Dr. Stephen G. Weber of the University of Pittsburgh has been named the 2008 ACS Pittsburgh Award winner. Dr. Weber’s record of accomplishment, his creative research in bioanalytical chemistry combined with his dedication to training students (he has mentored 36 M.S. or Ph.D. students) made him an outstanding candidate for the Pittsburgh Award. Stephen Weber received his B.A. degree in Biology and Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University, and his doctoral degree in Chemistry from McGill University. He is currently a professor at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh. In his group, analytical techniques are being developed with higher sensitivity and selectivity compared to the traditionally used methods.

Dr. Weber’s group has been working on molecularly selective microextractions using artificial receptors. Powerful separations based on molecular recognition, e.g., the interaction of lanthanides with oxygen-containing molecules, have been developed. Through the improved selectivity of extraction, fewer components of analytical systems will be introduced into separation/detection systems leading to better detection limits and faster analysis. The group also uses a “green” procedure for separation based on biphasic extraction from aqueous solutions using non-volatile polymeric systems as the organic solvents. These thin films are used in a procedure called Solid-Phase Micro Extraction (SPME), which was recently combined with capillary electrophoresis. The method is very useful in the separation of drugs such as barbiturates. To analyze complex biological molecules such as peptides, Dr. Weber’s group employs a combination of liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection of the peptide complexed with copper ions. The metal center in complexes with peptides composed of three or more amino acids is oxidizable (Cu(II) to Cu(III)), and it is this electrochemistry that is used for the detection. One current application that is being pursued is the hunt for acidic dipeptides in the brain. In addition to separation and detection, the group focuses on developing sampling protocols, especially for very small samples such as fluid from brain. Sampling the contents of single living cells is another challenge that is currently being addressed.

Dr. Weber’s service to the chemistry community is impressive. He has served on numerous committees at the University of Pittsburgh, from the Provost to the Departmental level, and has been Director of Graduate Studies at the Chemistry Department since 2001. He has been active in professional societies such as the ACS, SSP, and SACP. He has been on the Editorial Boards of several high-impact journals, including Analytical Chemistry, and has been reviewing NIH grants and technical papers. Additionally, he has organized numerous symposia and conferences both on the national (ACS, NSF, Pittcon, Gordon Research Conference) and international level.

The Pittsburgh Award, which is presented annually, was established in 1932 to recognize outstanding leadership and distinguished service to the field of chemistry in the local and larger professional community. It is given to professionals who have been instrumental in increasing chemical knowledge, promoting the chemical industry, benefiting humanity, or advancing the Pittsburgh Section of ACS. We are delighted to recognize Dr. Weber’s many accomplishments and congratulate him on this well deserved honor. The Award consists of a plaque and will be presented at a special, open to the public, dinner organized by the Pittsburgh Section of ACS. Details of the Award dinner will be published in the next issue of the Crucible.

Submitted by Nick Tsarevsky, Chair-elect, Pittsburgh Section of ACS

1933	Ralph E. Hall	1934	Charles E. Nesbit	1935	No Award
1936	Andrew W. Mellon	1936	Richard B. Mellon	1937	Francis C. Frary
1938	George H. Clapp	1939	Edward R. Weidlein	1940	Alexander Silverman
1941	Webster N. Jones	1942	Charles G. King	1943	Junius D. Edwards
1944	Leonard H. Cretcher	1945	John C. Warner	1946	William P. Yant
1947	Chester G. Fisher	1948	Henry H. Storch	1949	Harry V. Churchill
1950	William A. Hamor	1951	William A. Gruse	1952	Homer H. Lowry
1953	Paul H. Emmett	1954	Paul D. Foote	1955	George D. Beal
1956	Robert F. Mehl	1957	Alfred R. Powell	1958	Max A. Lauffer
1959	Frederick D. Rossini	1960	Robert B. Anderson	1961	Earl A. Gulbransen
1962	Klaus H. Hoffman	1963	Harold P. Klug	1964	Henry S. Frank
1965	Foil A. Miller	1966	Earl K. Wallace	1967	R. R. Friedel
1968	Irving Wender	1969	W. Conard Fernelius	1970	Tobias H. Dunkelberger
1971	Paul C. Cross	1972	Edmund O. Rhodes	1973	W. Edward Wallace
1974	Bernard Lewis	1975	John A. Pople	1976	Edward M. Arnett
1977	Frederick Kaufman	1978	George Jeffrey	1979	Ronald Bentley
1980	G. Arthur Webb	1981	Robert B. Carlin	1982	Ivy McManus
1983	Robert Feller	1984	Gerald L. Carlson	1984	Leonidas Petrakis
1985	Kurt C. Schreiber	1986	W. Keith Hall	1987	Jerome L. Rosenberg
1988	Aksel A. Bothner-by	1989	Johannes F. Coetzee	1990	Herbert L. Retcofsky
1991	Bodie E. Douglas	1991	Bruce M. LaRue	1992	Andrew G. Sharkey Jr.
1993	Konrad M. Weis	1994	Guy C. Berry	1995	Gerd Leston
1997	Virginia Fisher	1997	David M. Hercules	1998	John T. Yates, Jr.
1999	Theodore J. Weismann	2000	Kenneth D. Jordan	2001	Krzysztof Matyjaszewski
2002	Sanford A. Asher	2003	C. Gordon McCarty	2004	Terrence J. Collins
2005	David W. Pratt	2006	Dennis F. Curran	2007	Richard D. McCullough

