Student Travel Awards: ACS Fall 2025 National Meeting and Expo

To encourage student participation in local, regional, and national conferences organized by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and its affiliates, and to create opportunities for students to enhance their scientific experiences and networking, the Orlando Local Section of the ACS offers travel awards. Students with an accepted abstract to present are encouraged to apply for a Student Travel Award for the ACS Fall 2025 National Meeting and Expo in Washington DC, in August. Two travel awards of $500 each are planned—one for a graduate student and one for an undergraduate student.

Arden Floyd gave a poster presentation on her research titled “Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity of Fresh and Aged Maleic Acid Aerosol Particles” at FAME 2023.

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

The application package should be sent via email to the Awards Committee (Dr. Laura Sessions, lsessions@valenciacollege.edu) by June 20, 2025, at 11:59 PM. The committee will select awardees based on financial need, with preference given to those who possess an active ACS student membership, those who have not received a previous travel award from the Orlando Section, and distribution among the colleges and universities in our Section. Novelty and impact of the research project are bonus criteria.

2025 Orlando Section ACS Awards

Travel Awards

The Orlando Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) recently awarded $500 travel grants to two outstanding students, enabling them to attend the Spring 2025 ACS National Meeting in San Diego, CA. This prestigious event brought together more than 15,000 chemists from around the world to share their latest research and innovations.

Cecilia presents her poster.

Cecilia Uchechukwu Ezeanya, a second-year master’s student at the University of Central Florida, was one of the recipients. Working in the lab of Prof. Swadeshmukul Santra, Cecilia presented her research on “Optimized Polyphenol-Polymeric Nanoparticles for Encapsulation and Delivery of Oxytetracycline-Divalent Cation Complexes against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.”

Reflecting on her experience, Cecilia expressed her gratitude: “I am truly grateful to the ACS Orlando Section for recognizing me as a deserving graduate student and awarding me a travel grant to share my research with thousands of attendees at the ACS Spring Meeting in San Diego. The experience was a perfect blend of diverse expertise, spanning Chemistry to Pharmaceutical Chemistry, with engaging discussions and extracurricular activities. I am glad I maximized the daily networking events, happy hour moments, and the Laboratory 271 escape room. Overall, I took home valuable suggestions – some of which I began exploring the very night I returned from San Diego. I am confident that my work on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient, Cargo Loading, and Analytical Chemistry will contribute to advancing the scientific community and ultimately benefit the populace.”

Gene Koifman, an undergraduate majoring in Chemical Engineering at Florida Tech, was the other recipient. Gene has been conducting research in the lab of Prof. Pavithra Pathirathna since Spring 2023. He presented his poster titled “Surface-Modified Four-Bore Carbon Fiber Microelectrodes for Simultaneous Detection of Neurotransmitters and Toxic Metals,” which focuses on developing electrodes that detect multiple analytes using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry.

Gene shared his excitement about the opportunity: “I am very grateful to the Orlando Section of the ACS for their generous funding, which helped cover my travel expenses to attend and present my research at the ACS Spring Meeting. The conference provided a fantastic opportunity to explore cutting-edge research across various chemistry disciplines, from Electrochemistry to Catalysis, giving me valuable insights for my planned PhD journey. Presenting my work was an invaluable experience, allowing me to receive constructive feedback, engage in meaningful discussions, and connect with potential collaborators. I was especially encouraged by the strong interest from researchers in analytical chemistry and neuroscience, which inspired new directions for my work. Overall, this experience has strengthened my understanding of the field and reinforced my excitement for graduate research. I sincerely appreciate the Orlando Section ACS for making this opportunity possible.”

Both students returned from the conference with new insights and inspiration, ready to apply what they learned to their ongoing research. The Orlando Section’s support has not only facilitated their professional growth but also contributed to the broader scientific community.

Be on the lookout for fall travel awards announced at the beginning of June.

Student Travel Awards: ACS Spring 2025 National Meeting and Expo

To encourage student participation in local, regional, and national conferences organized by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and its affiliates, and to create opportunities for students to enhance their scientific experiences and networking, the Orlando Local Section of the ACS offers travel awards. Students with an accepted abstract to present are encouraged to apply for a Student Travel Award for the ACS Spring 2025 National Meeting and Expo in San Diego, CA, in March. Two travel awards of $500 each are planned—one for a graduate student and one for an undergraduate student.

Arden Floyd gave a poster presentation on her research titled “Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity of Fresh and Aged Maleic Acid Aerosol Particles” at FAME 2023.

