Orlando Students Present at Spring ACS National Meeting

Posted on April 15, 2023April 15, 2023

Travel awards from the Orlando Section of the ACS assisted two Ph.D. candidates at University of Central Florida to attend the spring 2023 ACS Meeting held in Indianapolis from March 26-30. Lorianne Shultz and Jacob T Bryant received $500 each.

Lorianne Shultz gave an oral presentation on her research in Professor Titel Jurca’s laboratory on “Probing the mechanism and structure-activity relationships in the CuOx catalysed reduction of 4-nitrophenol”. She received some helpful feedback on her work and was grateful for the funding to get there. Lorianne told us “I am excited to continue growing my network at the ACS National Conference to hopefully establish future collaborations.”

Jacob T. Bryant is in Professor Fernando Uribe-Romo’s laboratory. His oral presentation was on “Designing titania metal-organic framework photocatalysts using the principles of reticular chemistry”. Jacob was able to interact with several of his collaborators, initiate potential new collaborations, and help recruit candidates for the graduate program at UCF. He states that he is very appreciative of the funding provided.

Congratulations and good work, Lori and Jacob!

About Student Travel Awards: The Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society offers travel awards to students who are in need of financial supplement for their conference participations. Click here for more information about the awards and how to apply.

Councilor’s Report: 265th National Meeting, Spring 2023

Posted on April 15, 2023April 15, 2023

The Spring Meeting of the ACS Council was held in hybrid format on March 29, 2023. As of March 29, there were 12,623 registrations (10,792 in-person and 1,831 virtual).

Actions of the Council

Candidates for President-Elect, 2024

The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to the Council the following nominees for selection as candidates for President-Elect, 2023: Mary K. Engelman, Dorothy J. Phillips, and Florian J. Schattenmann. The fourth nominee withdrew for personal reasons prior to the Council meeting. By electronic ballot, the Council selected Dorothy J. Phillips and Florian J. Schattenmann as candidates for 2024 President-Elect. These two candidates, along with any candidates selected via petitions, will stand for election in the Fall 2023 National Election.

Other Council Actions

Highlights from Committee Reports and Key Actions

On the recommendation of the Council Policy Committee (CPC), Council approved the Petition to Amend the Duties of the Council Policy Committee to authorize CPC to review the conduct of Councilors.
As required by the ACS Governing Documents, CPC has set the divisor for Local Section and Division representation at Council for the period 2024-2027. The formula is based on membership numbers as of December 31, 2022. Notification will be sent by the Secretary to all affected units by May 1, with details on how they will be impacted.
CPC reviewed the Councilor Expense Program and voted to approve a streamlined process for fall 2023. The committee also voted to review further streamlining options for the program going forward.
On the recommendation of the Committee on Committees (ConC), and with the concurrence of the Council Policy Committee, Council approved the Petition to Amend the Duties of the Committee on Environmental Improvement to change the name of the committee to the Committee on Environment and Sustainability.
ConC announced that the opening of the online preference form to all ACS members begins on April 3 and will run through July 3. Councilors interested in serving on an ACS Committee in 2024 should go to https://www.acs.org/cmte to complete their preferences.
On the recommendation of the Committee on Nominations and Elections (N&E), and with the concurrence of the Council Policy Committee, Council approved the Petition to Add Plan B to Council Meetings, which authorizes the postponement of voting at Council in case of technology failures or natural disasters.
N&E reminded Councilors that any petition candidates to ACS National Office must certified by the July 15 deadline to be placed on the ballot this fall.
On the recommendation of the Committee on Membership Affairs (MAC), Council approved the 2024 Schedule of Membership.
The Committee on Local Section Activities (LSAC) announced the launch of the ACS Speaker Directory, a new resource for our component group leaders to access a wide range of speakers for their in-person, hybrid, and asynchronous events.

Council Special Discussion

President Giordan introduced and led a special discussion on the ongoing review of Society Committees. She sought Councilor input of positive ideas, key issues, and opportunities to improve the structure of committees.

Four specific prompts were posed to Councilors for their input and suggestions:

Ideally, for ACS to have a committee structure that is forward thinking and able to address opportunities for members, ACS and the chemistry enterprise, we would…
Current and future key issues impacting ACS, the chemistry enterprise and our committees include…
I wonder what the positive impact on committees, member involvement, and ACS would be if we were to…
I wish that committees at ACS could…

Councilors provided their ideas and thoughts, and relevant Society units will receive this input within the next several weeks.