National Chemistry Week 2007

"The Many Faces of Chemistry"

October 26-27, 2007
Carnegie Science Center

For the 9th consecutive year, the Pittsburgh Section’s National Chemistry Week (NCW) celebration was held at the Carnegie Science Center (CSC). For 2007, the event was conducted on Friday and Saturday, October 26-27 and featured the theme “The Many Faces of Chemistry.” A total of 296 volunteers, from 33 groups and organizations, conducted hands-on experiments, activities, and demonstrations. In addition to the hands-on activities, a career fair was held in conjunction with the NCW event, with participating groups providing information on careers in science and chemistry. Including PPG Industries Inc.’s demonstration titled “Reaction in Action,” there were 8 theater-style shows presented 17 times over the two-day period, in the various CSC stages. Of the 296 volunteers, 149 (50%) were ACS members or affiliates (students, teachers, technicians, etc.). Total attendance for the two-day event was approximately 4760 (2897 on Friday, 1863 on Saturday), an increase of 1000 compared to the Section’s 2006 NCW event and the 2nd highest attendance for the Section’s NCW event over the past 9 years.

For the 2007 NCW celebration, the Pittsburgh Section reached out to underrepresented “at-risk” minorities in the Southwestern Pennsylvania area to promote science education and literacy. Through financial support provided by the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh (SACP) and the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh (SSP), 1575 students and 131 chaperones from 23 schools were provided an opportunity to participate in the NCW celebration at the Carnegie Science Center (10 more schools and 652 more students than were reached with the 2006 NCW program!). Without the generous support from the SACP and SSP, these students would not have participated in a science-related school field trip during the 2007-08 school year due to financial hardship. In all, over 1844 students attended the NCW event.

The Pittsburgh Section wishes to extend its gratitude to the 2007 NCW sponsors, including the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh, Bayer Corporation and the Carnegie Science Center. Without the continued support from these organizations, the Pittsburgh Section would not be able to reach so many in our communities with a positive message about science and chemistry, while promoting science education and literacy. The Pittsburgh Section also wishes to thank the 296 dedicated volunteers! Special thanks also go to Steve Valasek from PPG Industries, Inc. for his demonstrations in the Science Stage Theater.

Mark Your Calendar: NCW 2008

The Carnegie Science Center has been reserved for Friday and Saturday, October 24-25, 2008 for the Pittsburgh Section’s 10th consecutive NCW event. The 2008 NCW theme is “Having a Ball with Chemistry,” focusing on the chemistry of sports and tying into the 2008 Olympics.

