Category Archives: Newsletters

Call for volunteers and Student Travel Awards Announcement

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Hello Orlando Section!
We would like to bring to your attention to the following two announcements:

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 21–27 with the theme “Get a Charge out of Chemistry”. The Section will participate in Central Florida Earth day  at Lake Eola (on April 20th, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM). At this event, we will distribute educational merchandise and hosting activities. Dr. Stephen Smith (FIT, stephensmith@fit.edu) will lead this event. Please contact him if you are interested in volunteering for this event.

Student Travel awards for FAME participation: The Orlando Local Section of the American Chemical Society offers travel awards to students who are in need of financial supplement for their participation in local, regional, and national conferences organized by of the American Chemical Society and its affiliates. At least two students will receive awards of up to $150 for their participation in FAME (Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition). More details about the application procedure can be found on our website.

Please don’t forget to subscribe to our community page, follow our facebook page, and check out our website for updated news, and activities of our local section.

Volunteer opportunities

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Hello Orlando Section!

In this bulletin, we would like to bring to your attention a couple important opportunities for members and highlight some accomplishments:

  • Call for Volunteers for the Awards Committee: The Orlando Section is currently in search of individuals willing to contribute to the Awards Committee. Annually, our section grants awards totaling more than $3,000 to honor the outstanding contributions of chemists and chemistry students within our local community.
  • Orlando Section wins ChemLuminary Award: The Orlando Section received the ChemLuminary Award for Outstanding Community Involvement in National Chemistry Week at the ACS Fall 2023 Meeting in San Francisco. National Chemistry Week celebrates the importance of chemistry in everyday life. On October 22, 2022, about 400 attendees were able to participate in experiments related to the theme: Fabulous Fibers, The Chemistry of Fabrics. 
  • Call for Volunteers for National Chemistry Week event at OSC: Look for us at the Orlando Science Center again for National Chemistry Week celebrations on Saturday, October 21, 2023. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Denisia.Popolan-Vaida@ucf.edu.

You can read more about these fantastic events and see pictures on our website and social media linked below.

Best wishes,

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

Please don’t forget to subscribe to our community page, follow our facebook page, and check out our website for updated news, and activities of our local section.


2023 Summer Social Invitation

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The Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society is pleased to honor our 50-, 60-, and 70-year ACS members and present the Salutes to Excellence award to our partner, the Orlando Science Center. Additionally, Patrick Walsh and Chris Spence from Covanta will give a short talk on a Sustainable Systems Solution for Solid Waste.

Saturday July 8th, 2023
11:30AM to 2:00PM
Macaroni Grill (12148 S Apopka Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32836)

MENU
Appetizers
Bruschetta Calamari, Caesar Salad
Entrée choice of
Fettuccine Alfredo w/Chicken, Spaghetti w/Meatballs, Chicken Parmesan, Pasta Milano, or Truffle Mac & Cheese
Dessert
Vanilla Ice Cream
Beverages
Soda, Iced Tea, Lemonade
Cash bar is available

The cost will be $25/person. Since the Orlando Section covers part of the meal, tax, and gratuity, the Section will pay the bill with a single check. Please be prepared to pay at the door by check or cash—unfortunately, we cannot accept credit cards. Reservation can be made by July 6, 2023 – online at https://forms.gle/THwRVyRT9gTaBnV7A.

Sustainable Systems Solution for Solid Waste
Patrick Walsh, Area Asset Manager, and Chris Spence, Facility Manager
Covanta
Waste-to-energy (WTE) is the conversion of non-recyclable waste to electricity. It has been touted as both good and bad for the environment – good for decreasing waste levels and bad for the creation of pollutants in the incineration process. According to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, WTE has grown from one plant in 1982 to 11 facilities in 2022, giving Florida one of the highest levels of WTE processing nationwide. Last year, Florida Senate Bill 1764 was passed to encourage more.

Come learn more about WTE from the experts at Covanta and enjoy a luncheon with fellow chemists.
We look forward to seeing you all there!

Download this flyer

First bulletin of the year

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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


November 2022’s Newsletter

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Hello Orlando Section!

We hope you are enjoying the beautiful Central Florida fall weather and are getting ready for the official start of the holiday season. In this bulletin we would like to bring to your attention a few important dates.

