Programs Seeking Active Retirees
for mutually rewarding relationship

It’s wildly popular, but we'd like it to be widely popular, too. Our series of programs for elementary to high school science students reached almost 1,000 kids in 2009, and has a strong start in 2010.

Sheryl Loux leads the series as part of the Education Committee of the ACS local section:

• Atoms and Molecules introduces the periodic table to K-3 students at an age-appropriate depth: water molecules are built with marshmallows and toothpicks.
• States of Matter, for 2nd and 3rd grades, explores solid, liquid, and gas states of mainly water, demonstrating addition or release of energy in the form of heat when changing physical states. Examples of plasma are mentioned and Gluep is made to show a substance that has properties of both liquids and solids.
• Chemistry is pHun covers pH, a review of states of matter, dissolution, chemical reactions, and properties of some polymers for 4th grade and up.
• Strawberry DNA lets high school students get their hands sticky extracting DNA from strawberries.

Sheryl offers these programs primarily to the Rockwoods Schools, near her home. With visits to at least 10 schools—837 students in all—she has had a huge impact on learning, fun, and the future of science and scientists. But she alone can’t make the program all it can be. There are dozens more school districts in the Section’s territory that have not been reached, and thousands more students that are ready to be turned on to science. If you’re not convinced by the good you can do, how about what comes back? Here’s a thank-you note Sheryl received from one of her second-grade States of Matter participants.

Sheryl is a tireless promoter of these programs as a fabulous way for retired ACS members to get involved, remain in touch with young people, and thus stay young themselves. If you’d like to find out more about bringing these programs to a school district near you, the best way is to audit one or a few of Sheryl’s appearances. Contact Sheryl J Loux by email, sjloux@gmail.com or phone 636-237-5149. But be careful. Her enthusiasm is contagious.

 Eric Knispel is “Outstanding High School Science Teacher” for 2010

While we’re on the subject of science in the schools...

The winner of the coveted Outstanding High School Chemistry Teacher Award for 2010 has been announced. It is Eric Knispel of John Burroughs School. Mr Knispel is automatically nominated for the Midwest Regional Award in High School Chemistry Teaching and the national ACS James Bryant Conant Award.

Eric Knispel joined the John Burroughs School faculty in 2002. He teaches chemistry at the sophomore and eighth grade levels. He has had exotic experiences teaching chemistry in Africa (as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zimbabwe and at a private school in Tanzania), as well as on a Navajo Indian Reservation in New Mexico. He used his talents to “make things work” with a limited budget in those situations. Here, he uses those talents to have his sophomores make biodiesel in the laboratory and then use the fuel to power putt-putt boats. These boats are made by his students using equipment from the Industrial Technology program. They race the boats in water troughs in the chemistry laboratory to experiment with gas laws.

Eric, the Industrial Technology teachers, and his high school students have used the same biofuel to power a high-mileage vehicle for a state competition. This fall, Eric has also scaled up the biodiesel production by building a fifty-five gallon processor, where he converts used cooking oil to fuel school vehicles. Students will soon be involved in this green chemistry innovation on campus.

On the eighth grade level, he has introduced several new topics into the curriculum, such as the conservation of energy and an “Element Experts” project. He has really made a difference with the ideas associated with energy in this curriculum. The celebration of elements on the Periodic Table is one of the most popular events in science at this level. Each student is given an element to research and each must organize a PowerPoint presentation for the class. He works with their computer teacher to make sure all references are cited, and color schemes, movies, and animations are appropriate.

Eric is a member of the American Chemical Society, and his school website (science.jburroughs.org/eknispel/chemistry.html) contains the syllabus for each of his classes as well as pictures of his students doing various labs. He supplies appropriate pictures of laboratory set-ups for his students to download and use in writing laboratory reports. In his non-school life, he is active in his church and serves on its board of trustees. He and his wife, Brenda, have two small boys.

by Mary Harris, mharris@jburroughs.org

 Award Season is Open

Our Section’s two premier awards, the St Louis Award and the Midwest Award, are conferred in separate ceremonies in October, but the run-up begins now, with calls for nominations. Surely you know some real winners! Check out the eligibility criteria, and make your feelings known. We’d like to have two great pools of nominees to consider this year, like we did in 2009, and we can’ do it without you.

