| Volume 61, Number 7 | October, 2010 |
| Volume 61, Number 7 | October, 2010 |
Boy Scouts Merit Badges
Two high school teachers win more accolades
High school teacher-of-the-year nominations
Section election ... please vote!
The Women Chemists Dinner is on!
It’s October; there must be a NCW
Last call: St Louis Award Symposium & Banquet
2010 Midwest Award winner: John Verkade
Meetings and Seminars
About the Chemical Bond
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Boy Scouts Merit Badges ... or ... Boy Scouts’ Merit Badges
Lisa Balbes mans the registration table as scouts process through
SLU Chemistry Department Chair Steve Buckner introduces the four classic fields of chemistry to the assembled scouts.
SLU Chemistry Club member helps a scout get oil and water to mix.
Jost Chemical employees Eric Bruton, Steve Ederle and Chris Ploesser take a break and talk to a parent while scouts are eating lunch.
However you punctuate it, the 6th Chemistry Merit Badge Clinic—hosted by Jost Chemical Company and staffed by 11 session leaders, 4 merit badge counselors, and 14 SLU Chemistry Club students—drew 45 scouts seeking the prestigious chemistry merit badge on September 11. As if the badge itself wasn’t booty enough, door prizes were provided by Oxford University Press, Covidien, Steve Spangler Science, Monsanto, Advertise Your Name, Cynmar Corporation, Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, Applied Analytical, and Creve Coeur Camera.
The scouts participated in an introduction to the four classical fields of chemistry by Steven Buckner, professor of chemistry at St Louis University; and a safety presentation by Chris Ploesser, Jost Chemical. Then then rotated through four 45-minute stations (each run by two professional chemists), during which they made a cartesian diver, learned about separations, MSDSs, abrasives, emulsions and mixtures, and took a tour of a working chemical manufacturing plant. During lunch, the boys took part in interactive demos led by the SLU chemistry club and met individually with approved merit badge counselors. All 45 scouts earned their merit badges by the end of the 6-hour session. One of the scout troops, which sent 12 scouts to the clinic, showed their appreciation by presenting organizer Lisa Balbes with a fabulous floral arrangement.
Kids these days! You never know for sure what they think about anything. But these scouts turned that bit of wisdom on its ear. Here’s a selection of comments received by Lisa Balbes, the organizer of the event:
Two HSTotY advanceWe have recently learned that two of our St Louis high school chemistry teachers of the year have gone on to bigger and better accolades.
Eric Knispel, the current section winner, teaches at John Burroughs School. He has been recognized as the Midwest Regional high school chemistry teacher-of-the-year. That’s a singular honor in itself, but it also qualifies Eric as our regional nominee to be national ACS James Bryant Conant teaching awardee.
Robert Becker, of Kirkwood High School, won the St Louis Section high school chemistry teacher-of-the-year award in 1995 and went on to win both the Midwest Regional award and the national James Bryant Conant award. He has now been recognized as the Missouri teacher-of-the-year. That’s not just high school, but all levels; not just chemistry, but all subjects!
We are delighted to acknowledge these outstanding teachers and grateful to have them here teaching the next generation of chemists and citizens.
Is there another HSCTotY out there?To continue the excellent record of St Louis high school chemistry teachers exemplified by Bob Becker and Eric Knispel (above), we need a succession of excellent nominees. As a chemist, you know a fantastic chemistry teacher when you see one. Has your high school student had an exceptional chemistry teacher? Have you met a great high school chemistry teacher through outreach or science fair activities? Why not nominate her or him for the High School Chemistry Teacher of the Year award?
While exemplifying excellence in teaching chemistry at the high school level, the nominee also should have contributed to other aspects of teaching, such as professional growth, curriculum development, course materials preparation, workshop participation, chemical or educational research, publications and other activities. Candidates must work within the geographic region of the St Louis Section–ACS and may not not be a past winner of the award.
Please contact Virginia Kirwin to obtain nomination forms and to verify eligibility: vkirwin@att.net or 636.225.5513. Nominations are due by November 24.
Section to elect officers for 2011
Welcome to the historic, first-ever, all-electronic election of the St Louis local ACS section. Every vote-eligible member with an email address on file will receive a personalized message no later than October 10—and likely much sooner. The link in your email gives you access to the voting platform and assures that we receive ballots only from eligible voters, and only one each.
