2022 CCEW Illustrated Poem Contest: Results

Posted on May 21, 2022May 21, 2022

Winner of K-2 Category

Winner of Grade K-2 category (Local Contest):
Ranvitha Vivek, 1st grader from Heathrow Elementary School (Lake Mary)

Winner of grade 3-5 Category

Winner of Grade 3-5 category (Local Contest):
Lakshitha Bhandari, a 4th grader, from Goldsboro Elementary Magnet School (Sanford)

Runner-up of grade 3-5 Category

Runner-up of Grade 3-5 category (Local Contest):
Aadhav Kumar, a 3rd grader, from Wilson Elementary School (Sanford)

Runner-up of grade 3-5 Category

Runner-up of Grade 3-5 category (Local Contest):
Mackenzie Gordon, a 4th grader, from English Estates Elementary (Fern Park)

Winner of grade 9-12 Category

Winner of Grade 9-12 category (Local Contest):
Eric Segrest, a 10th grader, from Lake Highland Prep School (Orlando)

1st Place of grade K-2 Category

1st Place of Grade K-2 category (National Contest):
Second Grader, Stonemill Elementary School, Chemical Society of Washington

2nd Place of grade K-2 Category

Second Place of Grade K-2 category (National Contest):
Second Grader, Capital Montessori School, Puget Sound Local Section

1st Place of grade 3-5 Category

1st Place of Grade 3-5 category (National Contest):
Fifth Grader, Jumoke Academy at the Hartford Conservatory, Connecticut Valley Local Section

2nd Place of grade 3-5 Category

2nd Place of Grade 3-5 category (National Contest):
Fifth Grader, Howard Drive Elementary, South Florida Local Section

1st Place of grade 6-8 Category

1st Place of Grade 6-8 category (National Contest):
Sixth Grader, Jefferson Middle School, Midland Local Section

2nd Place of grade 6-8 Category

2nd Place of Grade 6-8 category (National Contest):
Seventh Grader, The Harker School, Silicon Valley Local Section

1st Place of grade 9-12 Category

1st Place of Grade 9-12 category (National Contest):
Eleventh Grader, Calloway County High School, Kentucky Lake Local Section

2nd Place of grade 9-12 Category

2nd Place of Grade 9-12 category (National Contest):
Eleventh Grader, PA Leadership Charter School, Pittsburgh Local Section

To promote the positive role that chemistry plays in the world, the American Chemical Society (ACS) established the Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW) public awareness campaign. Among many other activities, the Orlando Section of the ACS hosted 2022 CCEW Illustrated Poem Contest for K-12 students in Central Florida. The theme of the contest is “The Buzz About Bugs: Insect Chemistry.”

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

Results of local contest:

Grade K-2 Category
Winner: Ranvitha Vivek from Heathrow Elementary School, guided by Amber Mash

Grade 3-5 Category*
Winner: Lakshitha Bhandari from Goldsboro Elementary Magnet School, guided by Mary Lynn Hess
Runner-up: Aadhav Kumar from Wilson Elementary School, guided by Nicole Chavez
Runner-up: Mackenzie Gordon from English Estates Elementary, guided by Kelly Atterbury

Grade 6-8 Category
No winner

Grade 9-12 Category
Winner: Eric Segrest from Lake Highland Preparatory School, guided by Steve Math

The winner of each category will receive a certificate and a monetary award of $50. The runners-up of Grade 3-5 category will receive a certificate and a monetary award of $25. The teacher who guided the winner of each category and the runners-up of Grade 3-5 category will receive a school supply funding of $100 and $50, respectively.

The winner of each category also advances to the national 2022 CCEW 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 CCEW coordinator (Dr. Duy Le, duy.le@ucf.edu).

* Because Grade 3-5 category received a large number of high-quality entries, the executive committee of the local section voted to give two tied runner-up awards for this category.

Summer Social Event

Posted on May 17, 2022May 25, 2022

Download this flyer: Short PDF Version Long PDF Version Image

We hope you have had a healthy and productive year so far and are ready for the official start of summer. In this bulletin we would like to bring to your attention an exciting summer social events that our section is organizing. To honor our 50^th, 60^th and 70^th year ACS members and celebrate the 95^th anniversary of The ACS Women Chemists Committee, the ACS Orlando Local Section is organizing a Summer Social Event

on Saturday, June 25^th, 2022
(stating at 11:30 AM)
at the Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant
529 N Alafaya Trail, Orlando, FL 32828

Apart from socializing, the award ceremony to recognize our senior members, we are very pleased to announce that Dr. Christina Drake of Kismet Technologies will give a short talk about the bacterial and viral transmissions in hospitals, a topic that is so important in the current COVID era.