Thank You!
Thanks to the following organizations for participating in and supporting the 2007 NCW event:

Primary Sponsors
Bayer Corporation; Carnegie Science Center; Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh; Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh;

Table Sponsors
Alpha Chi Sigma of Duquesne University; American Institute of Chemical Engineers; American Society for Metals (ASM) International – Pittsburgh Golden Triangle Chapter*; Bidwell Training Center; Blackburn Study Center*; Carlow University ACS Student Affiliate Chapter; Carnegie Mellon University Department of Chemistry; Carnegie Mellon University Department of Chemical Engineering – CPS Program; Chatham College Chemistry Society; Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh; Communities in Schools Academy; Clarion University ACS Student Affiliate Chapter; Duquesne University ACS Student Affiliate Chapter; essential 2 Pittsburgh/American Chemistry Council; Fisher Science Education; Geneva College Chemistry Society; Girls, Math & Science Partnership*; healthyworks of Pennsylvania*; IUP ACS Student Affiliate Chapter; LANXESS Corporation; La Roche College ACS Student Affiliate Group*; McGuffey High School; PPG Industries, Inc.; Seton Hill University Chemistry Club; The Children's Institute - Amazing Kids Station; The Electrochemical Society; U.S. Dept. of Interior, Office of Surface Mining*; University of Pittsburgh ACS Student Affiliate Chapter; Waynesburg University ACS Student Affiliate Group*/ SACP Student Affiliates; Western Pennsylvania Technician Affiliate Group
* New to the annual NCW event

V. Michael Mautino, NCW Coordinator

V. Michael Mautino
Bayer MaterialScience LLC
Business Development--Technical Insulation
Pittsburgh, PA 15205
Phone: 412-777-4792
Fax: 412-777-7864
E-mail: michael.mautino@bayerbms.com

Photo credits: Chandra Jayakody, Michael Mautino

National Chemistry Week 2006
Pittsburgh Section Wins Eighth Consecutive NCW Award

This past August, during the 234th American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting held in Boston, Massachusetts, the Pittsburgh Section was the recipient of an ACS ChemLuminary Award for its 2006 National Chemistry Week (NCW) program. The Section received an award in the “Outstanding Event for the Public using the Yearly Theme” category. Through partnerships with area professional societies, non-profit organizations, corporations and local businesses, universities and student affiliate chapters, secondary schools, and local media, the Pittsburgh Section was able to offer unique hands-on experiments, activities, and theater-style demonstrations that focused on the 2006 NCW theme “Your Home – It’s All Built on Chemistry.”

This was the Pittsburgh Section’s eighth consecutive NCW related ChemLuminary award and twelfth award since the NCW program’s inception in 1987. Previously, the Pittsburgh Section has been recognized for its NCW community outreach efforts by the ACS’s Committee on Community Activities with ChemLuminary Awards in the following categories; “Greatest Increase in Membership Involvement” in 1999, “Greatest Community Involvement” in 2000 and 2004, “Outstandingly Creative and/or Unique Event” in 2001, "Best Event with Underrepresented Minority Groups” in 2002 and 2003, and “Outstanding Event for a Specific Audience” in 2005.

The Pittsburgh Section’s 2006 National Chemistry Week (NCW) event was held at the Carnegie Science Center on Friday and Saturday, October 27-28, 2006. There were 278 volunteers from 29 groups and organizations, conducting hands-on experiments, activities, and demonstrations. There were also several theater-style shows presented in the various Science Center stages, including PPG Industries’ demonstration titled “Reaction in Action.” Total attendance for the two-day event was 3655.

The Pittsburgh Section would like to thank its sponsors including the Bayer Corporation, the Carnegie Science Center, the Society For Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, and The Spectroscopy Society, for their generous and on-going support of the Section’s NCW program. Thanks also go to the over 278 volunteers who participated in the 2006 NCW celebration. Without the support and commitment by the sponsors, the many dedicated volunteers, and the community, the Pittsburgh Section’s annual NCW activities would not be possible.

V. Michael Mautino, NCW Coordinator

Title	Name	Telephone	FAX	E-mail
Coordinator	Paul G. Johnson	[412]-396-6615	none	johnson1@duq.edu

The Pittsburgh Annual Secondary School Chemistry Contest is a major activity of the Chemical Education Committee.

Beginning in 1945, the Pittsburgh Section of the American Chemical Society has sponsored a annual contest for secondary schools to recognize outstanding achievement by the students and their teachers as well as encouraging interest in chemistry among school students. The contest is also used to qualify students interested in participating in the International Chemistry Olympics and to identify students for scholarships. The exam is administered to students from schools in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Awards were presented to the winners at the Annual Awards Dinner attended by students, parents, and chemistry teachers. Awards will include scholarships from the Society of Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh (SACP), Duquesne University.