  • Annual Election:  It’s election time again! Please follow the link (click here) to meet the candidates for the 2023 Orlando Section Executive Committee. Voting is currently open and will close on November 8, 2022. You have received your ballot via email – Please vote!
  • Nominations for Annual Awards: We would like to remind you that the nominations for Annual Awards for our local section are due on November 9th, 2022. If you know someone (students, colleagues, or companies) who should be recognized publicly for their achievements by our local section, please consider nominating them. More details can be found at our website.  If you make a nomination and do not get an acknowledgement of receipt, please resend.
  • Save the date: You are invited to join us at the  Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, December 3rd, 2022, from 11:30AM to 2:00PM, at the Blu on The Avenue  (326 S Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789). More information about reservations will become available soon.

Subscribe to our community page, follow our facebook page, and check out our website for updated news, and activities of our local section.

Best wishes,
Dr. Denisia Popolan-Vaida
Chair of the Orlando Section of the ACS
On behalf of the Orlando Section executive committee

March 2022’s Newsletter

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Hello Orlando Section!

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

  • Executive committee members: The members of the 2022 Executive Committee of the Orlando Section are:
    • Chair: Denisia Popolan-Vaida
    • Chair elect: Nicole Lapeyrouse
    • Intermediate Past Chair: Duy Le
    • Councilor: Darlene Slattery
    • Alternate Councilor: Laura Session
    • Treasurer: Van Quach
    • Secretary: Pavithra Pathirathna
  • It is with mixed feelings that the Executive Committee announces that our 2022 Chair-Elect, Dr. Christopher Chouinard will be leaving Florida Tech for a new position out of state.  While we wish him well, we will miss his enthusiasm and hard work for the section.
  • 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 find 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 17–23 with the theme “he Buzz About Bugs: Insect Chemistry”. The Orlando Section participates in the following activities:
    • Distributing CCEW 2022 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.
    • 2022 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 24, 2022 at 11:59 PM Eastern. The submissions should be emailed to submission@orlandoacs.org. The theme of this year’s contest is “The Buzz About Bugs: Insect Chemistry.” One winner for each category will be recognized with a monetary ($ 50) award. The teacher of each winner will also be awarded with funding ($100) for classroom supplies. Please visit our website or contact Dr. Duy Le (submission@orlandoacs.org) for more information. 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.
    • Participating in Central Florida Earth day: We have secured our presence in Central Florida Earth day at Lake Eola (on April 23rd, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM). In 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 volunteer for this event.
  • 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.
  • Subscribe to our community page, follow our facebook page, and check out our website for updated news, activities of our local section.

Best wishes,
Dr. Denisia Popolan-Vaida
Chair of the Orlando Section of the ACS
On behalf of the Orlando Section executive committee

Professional Development Grants and Other Support for High School Chemistry Educators

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Support for High School Chemistry Educators

ACS is now accepting applications for the ACS-Hach Professional Development Grants! These grants of up to $1,500 are intended to support high school chemistry teachers as they identify and pursue opportunities that can advance their professional development and enhance the teaching and learning of chemistry in the classroom. Click here to learn more, and apply today ! Deadline for applications is January 21, 2022.  

In addition to the Professional Development Grants, several other ACS-Hach Programs provide financial support for future and current high school chemistry teachers, carrying on the mission of the Hach Scientific Foundation Endowment to improve high school chemistry education and support the growth of chemistry teachers at the high school level:  

ACS-Hach Post-Baccalaureate Teacher Scholarship – provides financial support of up to $6,000 for full-time study and 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. Deadline for applications is April 1, 2022.  

ACS-Hach Second Career Teacher Scholarship – provides financial support of up to $6,000 for full-time study and up to $3,000 for part-time study for chemistry professionals to obtain a master’s degree in education or teacher certification in chemistry. Deadline for applications is April 1, 2022.  

ACS-Hach Land Grant Teacher Scholarship – provides financial support of up to $10,000 for full-time study to obtain a chemistry undergraduate degree and chemistry teaching credentials at one of our 72 partner institutions. Contact participating universities directly for application details.  

ACS-Hach High School Chemistry Classroom Grant – grants of up to $1,500 are available 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. Application scheduled to open February 1, 2022.  

Visit the ACS-Hach Programs home page for complete details about all these programs.

