Interested in netting an Innovative Project Grant for the August 1 deadline? See how local sections in Tennessee collaborated for successful programs!

The August 1 proposal deadline for Innovative Project Grants (IPGs) is fast approaching, and perhaps you are looking for a fresh idea to submit? If so, take a look at what the Tennessee local sections have accomplished through their cooperative efforts. Six of the 190 ACS local sections are located wholly or in part in Tennessee. Together, these sections have compiled an enviable record of winning 10 IPGs. Four of the 10 IPGs involved collaborative projects that connected the local sections.

In 2005, an IPG brought together the Nashville and Kentucky Lake sections for a project entitled Grass Roots Network for Greener Chemistry Education, which involved a joint meeting of the two sections at a central location in Camden. The meeting featured the University of Oregon’s Dr. James E. Hutchison, who spoke on “Green Organic Chemistry: Strategies, Tools, and Laboratory Experiments,” and Dr. Julie Haack, who spoke about “GEMs—a Database of Greener Education Materials for Chemists.” The project also included green chemistry activities for high school teachers and students in conjunction with the 26th Annual High School Science Bowl at Martin, TN. The activities included a green chemistry mini-workshop for high school teachers by Union University’s Dr. Sally Henrie and green chemistry demonstrations by Michael Tinnesand, the Associate Director of Academic Programs at ACS.

Three local sections—Memphis, Nashville, and Kentucky Lake—got together for another joint IPG in 2006: Industry–Academe Interaction for Green Chemistry. This project brought together individuals from both academia and industry to discuss mutual expectations of each organization. It featured a keynote address by ACS President-Elect Dr. Catherine T. Hunt and presentations by a panel consisting of Dr. Robin Rogers, Director of Green Manufacturing at the University of Alabama; Dr. Greg P. Mitchell, Supervisor of Chemists and Chemical Engineering Group, DuPont, New Johnsonville, TN; Keith Butler, Chief Chemist, American Ordnance, Milan Army Ammunition Plant; and Dr. James Mack, Green Chemistry Research Director at the University of Cincinnati.

Two IPG projects involved all six ACS sections in Tennessee. Drs. Al Hazari and Bill Seymour of the East Tennessee and Chattanooga sections coordinated these projects. The first involved a tour of the brand-new, one-of-a-kind, $3 billion facility, Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge. The second was the ACS Chemistry Day during the Tennessee Science Teachers Association Annual Meeting in Nashville. The day consisted of several 50-minute presentations on chemical lab safety, green chemistry, the ACS Chemistry Olympiad, chemistry inquiry, National Chemistry Week, and of course, chemical demonstrations performed by local members and Student Affiliates.

Other Tennessee IPG projects included the Chemistry Education Symposium (Kentucky Lake Section), Women in Chemistry (Nashville), the NET TAG Open House and Membership Drive (Northeast), First Encounters with Chemistry (Chattanooga), and the Open House and AP Test Preparation Workshop (Memphis).

We hope these successful projects stimulate some new ideas for your local section. Remember that for IPGs, “innovation” means “new to you.” You may adopt another section’s ideas and personalize them to suit your section’s situation. Or, you may have an entirely unique program to propose. In either case, applying for an IPG is easy—simply complete a two-page application. The format, requirements, and restrictions are available and also descriptions of some other previously funded projects. The next deadline for IPG proposals is August 1, 2007. If you can’t meet that time frame, start working now on your application for the spring 2008 deadline, March 1, 2008.

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