5:45 p.m.     Mix and Mingle in Highsmith Union 221 and 222

6:00 p.m.     Dinner

7:00 p.m.     Presentation in Robinson 125

Executive Committee meeting immediately after the talk, location TBA.

In the presence of hydrogen peroxide, iron and copper catalyze the formation of hydroxyl radicals that damage proteins, lipids, and DNA in vivo. Because positively-charged metal ions in a cell localize near negatively-charged DNA, the generated hydroxyl radicals cause DNA damage. Cell death and mutation caused by DNA damage have been implicated in many conditions including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and aging. As a result, much work has been done to develop antioxidant treatment strategies, and many different classes of antioxidants are being studied for their ability to treat and prevent diseases such as cancer.

Although many different antioxidant molecules potentially bind iron and copper, this mechanism of antioxidant activity has been little-studied. To examine the role of metal coordination on antioxidant activity, a DNA damage assay using gel electrophoresis was used. Our results indicate that several classes of antioxidants completely inhibit oxidative DNA damage at low micromolar concentrations. Selenium and sulfur antioxidants were most effective at preventing copper-mediated DNA damage, whereas polyphenolic antioxidants prevented iron-mediated damage. Additional gel electrophoresis and UV-vis experiments indicate that antioxidant activity requires metal coordination for all classes of antioxidants tested. Understanding this novel metal-binding antioxidant mechanism will lead to development of more potent antioxidants to treat and prevent diseases caused by oxidative stress.

Julia Brumaghim has been a bioinorganic chemist at Clemson University for six years, where she was recently promoted to Associate Professor. She has been a member of the Western Carolinas local section for the past five years. Since 2006, Dr. Brumaghim has served as treasurer for the Western Carolinas section, as well as serving as the financial chair for the 2007 Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Greenville, SC. She is also a member of the long range planning committee for the section. Because she seems to have a knack for keeping the accounts balanced and paying the bills on time, she is running for a second term as section treasurer.

Western Carolinas Local Section of the ACS honors our members who have attained recognition by the National American Chemical Society as 50 year and 60 year members. Awards were presented to these WCACS members at the September meeting which was held Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at the USC-Upstate Campus in Spartanburg, SC. Below are the names of our members who have achieved this status. Please join in expressing our congratulations to them.

David J. Butcher is currently Professor of Chemistry and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Western Carolina University (WCU) in Cullowhee, NC. He is married to Dr. Karen Butcher and has two children, Emily 18 and Neil 16, with whom he enjoys leisure time. He received his bachelor?s degree in 1982 from the University of Vermont. After three years of employment at Pfizer and Bowdoin College, he received his Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut in 1990. His graduate work, conducted under the direction of Robert G. Michel, involved the development of instrumentation for laser excited atomic fluorescence and ionization spectroscopies.

Prof. Butcher joined the faculty at WCU in 1990 as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry, was promoted to Associate Professor in 1997, was promoted to Professor in 2001, and became Department Head in 2002. He became Associate Dean in April, 2004. Prof. Butcher has more than 50 publications in a variety of areas of analytical chemistry, including graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry, diode laser atomic absorption spectrometry, and ion trap mass spectrometry. Along with Prof. Joseph Sneddon, he is co-author of the volume "A Practical Guide to Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Analysis. His current research interests include environmental analytical chemistry; currently he is involved in a phytoremediation project to remove lead and arsenic from the soil at a housing development in Western North Carolina. He received the 1998 WCU University Scholar Award as the outstanding researcher. He has also been involved in a number of novel teaching innovations in general and analytical chemistry.

Prof. Butcher serves as Associate Editor for Book Reviews of the Microchemical Journal, and Associate Editor for Education for Spectroscopy Letters, and on the Editorial Boards of Microchemical Journal, Spectroscopy Letters and Applied Spectroscopy Reviews. He served as Chair of the American Microchemical Society Undergraduate Award Committee from 1998-2003 and is currently Chair of the A.A. Benedetti-Pichler Award Committee. In 2001, he served as Program Chair for 28th Federation of Analytical Chemistry and Spectroscopy Societies (FACSS) meeting held in Detroit, MI.

