Keeping up, with the Chemical Bond

If you’re reading this now, then you obviously know when the Chemical Bond is posted and where to find it. Maybe you’ve subscribed to the reminder list, and you received an email from our MailChimp account. Maybe you’ve got us in your RSS feed, and were alerted that way. Or possibly you just know where to go around the first of every month to catch up on events in the Saint Louis Section–ACS. Whatever ... however ... we’re glad you’re here.

But you’re among an unfortunately select few. Our website traffic tells us that typically fewer than 100 Section members see the Chemical Bond in the month it’s published—out of 1,600 total members, more or less. We know the readership was much higher when we printed and mailed the issues to members. In short, when everyone gets it, a lot more people read it.

So in order to make sure you are informed of our events and activities, the Bond email list will transition to an opt-out e-newsletter. Over the summer, we will opt everyone in, so the entire membership list will receive a brief email in September with links to that month’s stories.

If you decide you don’t want to receive those emails (a total of only nine per year), you can opt out and we’ll honor your decision forever. Just click on the “Unsubscribe from the Chemical Bond reminders” link near the bottom of the email. (See illustration; please avoid the “unsubscribe from all future St Louis ACS mailings” link, or we won’t be able to get in touch with you about anything, ever—even elections!)

We know we’re reaching exactly the wrong subset of members with this story. But we wanted to keep you informed of what was going on here. After all, that’s what we do.

The Tenth Annual St Louis Section Picnic

The tenth annual St Louis Section Picnic will be at Tilles Park in the Skow Shelter on June 14 from 11:30 am–4 pm. That’s the county Tilles Park, not the city one: confusing, right!?

Bring the family! Just $5 per person, kids under 12 free. Please register by June 10th.

If you have questions please email Ziad Ramadan.

Highlights:
— lunch at 12:00 PM
— games
— networking
— of course great people!

Location: Tilles Park, 9551 Litzsinger Road (at McKnight Road), Saint Louis, MO 63124

Make checks payable to St Louis Section-ACS. Mail checks to:

Vic Lewchenko
354 Larkhill Ct
Webster Groves, MO 63119

Nominate for the St 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 Chemistry 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 April 30 are considered for award presentation in October. Nominations submitted last year can be renewed with a simple note to Joe Ackerman (email or hard copy); providing an updated CV or new letters of support is optional.

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 can be found on the St Louis Award web page.

Nominate for the Midwest Award

Your assistance is solicited in identifying candidates for the 2014 Midwest Award. The St Louis Section–ACS established the ACS Midwest Award in 1944. The award is conferred each year 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 those working in private practice, and they need not be members of the ACS.

The 2014 award will be presented at the 49th Midwest Regional ACS Meeting in Springfield, MO, hosted by the Ozark Section. Ceremonies, usually held on Thursday of the Meeting, will feature a Midwest Award Symposium and the Midwest Award plenary lecture by the awardee. The award, consisting of a medallion and a cash honorarium, is presented by the St Louis Section Chair at the Midwest Awards Banquet. A condition of the award is that the recipient gives the Midwest Award Lecture and attends the Midwest Awards Banquet.

Nominations should consist of: a nominating letter and two or more seconding letters; a CV for the nominee; a brief biography for the nominee; and objective documentation regarding the outstanding achievements of the nominee. If the nominee is an academician, a list of persons who have received advanced degrees under her or his direction should be provided. Please submit nine copies of all nomination materials on or before April 1, 2014. Material postmarked by that day (April 1, 2014) or earlier will be accepted. If you have questions, or to submit a nomination, please contact:

Jim O’Brien
Chair, 2014 ACS Midwest Award
ACS–St Louis Section
and
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
University of Missouri–St Louis
One University Blvd
St Louis, MO 63121
email obrien@jinx.umsl.edu or phone 314.757.5717

Recognition Night Banquet

Join us as we celebrate and recognize those with 50 and 60 years of membership in the ACS. We also present the 2014 Distinguished Service Award for the St. Louis Section, and this year’s recipient is Sheryl Loux. She has been and is still very active in “Chemistry in pHun,” “Kids and Chemistry,” and St. Louis area Science Fairs. Past Chairs of the St. Louis Section also are honored, and an entertaining after-dinner talk will be given by Ziad Ramadan, the Immediate Past Chair of the Section.

The event is to occur on Saturday, March 8th, from 6 to 9 pm, at Maggiano's Little Italy, 2 The Boulevard, Richmond Heights, MO 63117 (see map).

