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Summer in Vermont - Burlington Waterfront
Welcome to the
ACS Green Mountain Local Section Home Page. We are
located in beautiful
Vermont and are one of the 189 Local Sections of the American Chemical
Society. ACS Local Sections promote public awareness of chemistry by
being involved in community outreach programs and by working with
students of chemistry and science. Our meetings and dinners provide a
opportunity to network and socialize with other Vermont chemists, and
to hear some excellent speakers. If you are a chemistry professional or
educator, or a student studying chemistry, please consider joining us
at our next event.
Sincerely,
Fiona Case
NEWS!
Local Section September Meeting
Robert P. Bates
University of Florida
Fiber spinning,
presentation and plant tour of Monahan Filaments, LLC.
Ray Mainer
Monahan Filaments, LLC.
3046 Case St. Rte. 116
Middlebury, VT 05753
NERM2008
Visit the NERM2008 website for information about the largest chemistry event ever to be held in Vermont!
June 29th - July 2nd 2008
Burlington, VT
2008 Vermont Math and Science Fair
The 2008 Vermont Math and Science Fair as held at Norwich University on April 5th. Beth, Fiona and Martin were judges at for the ACS Green Mountain Local Section awards for chemistry projects
First Place ($100 award) - Joseph Dexter from Green Mountain Union High
School - C01 "2x2 Combinatorial Chemical Synthesis Using a Single-Layer
PDMS Microfluidic Chip"
Second Place ($50 award) - Joshua Scaralia from Mount St. Joseph Academy -
C04 "The Effect of Sodium Chloride on Carbon Dioxide Absorption in Water"
Third Place ($50 award) - Lily Calabrese from Green Mountain Union High
School - Project # C23 "Paddle Power"
Our section wins a hospitality award
The Green Mountain Local Section received an award recognizing our hospitality to members of the ACS speaker service who visit our local section. Willem Leenstra received the award for the section during the ACS Spring 2008 National Meeting in New Orleans.
Our October 2007 Meeting: Plant tour of Green Technologies LLC, Winooski, VT
Green Technologies, LLC, is the only commercial-scale producer of biodiesel in the state of Vermont. It was founded in June 2003 with the belief that chemistry can solve many of the world's problems if practiced in a sustainable way. The main product is currently biodiesel- a cleaner-burning and non-toxic alternative to diesel fuel and #2 heating oil.
The company is also carrying our research aimed at zero-waste biodiesel manufacturing. Scott Gordon, founder and CEO of Green Tech says "As chemists, we challenge ourselves to create value-added products from our own "waste" streams. We are currently developing methanol recycling and glycerol purification methods. We are also actively pursuing uses for solid grease including conversion into waxes for candles, fire-starters, snowboards, etc., industrial soaps and specialty ester synthesis for paint and lubricant applications. The goal of our manufacturing site is to glean the maximum value from our starting materials and to completely utilize our own waste streams or to release only benign wastes."
Photos from our tour of Green Technologies
Outreach: Chemistry at the VT Achievement Center (VAC)
Results from the 2007 Math and Science Fair
Report from 2006 - photos and descriptions of all our 2006 activities
Chemistry on local TV: download a movie file with Jeff Beyers recent WCAX appearance talking about the chemistry of chocolate!
Results of our Earth Day Chemistry Haiku Contest are here
Be a Voice for Chemistry - join our Government Affairs Committee
Report from 2005 - photos and descriptions of all our 2005 activities
Report from 2006 - photos and descriptions of all our 2006 activities
Chair..................................... Fiona Case (Fiona's Website)
Chair Elect.....................................................Open Position
Secretary................................................. Michele Johnson
Treasurer...................................................... Beth Medeiros
Councilor..................... Willem Leenstra (Willem's Website)
Alternate Councilor.............. Martin Case (Martin's Website)
Awards....................................................................... Michele Johnson
PR/Web Master................................................................... Fiona Case
Government Affairs Committee.......................................Sarah Locknar
Newsletter Editor........................................................ Willem Leenstra
Fiona Case
NEWS!
Local Section September Meeting
The Chemistry and Alchemy of Brewing
Robert P. Bates
University of Florida
Tuesday, September
16, 2008
Abstract:
Beer making, one of the oldest examples of biotechnology, is a fascinating study of chemistry, biochemistry, and engineering. It combines well recognized and controllable reactions and operations with complex, poorly understood phenomena, including the psychosensory response. Surprisingly, some of the most sophisticated science and technology are employed in the efficient production of mass advertised, mediocre beers. In contrast, traditional "alchemy-driven" methods can produce exceptional yet under-recognized beers. Fortunately, there is an achievable balance between these extremes. This presentation will cover the brewing process from raw material selection and preparation through fermentation to consumption. Emphasis will be on major pathways employed by brewers to produce a wide range of beers. These are exciting times for brewers and beer connoisseurs in the U.S. Future industry developments of relevance to consumers will be mentioned. With dedication and practice, the average chemist can brew above-average beers; so can the experienced kitchen alchemist.