If there are benefits that you would like to see added to your membership or if there are changes that you would like to see instituted, please contact your Councilor, Darlene Slattery at dslattery1@cfl.rr.com or call her at 321-632-2535.

First bulletin of the year

Posted on February 15, 2023February 15, 2023

Hello Orlando Section!

In the first bulletin of the year, we would like to bring to your attention a few pieces of important information:

Executive committee members: The members of the 2023 Executive Committee of the Orlando Section are:

Chair: Nicole Lapeyrouse
Chair elect: Stephen Smith
Intermediate Past Chair: Denisia Popolan-Vaida
Councilor: Darlene Slattery
Alternate Councilor: Laura Sessions
Treasurer: Van Quach
Secretary: Pavithra Pathirathna

Executive meeting – Our local section executive meeting is scheduled on the second Saturday of each month from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM via Zoom. We would like to renew our invitation to all our members to attend the meeting. If you are interested in joining our meeting, please do not hesitate to contact us for zoom link and meeting agenda.

Travel awards – We would liketo remind you thatour local sectionoffers annual travel awards (up to 2 awards/meeting) for ACS student members to attend ACS local, regional, and national meetings (FAME, SERMAC, ACS National Meeting) to present their work. More details about the application procedure can be found on our website.

Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW): To promote the positive role that chemistry plays in the world, ACS established the Chemists Celebrate Earth Week public awareness campaign. This year, CCEW occurs on April 16–22 with the theme “The Curious Chemistry of Amazing Algae”. The Orlando Section participates in the following activities:
- Distributing CCEW 2023 Celebrating Chemistry: Celebrating Chemistry is designed to engage and educate children ages 9–12 (Grades 4–6) in the basic principles of chemistry. The publication is available in English and Spanish and can be found on our website. We encourage you to share the publication to anyone who may be interested.
- 2023 Illustrated Poem Contest: The Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is hosting an illustrated poem contest for K-12 students. Entries must be sponsored by a local school or community group for verification purposes. The contest deadline is Sunday, April 30, 2023 at 11:59 PM Eastern. The theme of this year’s contest is “The Curious Chemistry of Amazing Algae.” One winner for each category will be recognized. Winners of the Orlando Section’s Illustrated Poem Contest will advance to the National Illustrated Poem Contest for a chance to be featured on the ACS website and win prizes!We encourage you to share the Flyer with K12’s students and teachers that you may know and to spread the message via social media. Please visit our website for detailed contest rules and submission information.
- Participating in Central Florida Earth day: We have secured our presence in Central Florida Earth day at Lake Eola (on April 22nd, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM). At this event, we will distribute merchandises, materials about the Earth Day and perform chemistry demonstrations. Dr. Titel Jurca (UCF, titel.jurca@ucf.edu) will lead this event. Please contact him if you are interested in volunteering for this event.

Younger Chemist Committee – The Younger Chemist Committee (YCC) of the American Chemical (ACS) Society Orlando Section is established with a mission to advocate for, develop, and support rising chemists to positively impact their careers, the ACS, and the future of chemistry. If you are interested in joining YCC ACS Orlando or learning more about our events fill out this google form: https://forms.gle/bHLRDYKunCDqsFCb7. We are also looking to integrate future board members into the organization. Currently the board member positions that we are looking to refresh in the near future are Chair and Co-Chair. The responsibilities of the chair include guiding the vision of the club, ensuring previous ideas are implemented properly, taking finial decisions and leading the board. The responsibilities of co-chair include bringing in new ideas for events, supporting the chair, helping in decision making process.

We are seeking volunteers: We are actively seeking volunteers to participate/lead our local section’s activities and be appointed to several committees: Earth Day outreach, National Chemistry Week, Senior Chemists, Younger Chemists, Webmaster… Contact us if you are or know someone who is interested.

Best wishes,

Dr. Nicole Lapeyrouse
Chair of the Orlando Section of the ACS
On behalf of the Orlando Section executive committee

2023 CCEW – Celebrating Chemistry

Posted on February 11, 2023February 11, 2023

Celebrating Chemistry is designed to engage and educate children ages 9–12 (Grades 4–6) in the basic principles of chemistry. The publication is available in English and Spanish.