Agenda:
5:30 – Reception/social hour
6:30 – Dinner
7:15 – Awards program

Introduction of 50 and 60 year members

Distinguished Service Award

Please RSVP by March 5th to:

James O'Brien
2014 Chair of the St Louis Section ACS
Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
University of Missouri – St Louis
email:obrien@jinx.umsl.edu

Please provide:

Name(s) ______________________________________________________
Number attending ______ × $25 each = amount remitted $_______._____
Choice of entrée (number of each): tilapia ____ pasta ____ chicken ____

Make checks payable to St Louis Section–ACS, and mail to:

Vic Lewchenko
354 Larkhill Ct
Webster Groves, MO 63119

Battle of the Burets 2014

On Wednesday, February 19th, eighteen teams from ten local high schools took advantage of the spring thaw and participated in the Battle of the Burets competition sponsored by the St. Louis Section of the American Chemical Society and the Chemistry Department of the St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley. Teams of two students were judged on their ability to accurately determine the normality of an unknown acid solution within a six minute time period. This year six teams finished within 1% of the known value. The winning teams often scored within 0.5%. Teams from Bayless High School, Parkway West High School, and Crossroads College Prep advanced to this year’s title round. Irhad Sehovic and Mirhad Osmanovic from Bayless High School took top honors.

Place	Students	High School	Teacher Sponsors
1st	Irhad Sehovic and Mirhad Osmanovic	Bayless High School	Arthur Wilde
2nd	Laura Santangelo and Ryan Schlueter	Parkway West High School	Jan Keller
3rd	Jack Phan and Sam Buchholz	Crossroads College Prep	Mohamad Alrahawan

2014 Missouri Tri-County Regional Science and Engineering Fair Awards

• GRADES 9-12 HONORS DIVISION

  First Place: Lance Noval, “Enhancing MRI/PET and SPECT Imaging Through DOTA Nanoparticles”, Grade 12, Wentzville Holt High School, Wentzville, MO.

  Second Place: Nickolas Snawder, Daniel Drury, and Kelsie Eckert, “Combining Dyes to Enhance the Efficiency of Dye Sensitizer Solar Cells”, Grade 12, Timberland High School, Wentzville, MO.

  Third Place: Kayla Calvillo, “A Novel Method of Treatment for Degenerative Disc Disease”, Grade 12, Wentzville Holt High School, Wentzville, MO.

• GRADES 5-8 DIVISION

  First Place: Sharayu Shrinivas, “Glucose-Discloser!”, Grade 6, Wentzville Middle School, Wentzville, MO.

  Second Place: Eradyn Bailey, “The Effects of Water on Waterproof Mascara and Non-waterproof Mascara”, Grade 7, Frontier Middle School, Wentzville, MO.

  Third Place: Alyssa Place, “Colorful Chromatography Confusion”, Grade 5, Crossroads Elementary School, Wentzville, MO.

• GRADES KINDERGARTEN – 4TH DIVISION:

  A congratulatory letter + a purple participation ribbon were each given to 90 chemistry-related entrants this year.

You Can Be A Science Fair Judge for the St. Louis Section’s Science Fair Chemistry Awards!

Volunteer by contacting Sheryl J. Loux at 636-237-5149 (sjloux@gmail.com)

2014 Fairs the American Chemical Society (ACS) St. Louis Section are judging:

ILLINOIS JUNIOR ACADEMY OF SCIENCES REGIONAL SCIENCE FAIR

SIUE Regional Science Fair! Saturday, March 29, 2014 in the Morris University Center (#8 on campus map, park in lot E), Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), Edwardsville, IL 62026 The SIUE regional fair hosts over 200 of the finest 5th through 12th grade student projects from a ten county area. Meet at 9:00 AM and judging from 9:30 AM to 1 PM Judging: 5-8 grades and 9-12 grades. (Light judges buffet lunch available.)

GREATER ST LOUIS SCIENCE FAIR will be Wednesday April 30, 2014. Greater St. Louis Elementary and Secondary Science Fairs located at Edgar M. Queeny Park Recreation Complex, 550 Weidman Rd, Ballwin, MO 63011 in West St. Louis County. Dinner for judges is free at site (5-6:00 PM).

Elementary (K-5) Participation Awards distributed to chemistry-related projects. Three people needed for about 1 hour each between 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM Wednesday, April 30, 2014 No Judging involved.

Secondary (6-12) Judging of chemistry-related projects 3:00 PM to 8:30 PM (Please come for at least 2.5 hours) Wednesday, April 30, 2014 All secondary judges must be present at 8:30 PM to pick winners (this can take up to 1 hour).