Also, this time the ACS Orlando section will subsidize part of the meal cost, so our members will have to pay only $25 out-of-pocket for a three-course meal. The location can accommodate only 42 people, so early registration is highly encouraged. Please follow the link below to register for the event. The registration deadline is June 15^th.

Registration link: https://forms.gle/MJ2Z5ysTydFhwWqr8

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.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

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

Younger Chemist Committee (YCC): Let’s ignite the hunger while we are younger!

Posted on May 17, 2022May 17, 2022

The Younger Chemist Committee (YCC) of the Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society 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. We aim to build a community that will welcome budding chemists to seek guidance, voice concerns, and hone various technical and social skills. We hold with high regard the idea of networking and job-seeking and will organize events to reach those goals. The local section YCC works close-knit with the local section ACS making them unique from other clubs with similar goals.

Starting in 2022, the Committee is led by Mohammed Muzammil Nishar Ahmed (Mill), a graduate student from Florida Institute of Technology. The committee is currently looking for interested individuals to help structure the board so that the club can get the ball rolling for its endeavors. The board positions include a chair, secretary, treasurer, engagement team, interface team, and communications team. If you or someone you know would like to contribute to the activities of the YCC, please connect with us via facebook or email us at ycc@orlandoacs.org.

CCEW 2022: Orlando Section at Central Florida Earthday

Posted on May 14, 2022May 17, 2022

The Orlando Local Section took part in the Central Florida Earthday on April 23^th, 2022 at Lake Eola (Downtown Orlando) to celebrate the Earth Week. This effort was led by Dr. Titel Jurca (Assistant Professor at UCF) and volunteers. The overall theme for our display was about “The Buzz About Bugs: Insect Chemistry”. Three posters were designed and used to support our outreach activity. The posters were used to facilitate discussion largely with teenage to adult age range visitors. The topics ranged from general facts/curiosities, specific applications to forensics, and a cross-over with materials chemistry and nanoscience and physics with regards to butterfly wings.

To engage younger children, we curated two activities. One was an arts and crafts station to create “chromatography” butterflies using coffee filters, water, and markers. This activity was very engaging with active participation throughout the day. Our second activity was a microscope set-up, as pictured below, and a collection of pinned insects donated from the University of Central Florida. This activity was perhaps our most popular with children of all ages and even adults often spending 10+ minutes looking at all of the structural features of the insects, learning about chitin, discussing color effects in butterfly wings, etc… Overall, the chromatography butterfly craft and the microscopy portion directly engaged and held a captive audience of over 150+ people throughout the day. Remaining passing engagement, discussion of posters/topics, presence of ACS in the community, and dissemination of pamphlets reached an estimated additional 400+ participants throughout the day.

The event began at 10 AM and ended at 4PM.

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2022 Student Travel Awards

Posted on March 12, 2022March 12, 2022

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. Darlene Slattery, dslattery1@cfl.rr.com). 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.

2022 CCEW Illustrated Poem Contest: The Buzz About Bugs: Insect Chemistry

Posted on February 27, 2022March 16, 2022

The Orlando Local Section of the American 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:	Sunday, April 24, 2022 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 ($100) funding for classroom supplies.
Local Contact:	Duy Le (CCEW coordinator, submission@orlandoacs.org)
Submission:	Email Illustrated poem and submission form to submission@orlandoacs.org

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, “The Buzz About Bugs: Insect 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: Entomology, Eating Insects, Insect Molecules, Insect Bites, Pollination, Pollinators

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 (The Buzz about Bugs: Insect 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.

Download this flyer and Submission Form

Examples (2021 National winners)

ecoSPEARS’ co-founders win the 2021 Outstanding Entrepreneur award

Posted on December 23, 2021December 27, 2021

Orlando Local Section of the ACS presents its 2021 Outstanding Entrepreneur Award to Sergie Albino and Ian Doromal, the co-founders of ecoSPEARS.

The Orlando Local Section of the ACS awarded for the first time it’s Outstanding Entrepreneur Award* to Sergie Albino and Ian Doromal, the co-founders of ecoSPEARS. During our visit to their facility, ecoSPEARS discussed its plans and introduced us to their chemist.

In 2017, Sergie and Ian founded ecoSPEARS after licensing the Sorbent Polymer Extraction And Remediation System (SPEARS) from NASA. The technology was first invented at the Kennedy Space Center by Dr. Jackie Quinn to remove toxins like PCBs from the environment.

ecoSPEARS has since focused on becoming a cleantech provider of green remediation technologies by improving on the original design and developing its own proprietary reagent for containing the toxins and leveraging other technologies to destroy them.