The Pittsburgh Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) will be holding its 64th Annual SECONDARY SCHOOL CHEMISTRY CONTEST on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at one of the following test centers listed below.

General $20,000 and $12,000 scholarships will be awarded by the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh, and other scholarships are offered by Duquesne and Pitt. Additionally, cash prizes will be awarded by the A.C.S. at the annual banquet in May. Also the March 29th examination is the preliminary qualifier for the U.S. Chemistry Olympiad competition.

Title	Name	Telephone	FAX	E-mail
Coordinator	Bernard M. Durkin	[724] 625-8066	none	durkbm23@yahoo.com

The Pittsburgh Chemistry Olympics originated thirty years ago with 10 schools and 40 students participating. This year 33 High Schools with 80 teams and 240 students participated. The Pittsburgh Section of the American Chemical Society jointly sponsors The Chemistry Olympics with the University of Pittsburgh Chemistry Department and the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh. Schools may enter three teams. Each team consists of three members. There are three categories. Category I: first year chemistry; Category II: second year chemistry; and Category III: advanced organic chemistry.

30th Annual Pittsburgh Chemistry Olympics

	Category I
1st Place	Sam Rosko Kristofer Pomiecko Michael Richards	Gateway High School Coach: Tim Lattanzio
2nd Place	Matt Conley Aaron Crain Aaron Sproul	South Park High School Coach: John Pastorius
3rd Place	Lori Radder Nicde Crouch Katie Brown	North West Pennsylvania Collegiate Academy Coach: Shawn Feiock

	Category II
1st Place	Kostya Borisov Adriana Jensen Aidan MacDonagh	North Alleghen High School Coach: Robert Wienand
2nd Place	Eddie Grystar Rebecca McAfee Hayley Flowers	Riverview High School Coach: Marion Carson
3rd Place	Kenneth Swidwa Chris Clarke Madeline Leo	Greensburg Central Catholic Coach: Sister Mary Helen Meyer

	Category III
1st Place	Garry Smyda Cassandra Dutt Alexander Pinge	Penn Trafford High School Coach: Helen Loughner
2nd Place	Shivam Verma Kevin Liu Nimish Telong	North Allegheny High School Coach: Robert Wienand
3rd Place	Dale Wang Rich Karp Ritchie Phan	Mount Lebanon High School Coach: Matt Roddy

Title	Name	Telephone	FAX	E-mail
Coordinator	Patricia A. Bordell	[412]-820-0668	none	pbordell@comcast.net

The US National Chemistry Olympiad is an annual program sponsored in this area by the Pittsburgh Section to select nominees from area high schools to participate in the United States Olympiad. The Section has participated since 1983. The selection process begins with the nomination of two students from each participating high school. These students are required to take the Section's annual Pittsburgh Chemistry Contest for second-year students of chemistry. The scores on this exam are used to select twelve students to take a nationally prepared ACS exam given at Duquesne University, to be held on the third Saturday in April. From the national exam, twenty students will be invited to a study camp in June at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado. Four of the students at this camp will be selected to travel to Budapest, Hungary to compete in the International Chemistry Olympiad from July 12-23.

The student nominees and their teachers who will be recognized for their participation in the program at the SACP/ACS Annual Awards Dinner in May are listed below. Although no one qualified for the Study Camp this year, several students from the Pittsburgh area have been active participants in the past.

In 1993, David Hutz of Fox Chapel High School won a silver medal in Perugia, Italy. Pittsburgh area students who have attended the study camp include Kevin McCarty of Indiana Area High School and Paul Arezina of Central Catholic High School in 1997, Zhe Lu of Gateway High School in 2000 and Jongjin Kim of North Allegheny High School in 2004.

The Annual Awards Dinner is a co-sponsored by the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Section. The event recognizes the winners of several awards presented annually by each organization, including:

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Title	Name	Telephone	FAX	E-mail
Editor	Traci Johnsen	[724]-378-9334	...	tracijohnsen@comcast.net
Advertising Editor	Vince Gale; MBO Services	(781)-837-0424	(781)-837-1453)	vincegale@mboservices.net

Mark Your Calendar: NCW 2009

Mark Your Calendar: NCW 2008