About our speaker:
Robert P. Bates received his B.S. degree in Food Technology from MIT. After several years in the food industry, he obtained an M.S. degree in Food Science from the University of Hawaii and a Ph.D. in Food Science from MIT. After a year at the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama in Guatemala, he joined the University of Florida where he has been for 3+ decades. He is presently professor emeritus of Food Science in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. Bates' areas of interest are food processing and utilization, small-scale process and equipment development, fermentation technology and byproduct recovery, food product development, and international technical assistance. His major responsibilities involve teaching graduate and undergraduate food processing, fermentation, and product development courses; and conducting research/extension activities in home, community, and small-scale industrial food processing operations. He has completed short and long-term international assignments in many countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Asia. He fields frequent inquiries on food science and technology and related subjects from national, international, and industrial sources. Bates has developed and presented many short courses in the U.S. and overseas and has been an ACS tour speaker on various food science and technology topics for over 25 years.
Beer making, one of the oldest examples of biotechnology, is a fascinating study of chemistry, biochemistry, and engineering. It combines well recognized and controllable reactions and operations with complex, poorly understood phenomena, including the psychosensory response. Surprisingly, some of the most sophisticated science and technology are employed in the efficient production of mass advertised, mediocre beers. In contrast, traditional "alchemy-driven" methods can produce exceptional yet under-recognized beers. Fortunately, there is an achievable balance between these extremes. This presentation will cover the brewing process from raw material selection and preparation through fermentation to consumption. Emphasis will be on major pathways employed by brewers to produce a wide range of beers. These are exciting times for brewers and beer connoisseurs in the U.S. Future industry developments of relevance to consumers will be mentioned. With dedication and practice, the average chemist can brew above-average beers; so can the experienced kitchen alchemist.
About our speaker:
Robert P. Bates received his B.S. degree in Food Technology from MIT. After several years in the food industry, he obtained an M.S. degree in Food Science from the University of Hawaii and a Ph.D. in Food Science from MIT. After a year at the Institute of Nutrition of Central America and Panama in Guatemala, he joined the University of Florida where he has been for 3+ decades. He is presently professor emeritus of Food Science in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Department. Bates' areas of interest are food processing and utilization, small-scale process and equipment development, fermentation technology and byproduct recovery, food product development, and international technical assistance. His major responsibilities involve teaching graduate and undergraduate food processing, fermentation, and product development courses; and conducting research/extension activities in home, community, and small-scale industrial food processing operations. He has completed short and long-term international assignments in many countries in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and Asia. He fields frequent inquiries on food science and technology and related subjects from national, international, and industrial sources. Bates has developed and presented many short courses in the U.S. and overseas and has been an ACS tour speaker on various food science and technology topics for over 25 years.
Local
Section October Meeting
Worlds Within the
World: An Introduction to the Chemistry, Geology, and Ecology of
Caves
John R. Marquart
Eastern Illinois University
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
About our speaker:
Worlds Within the
World: An Introduction to the Chemistry, Geology, and Ecology of
Caves
John R. Marquart
Eastern Illinois University
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Abstract:
Cave science, or "speleology", offers an important means of learning about the earth's geological history from the inside out. Caves are the exotic inner-worlds within our more familiar surface-world, hence the title "Caves -- Worlds within the World". Caves can be aesthetically beautiful, challenging, and sometimes fearsomely dangerous. They also constitute a valuable nonrenewable resource that should be appreciated for their beauty and protected from damage or destruction. Even though hidden deep beneath our feet, they have considerable, but often overlooked, impact upon our lives and the welfare of the earth's resources and ecology. Professor Marquart has been exploring and studying caves throughout the U.S. for almost five decades. It is estimated that at least a quarter of the United States can be considered karst (cave) area. He will take you on a slide-show tour of caves from across the country, with particular attention to the chemistry and geology that created them and their unique characteristics. He will also include a discussion of caves in our area. This presentation is designed for an audience of varied interests and backgrounds, technical or non-technical. It is interdisciplinary in content, combining chemistry with geology, hydrology, and earth history to show how and where caves are formed and why environmental concerns are particularly serious in karst regions.
