Programs Supporting High School Chemistry Educators

Posted on March 24, 2021March 24, 2021

ACS-Hach Programs provide financial support for future and current high school chemistry teachers. Through these grants and scholarships, ACS carries on the work of the Hach Scientific Foundation Endowment, encouraging the development of high school chemistry teachers and improving the teaching and learning of chemistry in their classrooms.

ACS-Hach Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Scholarship – provides financial support (up to $6,000 for full-time study, up to $3,000 for part-time study) for chemistry graduates with limited work experience to obtain a master’s degree in education or teacher certification in chemistry. Apply by April 1.

ACS-Hach Second Career Teacher Scholarship – provides financial support (up to $6,000 for full-time study, up to $3,000 for part-time study) for chemistry professionals to obtain a master’s degree in education or teacher certification in chemistry. Apply by April 1.

ACS-Hach High School Chemistry Classroom Grant – grants of up to $1,500 for high school chemistry teachers to use to cover basic classroom or laboratory needs, fund professional development experiences, or support innovative ideas in chemistry education. Apply by April 14.

Are you late for the above opportunities or do you want to find many other programs that support chemistry research and education at all levels, visit the ACS Funding Opportunities page.

Note: This post was reproduced from the ACS Newsletter about Grants & Scholarships for Educators on March 23^rd 2021

March 2021’s Newsletter

Posted on March 8, 2021March 9, 2021

Hello Orlando Section!

In this communication, we want to bring some news about upcoming activities of the Orlando section to all members.

We have just launched our new website (https://orlandoacs.org/). Together with ACS Group Hub and our facebook page, we hope that the website will also be where members and visitors can obtain information and get updated with activities of the local section. We have also decided that all future email communications with members will be done via communication@orlandoacs.org.

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 18–24 with the theme “Reducing Our Footprint with Chemistry”. The Orlando Section participates in the following activities:
- Distributing CCEW 2021 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.
- 2021 CCEW Illustrated Poem Contest: The Orlando Local Section is hosting an illustrated poem contest for students in Kindergarten through 12th grade. Winners of local contest will advance to the National Illustrated Poem Contest for a chance to be featured on the ACS website and to win prizes. More details and the Flyer of this contest can be found in our website. 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.
- Participating in Central Florida Earthday: We have secured our presence in Central Florida Earthday at Lake Eola (on April 25^th, 10AM-4PM). In this event, we will distribute merchandises, materials about the Earthday and perform chemistry demonstrations. Dr. Titel Jurca (UCF, titel.jurca[at]ucf.edu) will lead this event. Please contact him if you could offer a helping hand.

We are seeking volunteers: We are actively seeking volunteers to participate/lead our local section’s activities and be appointed to several committees. This month, we focus on the two committees: Senior Chemists, Younger Chemists. Contact us if you are interested.
Monthly Executive Meeting is open to members. The next meeting occurs at 10AM on Saturday 03/20/2021 via Zoom. If you are interested in joining, please do not hesitate to contact us for meeting link.
Subscribe to our community page, follow our facebook page, and check out our website for updated news, activities of our local section.

CCEW 2021 – Celebrating Chemistry

Posted on March 6, 2021March 6, 2021

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)

2021 CCEW Illustrated Poem Contest: Reducing Our Footprint with Chemistry

Posted on March 6, 2021April 21, 2021

The Orlando Local 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 (Updated): Sunday, May 2, 2021 by 11:59 PM Eastern

Local Prizes: Up to 4 winners will be recognized and awarded at the Orlando Local Section’s Annual Awards Banquet (12/2021)

Local Contact: Duy Le (contact@orlandoacs.org)
Submission: Click Here to submit.

Winners of the Orlando Local 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!

