ORLANDO SECTION NEWSLETTER

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Vol. 12, No. 1                          American Chemical Society                           February 2007

Directions to Stetson University

From Orlando: Driving east on I-4, take the Orange City (Hwy 472) exit. Drive west on 472 for about two miles. Go north on Hwy 17-92 to DeLand. Go through town (Hwy 17-92 is also referred to as Woodland Boulevard) and turn right on Michigan Avenue. The Lynn Business Center is on the corner. You may park in the parking lot behind the Lynn Business Center. Enter through the double doors of the Eugene M. and Christine Lynn Business Center (water sculpture in front); Auditorium Room 108 is on the left as you enter.

From Daytona Beach: Take International Speedway Boulevard (Hwy 92) west. Turn left on Amelia Avenue and proceed to Michigan Avenue. Turn right on Michigan and drive west until you reach the Lynn Business Center. Turn left and park in the parking lot. Enter through the double doors of the Eugene M. and Christine Lynn Business Center (water sculpture in front); Auditorium Room 108 is on the left as you enter.

Please join us at 6:15 pm in the lower level of the Lynn Business Center to meet Dr. Bokerman and other chemists in our section. Light refreshments will be served.

Abstract of the Talk

Silicon and oxygen are two of the most abundant elements in the Earth’s crust. When combined with appropriate organic groups, the resulting organosilicon compounds have remarkable properties that find uses in a myriad of applications and products. This presentation will address those properties and the chemistries necessary to produce polydimethylsiloxanes. The chemical flexibility to further give reactive monomers, fluids, elastomers (rubber and sealants) and resins is included. The presenter will also relay his job experiences in several broadly differing positions during his 32 years in industry.

About the Speaker

Dr. Gary Bokerman

Dr. Gary Bokerman retired from Dow Corning Corporation, a specialty chemical manufacturer focused on silicon technology, in 2000.  During part of his 32 year industrial career, he conducted and directed research on basic processes to produce organosilicon compounds.  The project goals of improved efficiencies were met by process modifications, new process development and implementation of on-line chemical analyses.  He also led product research on elastomeric materials and fluid polymers.  Two very different job experiences during his career were technical leadership of a business segment that produces personal and household care products, and a Professional Personnel position concerned with technical staffing and career guidance.

In 2004 he joined the Hydrogen Division of the Florida Solar Energy Center as a winter time researcher.  His research areas include rheological behaviors of liquid hydrogen tank insulation, chemochromic hydrogen sensor matrices, and improved methods to chemically produce hydrogen for fuel cells.

He holds a Ph. D. in chemistry from the University of Michigan.

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          2006 Award Winners for the Orlando Section

The annual awards banquet for the Orlando Section was held at the Buca di Beppo Restaurant in Maitland on December 7^th.  The banquet was well attended and our special guests included three of our 50-year members.  Awards were presented to those listed below and more information about the award winners may be found at the Section website at http://membership.acs.org/o/orlando/

Eileen Tulley Award for Outstanding H.S. Student:           Robert Gottfried 

Outstanding High School Teacher:                                    Dawn Arnett 

Outstanding Undergrad:                                                   Juliana Llano 

Outstanding Grad:                                                            Muzaffer Tonguc Oztek

Outstanding College Teacher:                                           Ramee Indralingam 

Outstanding Chemist:                           Virender Sharma  

50-Year Members

Dr. Fred Breitbeil

Mr. Ralf Korpman

Dr. Edward Newitt

Albert W. Beucker

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Election results

The election results were certified to the National office in early December.  The Executive Committee would like to thank Ardell Thurow for kindly volunteering to tally the votes in the absence of the Nominations Committee Chair, Nahid Mohajeri.  This was first year that all positions were contested, a sure sign that interest in the Section is growing.  We hope that this trend continues.

A significant number of members voted (over 25%) but, unfortunately, a number of these ballots could not be counted.  According to the Section by-laws, "After marking the ballot, it must be placed in an unmarked envelope and then inside a return envelope on which or within will include the hand-inscribed name of the voting member.  The return envelope with the ballot must then be sealed and sent to the Committee on Nominations and Elections (or the Secretary; as may be specified) so as to be received by the stated deadline date."  Ballots that did not have the hand-inscribed name of the voting member on the outside or which did not have an unmarked envelope containing the ballot were ruled invalid and were not opened or counted. 

Your new officers for 2007 are:

Chair:               Nahid Mohajeri

Chair-elect:       Darlene Slattery

Secretary:         Randy Fowler

Treasurer:         Carol Peterson

The Councilor, who serves a three year term, will continue to be Brenda Odor and the Alternate Councilor is Clovis Linkous.

Volunteers

The ACS, including the Orlando Section, is a success because of volunteers who give of their time. We are beginning a series of profiles, recognizing our volunteers.  The first profile is given below.  If you would like to volunteer to chair a committee or serve on a committee, please let us know.  If you have an interest in running for an office in the future, we will soon be posting the position descriptions on the website.  If you’d like to become more involved but aren’t sure in what capacity, contact any member of the Executive Committee who will give you the date and location of our next Executive Meeting so that you can join us.  

Recognizing Our Volunteers

The first of the Orlando Section volunteers that we’d like to recognize is our newsletter editor, Dr. Ramee Indralingam.  Ramee has been doing an outstanding job of editing, printing and mailing our newsletter for over 10 years.  When she volunteered to take on the task, she probably never dreamed that it would be a long term job! 

Ramee is a graduate of UF, having earned her Ph.D. with Jim Winefordner in 1991.  With a background in analytical chemistry, Ramee’s specialty is the isolation and identification of chemicals in spices.  She is also involved in the development of new, innovative labs for inclusion in the curriculum.  She has published in Chemical Educator and in the Journal of Chemical Education.  Ramee has also been active in the ACS Division of Chemical Education, having served as a member of Project ChemLab since 2003. 

Ramee is also the faculty advisor to Stetson’s Student Affiliates, who received a Commendable rating from the National ACS in 2002 and were recognized as the Orlando Section’s Outstanding Affiliate Chapter in 2004.  At the Section’s last Awards Banquet, in December, Ramee received the award for Outstanding Teacher at a Four-Year College.

The officers of the Orlando Section extend our heartfelt appreciation to Ramee for her unselfish dedication in publishing our newsletter. 

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