Download the issue in English (PDF)
Descargar en Español (PDF)

2023 CCEW Illustrated Poem Contest: The Curious Chemistry of Amazing Algae

Posted on February 11, 2023March 28, 2023

The Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is hosting an illustrated poem contest for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Entries must be sponsored by a local school or community group for verification purposes.

Contest_Deadline:	Sunday, April 30, 2023 at 11:59 PM Eastern
Local Prizes:	One winner will be awarded ($50) for each of the flowing categories: Grades K-2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 9-12 The teacher who guided the winner will receive a small funding ($100) for classroom supplies.
Local Contact:	Duy Le (submission@orlandoacs.org)
Submission:	Illustrated poem and submission form must be submitted to https://forms.gle/XVLtvkiqLtbGHfB79 or emailed to submission@orlandoacs.org

Winners of the Orlando Section’s Illustrated Poem Contest will advance to the National Illustrated Poem Contest for a chance to be featured on the ACS website and to win prizes!

How to participate:

Write and illustrate a poem using the CCEW theme, “The Curious Chemistry of Amazing Algae.” Your poem must be no more than 40 words and in the following styles to be considered:

HAIKU – LIMERICK – ODE – ABC POEM – FREE VERSE – END RHYME – BLANK VERSE

Possible topics related to the theme include:

Seaweed
Micro- or macro-algae
Photosynthesis
Bioluminescent algae
Algae as food & habitat for animals
Consumer products from algae
Oxygen from algae
Biofuels from algae

Entries will be judged based upon:

Artistic Merit – use of color, quality of drawing, design & layout
Poem Message – fun, motivational, inspiring about yearly theme
Originality Creativity – unique, clever and/or creative design
Neatness – free of spelling and grammatical errors

Contest rules:

·   All poems must be no more than 40 words, and in one of the following styles to be considered: Haiku, Limerick, Ode, ABC poem, Free verse, End rhyme, and Blank verse.
·   Entries are judged based upon relevance to and incorporation of the NCW theme, word choice and imagery, colorful artwork, adherence to poem style, originality and creativity, and overall presentation.
·   All entries must be original works without aid from others. Poems may be submitted by hand on an unlined sheet of paper not larger than 11” by 14” or scanned and sent via email. Illustrations may be created using crayons, watercolors, other types of paint, colored pencils, or markers. The illustration may also be electronically created by using a digital painting and drawing app on a computer, tablet, or mobile device.
·   The text of the poem should be easy to read and may be typed before the hand-drawn or digital illustration is added, or the poem may be written on lined paper, which is cut out and pasted onto the unlined paper with the illustration.
·   No clipart or unoriginal images can be used.
·   Only one entry per student will be accepted; all entries must include an entry form. If the illustration is created using a digital painting or drawing app, the name of the program must be included on the entry form.
·   Acceptance of prizes constitutes consent to use winners’ first name, and entry for editorial, advertising, and publicity purposes.

Download submission form and this flyer.

Examples (2022 National winners)

2023 Student Travel Awards

Posted on February 11, 2023June 26, 2023

The 2023 Travel Awards have been given out for the year. The Orlando Section ACS was able to support 5 students with travel to ACS national meetings and FAME. Please check back at the beginning of 2024 for the next application cycle.

To encourage participation of students in local, regional, and national conferences organized by the American Chemical Society and its affiliates and to create opportunities for students to enhance their scientific experiences and networking, the Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society offers travel awards to students who are in need of financial supplement for their conference participations.

The awards will be given to selected students who participate in the Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition (FAME), the Southeastern Regional Meeting of The American Chemical Society (SERMACS), or the ACS National Meeting & Exposition. For each conference, up to two students will receive awards of up to $150, $250, or $500, respectively.

To apply, student applicant needs to prepare an application package (a single PDF file) that includes the following:

Brief introduction of applicant
Proof of acceptance to conference (acceptance of abstract)
Brief explanation of why travel award from the Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society is necessary (especially those whose research projects are federal/industrially/privately funded)
Contact information of advisor (The award committee will request a statement for advisor indicating appropriate use of the travel award to registration, lodging, and/or travel expenses).