Write and illustrate a poem using the CCEW theme, “Reducing Our Footprint with Chemistry.” 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 CCEW 2021 theme include: Life cycles, Clean air and water, Environmental footprints, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

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 yearly theme (Reducing Our Footprint with Chemistry), 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. Physical drawings may be scanned or captured via camera and submitted to the online form. 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. If the illustration is created using a digital painting or drawing app, the name of the program must be included on the entry form.
• 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.
• Students must be sponsored by a school or another sponsoring group (e.g. Homeschool Association, Boys and Girls Club, Scout Troop, 4-H, etc.).
• All illustrated poems and/or digital representations of the poems become the property of the American Chemical Society.
• Acceptance of prizes constitutes consent to use winners’ names, likenesses, and entries for editorial, advertising, and publicity purposes.

Click here to download this Flyer

Get Involved

Posted on February 14, 2021February 14, 2021

One of main goals of the Orlando Section’s strategic plan is to “Attract, recruit and retain more volunteers” to execute its mission. The Orlando Section recognizes that this is the way to bring better ideas, make new skill sets available, and contribute to the section’s networking capability in addition to help sharing the workload. Presumably, the recruitment of volunteers will become easier as we achieve other goals of the strategic plan.

The Orlando Section regularly organizes and/or participates in the following activities that need volunteers to take leadership roles:

Annual Award Banquet
Chemistry Olympiads
Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW)
Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition (FAME)
National Chemistry Week
Meet and Greet Happy Hours and Dinners
State Science and Engineering Fair of Florida

If you want to get involved in one of the above activities, please contact one of current officers or email us at contact [ at ] OrlandoACS.org.

Full List of Awardees

Posted on February 13, 2021January 13, 2024

Over the years, the Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society recognizes outstanding chemist from Central Florida.

