC 4501, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807;
(540) 568-6672; devoretc @ jmu.edu. More information on the VAS meeting and
on Academy membership can be found at
http://www.vacadsci.org/.
| March 6 -
|
Professor Klaus Hahn,
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,
"Watching and Poking at Signaling Proteins in
Living Cells Multiplex Biosensor Imaging and Genetically Encoded
Protein Caging"
|
| March 13 -
|
Professor Peter Caravan,
Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts
General Hospital,
"Peptide Gadolinium Conjugates for Noninvasive
MRI Detection ofCardiovascular Disease"
|
| March 20 -
|
Professor Michael F. Summers,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Maryland Baltimore
County,
"New Insights into the Mechanism of HIV 1 Genome Packaging and
Virus Assembly"
|
| March 27 -
|
Professor Keith Moffat,
University of Chicago,
"How Do Molecules Respond to Light?
Static and Time Resolved Crystallography of Photoreceptors"
|
| April 3 -
|
HECHT SYMPOSIUM,
"Protein Synthesis with Tandemly Activated
Transfer RNAs"
|
| April 10 - |
Professor Christopher J. Chang,
University of California, Berkeley,
"Chemical Approaches
to Understanding Copper and Peroxide Biology in the Brain"
|
| April 17 -
|
Professor Tamar Seideman,
Northwestern University
|
| April 24 -
|
Professor Sarah Woodson,
Johns Hopkins University,
How RNA Folds, from Ribozymes to Ribosomes" |
Seminars are scheduled for 4:00 p.m. in Room 304 of the
Chemistry Building. The complete colloquium schedule can be found at
http://www.virginia.edu/chem/newsandevents/seminars/.
Volunteers are needed to help with the Virginia Section's
annual Chemists Celebrate Earth Day program which will be held from
10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at John Tyler
Community College in Chester, Virginia. The theme of this year's celebration
is "Air - The Sky's the Limit."
ACS members, club affiliate groups and high school students who would like
to volunteer are encouraged to be part of this exciting day!! For more
information, please contact Dr. Kristine Smetana at (804) 706-5143 or by
email: ksmetana @ jtcc.edu.
The ACS is sponsoring a poster and poetry competition for children in
kindergarten through 12th grade. Students are asked to write and illustrate
a haiku using the Chemists Celebrate Earth Day theme, "Air
- The Sky's the Limit". Grade categories:
K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12. Prizes: $200 and $100 in each grade category. Detailed
rules and guidelines are available on the Chemists Celebrate Earth Day
website, www.acs.org/earthday.
A haiku is a three-line poem with five syllables in the first line, seven in
the second, and five in the third. Haikus typically have nature-related
themes and do not rhyme. For this contest, the poem must be accompanied by
an original poster that illustrates the haiku.
Please submit any Haiku entries by April 5 to: Dr. Kristine Smetana, JTCC,
Chemistry Department M-129, CCED Coordinator, 13101 Jefferson Davis Hwy.,
Chester, VA 23831
| April 2 - |
MARY KAPP LECTURE
|
| April 3 -
|
CHEMICAL BIOLOGY SYMPOSIUM
|
| April 9 -
|
Dr. Richard Crooks, University of Texas
|
| April 16 -
|
Dr. Steve Weber, University of Pittsburgh
"Single Cell Electroporation - A Window on the
Cell?"
|
| April 23 -
|
Dr. William Ducker,
Virginia Tech,
"Fluid Flow in Confined Films: Lubrication Forces and Nanobubble
Generation" |
The 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. The public is invited. For more information, call (804) 828-1298.
The
Virginia Section will host the 2009 Chemistry Olympiad for high school
chemistry students. The Local Section competition will begin on March 2 and
end on March 28, 2009. The students who do well in the local competition
will be nominated to compete in the National competition, to be held at J.
Sargeant Reynolds Community College, Downtown Campus, in Richmond, Virginia
on April 25. These students will compete for 20 positions in the study camp
to be held at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado on June
7-21, 2009 The five- member International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) team
will be chosen from these 20 students to compete in the IChO. This year the
41st International Chemistry Olympiad competition will be held in Cambridge,
England on July 18-27, 2009.
For more
information on the Olympiad, go to the Virginia Section Chemistry Olympiad
site at
http://membership.acs.org/V/VA/olympiad/default.htm
or contact the Virginia Section Olympiad Coordinator, Dr. Ann
M. Sullivan, Mathematics and Science, Downtown Campus, J. Sargeant Reynolds
Community College, P. O. Box 85622, Richmond, VA 23285-5622; (804) 862-260,
(804) 943-2941, or (804) 523-5777; FAX: (804) 732-6077; e-mail: asullivan @
reynolds.edu.
Lynchburg College is an independent, co-educational, residential
college located in Lynchburg, Virginia. Enrollment for 2008-09 is 2,500
undergraduate and graduate students from 37 states and 21 foreign countries.
Founded in 1903, the College has a strong liberal arts and sciences tradition
and offers 38 majors and 46 minors. Students experience a personalized classroom
environment, inter/ multidisciplinary teaching and learning, and a wide range of
experiential learning, including internships, service learning, and study
abroad. There are
graduate programs leading to M.A., M.Ed., and M.B.A. degrees. Special programs
include the Westover Honors Program, Lynchburg College Symposium Readings, the
Senior Symposium, the Thornton Writing Seminar, and New Horizons, an outdoor
adventure/leadership program. The College publishes a national undergraduate
student journal (Agora). Each year the students at Lynchburg College complete
more than 40,000 hours of community service.