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis up to one month before the conference, so early submission is encouraged. Application package should be sent via email to Awards Committee Chair (Dr. Laura Sessions, lsessions@valenciacollege.edu). The committee will select awardees mainly based on applicant’s financial needs and date of application. Novelty and impact of research project is a bonus criterion.

Younger Chemist Committee (YCC): Exploring Entrepreneurship in STEM

Posted on January 27, 2023January 27, 2023

The Younger Chemists Committee of Central Florida is proud to host “Exploring Entrepreneurship in STEM” (virtual/in person event) on February 16^th at 6:30 pm, with speaker Dr. Jim Brenner from the Florida Institute of Technology. Dr. Brenner will be sharing valuable insights gained from his many years of experience as an entrepreneur in the nanotechnology industry.

For more event information, our RSVP link is shown below that includes the zoom link and the in-person location: https://exploringentrepreneurship.rsvpify.com

Please don’t forget to reach out to us on social media at https://linktr.ee/yccacsorlando for updates, news, and activities about our committee.

2023 Orlando Section Officers

Posted on January 14, 2023January 14, 2023

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE	OFFICER	TELEPHONE
Chair:	Nicole Lapeyrouse	407-823-0386
Chair Elect:	Stephen Smith	—
Immediate Past Chair:	Denisia Popolan-Vaida	407-823-1537
Treasurer:	Van Quach	—
Secretary:	Pavithra Pathirathna	321-674-7561
Councilor & Section Historian:	Darlene Slattery	321-632-2535
Alternate Council Member:	Laura Sessions	407-582-7138
CCEW Coordinator	Duy Le	407-666-8198
NCW Coordinator	Denisia Popolan-Vaida	407-823-1537
Younger Chemists Committee	Mohammed Muzammil Nishar Ahmed	321-368-4129
COMMUNICATIONS TEAM
Chair:	Michel Johnson	—
Webmaster:	Duy Le	—
CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD Coordinator	Mary C. Roslonowski	321-243-6198
AWARDS COMMITTEE Chair	Laura Sessions	407-582-7138
NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS COMMITTEE Chair	Stephen Smith	—
SERMACS COMMITTEE
General Co-Chair	Christopher Chouinard	321-674-8173
General Co-Chair	Chris Avery
Program Chair	Titel Jurca
Exposition Chair	Michel Johnson