Year	Award	Recipient	Organization
2023	Outstanding Student at a primarily teaching institution	Ms. Denette Boucome	Keiser University
2023	Outstanding Student at a primarily research institution (undergraduate)	Ms. Arden Floyd Mr. Matthew Pensenstadler	University of Central Florida Florida Institute of Technology
2023	Outstanding Graduate Student	Mr. Jorge Pereira	University of Central Florida
2023	Outstanding Teacher at a primarily teaching institution	Dr. Mahesh Peddibhotla	Valencia College
2023	Outstanding Educator at a Primarily Research Institution	Dr. Pavithra Pathirathna	Florida Institute of Technology
2023	Outstanding Chemist	Dr. Nasri Nesnas	Florida Institute of Technology
2023	Outstanding Chemistry Professional	Dr. Nahid Mohajeri	Nitto Americas
2023	Outstanding Volunteer	Dr. Duy Le	University of Central Florida
2022	Eileen Tulley Award for Outstanding High School Student	Khadeejah Ahmed	Lake Nona High
2022	Outstanding High School Teacher	Mrs. Emily Hill	Crooms Academy of Information Technology
2022	Outstanding Undergraduates Students	Alivia Taylor Natali Barakat	Seminole States College University of Central Florida
2022	Outstanding Grad Student	Mr. Muzammil Ahmed	Florida Institute of Technology
2022	Outstanding Educator At a Teaching Institution	Dr. Angelina Georgieva	Keiser University
2022	Outstanding Educator at a Primarily Research Institution	Dr. Yu Yuan	University of Central Florida
2022	Outstanding Chemist	Dr. Laurene Tetard	University of Central Florida
2022	Outstanding Chemical Professional	Dr. Martha Williams	NASA
2022	Outstanding Entrepreneurs	Mr. William Easter	X-Batt, X-Mat, Semplastics
2022	Outstanding Volunteer	Mr. Muzammil Ahmed	Florida Institute of Technology
2021	Eileen Tulley Award for Outstanding High School Student	Mr. Seth Brunner	Trinity Prep
2021	Outstanding Undergraduate at a Primarily Research Institution	Ms Barbara Chiu Ms. Kasey Rigby	University of Central Florida
2021	Outstanding Graduate at a Primarily Research Institution	Mr. Ryan Connelly	University of Central Florida
2021	Outstanding Educator at a Primarily Research Institution	Dr. Titel Jurca	University of Central Florida
2021	Outstanding Chemist	Dr. Fernando Uribe-Romo	University of Central Florida
2021	Outstanding Entrepreneur/Employer	Mr. Sergie Albino Mr. Ian Doromal	ecoSPEARS
2021	Outstanding Volunteer	Dr. Titel Jurca	University of Central Florida
2020	Outstanding High School Teacher	Mrs. Carrie Lopez	Trinity Preparatory School
2020	Outstanding Undergraduate Student	Ms. Katie Wilson	Florida Institute of Technology
2020	Outstanding Graduate Student	Ms. Lorianne Shultz	University of Central Florida
2020	Outstanding Educator at a Research Institution	Dr. Karin Chumbimuni-Torres	University of Central Florida
2020	Outstanding Chemist	Dr. Xiaohu Xia	University of Central Florida
2020	Outstanding Chemical Professional	Dr. Tracy Gibson	Kennedy Space Center
2020	Outstanding Volunteer	Dr. Michel Johnson	Retired
2019	Outstanding Two‐year College Student	Ms. Emily Gearhart	Seminole State College
2019	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Ms. Tam Pham	Stetson University
2019	Outstanding Graduate Student	Mr. Eric Ziegler	Florida Institute of Technology
2019	Outstanding Chemist	Dr. Qun Treen Huo	University of Central Florida
2019	Outstanding Volunteer	Ms. Audrey Preston	Florida Institute of Technology
2019	Volunteer Recognition	Mr. George Kenney
2019	Volunteer Recognition	Dr. Angelina Georgieva
2018	Outstanding High School Student	Ms. Gabby Irons	Lake Nona High School
2018	Outstanding High School Teacher	Mrs. Elvira Tomlin	Lake Nona High School
2018	Outstanding Two‐year College Student	Ms. Zon Thwin	Valencia College
2018	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Dr. Laura Sessions	Valencia College
2018	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Mr. Christopher Roldan	University of Central Florida
2018	Outstanding Graduate Student	Mr. Pierpaolo Morgante	Florida Institute of Technology
2018	Outstanding Chemist	Dr. Andres Campiglia	University of Central Florida
2018	Outstanding Volunteer	Dr. Steven Kuebler	University of Central Florida
2017	Outstanding High School Student	Philip Monsees	Edgewood Jr./Sr. High School
2017	Outstanding Two‐year College Student	Sun Hong	Seminole State College
2017	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Dr. Vasudha Sharma	Valencia College
2017	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Franklin Thornburgh	Florida Institute of Technology
2017	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Dr. Joel Olson	Florida Institute of Technology
2017	Outstanding Graduate Student	Tianyu Zheng	University of Central Florida
2017	Outstanding Chemist	Dr. Yi Liao	Florida Institute of Technology
2016	Outstanding High School Student	Angelica Coriano	Cypress Creek High School
2016	Outstanding High School Teacher	Raymond Rowe	Cypress Creek High School
2016	Outstanding Two‐year College Student	Shamaron Grier	Valencia College
2016	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Dr. Daeri Tenery	Valencia College