If you have not received your voter email by October 10, please let us know at election@stlacs.org. Please provide your full name, email address, and (if not too much trouble), your member number from a recent issue of C&E News.
Everyone will have until October 31 to cast their ballots. Please vote! Even though most positions are uncontested, casting a vote is a great way to tell the members who work so hard on section business that you care about what they do. You will be able to access the candidate biographies during the voting process.
Candidates for elective office:
Eric Bruton, R&D Research Principal, Jost Chemical Co; and Adjunct Professor, Chemistry Department, Lindenwood University
Saint Louis Section: Younger Chemist Committee (YCC): executive member (2008), co-chair (2009), chair (2010). YCC won “Outstanding New Local Section YCC” (2008) and was nominated for “Outstanding Local Section YCC” (2009).
Pat Burrell-Standley, physical chemistry research scientist, retired
St Louis Section: Science Fair subcommittee (1996-2002); Awards Committee Chair (2005-2009); Girl Scout Chemistry Workshops (2006, 2007, 2010); Secretary (2010).
Vic Lewchenko, Business Systems Consultant, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Saint Louis Section: chemistry merit badge clinic presenter (2007-2009).
Other ACS: president, student chapter, Drexel University.
Lawrence (“Lol”) Barton, professor emeritus, University of Missouri–St Louis
ACS National: Committee on Committees (2005-2010); Committee on Local Section Activities (1998-2004); Committee on Membership Affairs (1992-1997); Committee Associate (1991).
Saint Louis Section: Councilor (1990-2010); Alternate Councilor (1987-1989, 1979-1981); chair succession (1979-1981); Section Historian (2000-present); High School Career Day Organizer (2000, 1993-1998); Steering Committee (1996-1998, 1980-1981); Midwest Award Jury (1992-2003, 1983-1989); St Louis Award Symposium chair (1980, 1983, 2000, 2005-07), co-chair (2009); Nominations Committee chair (1979); St Louis Award Jury (1975); Continuing Education Committee (1972-1974); High School Chemistry Contest Organizer (1976, 1977); Special Committee to review the Midwest Award (1987); Midwest Regional Meeting hosting committees (Exposition chair, 2000; Symposium chair, 1979).
Theodore C Gast, professionally affiliated with the Carl F. Gast Company, Arch Paper LLC and Soulard Artists’ Guild
Saint Louis Section activities include: chair succession (2004–06; Best Local Section 2005, large category); hosted ACS president Bill Carroll on whirlwind tour and chemical round table; the development and promotion of Kids & Chemistry since its inception in 1996; Science Fair Judge for the past several years; liaison for TIE (Teachers Industry and Environment), SAS (Society for Applied Spectroscopy), and AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers). More recently involved in fundraising activities for the Section through the American Chemistry Council (November 2002–present) and nominations committee. He has been the treasurer of the St Louis Section (2007-2010).
Chris Spilling, Professor and Chair, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Missouri–St Louis
Saint Louis Section: Alternate Councilor (2008-present); Midwest Regional Meeting hosting committee (general chair, 2000); representative to MWRM steering committee (1994-2007).
William Doub, Research Chemist, Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis, US Food & Drug Administration
Saint Louis Section: St. Louis Award Chair, High School Chemistry Contest co-chair, Awards Committee Chair, Program Committee Chair, Chemical Bond photographer/assistant editor, Treasurer (1993, 1994, 1999-2001), chair succcession (2008-2010).
Steve Kinsley, Undergraduate Organic Chemistry Laboratory Lecturer, Washington University
Saint Louis Section: Publicity and Public Relations Chair (2002-2005); chair succession (2006-2008); director (2009-2010).
Bruce Ritts, Lead Scientist, Steris Corporation
Saint Louis Section: Treasurer (2002-2004); Assistant Treasurer (2008-2010); Treasurer, 2011 Midwest Regional Meeting (2009-present); Director (2001, 2005-2006, 2009-present); Chromatography Discussion Group Chair (2010); Publicity and Public Relations Committee chair (2000); Chemical Progress Week (1997-1999, 2001-2002); Program Committee chair (1996); Education Committee chair (1994, 1995); National Chemistry Week coordinator (1993); Donation Committee chair (1992).
