American Chemical Society Green Mountain Local Section, 2005 Report

Vermont is one of the smallest states in the USA, fewer than 10,000 square miles in size, but we have plenty of space because the state also has a small population. Only about one U.S. citizen in 500 lives in Vermont; the only "large" city Burlington, with a population of just under 40,000, would be considered a town in another state, or mearly a neighborhood in Los Angeles, New York or Chicago (1) . It is perhaps surprising, then, to learn that the ACS Green Mountain Local Section, which covers Vermont, is not one of the smallest ACS sections. We have more than 200 members which puts us in the "medium small" size category. There are several factors that may contribute to this. Although Vermont has a deserved reputation as a rural state we have one of the best educated populations and we do have a small number of  companies that employ chemists including  IBM, Omya, General Electric, and Ben and Jerry's! Vermont is recognized as a good retirement location, more than 25% of the ACS Green Mountain Local Section are emeritus or retired members. Vermont also has more colleges per capita than any other state (2) and of those reporting their job title or nature of business in the ACS Green Mountain Local Section membership rosters (70%) almost half are working or studying at the University of Vermont or at one of the 4-year univerities or colleges.

During 2005 the ACS Green Mountain Local Section was active - as a result of efforts by a dedicated committee over the last few years (lead by Beth Medeiros, who served her third year as chair in 2005) we gained sufficient momentum to organize a diverse and lively program of activities. We held meetings centered around a theme of "the ancient elements" at locations around the state, several of these had more than 20 attendees. We launched or restarted a number of initiatives including National Chemistry Week public outreach activities and a Chemists Celebrate Earth Day event. We kept in touch with our members with our lively newsletter and our website and two of our activies were reported in local newspapers and magazines. The UVM Women's chemistry group (serving female chemistry students and postdocs at the University of Vermont) held three meetings, and  a number of students participated in NCW. Our NCW schools coordinator worked with chemistry teachers at local high schools and provided materials to assist with their NCW activities. Our NCW contest received 84 entries, including several from high school students (including one of the winning entries). We also presented two chemistry shows at a local aquarium and organized a morning of hands-on chemistry activities at a local Mall. These events were very well attended and were reported on in the local press. We again participated in the Vermont Science Fair providing judges and awarding prizes to the best chemistry entries from high schools around the state. Highlights of the year include our Chemistry Cruise on Lake Champlain, our holiday party and volunteer appreciation event at the Swift House Inn in Middlebury, and a tour of the Vermont Marble Works in Procter to learn about an industry that played a significant role in the early history of our state.

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