2016	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Elizabeth Stewart	Florida Institute of Technology
2016	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Dr. Jessica Smeltz	Florida Institute of Technology
2016	Outstanding Graduate Student	Tyler Maxwell	University of Central Florida
2015	Outstanding High School Student	Anthony Das	Edgewater High School
2015	Outstanding High School Teacher	Nicholas Tomcykoski	Edgewater High School
2015	Outstanding Two‐year College Student	Alexandra Allard	Eastern Florida State College
2015	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Van Quach	Seminole State College
2015	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Lauren Gandy	Univ. Central Florida
2015	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Karin Chumbimuni-Torres	Univ. Central Florida
2015	Outstanding Graduate Student	Shishir Chourey	Florida Inst. of Techn.
2015	Outstanding Chemist	Andy Knight	Florida Inst. of Techn.
2014	Outstanding High School Student	Srimayi Tenali	West Shore Jr/Sr HS
2014	Outstanding High School Student	Aadit Vyas	Paul J. Hagerty HS
2014	Outstanding High School Teacher	Caroline Kent	Rockledge High School
2014	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Deborah L. Mead	Seminole State College
2014	Outstanding Graduate Student	Mahmoud Saleh	Florida Inst. of Techn.
2013	Outstanding High School Student	Nicholas Etrick	West Shore Jr/Sr High School
2013	Outstanding High School Teacher	Erica Saylor	University High School
2013	Outstanding High School Teacher	Scott Waisanen	Oviedo High School
2013	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Diana Cox	Rollins College
2013	Outstanding Chemist	Lei Zhai	Univ. Central Florida
2012	Outstanding High School Student	David R. Anderson	West Shore Jr/Sr HS
2012	Outstanding High School Teacher	Dr. Scott McCord	Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr HS
2012	Outstanding Two‐year College Student	Lynley Bacheller	Brevard Comm. Col. – Palm Bay
2012	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Ms. Deborah McClinton	Brevard Comm. Col. – Melbourne
2012	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Christian Posea	Stetson University
2012	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Dr. Kurt Winkelmann	Florida Inst. of Techn.
2011	Outstanding High School Student	Mr. Clement Li	Cocoa Beach HS
2011	Outstanding High School Teacher	Romina Jannotti	Hagerty HS
2011	Outstanding Two‐year College Student	Danny Arias	Valencia State College
2011	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Eileen Perez	Valencia State College
2011	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Christy Fitzpatrick	Stetson Univ.
2011	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Harry Price	Stetson Univ.
2011	Gordon L. Nelson Award	Joshua Rokach	Florida Inst. of Techn.
2011	Outstanding Student Affiliate Section	UCF Student Chapter	Univ. Central Florida
2010	Outstanding High School Student	Steven Wang	Seminole HS
2010	Outstanding High School Student	Anthony Weishample	Hagerty HS
2010	Outstanding High School Student	Kelsey Savery	West Shore HS
2010	Outstanding High School Teacher	Susan Brennan	Seminole HS
2010	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Justin Wright	Rollons College
2010	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Tandy Grubb	Stetson Univ.
2010	Outstanding Graduate Student	Carolina Andrade	Univ. Central Florida
2009	Outstanding High School Student	Timothy Copeland	Hagerty HS
2009	Outstanding Two‐year College Student	Estefania Santamaria	Valencia Comm. Coll.
2009	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Naomi Pernicone	Stetson Univ.
2009	Outstanding Graduate Student	Ciceron Outstanding Yanez	Univ. Central Florida
2009	Outstanding Chemist	Andres D. Campiglia	———–
2008	Outstanding High School Student	Anna Strock	West Shore HS
2008	Outstanding High School Student	Greg Braciack	Hagerty HS
2008	Outstanding High School Teacher	Faren Ahrens	Edgewood HS
2008	Outstanding Two‐year College Student	Rafael Gonzalez	Daytona State Coll.
2008	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Katherine Ferstadt	———–
2008	Outstanding Graduate Student	Pranav Patel	Florida Inst. of Techn.
2007	Outstanding High School Student	Adam Klett	West Shore HS
2007	Outstanding High School Teacher	Lisa Scott	Satellite HS
2007	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Gerald Swanson	Daytona Beach Comm. Coll.
2007	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Carlos Toro	Univ. Central Florida
2006	Outstanding High School Student	Robert Gottfried	Hagerty HS
2006	Outstanding High School Teacher	Dawn Arnett	Viera HS
2006	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Juliana Llano	Univ. Central Florida
2006	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Ramee Indralingam	Stetson Univ.
2006	Outstanding Graduate Student	Mussafer Tonguc Oztek	Univ. Central Florida
2006	Outstanding Chemist	Virender Sharma	Florida Inst. of Techn.
2005	Outstanding High School Student	Xiaoming Jia	West Shore HS
2005	Outstanding High School Teacher	Delilah Narvaez	West Shore HS