POLYMER STANDARDS FOR GPC/SEC
MOLECULAR WEIGHT ANALYSIS
GPC/SEC COLUMN REPACKING
American Polymer Standards Corporation
8680 Tyler Boulevard, Mentor, OH 44060
Phone: 440-255-2211 Fax: 440-255-8397
Women Chemists Dinner .. Please Join Us ... All are Welcome!
Geraldine Richmond
Dr Geraldine Richmond, from the Department of Chemistry, University of Oregon, will be in St Louis to deliver the keynote address at the annual Women Chemists Committee dinner.
Richmond is founder and chair of CoACh, the Committee for the Advancement of Women Chemists. Her talk is titled, Career Advancement Tips & Techniques: What They Left out of the Lab Manual.
Save the date: November 15, 2010, 6–8 pm, in Busch Student Center at St Louis University. RSVP to Leah O’Brien, lobrien@siue.edu. Cost is $10, payable at the door. That includes the meal, the program, and lots of camaraderie. Sponsored by the Women Chemists Committee, St Louis Section–ACS.
National Chemistry Week Events“Behind the Scenes with Chemistry,” this year’s theme for National Chemistry Week, celebrates finding chemistry in unexpected places.
So far, we know about the following events in and around NCW. If you know of any other elemental festivities and you would like them immortalized on the Section website, please email webmaster@stlacs.org and gwall37@msn.com.
Mole Day: at 6:02 on October 23. Controversy swirls around AM or PM; we prefer to let you decide. This event is actually Mole Minute, but you can celebrate—any way you feel is appropriate—all day long. One appropriate activity is to pause and recognize the 140th birthday of Dmitri Mendeleev’s periodic table, every chemist’s favorite poster art.
This year’s Industry Expo fits nicely between your morning and evening Mole Day celebrations: October 23, 10am–4pm. Saint Louis Science Center at the Dinosaur Overlook. For holding an event, to reserve your spot as an academic or industrial participant, or just to volunteer, contact Greg Wall at 314.435.6487 or gwall37@msn.com.
Last call for St Louis Award Symposium and Banquet...honoring the 2010 recipient
Dr William E Buhro
Professor of Chemistry
Washington University in St Louis
Friday, October 15
Room 300, Laboratory Sciences Building
Washington University
| 2:00 | Dr Shelley Minteer, Chair, St Louis Section: Welcome and general introductions |
| 2:05 | Dr Joseph J H Ackerman, Washington University: Introduction of Dr Buhro |
| 2:10 | Dr William E Buhro, Washington University, 2010 St Louis Award recipient: General remarks |
| Dr Sophia Hayes, Washington University, Symposium session chair | |
| 2:15 | Dr Richard A Loomis, Washington University, Colloidal Semiconductor Nanowires — Can They Behave as Model 1-D Quantum Systems? |
| 3:00 | Dr Sara E Skrabalak, Indiana University, Aerosol Synthesis of Shape- and Architecture-controlled Particles |
| 3:45 | Refreshment break |
| 4:15 | Dr Daniel R Gamelin, University of Washington, Unusual Photoluminescence Phenomena in Colloidal Doped Semiconductor Nanocrystals |
| 5:15–6:30 | Reception in the Rettner Gallery, adjacent to the symposium room |
| Symposium participants and attendees can park in Washington University’s multilevel Millbrook Garage located on Throop Drive. The symposium site, the Laboratory Sciences Building, is located immediately adjacent to the Millbrook Garage, roughly at the midpoint along its length. October 15 is fall break at the University. Ample parking will be available. Throop Drive can be accessed directly off Forest Park (aka Millbrook) Blvd or by entering off Big Bend Blvd on Snow Way. A campus map is available at parking.wustl.edu/parkingmap_2010.pdf. | |
Saturday, October 16, 2010 at Kemoll’s, One University Square, St Louis, Missouri 63102
6:00 pm Cocktails, 7:00 pm Banquet, 8:00 pm Program
Please send reservations by October 14th to:
Samir El-Antably
3546 S Grand Ave
St Louis, MO 63118
Make checks payable to St. Louis Section–ACS
Name(s) ____________________________________________________
Number attending _____ × $55 each = amount remitted $____________
2010 Midwest Award winner: John Verkade
Dr John Verkade
Professor John Verkade is a prolific and honored University Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Iowa State University. He received his BS degree in 1956 from the University of Illinois, the AM in 1957 from Harvard University, and his PhD in 1960 from the University of Illinois. He joined the faculty at Iowa State University in 1960.