2021 has been a good year for ecoSPREARS:

Sergie was named Orlando Business Journal’s 2021 CEO of the Year
ecoSPEARS is one of the top 50 honorees for the 11th Annual GrowFL Florida Companies to Watch
the company was selected by Excelon for Climate Change Investment, And selected by the PortXL- Port & Maritime Accelerator, in The Netherlands
first runner up winner at the June 2021 Space Florida’s Aerospace and Innovation Forum
top three finalist in the “better Environment” category at the World Food Forum Startup Innovation Awards in partnership with Extreme Tech Challenge
the company was featured in a World Economic Forum article on how NASA technology has been used to help life on earth
it was cited in the April 2021 International Pollutants Elimination Network report on non-combustible technology for persistent organic pollutants.

ecoSPEARS shows us how Central Florida chemical enterprises help make this world better. All this is made possible because individuals such as Sergie Albino and Ian Doromal decided to bring chemical discoveries to market.

* The Section determined during its 2020 Strategic Review there was room to increase its engagement with the private sector. The creation of an Outstanding Entrepreneur/Employer Award helps us 1) recognize the full spectrum of the chemical enterprise, and 2) celebrate the success of those who bring to market the discoveries that otherwise would remain in the laboratory AND OF THOSE who create jobs for chemists and chemical engineers.

Professional Development Grants and Other Support for High School Chemistry Educators

Posted on December 7, 2021December 8, 2021

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

2022 US National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO)

Posted on December 1, 2021December 5, 2021

The Orlando section will be participating in the 2022 US National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO). The primary goals of this program are to stimulate interest and achievement in chemistry among high school students throughout the United States and to provide recognition of outstanding young chemistry students, teachers, and schools.

Students competing in the USNCO are eligible to be selected as members of the United States team for the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO). Since 1984, the United States has sent a team of four students to compete with nations around the world at IChO. The students participate in both theoretical and laboratory examinations over several days. Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded to the best performers and the IChO provides students the opportunity to interact with their peers from other countries.

It is the responsibility of the Orlando section to nominate students from the local area to take the USNCO national examination. To identify these students, the Orlando section is conducting a preliminary screening of students through the high school chemistry faculty in our area. The exam, taking place anytime during March, is done in the high school chemistry classes organized by the high school instructors for nominated students. Exams will be sent to the high school instructors in early February. Exam answer sheets must be emailed or mailed to our USNCO coordinator by March 31, 2022.

Ten (10) students (maximum of 2 students from each high school) will be chosen, based on the local exam’s scores, to take part in national exam. Students will be notified in early April if they are selected. Part I (multiple choice, broad chemistry topics) of the 2022 USNCO National Exam will be administered virtually. Part II (problem solving, chemical theories and models) will be on-paper exam. A decision about the laboratory portion of the National Exam (Part III) will be made by the end of February 2022. Students can view past exams at www.acs.org/olympiad to prepare for the exam.

All students who participate will be recognized and presented with a certificate and pin. The top 150 students will receive recognition for outstanding performance at the national level. The 20 top scoring students from the National Exam undergo rigorous training a Study Camp. Based on their performance, four students are chosen to represent the U.S. at the 54^th IChO, which will be organized by China on July 10-20, 2022. Date and format of Study Camp will be announced at www.acs.org/olympiad around March 15, 2022.

The Orlando Section’s executive committee will consider to sponsor travel cost for our local students to participate Study Camp. The students will also be honored at the local section’s Annual Award Banquet. The local Orlando section hopes this recognition and support will stimulate interest in chemistry and promote a positive attitude toward chemistry.

Dr. Mary Roslonowski has been appointed the USNCO coordinator for this area. We encourage you to nominate students from your school to this competition by notifying Dr. Roslonowski on or before Jan 30, 2022. If you have any questions, please contact her at 321-243-6198 or via email at mroslonowski@htes.org.

30 Year Anniversary of the Section

Posted on November 18, 2021November 18, 2021

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of the Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society. The celebration of this milestone will happen at our annual award banquet on December 4^th, 2021 at the 310 Lakeside restaurant (301 E Pine St, Orlando, FL 32801).*

We will have moments to look back at the history of our section and to highlight “what-they-are-doing-now” of the award winners at the early days. Each participant will also receive a special and long-lasting souvenir (while supply lasts).

Reservation can be made online at https://forms.gle/okhyqWaqGSGLtTtw8, or by sending email to contact@orlandoacs.org or calling Darlene Slattery at 321-632-2535. Reservations must be made by November 22, 2021 (New deadline). Please include names so that we can provide nametags.

The cost will be $25/person (after subsidy, tax and gratuity included). 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.

Please join us to celebrate the history of our local section and recognize excellence in chemistry!

* All guests are expected to follow safety guidelines of the restaurant on the day of the event. For more information, please visit https://310restaurant.com.