2005	Outstanding Two‐year College Student	Sarah Kellner	Brevard Comm. Coll.
2005	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Martin McClinton	Brevard Comm. Coll.
2005	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Gail Schneider	Univ. Central Florida
2005	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Stephen Kuebler	Univ. Central Florida
2005	Outstanding Graduate Student	Nadine Noorhasan-Smith	Florida Inst. of Techn.
2005	Outstanding Chemist	Rodger Capps	Boeing Company
2004	Outstanding High School Student	Andrew First	Winter Springs HS
2004	Outstanding High School Student	Alexander Roederer	West Shore HS
2004	Outstanding High School Teacher	Thomas Sammet	University HS
2004	Outstanding Two‐year College Student	Ryan Michael	Brevard Comm. Coll.
2004	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Christopher Stefancik	Stetson Univ.
2004	Outstanding Graduate Student	Sheila Jacobo	Florida Inst. of Techn.
2004	Outstanding Chemist	Florencio Hernandez	Univ. Central Florida
2004	Gordon L. Nelson Award	Brooks Madsen	Univ. Central Florida
2003	Outstanding High School Student	Kim Hoang	Palm Bay HS
2003	Outstanding High School Teacher	David Pieski	Freedom HS
2003	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Edgar Perez	Univ. Central Florida
2003	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Brooks Madsen	Univ. Central Florida
2003	Outstanding Graduate Student	Mirna Franjic	Univ. Central Florida
2003	Outstanding Chemist	Christian Clausen	Univ. Central Florida
2002	Outstanding High School Student	Gregory DiMicco
2002	Outstanding High School Teacher	Lara Sharp
2002	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Carri Brodnax
2002	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Michael Hampton
2002	Outstanding Graduate Student	Christina Coon
2002	Gordon L. Nelson Award	Barry Fookes
2002	Chairman’s Award	Ramee Indralingam	Stetson Univ.
2001	Outstanding High School Student	Erin Riley
2001	Outstanding High School Teacher	Karen Deo
2001	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Sean Burrow
2001	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Glenn Cunningham	Univ. Central Florida
2001	Outstanding Graduate Student	Janice Lomness
2001	Outstanding Chemist	Cherie Geiger
2000	Outstanding High School Student	Matthew Offerman
1996	Outstanding High School Student	Jona Hattangadi	University High
1996	Outstanding High School Teacher	Kenneth Holt
1996	Outstanding Four-year College Student	Kim Millar	Univ. Central Florida
1996	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Jan Ems-Wilson	Valencia Community College
1996	Outstanding Graduate Student	Mustafa Adiyaman	Florida Institute of Technology
1996	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Guy Mattson	Univ. Central Florida
1996	Outstanding Chemist	Clovis Linkous	FSEC/Univ. Central Florida
1996	Gordon L. Nelson Award	Gordon L. Nelson	Florida Institute of Technology
1995	Outstanding High School Student	Laura Meyer
1995	Outstanding High School Teacher	Jennifer Foulk
1995	Outstanding Four-year College Student	Lynda Dawson
1995	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Jeanne Robinson
1995	Outstanding Graduate Student	Chun Lin
1995	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Brooks Madsen	Univ. Central Florida
1995	Outstanding Chemist	Michael Babich	Florida Institute of Technology
1994	Outstanding High School Student	Meetesh Karia	Palm Bay High
1994	Outstanding High School Teacher	Erica Leonard	Mainland High
1994	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	Tom Beall	Brevard Community College
1994	Outstanding Student at a Four-year College	Janice Lomness	Univ. Central Florida
1994	Outstanding Graduate Student	Scott McKay	Florida Institute of Technology
1994	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Michael Hampton	Univ. Central Florida
1993	Outstanding High School Student	Chris Bray
1993	Outstanding High School Teacher	Janet Morgan	Dr. Phillips High
1993	Outstanding Two‐year College Teacher	David Wilson	Valencia Community College
1993	Outstanding Graduate Student	Guo Shen	Florida Institute of Technology
1993	Outstanding Four‐year College Teacher	Alan Brown	Florida Institute of Technology
1993	Outstanding High School Student (Special Awards)	Thanh Tan Nguyen Ranjani Raghunathan John Foley Tom Tomble
1993	Outstanding Graduate Student (Special Awards)	Jennifer Batten
1992	Outstanding High School Students	Matt Carrigan Ben McFarland
1992	Outstanding Undergrad Students at a Four-Year College	Chris Bender Melissa Heck
1992	Outstanding High School Teachers	Sharon Blankenship Nancy Benton
1992	Outstanding Teacher at a Four-year College	Seth Elsheimer
1992	Outstanding Chemist	Mary Sohn
1991	Outstanding High School Student	Eileen Tulley	Titusville High
1991	Outstanding High School Teacher	Collette Davis Joseph Pekich	Dr. Phillips High Palm Bay High
1991	Outstanding Four‐year College Student	Cherie Geiger	Univ. Central Florida
1991	Outstanding Graduate Student	Seong Woo Hwang
1991	Outstanding Chemist	Michael D. Hampton John H. Trefry III	Univ. Central Florida Florida Institute of Technology