Cave science, or "speleology", offers an important means of learning about the earth's geological history from the inside out. Caves are the exotic inner-worlds within our more familiar surface-world, hence the title "Caves -- Worlds within the World". Caves can be aesthetically beautiful, challenging, and sometimes fearsomely dangerous. They also constitute a valuable nonrenewable resource that should be appreciated for their beauty and protected from damage or destruction. Even though hidden deep beneath our feet, they have considerable, but often overlooked, impact upon our lives and the welfare of the earth's resources and ecology. Professor Marquart has been exploring and studying caves throughout the U.S. for almost five decades. It is estimated that at least a quarter of the United States can be considered karst (cave) area. He will take you on a slide-show tour of caves from across the country, with particular attention to the chemistry and geology that created them and their unique characteristics. He will also include a discussion of caves in our area. This presentation is designed for an audience of varied interests and backgrounds, technical or non-technical. It is interdisciplinary in content, combining chemistry with geology, hydrology, and earth history to show how and where caves are formed and why environmental concerns are particularly serious in karst regions.
About our speaker:
Dr. John R.
Marquart is a professor of chemistry at Eastern Illinois University in
Charleston, IL (1978 - present). His area of research involves
applications of analytical and physical chemistry to environmental
problems. He is active in a wide variety of field-based conservation
and restoration projects involving subterranean environments (e.g.
caves, mines, and water hydrology). His work on these projects is in
collaboration with several state, federal, and private organizations.
His interest in caves dates from his early childhood, when his family
took summer vacations from their home in southwestern Michigan.
Michigan has few caves itself, thanks to the having been buried
multiple times by glaciers, so he and his older brother looked forward
to vacations to nearby Midwestern states that have a greater abundance
of caves. They soon became fascinated with the excitement of exploring
caves and learned to appreciate them for their natural beauty. From
this beginning, his experience has broadened to exploration of caves
across the United States and progressed from a sport to the science of
caves, "speleology". His lectures illustrate the many outstanding
features of caves and stress the importance of conservation of this
delicate ecology. After receiving a B.S. in chemistry from the
University of Arizona and a commission in the U.S. Army through the
ROTC program in 1955, he served for three years with the Army Chemical
Corp. He later received M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of
Illinois at Urbana/Champaign in 1961 and 1963. After completing his
doctorate, he worked as a research chemist for Shell Development Co.,
Emeryville, CA (1963-1968). In 1968 he switched from industrial
research to academic teaching and research, first at Mercer University
in Macon, GA (1968-1978) and then at Eastern Illinois University
(1978-present). He regularly teaches as a visiting professor at the
University of Illinois in Urbana/Champaign during summer sessions and
occasionally during the academic year. Since becoming an ACS tour
speaker in 1995, Dr. Marquart has presented about 100 society sponsored
lectures on cave science in about 40 of the U.S. states. When on these
speaking tours, he enjoys sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm
concerning caves with his hosts and all who attend his talks.
Local
Section November Meeting
Fiber spinning,
presentation and plant tour of Monahan Filaments, LLC.
Ray Mainer
Monahan Filaments, LLC.
3046 Case St. Rte. 116
Middlebury, VT 05753
Abstract:
Synthetic fiber makers take advantage of the creativity of chemists. Of the 2 dozen or so commercially available polymers, most have been made into fibers, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The first use for nylon was fibers and fiber making continues to be a major use for many polymers. These synthetic fibers (42 million tons in 2006) have a huge impact on the clothing worn by most of the world’s population and the amount of farm land available for growing food for a hungry population. No pesticides or fertilizers are used and comparatively little erosion is caused by their manufacture. Although natural fibers are superior in some uses, synthetic fibers are superior in many other ways such as strength, durability, chemical resistance, resistance to fungi and bacteria, flame retardancy, and cost. Manufacturing techniques allow fibers to be produced for strength, stiffness, elasticity, energy absorption, resilience or other properties including the almost ultimate fiber. Synthetic fibers are used not only in clothing, but also in flue gas filters, seals, geotextiles, concrete reinforcement, diaper liners, industrial vegetable peelers, reverse osmosis units, gas separation, crop harvesters, pollution control, metal polishing, cotton production, slalom gates, armor, human implants and many other uses.
Synthetic fiber makers take advantage of the creativity of chemists. Of the 2 dozen or so commercially available polymers, most have been made into fibers, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The first use for nylon was fibers and fiber making continues to be a major use for many polymers. These synthetic fibers (42 million tons in 2006) have a huge impact on the clothing worn by most of the world’s population and the amount of farm land available for growing food for a hungry population. No pesticides or fertilizers are used and comparatively little erosion is caused by their manufacture. Although natural fibers are superior in some uses, synthetic fibers are superior in many other ways such as strength, durability, chemical resistance, resistance to fungi and bacteria, flame retardancy, and cost. Manufacturing techniques allow fibers to be produced for strength, stiffness, elasticity, energy absorption, resilience or other properties including the almost ultimate fiber. Synthetic fibers are used not only in clothing, but also in flue gas filters, seals, geotextiles, concrete reinforcement, diaper liners, industrial vegetable peelers, reverse osmosis units, gas separation, crop harvesters, pollution control, metal polishing, cotton production, slalom gates, armor, human implants and many other uses.