Dr Verkade has made landmark contributions in work that has shed new light on the nature of phosphorus-acceptor bonding. Dr Verkade has developed caged phosphines, “Verkade superbases,” as catalysts for many important organic transformations. Proazaphosphatranes of this type have found legion applications as superior reagents and catalysts in diverse organic processes that are known to be based-induced. Several of these proazaphosphatranes have become commercially available. Dr Verkade has expanded his phosphatrane research to related metallatranes. He was awarded the 1994 B F Goodrich Collegiate Inventors Program Award.
Dr Verkade has published 5 books, over 400 refereed papers, and holds 20 patents. He has given over 100 invited lectures at academic and industrial laboratories around the world. He has mentored 38 PhD and 15 MS graduate students, 69 post-doctoral fellows, 10 visiting faculty, and 33 undergraduate students. Dr Verkade invented a novel, systematic and simple pictorial approach to generating the shapes of all the molecular orbitals and vibratory motions of a wide variety of molecules: a teaching methodology that became known as the “generator orbital” approach. In 1987, the Santa Clara Section of the ACS awarded him the Harry and Carol Mosher Award for teaching, research and service.
Dr Verkade has been a tower of strength on many important ACS committees. He has chaired the Society Committee on Publications, served as an elected member on the Board of Directors, chaired the Chemical Abstracts Services Committee, and has chaired the Committee on Grants and Awards for the Petroleum Research Foundation.
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: Oct 7 (note ... first Thursday)
Social hour: 5:30 pm
Dinner: 6:30 pm
Business meeting: 7:15 pm
Future meetings: Nov 11, Dec 9 (special Continuity Dinner)
Seminars are on Fridays at 12 noon in Carlo Auditorium, Tegeler Hall, unless noted otherwise. Refreshments follow. For more information, contact Dana Baum, dbaum1@slu.edu.
Oct 1
Keith Stine
University of Missouri–St Louis
Nanoporous Gold: Characterization and Applications to Immunoassays and Supported Synthesis
Oct 8
Dmitry Kadnikov
Northern Illinois University
Development of small molecule chemical probes to understand molecular mechanism of gene transcription
Wednesday, Oct 13
Maged El-Kemary
Kafr ElSheikh University, Egypt
TBA
Oct 15
Reza Sedaghat-Herati
Missouri State University
Synthesis, Characterization, and Applications of PEGylated Dendrimers
Oct 20
James Edwards
University of Maryland Biotechnology Institute
TBA
Oct 22
Svetlana Mitrovoski
Eastern Illinois University
TBA
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.
Oct 4
Leslie Hicks
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, St Louis, MO
Thiol-based redox regulatory mechanisms induced by oxidative stress in plants
Oct 11
Dennis Clouthier
University of Kentucky
Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Studies of Nonexistent Compounds
Oct 18
John Viator
University of Missouri–Columbia
Photoacoustic Isolation of Circulating Tumor Cells
Oct 25
Kim Baines
University of Western Ontario
Fun with Germanium: From Digermenes to Donor-Stabilized Germylenes and Germanium Cations
Nov 1
Luigi Panza
Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy
The glycolipid game in the immune system
Seminars are in McMillen 311 at 4 pm unless otherwise noted. For information, contact: Liviu Mirica, mirica@wustl.edu.
Oct 14
John Engen
Northeastern University
Probing the conformation and dynamics of Abl tyrosine kinase by hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry
Oct 21, 3pm
Melanie Sanford
University of Michigan
TBA
Oct 26
Richard Blair
University of Central Florida
Mechanocatalysis for the Realization of Chemicals from Biomass
Oct 28
Brian Blagg
University of Kansas
TBA
About the Chemical BondThe 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 to the bond.remind listserv. You can also follow the link to “Manage bond.remind options” from the home page at www.stlacs.org.
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| Editor | Eric Ressner | 314.962.6415 editor@stlacs.org |
| Assistant Editor & Advertising Manager | Sue Saum | 314.513.4808 ssaum@stlcc.edu |
| Business Manager | Donna Friedman | 314.513.4388 dfriedman@stlcc.edu |
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