Category Archives: Announcements

Annual Election: Call for 2022 Executive Board Candidates & Voting

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We are seeking interested individuals to join the Orlando Section Executive Committee in 2022! We have four positions up for election: Chair Elect, Secretary, Treasurer, and Alternate Councilor. A description of each position is included below. Please contact Dr. Denisia Popolan-Vaida (Denisia.Popolan-Vaida@ucf.edu), Nominating Committee Chair, with any additional questions.

All nominations (including name of nominee, contact information, and nominated position) must be notified to Dr. Denisia Popolan-Vaida (via email at Denisia.Popolan-Vaida@ucf.edu) by October 15th, 2021. Voting is expected to open on October 25th, when you will receive a separate email with the instructions on how to cast your votes electronically. Please let us know before October 15th if you would like to be mailed a paper copy ballot.

OFFICER ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Chair Elect (one-year term; three-year term total). The main responsibilities are:
• To vote/participate in exec decisions
• Succeed to office of Chair for the next year
• Serve as chair for meetings which the Chair cannot attend

Treasurer (one-year term). The main responsibilities are:
• Prepare the annual budget/expenditures report for Nationals
• Maintain the Section bank account
• Maintain a budget, disbursements, expenditures, and accounting for the Section activities
• To vote/participate in exec decisions

Secretary (one-year term). The main responsibilities are:
• To take notes at exec meetings
• To set-up and distribute ballots for elections (mostly electronic now)
• Oversee website and social media communications
• To vote/participate in exec decisions

Alternate Councilor (three-year term). The main responsibilities are:
• To attend national meeting annually (if Councilor is not able), represent the Section, and report back activities
• Assist in preparing and submitting the annual report to the national office
• To vote/participate in exec decisions

Call for Annual Awards

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Since 1991, the Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society has recognized individuals who live, work, or study in the seven-county region of the Orlando Section and excel in chemistry. Continuing this tradition, this year, the Orlando Section will give the following awards:

  • Eileen Tulley Award for Outstanding High School Student
  • Outstanding High School Teacher
  • Outstanding Undergraduate at a Primarily Teaching Institution
  • Outstanding Undergraduate at a Primarily Research Institution
  • Outstanding Graduate at a Primarily Research Institution
  • Outstanding Educator at a Primarily Teaching Institution
  • Outstanding Educator at a Primarily Research Institution
  • Outstanding Chemist
  • Outstanding Chemistry Professional
  • Outstanding Entrepreneur/Employer Award
  • Outstanding Volunteer

Descriptions and criteria for each award can be found in our website at https://orlandoacs.org/annual-awards

If you know someone or companies who should be recognized publicly, please nominate them for an ACS Orlando Section award. Each Award consists of a plaque and a monetary award. Awardees will be honored at the local Section’s annual banquet held on December 4th, 2021.  Student nominees need not be currently enrolled in chemistry but can be nominated for achievements for the spring 2021 term.

Nomination package includes:
(1) A letter of nomination stating why this person/company* deserves the award.
(2) A letter of support from someone else who knows the nominee.

Each letter should include the name of the award, and the writer’s email address and daytime phone number. Electronic submissions are required. Email PDF letters to Dr. Darlene Slattery, Chair of the Orlando Section Awards Committee at dslattery1@cfl.rr.com. To be considered, nominations must be received by Friday November 5th, 2021 Monday November 8th, 2021 .

Nominators of awardees are expected to participate in the local Section’s annual banquet to introduce the awardees.

* Point of contact for nominated company must be included in the letter.

2021 Student Travel Awards

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To encourage participations of students in local, regional, and national conferences organized by of the American Chemical Society and its affiliates and to create opportunities for students to enhance their scientific experiences and networking, the Orlando Local Section of the American Chemical Society offers travel awards to students who are in need of financial supplement for their conference participations. This year, 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 2021), and the 262nd ACS National Meeting & Exposition. For each conference, up to two students will receive awards of up to $150, $250, and $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 and acceptance of abstract
  • Brief explanation of why travel award from the Orlando Local 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 from advisor indicating appropriate use of the travel award to registration, lodging, and/or travel expenses).

