AWARDS CEREMONY RECOGNIZES BOTH STUDENTS AND OLD TIMERS

 

The Connecticut Valley Section Awards Luncheon, following the Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Connecticut on April 24, gave the Section the chance to recognize both the achievements of students and the faithful participation of our 50 year members in the ACS.

 

Fifty Year Member Awards

This year, seventeen members were recognized for their fiftieth year in the ACS!  Five of them (marked with an asterisk) were able to attend the luncheon and receive their fifty‑year pin in person.

The fifty year members are:  Dr. Louis Carpino, Dr. John Chandler, Dr. Robert Culver, Dr. Donald David, Miss Helen Donega, Dr. Anthony Gawienowski, Dr. James Heeren*, Mr. Wardwell Leonard*, Mr. Edwin Mahlo*, Dr. Donald Maricle, Dr. James McFarland, Dr. Mark Mersereau, Mrs. Aleksandra Nawakowski*, Mr. Arthur Plumley*, Ms. Hertha Haensel, Mr. Gordon Thomson, and Mr. Herbert Vieira.

 

First Anna J. Harrison Award Given to a College Level Student

Several years ago, an award fund was established in honor of Anna J. Harrison, a long-time faculty member of Mount Holyoke College, and the first female president of the American Chemical Society. There are two Harrison awards, administered by the Connecticut Valley Section. One, for a high school student, is tied to the Chemistry Olympiad and has been awarded for several years. The second, for a college level student, was awarded for the first time this year to Annie Troutman of Trinity College based on her research presentation at the Undergraduate Research Symposium at the University of Connecticut. The award is based on content, quality of presentation, and independence of work and/or recognition of the part played in the research. Although Troutman’s excellent talk made her a clear favorite, the panel of three judges was impressed by the general level of presentations including both talks and posters. They encouraged younger students, including several freshmen, to keep working hard and to present again next year.

 

Olympiad Awards

Twelve high school students were named to take the National Olympiad exam based on their performance in the CVS High School Olympiad. This performance is based on three exams: the ACS High School Olympiad multiple choice exam, and essay and laboratory exams developed by the Education Committee of the CVS. These students, honored at the Awards Luncheon were: 

Conard High School (CT)                   Laurie Lomask (teacher: Flo Dickie)
Glastonbury High School (CT)            Tim Ellison, Barry Shang (teacher: Howie Breinan)
Longmeadow High School (MA)        Laura Marinelli (teacher: Jeff Goodwin)
Manchester High School (CT)            Michael Axiak, Jason Gonsalves, Daniel Wakefield, Eleanor Waxman (teacher: Stan Bebyn)
Norwich Free Academy (CT)             Jon Hanselman (teacher: Patrick Tamborra)
RHAM High School (CT)                   David Bolduc (teacher: Colleen Bjorbekk)
The Williams School (CT)                   Alexandra Gordon, Brian Trubia (teachers: Sue Lundgren, Nancy Spillane)

 

Team awards were given to the high schools in Connecticut and Massachusetts whose students collectively scored the highest on the ACS Olympiad multiple choice exam.  They were as follows:

 

            Advanced Placement:               Manchester High School (CT)

                                                            Longmeadow High School (MA)

 

            High School Chemistry:            Middletown High School (CT)

                                                            Monument Mountain High School (MA)