Your Participation as an ACS Judge would be Greatly Appreciated!

High School Teacher–of–the–Year

Donna Malkmus has been a science teacher for the Francis Howell School District for 28 years and has been teaching chemistry for 27 of those years. She was selected as the Francis Howell School District Teacher of the Year in 2012 and Francis Howell North Teacher of the year in 2010.

She is currently the regional science fair director for the Missouri Tri-County Regional Science and Engineering fair and has helped the regional fair grow from 100 projects to 400 projects. She regularly sponsors students in science fair and has had over 10 students compete at the Intel International Science fair with some students earning patents.

At Francis Howell North High School, she sponsors the science club which has the highlight of sponsoring a chemistry magic show for 5th grade students at Henderson Elementary school. She is also sponsor of National Honor Society and is the treasurer of the Francis Howell Education Association. In her free time, she enjoys cheering on her alma mater the University of Kentucky basketball team as well as spending time with her husband, son, and identical twin daughters who are all in college.

Chemists Celebrate Earth Day

The 2014 theme is "The Wonders of Water." Join in on the fun on Saturday, April 19, 2014 at the Saint Louis Science Center from 10 AM – 4 PM. Contact Gregg Wall (gwall37@msn.com) to volunteer to help or request a demonstration table.

Kids and Chemistry will also be there with Starch Scavenger Hunt, Enzymes are Workers, and Crushing Cans all of which need volunteers to interact with the public. No experience is necessary, just 2 hours minimum of your time. Contact Sheryl J. Loux, Kids and Chemistry Coordinator at sjloux@gmail.com (or 636-237-5149) to volunteer.

Awards Night will be Tuesday April 15!

Student winners and their teachers receive a complimentary dinner; others may attend for $25 each. RSVP by Wednesday, April 9, to the Awards Night coordinator, Leah O'Brien at lobrien@siue.edu or 618.650.3562.

The Awards Night will be held this year at Maggiano's on the Boulevard. The cost will be $25 per person for all guests.

Winners of the High School Chemistry Contest, the High School Chemistry Teacher–of–the–Year, and the Outstanding Junior Chemistry Students at area colleges and universities are all recognized.

Agenda:
6:00 PM – Reception/social hour
6:30 PM – Dinner
7:30 PM – Awards program

Career Services and Younger Chemists Committees Events

In February, the Career Services and Younger Chemists Committees (YCC) co-hosted a live viewing of the ACS Webinar: The Chemistry of Scent and Fragrance. The event was organized by the National YCC who provided door prizes and materials for a scent demonstration. Following the webinar broadcast, local flavor chemist Dick Heinze spoke about the flavor industry and career opportunities for chemists. Students, faculty, and local industry scientists attended the event and engaged in a discussion and networking.

The YCC will be hosting the Career Management Seminars series on "Job Hunting Skills and Strategies" in March, April, and May. More information to follow!

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 and driving directions). 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 the section Chair at least a week in advance. Usual cost of the dinner is $24 ($12 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: March 13
Social hour: 5:30 pm
Business meeting: 6:30 pm (suspended for dinner when served)
Future meetings: April 10 (note third Thursday), May 8

Saint Louis University

Seminars are on Fridays at 12 noon in Carlo Auditorium, Tegeler Hall, unless noted otherwise. Refreshments follow. For more information, contact Jim Edwards, jedward5@slu.edu.

March 28
David Ford
St Louis University
TBA

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.

March 31
Robert W. Murray Lecture
The Robert W. Murray Lecture is an endowed lecture series established in 1998 to honor the the distinguished research career and many contributions to the UM-St. Louis campus during the more than 30-year career of Professor Robert W. Murray, Curators' Professor Emeritus.

Joanna Aizenberg
Harvard University
New materials: When chemistry meets optics and surface science

March 3
Kristina Hakansson
University of Michigan
Gas-Phase Ion-Electron and Ion-Photon Reactions for Biomolecular Structural Determination

March 10
Christopher Welch
Merck
Chromatographic Separation of Closely Related Species

Washington University

Seminars are in McMillen 311 at 4 pm unless otherwise noted. For information, contact: Liviu Mirica, mirica@wustl.edu.

March 6
Mircea Dinca
MIT
TBA

March 13-14
Leopold Marcus Lecture
Roger Tsien
UCSD
TBA

March 20
Dan Little
UC Santa Barbara
TBA

March 27
Joe Noel
Salk Institute
TBA