The College supports 21 varsity athletic programs and has an extensive
intramural and club sports program. There are more than 70 student clubs and
organizations to join. The grounds extend over 214 acres with a view and
landscape of exceptional beauty; the Blue Ridge Mountains form the western
skyline. There are over 40 buildings, predominantly of Georgian style. The
College's 470-acre Claytor Nature Center, with views
of the Peaks of Otter, is a 30-minute drive from the main campus.
The Department of
Chemistry is part of the School of Sciences. There are two degree programs,
leading to a B.A. or a B.S. in chemistry. The Department has three full-time
faculty members, a Sciences Lab Coordinator, and a Chemical Hygiene Officer. Dr.
Priscilla J. Gannicott is the Program Coordinator. Other faculty members include
Dr. William J. Lokar and Dr. Dwight A. Williams.
The
January 23 Section meeting was held at The Science Museum of Virginia in
Richmond. Over 60 persons heard Dr. Yorke Rhodes of New York University
discuss the nature of the solar system atmospheres. Ken Chapman, Section
Chair, introduced Dr. Rhodes and presented him with the traditional engraved
Jefferson Cup after the talk. Thanks to David Hagan of the Science Museum of
Virginia for assisting with the meeting arrangements, to Yezdi Pithawalla
for the dinner arrangements, and to Gale Beck for the Social Hour.
Judges and meeting chairs are needed for the 68th annual
meeting of the Virginia Junior Academy of Science (VJAS), to be held at
Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, May 26-28, 2009. About 750
students from grades seven through twelve will present papers and report on
original research work. If you would like to contribute to this celebration
of science by young persons, please contact Susan Booth, VAS Director, at
susanscience @ msn.com or (757) 874-3349. Judges are needed in
Agriculture & Animal Science, Animal Behavior, Botany, Chemistry, Computer
Science, Consumer Science, Design Technology, Earth & Space Science,
Engineering, Environmental Science, Genetics & Cellular Biology,
Mathematics, Medicine & Health, Microbiology, Physical Science, Physics,
Psychology, Statistics, and Zoology.
This question was asked in the
February Bulletin: The
University of Richmond has hosted the W. Allan Powell Lectureship in
Chemistry every year since 1988. Dr. Timothy Swager is the 22nd
distinguished scientist to be invited to speak as part of the
Lectureship program. How many of those persons have been awarded Nobel
prizes? Bonus points if you can name the Nobel winners. The three Nobel
Prize winners are Dudley R. Herschbach, speaker at the 1990 Powell
Lectureship, who received the Nobel Prize in 1986; Herbert C. Brown, 1994
Lecturer who received his Nobel in 1979; and Roald Hoffmann, the 2008 Powell
Lecture, winner of the 1981 Nobel Prize.
 |
 |
 |
| Dudley Herschbach |
Herbert Brown |
Roald Hoffmann |
A new
question: Between 1988, when the Powell Lectureship began at the University
of Richmond, and 1992, the Virginia Section sponsored a separate speaker at
the U of R meeting. The Powell Lecture was given in the afternoon, followed
by dinner, and then a talk by the Virginia Section speaker. The two-speaker
arrangement ended in February, 1993 when Dr. Nicholas J. Turro was the only
speaker. Who was the Virginia Section speaker on February 21, 1992 when
Dr. Mark Stephen Wrighton spoke at the Powell Lectureship?
The photograph was
taken on February 6, 2009 at the Powell Lectureship at the University of
Richmond. One of the three persons is on the faculty at the University of
Richmond, one is retired from Virginia Commonwealth University, and one is a
faculty member at John Tyler Community College. One has received the
Distinguished Service Award from the Virginia Section, one has received
national ACS awards for her work on National Chemistry Week and Earth Day,
and one
does
research on electrocatalysts and new polymers for fuel cells.
The
"mystery person" in the
February issue was Sister Mary
Virginia Orno, Professor of Chemistry at the College of New Rochelle and
Senior Fellow of the Chemical Heritage Foundation. She spoke to the Virginia
Section on Nov. 17, 1995.
REPORT ON THE FEBRUARY MEETING
In February 6,
2009, a large crowd of over 80 persons was treated to a stimulating talk by
Professor Timothy Swager of M.I.T. His topic was "Polymer Electronics for
Chemical and Biological Sensors." He was introduced by Dr. Raymond Dominey
of the University of Richmond. Dr. Alan Powell, for whom the W. Alan Powell
Lectureship is named, was recognized and made some personal remarks about
the Lectureship. Special thanks to the Chemistry Department at the
University of Richmond for arranging this outstanding meeting and to the
University of Richmond for subsidizing the meeting.
Dr. Timothy Swager
Dr. W. Allan Powell
|
 |
 |
Mr. Kenneth Chapman
Dr. Timothy Swager
|
The student affiliate chapter at the University of Mary Washington is one of
four chapters that have won cash awards from the American Chemical Society.
Each of the four won $1,000 for producing short videos that communicate the
theme "Putting a Human Face on Chemistry." The other winning chapters were
from Tennessee Tech University, Claflin University, and the University of
Puerto Rico. The winners were selected from a total of 23 submissions in the
Presidential Video Challenge. Mary Washington's entry highlighted the
diversity of chemists in a humorous way. The winning videos can be viewed on
YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/group/saprogram
2009 Executive Committee Officers
Left -to-Right:
Ken Chapman, Chair
Karen Carter, Secretary
Brad Norwood, Treasurer
Yezdi Pithawalla, Chair-Elect
2009 Committee
Chairs
2009 Members-at-Large