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

The application package should be sent via email to the Awards Committee (Dr. Laura Sessions, lsessions@valenciacollege.edu) by January 31, 2025, at 11:59 PM. The committee will select awardees based on financial need, with preference given to those who possess an active ACS student membership, those who have not received a previous travel award from the Orlando Section, and distribution among the colleges and universities in our Section. Novelty and impact of the research project are bonus criteria.

Student Travel Awards: ACS Fall 2024 National Meeting and Expo

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. Time is running out to apply for a Student Travel Award to participate in the ACS Fall 2024 National Meeting and Expo in Denver, CO in August. It is anticipated that the selected awardees will receive up to $500.

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

  • Brief introduction of applicant
  • Proof of acceptance of abstract
  • Abstract of presentation
  • 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 of the travel award for registration, lodging, and/or travel expenses).

Application package should be sent via email to the Awards Committee (Dr. Darlene Slattery, dslattery1@cfl.rr.com) by 07/10/2024. The committee will select awardees based on an applicant’s financial needs with preference given to those who possess a currently active ACS-student membership and those who have not received a previous award this year. Novelty and impact of the research project is a bonus criterion.

Call for volunteers and Student Travel Awards Announcement

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 pageand check out our website for updated news, and activities of our local section.

Student Travel Awards for FAME Participation

Time is running out to apply for a Student Travel AWARD to participate in FAME 2024 (Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition). The Orlando Local Section of the American Chemical Society offers travel awards to students who are in need of financial supplement for their participations in local, regional, and national conferences organized by of the American Chemical Society and its affiliates

Selected students will receive awards of up to $150. 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 (Dr. Darlene Slattery, dslattery1@cfl.rr.com) by 05/15/2024 for FAME applications.

Travel Awards

In 2023, the Orlando Section awarded $1600 for five students to travel to on the following scientific meetings: the spring and fall ACS National Meetings in Indianapolis and San Francisco and the 99th Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition (FAME) conference in Plam Harbor.

Angelo Cinque, an undergraduate researcher in Dr. Nicole Lapyrouse’s group at UCF, attended the Fall 2023 National Meeting. He is evaluating the efficacy of the integration of an adaptive learning system, Mastery Paths, in a CHM 2045C classroom. The research team aims to code qualitative data to understand students’ perceptions and attitudes towards Mastery Path and look at relationships between students’ course performance and their use of the platform. He presented his research and discussed with participants from around the country studying similar topics. He enjoyed listening to other presenters including presentations expanding beyond his research topic. He writes, ‘Overall, it was an unforgettable experience and an important milestone in my academic journey. Thank you so much for the opportunity to go to Fall ACS.’.

The Orlando Section no longer accepts applications for travel awards for 2023. Please check back in 2024 for new opportunities for your students: https://orlandoacs.org/2023-student-travel-awards/

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

    Orlando Sections Travel Awards – Summer 2023

    Travel awards from the Orlando Section of the ACS assisted two students in Dr. Denisia Popolan-Vaida’s research group at University of Central Florida to attend the 99th Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition (FAME) conference from June 1 – 3, 2023. Arden Floyd and Alec DeCecco received $150 each.

    Arden Floyd gave a poster presentation on her research titled “Cloud Condensation Nuclei Activity of Fresh and Aged Maleic Acid Aerosol Particles”. She gained new perspective on her work thanks to the insightful questions of the FAME attendees. She was introduced to exciting fields of chemistry by the excellent and diverse presentations she attended and was able to forge new friendships and professional connections with like-minded chemists from across the state of Florida. She is a chemistry major at the University of Central Florida who will be graduating in Spring 2024. She looks forward to next year’s 100th anniversary of FAME.

    Alec DeCecco, a Ph.D. student at the University of Central Florida, has just completed his first year of study on combustion research. He writes that his experience at ACS FAME was fantastic. He shared his research with others and received really interesting questions that lead to great conversations. Attending presentations gave him insight into some of the cutting-edge research going on in the field of chemistry and he was able to learn a lot. He found the conference attendees to be very friendly and had a lot of fun meeting people and hearing about their research. He gives his thanks to the section for granting him the travel award that made this whole experience possible.

    Congratulations and good work, Arden and Alec!

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

    Orlando Students Present at Spring ACS National Meeting

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

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

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

    Congratulations and good work, Lori and Jacob!

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

    First bulletin of the year

    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