Local
Section December Meeting
Join us to celebrate the season at
The Green Mountain Local Section Holiday Party!
NERM2008
Visit the NERM2008 website for information about the largest chemistry event ever to be held in Vermont!
June 29th - July 2nd 2008
Burlington, VT
2008 Vermont Math and Science Fair
The 2008 Vermont Math and Science Fair as held at Norwich University on April 5th. Beth, Fiona and Martin were judges at for the ACS Green Mountain Local Section awards for chemistry projects
First Place ($100 award) - Joseph Dexter from Green Mountain Union High
School - C01 "2x2 Combinatorial Chemical Synthesis Using a Single-Layer
PDMS Microfluidic Chip"
Second Place ($50 award) - Joshua Scaralia from Mount St. Joseph Academy -
C04 "The Effect of Sodium Chloride on Carbon Dioxide Absorption in Water"
Third Place ($50 award) - Lily Calabrese from Green Mountain Union High
School - Project # C23 "Paddle Power"
Our section wins a hospitality award
The Green Mountain Local Section received an award recognizing our hospitality to members of the ACS speaker service who visit our local section. Willem Leenstra received the award for the section during the ACS Spring 2008 National Meeting in New Orleans.
Our October 2007 Meeting: Plant tour of Green Technologies LLC, Winooski, VT
Green Technologies, LLC, is the only commercial-scale producer of biodiesel in the state of Vermont. It was founded in June 2003 with the belief that chemistry can solve many of the world's problems if practiced in a sustainable way. The main product is currently biodiesel- a cleaner-burning and non-toxic alternative to diesel fuel and #2 heating oil.
The company is also carrying our research aimed at zero-waste biodiesel manufacturing. Scott Gordon, founder and CEO of Green Tech says "As chemists, we challenge ourselves to create value-added products from our own "waste" streams. We are currently developing methanol recycling and glycerol purification methods. We are also actively pursuing uses for solid grease including conversion into waxes for candles, fire-starters, snowboards, etc., industrial soaps and specialty ester synthesis for paint and lubricant applications. The goal of our manufacturing site is to glean the maximum value from our starting materials and to completely utilize our own waste streams or to release only benign wastes."
Photos from our tour of Green Technologies
Outreach: Chemistry at the VT Achievement Center (VAC)
Michele Johnson Reports: I recently (July 13) visited the VT Achievement Center (VAC) to perform chemistry
demonstrations for the pre-K classroom (which my son Liam is
in). We hope to get these kids interested in science
at a young age. We had fun with polymers: I showed them a disappearing
water trick (with sodium polyacrylate, the absorbent polymer used
in diapers) and we all made "super stretchy slime" (in Omya blue no less)
that they were each able to take home. When
I left, I'm sure that many of the kids thought that "chemistry is
cool"!
cool"!
The GMLS has recently applied for a Local Section Innovative Project
Grant to fund a science cart for the early education department at the VT
Achievement Center (VAC)
Results from the 2007 Math and Science Fair
Report from 2006 - photos and descriptions of all our 2006 activities
Chemistry on local TV: download a movie file with Jeff Beyers recent WCAX appearance talking about the chemistry of chocolate!
Results of our Earth Day Chemistry Haiku Contest are here
Be a Voice for Chemistry - join our Government Affairs Committee
Report from 2005 - photos and descriptions of all our 2005 activities
Report from 2006 - photos and descriptions of all our 2006 activities
Officers 2007
Chair..................................... Fiona Case (Fiona's Website)
Chair Elect.....................................................Open Position
Secretary................................................. Michele Johnson
Treasurer...................................................... Beth Medeiros
Councilor..................... Willem Leenstra (Willem's Website)
Alternate Councilor.............. Martin Case (Martin's Website)
Committee Chairs
Awards....................................................................... Michele Johnson
PR/Web Master................................................................... Fiona Case
Government Affairs Committee.......................................Sarah Locknar
Newsletter Editor........................................................ Willem Leenstra
Web page last updated July 17th, 2008
The views expresssed in these pages are strictly those of the Green Mountain Local Section. The contents have not been reviewed or approved by the American Chemical Society. The Green Mountain Local Section assumes all responsibility and liability for the content of its pages.
If you need more information or would like to submit information, E-mail our Local Section WebMaster
The views expresssed in these pages are strictly those of the Green Mountain Local Section. The contents have not been reviewed or approved by the American Chemical Society. The Green Mountain Local Section assumes all responsibility and liability for the content of its pages.
If you need more information or would like to submit information, E-mail our Local Section WebMaster