Orlando Section’s Bylaws

Posted on February 13, 2021February 23, 2021

Councilor’s Report: 258th National Meeting Fall 2019

Posted on February 11, 2021September 14, 2021

The 258^th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society was held in San Diego, CA August 25 – 29, 2019 and was attended by 12,409 registered individuals. The Council meeting was held on August 21rst.

Actions of the Council

Election to Committees

By electronic ballot, Council elected four individuals for a three-year term (2020 – 2022) and one person for a one – year term on the Council Policy Committee. Five people were elected to the Committee on Nomination and Elections and five were elected to the Committee on Committees.

Other Council Actions

Continuation of Committees

On the recommendation of the Committee on Committees, and with the concurrence of the Council Policy Committee, Council approved the continuation of the Committees on International Activities and Professional Training, contingent on approval by the Board of Directors.

Establishment of an International Chemical Sciences Chapter

On the recommendation of the Committee on International Activities, and with the concurrence of the Council Policy Committee, Council approved the creation of an ACS International Chemical Sciences Chapter in the Republic of Georgia, contingent on approval by the Board of Directors.

Redistricting of a Local Section

On the recommendation of Nominations & Elections, the Council voted that the Pittsburgh Local Section be transferred from District II to District III in order to bring District III’s member population into compliance with bylaw requirements.

Highlights from Committee Reports

Nominations and Elections

Ballots for the 2019 fall national election will be distributed starting on September 30^th, with a voting deadline four weeks later on October 25^th. ACS members eligible to vote and with an email address on file will receive an electronic ballot with the option to request a paper ballot. Those members with no email address on file will be sent a paper ballot with the option to vote electronically. The ACS election vendor, Survey & Ballot Systems, will send three email reminders during the voting period to those who have not voted as of the reminder dates. N&E encourages all ACS members to vote for President-Elect and the Constitutional Amendment. Election information may be viewed at acs.org/elections.

Budget and Finance

The Society’s 2019 financial performance through July 31^st yielded a Net from Operations of $30.1 million. This is $10 million favorable to the Approved Budget, and $1.7 million less than the same period in 2018. Total revenues are right on budget at $338 million. Total expenses are $308 million, which is $10 million favorable to budget.

The committee considered two 2020 program funding reauthorization requests, and on its recommendations, the Board subsequently approved funding for the ChemIDP and the International Student Chapters Programs in the 2020 Proposed Budget.

The committee considered new program funding requests for 2020 as well. The Board subsequently approved funding for the Green and Sustainable Chemistry Education Resources pilot for inclusion in the 2020 Proposed Budget.

The Society is expected to end the year in compliance with each of the five Board-established financial guidelines. Additional information can be found at www.acs.org, at the bottom of the page, click ‘About ACS’, then ‘Financial’.