2022 Annual Award Banquet

Posted on January 3, 2023January 3, 2023

Banquet2022_IMG_3525

Banquet2022_IMG_3528

Banquet2022_IMG_3527

Banquet2022_IMG_3535

Banquet2022_IMG_3544

Banquet2022_IMG_3543

Banquet2022_IMG_3542

Banquet2022_IMG_3540

Banquet2022_IMG_3537

Banquet2022_IMG_3534

Banquet2022_IMG_3532

Banquet2022_IMG_3530

Banquet2022_IMG_3521

Banquet2022_IMG_3520

Banquet2022_IMG_3519

Banquet2022_IMG_3689

Banquet2022_IMG_3688

Banquet2022_IMG_3684

Banquet2022_IMG_3681

Banquet2022_IMG_3680

Banquet2022_IMG_3679

Banquet2022_IMG_3678

Banquet2022_IMG_3677

Banquet2022_IMG_3674

Banquet2022_IMG_3672

Banquet2022_IMG_3671

Banquet2022_IMG_3669

Banquet2022_IMG_3668

Banquet2022_IMG_3664

Banquet2022_IMG_3662

Banquet2022_IMG_3660

Banquet2022_IMG_3658

Banquet2022_IMG_3655

Banquet2022_IMG_3652

Banquet2022_IMG_3651

Banquet2022_IMG_3650

Banquet2022_IMG_3648

Banquet2022_IMG_3645

Banquet2022_IMG_3642

Banquet2022_IMG_3639

Banquet2022_IMG_3637

Banquet2022_IMG_3635

Banquet2022_IMG_3630

Banquet2022_IMG_3629

Banquet2022_IMG_3628

Banquet2022_IMG_3627

Banquet2022_IMG_3626

Banquet2022_IMG_3625

Banquet2022_IMG_3624

Banquet2022_IMG_3623

Banquet2022_IMG_3622

Banquet2022_IMG_3620

Banquet2022_IMG_3619

Banquet2022_IMG_3618

Banquet2022_IMG_3617

Banquet2022_IMG_3616

Banquet2022_IMG_3614

Banquet2022_IMG_3613

Banquet2022_IMG_3612

Banquet2022_IMG_3611

Banquet2022_IMG_3610

Banquet2022_IMG_3609

Banquet2022_IMG_3606

Banquet2022_IMG_3604

Banquet2022_IMG_3603

Banquet2022_IMG_3601

Banquet2022_IMG_3600

Banquet2022_IMG_3598

Banquet2022_IMG_3597

Banquet2022_IMG_3595

Banquet2022_IMG_3593

Banquet2022_IMG_3592

Banquet2022_IMG_3591

Banquet2022_IMG_3590

Banquet2022_IMG_3588

Banquet2022_IMG_3587

Banquet2022_IMG_3586

Banquet2022_IMG_3585

Banquet2022_IMG_3584

Banquet2022_IMG_3583

Banquet2022_IMG_3582

Banquet2022_IMG_3581

Banquet2022_IMG_3579

Banquet2022_IMG_3577

Banquet2022_IMG_3576

Banquet2022_IMG_3574

Banquet2022_IMG_3572

Banquet2022_IMG_3571

Banquet2022_IMG_3570

Banquet2022_IMG_3568

Banquet2022_IMG_3567

Banquet2022_IMG_3566

Banquet2022_IMG_3565

Banquet2022_IMG_3564

Banquet2022_IMG_3563

Banquet2022_IMG_3562

Banquet2022_IMG_3561

Banquet2022_IMG_3559

Banquet2022_IMG_3558

Banquet2022_IMG_3557

Banquet2022_IMG_3555

Banquet2022_IMG_3554

Banquet2022_IMG_3551

Banquet2022_IMG_3550

Banquet2022_IMG_3549

Banquet2022_IMG_3548

Banquet2022_IMG_3545

The Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society held it’s annual awards banquet on Saturday, December 3 at the blu on the avenue restaurant in Winter Park. The event was attended by 60 members and guests and was considered a success by all.

Volunteers, 50-. 60-, and 70-year members were recognized for their dedication to the Society and to the Section. Outstanding individuals in eleven categories were recognized with plaques and checks. The 2022 winners are:

Award	Recipient	Organization
Eileen Tulley Award for Outstanding High School Student	Khadeejah Ahmed	Lake Nona High
Outstanding High School Teacher	Mrs. Emily Hill	Crooms Academy of Information Technology
Outstanding Undergraduates Students	Alivia Taylor Natali Barakat	Seminole States College University of Central Florida
Outstanding Grad Student	Mr. Muzammil Ahmed	Florida Institute of Technology
Outstanding Educator At a Teaching Institution	Dr. Angelina Georgieva	Keiser University
Outstanding Educator at a Primarily Research Institution	Dr. Yu Yuan	University of Central Florida
Outstanding Chemist	Dr. Laurene Tetard	University of Central Florida
Outstanding Chemical Professional	Dr. Martha Williams	NASA
Outstanding Entrepreneurs	Mr. William Easter	X-Batt, X-Mat, Semplastics
Outstanding Volunteer	Mr. Muzammil Ahmed	Florida Institute of Technology

Results of 2022 NCW Illustrated Poem Contest: Fabulous Fibers: The Chemistry of Fabrics

Posted on December 5, 2022December 5, 2022

hosted 2022 NCW Illustrated Poem Contest for K-12 students in Central Florida. The theme of the contest is “Fabulous Fibers: The Chemistry of Fabrics.”

The contest received many entries from multiple schools. Thanks to the teachers who brought the contest to students’ attention.

Results of local contest:

K-2 Category
No winner

Grade 3-5 Category
Winner: Christienne Jette Tenerife from George Marks Elementary

Grade 6-8 Category
Winner: Tyler Segrest from Tuskawilla Middle School

Grade 9-12 Category
No winner

The winner of each category will receive a certificate and a monetary award of $50. The teacher who guided the winner of each category will receive a school supply funding of $100.

The winner of each category also advances to the national 2022 NCW Illustrated Poem Contest. The full results of national contest can be found at ACS Website.

If you have any comments or questions regarding the local contest, please contact the local section’s coordinator of the contest (Dr. Duy Le, contact@orlandoacs.org).