Application package should be sent via email to Awards Committee Chair (Dr. Darlene Slattery, dslattery1@cfl.rr.com) by 08/13/2021 for FAME applications, 10/15/2021 for SERMAC applications, and 08/01/2021 for ACS National Meeting. The committee will select awardees mainly based on applicant’s synergistic activities and financial needs (novelty of research project is a bonus criterion).

CATL Division Fall 2021 Student Travel Awards

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The Catalysis Science and Technology (CATL) Division solicits applications for CATL-ChemCatBio Graduate Student Travel Awards that will cover the registration fee of graduate students presenting at the Fall 2021 ACS National Meeting scheduled to be held from 22-26 August 2021.
 
The travel awards aim to further the shared goals of the ACS CATL (https://www.acs-catalysis.org/) and ChemCatBio Consortium (https://www.chemcatbio.org/) to provide educational opportunities in catalysis, support professional development for young scientists, and foster diversity and inclusion in chemical process research.
 
To be eligible the student must be an ACS CATL Division Member. 

Please send as a single PDF file, in an email attachment: 
a) Notice of abstract acceptance for a CATL-sponsored symposium 
b) CV of the graduate student 
c) Nomination letter from the student’s PhD advisor 
d) ACS Member number of the nominator and the nominee
e) Whether or not the student has already registered for the ACS Meeting (if they have registered please also send a receipt and a postal address so we can send reimbursement)  
 
Include CATL REGISTRATION AWARD APPLICATION (in capital letters) as the subject. Forward documentation to the ACS CATL Assistant at contractor.acs.catl@gmail.com 
 
The deadline for application is 2 August 2021.
 
*Reproduced from ACS Division of Catalysis Science and Technology’s email on 07/12/2021

Call for nominations for Southern Chemist Award

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The Memphis Local Section of the American Chemical Society seeks nominations for its 2021 Southern Chemist Award, which recognizes distinguished service to the chemical profession in the southern US. Nominees should be US citizens who have worked in the South for at least 10 years and have at least a 10-year record of accomplishment. In addition, nominees must have actively participated in ACS events and have brought recognition to the South through their work.

Nominations should consist of a letter containing biographical details and a brief account of the nominee’s technical accomplishments, a curriculum vitae, a list of publications and patents, a list of ACS activities, and two seconding letters from individuals who are not at the nominee’s place of employment.

Email PDF files by September 1, 2021 to mclaughlinwilliam@comcast.net.  Nominators wishing to send their applications by mail should send six copies of all materials to Bill McLaughlin, 9015 Longwood Lane, Germantown, TN, 38139.

Local Participants in the 2021 U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad

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The Orlando Section sponsored the participants of local student in the 2021 U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO).  Exams were taken in an online format, starting with the Local Exam, on March 27 and 28, 2021.  37 high school students  from seven high schools in the Orlando Section 7 county area.  Ten students were nominated from this group to go on to take the National Exam Part 1 online on April 7 and 8, 2021. 

These are the ten students who took the National Exam Part 1 (in no particular order):  

Jaehyun AhnHomeschool
Aidan MeyersWest Shore High School
Vishanth MurugesonOrange County High School
Truly ThomasHoly Trinity Episcopal Academy
Parker TysonHomeschool
Alexander BudkoWest Shore High School
Andy SharVanguard High School
Lyle AlvarezTrinity Prep High School
Krithik SeelaLake Highland Prep
Aiden LiuTrinity Prep High School

One student, Andy Shar, Vanguard High School was selected to take Part 2 the following weekend, April 15, 2021.  He did not advance to the National Team.  All students received certificates.

If you have any comments or questions regarding USNCO, please contact your Chemistry Olympiad Coordinator, Mary C. Roslonowski.

The State Science & Engineering Fair of Florida 2021: Avogadro award winner

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Vedant Karalkar, the 2021 Avogadro award winner.