Additional Information for the Membership

The Society is currently undergoing a process to update the By-laws and to make governance more nimble and responsive to the needs of the members. A significant step in this process is the vote mentioned above to be held in conjunction with the annual election of the National ACS President. All members are strongly encouraged to review the changes to be made and to make their voices heard by voting. This first step is in preparation to more changes that will come in the near future, including potentially adding categories of members that will allow each person to select a membership that will best serve his/her needs.

If you have any comments or questions regarding membership or benefits, please contact your Councilor, Darlene Slattery at dslattery1@cfl.rr.com or call her at 321-632-2535.

Councilor’s Report: 255th National Meeting Spring 2018

Posted on February 5, 2021September 14, 2021

The 255^th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society was held in New Orleans, LA March 18 – 22 and was attended by 16,585 registered individuals. The Council meeting was held on March 21.

Actions of the Council

Election Results

Candidates for President-Elect, 2019

The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to the Council the following nominees for selection as candidates for President-Elect, 2019: Harmon B. Abrahamson, Luis A. Echegoyen, Thomas R. Gilbert, and Mary Virginia Orna. By electronic ballot, the Council selected Luis A. Echegoyen and Thomas R. Gilbert as candidates for 2019 President-Elect. These two candidates, along with any candidates selected via petitions, will stand for election in the Fall National Election.

Other Council Actions

Amendments to the ACS Bylaws

The Council approved Petition on the Composition of Society Committees [Bylaw III, Sec. 3, e, (3), (4), and (8)], which will change the requirement for Councilors on Society Committees from at least two thirds (2/3) to a majority, and remove the requirement that the Chair and Vice-Chair of a Society Committee must be Councilors.
The Petition for Election of Committee Chairs [Bylaw III, Sec. 3, c, (1); d, 3, (3), (8); e, (3), (8); g, (3); i (3)], which would allow the voting members of all ACS committees to select their own Chairs, failed to gain the approval of Council.

2019 Member Dues

The Council voted on the recommendation of the Committee on Budget and Finance to set the member dues for 2019 at the fully escalated rate of $175. This rate is established pursuant to an inflation-adjustment formula in the ACS Constitution and Bylaws. While the dues increase was approved, for the first time, the proposal generated much debate and ultimately a recorded vote was requested. Approximately 25% of the Council opposed increasing dues.

Distribution Formula for Division Funding

The proposed formula for allocating dues funds to divisions, recommended by the Committee on Divisional Activities, was recommitted to the committee.

Budget and Finance

In 2017, ACS generated a Net from Operations of $28.6 million, which was $4.8 million higher than 2016. Total revenues were $553.1 million, increasing 5.0% or $26.4 million over 2016. Expenses ended the year at $524.5 million, which was $21.6 million or 4.3% higher than prior year. This was attributable to strong performance from the Society’s Information Service units (CAS and ACS Publications) and a continued emphasis on expense management across the ACS.

Additional information can be found at www.acs.org. At bottom, click ‘About ACS’, then ‘ACS Financial Information’. There you will find several years of the Society’s audited financial statements and IRS 990 filings.

Membership

The ACS ended 2017 with over 150,000 members. While this means that ACS remains the world’s largest scientific society, this number represents a continuing decline in overall membership for the sixth year in a row. The Committee on Membership Affairs is committed to working with Council, the Board of Directors, the Committee on Budget and Finance, ACS staff, and other stakeholders to halt this trend and return ACS to a growing and engaged membership.

As a side note, your Councilor is now a member of the Membership Affairs Committee and is assigned to the Categories, Dues and Process Subcommittee. This subcommittee is looking at various potential ways to increase and retain members. A major question continues to be, do members feel that the membership benefits justify the dues? Are you aware of the benefits available to you? Please see https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/membership-and-networks/acs/benefits/personal.html

If you have any comments or questions regarding membership or benefits, please contact your Councilor, Darlene Slattery at dslattery1@cfl.rr.com or call her at 321-632-2535.