In 2009, he became Editor-in-Chief of Analytical Letters. He will be General Chair for the 37th FACSS meeting to be held in Raleigh, NC in October, 2010.

Suggestions and Goals for WCACS

I propose to continue to continue the excellent work done by the section. I have been involved in setting up joint programming for WCACS with the Piedmont Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, and believe these types of collaborative arrangements are mutually beneficial. I also believe it is important for the section to continue to provide support for industrial members.

Julia Brumaghim has been a bioinorganic chemist at Clemson University for six years, where she was recently promoted to Associate Professor. She has been a member of the Western Carolinas local section for the past five years. Since 2006, Dr. Brumaghim has served as treasurer for the Western Carolinas section, as well as serving as the financial chair for the 2007 Southeast Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Greenville, SC. She is also a member of the long range planning committee for the section. Because she seems to have a knack for keeping the accounts balanced and paying the bills on time, she is running for a second term as section treasurer.

The Southeastern Regional Meeting (SERMACS) will meet October 21 – 24, during National Chemistry Week, at the beautiful new Puerto Rico Convention Center. The abstract submittal program is open and may be accessed at www.sermacs2009.org. The SERMACS 2009 theme is Think Positive, Think Global, Think Chemistry, and it is reflected in the programming. with topics such as Supramolecular Science and Self-Assembly, Current Trends in Environmental Chemistry, Nanotechnology: from Energy to Medicine, Frontiers in Nucleic Acid Chemistry, Industrial Biotechnology, New Polymeric Materials and Applications, Bioenergy: Fuels, Chemicals, and Power, Process Technologies in Bio-Pharmaceutical Industry, and Preparing the 21st Century Chemistry Workforce: Opportunities and Challenges for the Student and Faculty. Visit the website for more details. For additional information contact the Program Chair, Dr. Néstor Carballeira, nmcarballeira@sermacs2009.org or 787-764-0000, ext. 4795.

SERMACS 2009 has arranged for special meeting rates at the Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza, in historic San Juan, where you can make a reservation online or call them at 888.722.1278 or 787-977-4773. Mention the SERMACS meeting to get the discount.

Our Webmaster, Dwayne Grassie, would welcome your "press releases" about activities that you believe would be of interest to our section. As he says so eloquently on our web site, "without active members reporting the activities of the section to me there would be no web site because there would be nothing to report." Dwayne can be reached at: MAG-IT@charter.net

To focus on the specific information needs of chemists and chemical engineers working in industry, the American Chemical Society is launching www.boilthisdown.org

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Times have changed. Once, your challenge was getting access to information. Today, you are drowning in information. We will separate the wheat from the chaff so you can quickly access the information you need to be successful. We hope you will be frank with us about where we are doing things right, and where we can improve.

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The American Chemical Society awards program is one of the means by which the society meets its obligation "to encourage ... the advancement of chemistry in all its branches, the promotion of research in chemical science and industry, [and] the improvement of the qualifications and usefulness of chemists." The continuing excellence of the ACS awards program requires that a number of highly qualified chemistry professionals be nominated and that great care be taken in preparing the nominations.

Nominations for the national awards administered by ACS to be presented in 2011 will be solicited on July 1, 2009.

Forms for nominations and supporting information as well as a detailed description of ACS national awards are available online at www.acs.org/awards.

Any individual may submit a nomination for an award, unless that individual is a member of the selection committee for the same award. However, selection committee members may submit nominations for other awards.

Nominations and inquiries concerning awards should be directed to the Office of the Awards Programs, e-mail: awards@acs.org.

The deadline date for all nominating material for 2011 ACS National Awards is November 1, 2009. Earlier transmittal is encouraged.

Dr. Laura Wright - Chair 2009.
Dr. Sid Parrish - Chair-Elect 2009.
Alice Claggett - Secretary 2009
Dr. Julia Brumaghim – Treasurer 2009
Mrs. Lucy Pryde Eubanks - Councilor 2009-11.
Dr. Royce S. Woosley – Councilor 2008-2010
Dr. George Heard - Alternate Councilor 2009-11.
Dr. John Kaup - Alternate Councilor 2008-10.