Call for Nominations: Saint Louis Award

Nominations are solicited for the St Louis Award, which is sponsored by the Monsanto Company and administered by the St Louis Section–ACS. Nominees should be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the profession of chemistry and demonstrated potential to further the advancement of the chemical profession. The awardee is selected by a review committee constituted by the St Louis Section–ACS. The award, consisting of a $1,500 honorarium and a plaque, is presented at the St Louis Award Banquet held in October during National Chemical Week.

At the time of the nomination, nominees must not have previously received the Midwest Award or any national ACS-sponsored award. Nominees must be members or affiliates of the St Louis Section of the ACS. Nomination packets received by March 31 are considered for award presented in October.

Nominations can be sent at any time to:

Joseph J H Ackerman
Department of Chemistry
Campus Box 1134
Washington University
One Brookings Drive
Saint Louis, Missouri 63130

Nominations should include a nominating letter, two or more seconding letters from individuals who have had a close professional affiliation with the nominee, a brief biography, a description of the nominee’s accomplishments, and a list of publications and patents. Additional details, including a list of previous winners, and citations for recent winners, can be found at www.stlacs.org/events/stlouisaward.html.

Call for Nominations: Midwest Award

As the Midwest Award Chair for the St Louis Section of the American Chemical Society, I solicit your assistance in identifying candidates for the 2010 Midwest Award. The St Louis Section of the ACS established the ACS Midwest Award in 1944 to recognize outstanding achievements in chemistry in the Midwest region. The award is conferred annually on a scientist who has made meritorious contributions to the advancement of pure or applied chemistry, chemical education, and the profession of chemistry. These contributions must have been made during a period of residence in the geographical area defined by the territories of the Local Sections that participate in the Midwest Regional Meeting of the ACS. Nominees can be from industry, academia, government, or private practice, and need not be members of the ACS.

The 2010 ACS Midwest Regional Award will be presented at the 45th Midwest Regional Meeting to be held October 27-30 at the Marriott Hotel in Wichita, KS. The Midwest Award Banquet on Friday, October 29, will feature the Midwest Award Lecture and the presentation of the award, consisting of a medallion and a cash honorarium. A condition of the Midwest Award is that the recipient gives the Midwest Award Lecture and attends the Award Banquet.

Nominations should include a nominating letter, two or more seconding letters, a curriculum vitae, a brief biography, documented and objective information regarding the outstanding achievements of the nominee, and if the nominee is an academician, a list of persons who have received advanced degrees under her or his direction. Please submit nine copies of all nomination materials to me at the address given below. All nomination materials must be received on or before the deadline of March 31, 2010. Additional details, including a list of previous winners, and citations for recent winners, can be found at www.stlacs.org/events/midwestaward.html.

If you have any questions, please contact me at obrien@jinx.umsl.edu. Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Dr Jim O'Brien
Chair, 2010 Midwest Award
ACS St Louis Section and
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Missouri–St Louis
One University Blvd
St Louis, MO 63121-4400

 2010 Budget Clears Board of Directors Hurdle

Every January, the main order of business at the Board of Directors meeting is the budget proposal for the coming year. Treasurer Ted Gast presented the proposal from the Steering Committee. Discussion centered on actual 2009 expenditures (as opposed to budget allocation) and differences between 2009 and 2010 line items. There were some general comments on the salutary effect of the more conservative budgeting process adopted the past few years, and a big round of mutual congratulations because we were able to allocate $5,000 of the income from the dues increase to the Saint Louis Award endowment.