Congratulations to Vedant Karalkar from the Alachua County’s Eastside High School junior for winning the 2021 Avogadro award! Also, the student is the Grand Award Winner at the state science fair, which was held virtually from March 28 through April 1, won special awards from the Yale Science and Engineering Association, the United States Office of Naval Research, and will represent Florida at the prestigious Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair.

Karalkar’s project is called ‘Fabrication of Napthalimide Chemosensor Using InkJet Printing on Cellulose Paper for Determination of Uric Acid and Metal in Solution.’ The young scientist developed a low-cost sensor that could be used to test for a variety of diseases in areas with little or no access to current diagnostic tests that often require more expensive instruments, sophisticated techniques and/or highly-skilled medical personnel. The Avogadro Award that is given each year at the State Science and Engineering Fair with the support of the ACS local sections in the state of Florida.

SERMACS 2025: Call to action

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Hello Orlando Section!

As many of you already know, we recently announced that the Orlando Section will be hosting the 2025 Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS) in Orlando, FL on October 19-22, 2025. Although the meeting is over four years out, we have already begun the planning process and have lots to do! We are sending out this email to encourage our members to get involved in one of the following ways:

  1. Meeting Theme and Logo Contest – Calling on our creative folks! We would like to finalize a meeting theme/logo within the next few months. We want this meeting to represent the diverse science and culture of central Florida, and what better way to do that than to encourage our members to propose ideas for the theme and logo. We will also throw in free registration to the conference for the winner(s). Send your theme/logo ideas to Chris Chouinard (cchouinard@fit.edu) by Monday, May 31.
  2. Volunteer Opportunities – We are currently seeking enthusiastic volunteers to join the Planning Committee and help with to-do’s such as fundraising, meeting hotel/venue planning, and scientific symposia organization. We encourage volunteers from all scientific backgrounds to get involved!
  3. Attend a Planning Committee Meeting – We are currently meeting quarterly in 2021, with our next meeting tentatively scheduled for June. These meetings are open to anyone interested! Be on the lookout for the Zoom meeting info via email.

Please feel free to reach out to any of the Planning Committee members with questions, comments, or suggestions. We are looking forward to making this the best SERMACS meeting yet!

Christopher D. Chouinard, Ph.D.
SERMACS2025 General Chair

Outstanding Entrepreneur/Employer Award

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The Outstanding Entrepreneur/Employer Award recognizes chemists, chemical engineers, consultants, or businesspeople aiming to expand the Private Sector’s chemical enterprise* and to those private sector employers enabling chemists and chemical engineers to earn their livelihood in Central Florida.

The Orlando Local Section of the American Chemical Society established the Outstanding Entrepreneur/Employer Award in support of its goal to promote diversity and to foster a sense of belonging among its members.  These goals apply to the ethnicity, cultural and gender identity of the membership as well as to their educational and career backgrounds.  The Outstanding Entrepreneur/Employer Award expands the scope of the recognitions offered by the local section by focusing on those chemists and chemical engineers or businessperson working on expanding the chemical enterprise beyond the realm of academia.

  • This award is offered to an entrepreneur or employer from businesses, incubator companies, or private contractors supporting the public sector. 
  • Members and non-members of the American Chemical Society are eligible.
  • The selection committee will evaluate how the candidates are advancing, or expects to advance, the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of society.
    • The application should contain a general description on how chemistry is key to the success of the enterprise without disclosing proprietary information.
  • There will only be one award offered annually.
  • The Orlando Local Section may retain nomination packages not selected on a given year for consideration in a subsequent year.
  • Consideration will be given to the challenges associated with the maturity and size of each nominated enterprise.
  • Candidates offering mentorship or training to aspiring chemists or engineers will be favorably viewed.

Call for nominations will be solicited in August of each year.

* The chemical enterprise is the broad and encompassing industry that is focused on the understanding of the physical world at the molecular level and its subsequent development for the betterment of society. This covers academic, industrial, governmental, and non-traditional organizations related to the field of chemistry.  For this award, the private sector chemical enterprise refers to consultants, providers of goods and services, manufacturing companies to include those that provide chemical and chemical engineering services to the public sector.

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Programs Supporting High School Chemistry Educators

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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 23rd 2021