This post is reproduced from the newsletter: Chemistry Educator Grants & Scholarships | ACS Matters | December 7, 2021

October 2021’s Newsletter

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Hello Orlando Section!

You may have recently received scattered emails from our Section about individual events, opportunities. This Newsletter includes compact information about them, highlighting the important deadlines.

  • The deadline for applying for travel awards from our local section to attend SERMACS 2021 is October 15th, 2021. Details of the awards and how to apply can be found at our website.
  • Are you (or do you know someone who is) interested in serving in 2022 Executive Committee of our local section? 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.
  • We will have a National Chemistry Week (NCW) event at the Orlando Science Center on Saturday October 23rd, 2021. Please come and join us to celebrate chemistry together.
  • Nominations for Annual Awards from our local section are due on November 5th, 2021. If you know someone or companies who should be recognized publicly by our local section, please consider nominating them. More details can be found at our website.
  • You are invited to join us at Annual Awards Banquet on Saturday, December 4th, 2021, from 11:30AM to 2:00PM, at the 310 Lakeside restaurant (301 E Pine St, Orlando, FL 32801). Reservation can be made online at https://forms.gle/okhyqWaqGSGLtTtw8 and must be made on or before November 20th, 2021. Other reservation methods and details of the event can be found at our website.
  • Monthly Executive Meeting is open to members. The next meeting occurs at 10AM on Saturday 10/16/2021 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.

July 2021’s Newsletter

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Hello Orlando Section!

In this Newsletter, we want to bring your attention to a few exciting opportunities that are available to our members.

  • The Orlando Local Section offers travel awards to students to attend 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. Details of the awards and how to apply can be found at our website and in the attached flyer.
  • There are student travel awards given by ACS and some of its technical divisions. Students should check with their divisions for availability. We have found the following:
    • The Catalysis Science and Technology (CATL) Division for CATL-ChemCatBio Graduate Student Travel Awards that will cover the registration fee of graduate students (ACS CATL Division Members) presenting at the Fall 2021 ACS National Meeting. More details can be found at our website.
  • Southern Chemist Award: 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. More details can be found at our website.
  • The Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society is seeking your help to identify outstanding chemists for the Theodore Richards Medal recognizing outstanding achievement in chemistry. Since 1932 the Northeastern Section has been honoring a member of the Society for “conspicuous achievement in any area of chemistry” with the Richards Medal. The deadline for 2021 nomination is October 31, 2021. More information about the Richards Medal, including a list of all previous recipients, can be found at the award’s website.
  • Dr. Nash and Dr. Blair (our member) will have a seminar, organized by the Royal Society of Chemistry, about “Driving Laboratory Innovation into Commercialization” on 07/22/2021. Details of the event and registration can be found at the event page.
  • Monthly Executive Meeting is open to members. The next meeting occurs at 10AM on Saturday 07/17/2021 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.

June 2021’s Newsletter

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Hello Orlando Section!

Hope that you are having a great start to the summer. In this short Newsletter, beside other information, we want to bring your attention to upcoming the Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition (FAME) and the 72nd southeastern regional meeting of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS 2021).

  • As you may have seen in our facebook page, preliminary information about the Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition (FAME) is available. The meeting will be held on Saturday August 28, 2021, at the University of Florida (Gainesville). Abstract submission deadline is expected to be July 30th. This year’s emphasis is to provide an opportunity for students/post-docs to present their work. We will provide further details on registration and where to submits abstracts once this information becomes available.
  • The 72nd southeastern regional meeting of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS 2021) will be in Birmingham, Alabama on November 10-13, 2021. Abstract submission will open on June 27 and close of August 8, 2021. See conference website for more information.
  • Our local section does offer limited travel support to selected students who attend FAME and SERMACS. Please look out for solicitations in July 2021.
  • SERMACS2025 Planning Committee meeting will be held on Saturday, June 12th at 10AM. All members who are interested are welcome to join. More information can be found at our website.
  • Monthly Executive Meeting is open to members. The next meeting occurs at 10AM on Saturday 06/19/2021 via Zoom. If you are interested in joining, please do not hesitate to contact us for meeting link.
  • Some recent news on our website: Orlando Section at Central Florida Earthday, Local Participants in the 2021 U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad, Avogadro award winner at the State Science & Engineering Fair of Florida 2021.

Subscribe to our community page, follow our facebook page, and check out our website for updated news, activities of our local section.