After minor adjustments in a few line items, the full budget was passed by acclamation. For your edification, here are the actual numbers. [Note: revised Feb 14, 2010 to correct transcription errors: Professional Activities Committee was omitted, and some Special Events were double-counted.]

Income
Affiliate dues	55
Corporate donations	1,000
Dividends	50
Member dues	15,000
National ACS allotment	15,268
Other general income	0
New member	75
Total Income	$31,448
Expenses
Officers subtotal	2,760
Chair	150
Chair Travel	500
Chair Elect	200
Chair Elect Travel	500
Past Chair	100
Past Chair Travel	800
Secretary	255
Treasurer	255
Other Expenses subtotal	5,500
Board Meeting Expenses	1,500
Councilors’ Travel	4,000
Awards Committee	4,430
Education Committee	5,000
Professional Activities Committee	2,700
Program Committee	5,885
Publicity and Public Relations	1,075
Special Events	3,310
St. Louis Award Fund	5,000
Total Expenses	$35,660
Net	($4,212)

Note that we routinely underspend our budget lines by 15-20%, so what looks like a deficit plan almost certainly will not be in practice.

 It’s Science Fair Season: Judges Needed

Will you be a judge for the St Louis Section’s Science Fair awards? Volunteer for any or all of these opportunities by contacting Sheryl J Loux at 636-237-5149 or email sjloux@gmail.com.

• Missouri Tri-county Regional Science And Engineering Fair, Saturday, February 27
  St Charles Community College, College Student Center. Judging 9 am–noon. K-4 participation awards distributed. Judging for grades 5-8, 9-12, and honors 9-12.
  Free breakfast for judges 8–9 am.
• Illinois Junior Academy of Sciences Regional Science Fair, Saturday, March 13
  Morris University Center at SIU–Edwardsville (#8 on campus map, park in Lot E). This regional fair hosts over 200 5th–12th grade student projects from a ten county area. Meet at 9:30 am; judging from 10 am to 1 pm in divisions grades 5-8, 9-12, and honors 9-12.
• Greater St Louis Science Fair, Wednesday, May 5
  Greensfelder Recreation Complex, Queeny Park, Weidman Rd, Ballwin, MO
  — Elementary (K-5): Participation Awards distributed to chemistry-related projects. Three people needed for about one hour each between 3 and 8 pm. No Judging involved.
  — Secondary (6-12): Judging of chemistry-related projects 3–8:30 pm. Please volunteer for at least 2½ hours. Free dinner for judges (5–6 pm). Judges must be present at 8:30 to pick winners.

Your participation as a judge would be greatly appreciated!

Recognition Night: On the Town with ACS

Please join us in the clubhouse at Glen Echo Country Club on Saturday, March 13th, to celebrate and honor members who have helped make this section great. The Distinguished Service Award will be presented, new 50- and 60-year members will be honored, and Bill Doub will give the traditional Past Chair’s address. There will also be plenty of time for schmoozing, seeing old friends, and meeting new ones.

To reserve your place(s) at this grand event, please return the reservation form by March 6th.

Saturday, March 13, 2010 at Glen Echo Country Club
3401 Lucas and Hunt Rd
St. Louis, MO 63121
6 pm Social hour
7 pm Dinner and festivities

Please send reservations by March 6 to:

Shelley D Minteer
Department of Chemistry
Saint Louis University
3501 Laclede Ave
St Louis, MO 63103
phone: (314) 977-3624
email: minteers@slu.edu

Make checks payable to St. Louis Section–ACS
Name(s) _______________________________________________________
Number attending _____ × $30 each = amount remitted $____________
Choice of entrée (number of each): salmon _____ or beef _____

Battle of the Burets: prepare for the carnage!

The St Louis Section of the American Chemical Society and St Louis Community College–Florissant Valley are pleased to announce the Battle of the Burets competition for 2010. This contest for high school chemistry students matches teams from local high schools against one another in a test of titration speed and accuracy.

The contest will be held on Thursday, February 25, at St Louis Community College–Florissant Valley, beginning at dawn (well, not really ... it’s actually starting promptly at 6 pm).

For more information, including story and photos from the 2009 Battle, see here. To enter a team from your high school, or for questions, contact:

Bruce Ritts
314-290-4744
bruce_ritts@steris.com

Board of Directors

St Louis Section–ACS Board of Directors meets the second Thursday of each month, usually at the Glen Echo Country Club ( map). Meetings are open to all members, and all are encouraged to attend. Elected officers and chairs of major committees vote on questions put to the Board; others in attendance have voice but no vote.

If you want to attend for dinner, please contact Shelley Minteer, phone (314) 977-3624 or email minteers@slu.edu at least a week in advance. Usual cost of the dinner is $20 ($10 for post-docs and unemployed members). Members wishing to become active in section activities are welcomed for their first dinner as guests of the section.

Date: Feb 11
Social hour: 5:30 pm
Dinner: 6:30 pm
Business meeting: 7:15 pm
Future Meetings: Mar 11, Apr 8

Saint Louis University

Seminars are on Fridays at 12 noon in Carlo Auditorium, Tegeler Hall, except as noted. For more information, contact the Chemistry Department, 314.977.2850. All titles were TBA as of publication date.

February 5
Dr Bejamin Gung, Miami University of Ohio

February 12
Dr Ryan Bailey, University of Illinois

February 19
Dr Maria Nagan, Truman State University

February 26
Dr Martin Egli, Vanderbilt University

University of Missouri–St Louis

Mondays at 4 pm in 451 Benton Hall, unless otherwise specified. Refreshments 15 minutes prior to seminar time. For more information, contact the Chemistry Department, 314.516.5311.

February 1
Dion Cantu, Federal Bureau of Investigation
TBA
Co-sponsored by the Center for Nanoscience and the Department of Physics & Astronomy

February 8
Rakez Kayed, University of Texas Medical Branch
Amyloid and tau oligomers in neurodegenerative diseases

February 15
Leah O’Brien, Southern Illinois University–Edwardsville
Electronic Spectroscopy of Platinum-Containing Diatomic Radicals

February 22
Jackson Lay, University of Arkansas TBA

March 1
Kevin Shaughnessy, University of Alabama
TBA

March 8
13th Annual Robert W Murray Lecture
Daniel G Nocera, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Personalized Energy for 1 (x 6 Billion)
More information about the speaker and his abstract can be found on the UMSL website.

Washington University

Seminars are Thursdays at 4 pm in McMillen 311 unless otherwise noted. For information, contact Lev Gelb, gelb@wustl.edu.

February 4
Craig Ogle, Department of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Preparation and Characterization of Cu(III) Intermediates in Organocuprate Chemistry

February 11
Simon North, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University
Direct Imaging of Atmospheric Radical Photochemistry: From Energetics to Detailed Dynamics

February 18
Yiying Wu, The Ohio State University
Oxides, Graphene and their Composites for Li-ion Batteries and Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells

February 25
Victor Gruev, Washington University, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Learning from Polarization-Sensitive Eyes in Nature and Designing Better Imaging Systems

Need event reminders?

Would you like an email reminder of upcoming ACS events and activities? Join the ACS reminders listserv. Email Alexa Serfis at barnoski@slu.edu and ask to be put on the list. You can also add or remove yourself at the website, stlacs.org, and click on Event reminders—subscribe or Event reminders—unsubscribe. Subscription comes with a money-back no-spam guarantee.

About the Chemical Bond

The Chemical Bond is published at www.stlacs.org January through May and September through December by the St Louis Section–American Chemical Society. If you would like to receive email notification when each issue is posted, you can subscribe at www.stlacs.org/mailman/listinfo/bond.remind. You can also follow the link to “Manage bond.remind options” from the home page at www.stlacs.org. If you use an RSS reader, you can subscribe to our  RSS feed, which includes notices of Chemical Bond issues and timely postings about chemistry-related events in the Saint Louis area.

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