December 2022, Vol. 12(12)

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KACS Has a LinkedIn Group

By Blakely Tresca

The Kalamazoo Local Section has a new LinkedIn group to keep up with events and share updates between the monthly newsletters. Join us here https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12584628/ This group highlights activities from the local section and updates from the executive committee, including The KalChemist News. It is also a place to connect with other members, look for volunteer opportunities, and share work opportunities. Expanding the social media presence and connecting members is one of the goals developed during the strategic planning workshop in late 2021. Our existing sites on Facebook and our website remain active portals to the local section; we are looking to engage members where they are most active and invite community posts from everyone.

Project SEED 2023—How You Can Help

By Doug Williams

In September, we celebrated another successful year for our Project SEED program. Now we are preparing for next year, 2023. To offer each of our 2022 Project SEED fellows a second fellowship and continue our goal of supporting at least two new fellows, we will need additional research mentors and funds.

I heartily thank those who have supported us over the years. Our local section costs for this expanded program will increase from $3,750 to $8,000 next year. (Year 2 fellows are paid a little more than year 1 fellows). Donations are applied 100% toward student stipends. To donate to our local section fund please see our Project SEED webpage.

If you or someone you know has interest in serving as a research mentor for a talented high school student, please contact me for details. I would love to introduce you to the joy of working with Project SEED.

A Successful Return of KACS’ Bell’s Recycle a Poster Event

By Tomasz Respondek

Tuesday, November 29, 2022 marked the return of the “Sustainable Science – Recycle a Poster” poster session at Bell’s Eccentric CafĂ©, after a 3-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This was the 10th occurrence of this popular activity which was once again made possible thanks to a generous donation from Zoetis. Over 40 people attended, 24 of them KACS members! We were joined by scientists from Pfizer, Kalsec, Bridge Organics, Dipharma (Kalexsyn) and WMU, as well as by members of the public at large.

The event followed its usual schedule with a keynote presentation from Mark Jones, PhD, followed by a poster session. Mark recently retired from the Dow Chemical Company as Executive External Strategy and Communications Fellow, after a career there that spanned over 31 years. Mark is an active collaborator with different ACS programs. He frequently writes for ACS Industry Matters and is presenter at a variety of industry-related events. He is currently the co-chair of the National Academies Chemical Sciences Roundtable.

Mark gave a remarkable talk on PFAS titled “‘Avoid Foam’ and Other Consequences of Living in a World with PFAS” (https://www.mjphd.net/PFAS_talk.html). In his talk he reviewed the always-changing definitions of what PFAS are, the history and decisions made over the years leading to the contamination of different sites around the country with PFAS chemicals as well as research being done to try to remedy the situation. His talk was extremely well received and was followed by over 15 minutes of questions from the audience.

A varied selection of hors d’oeuvres and craft beers from Bell’s brewery were available to those in attendance, again made possible from the Zoetis sponsorship. Six recycled posters highlighted research conducted at WMU and Kalsec. Each of 3 students from WMU who presented posters received a $50 award:

-Probing the Shielding Tensor Components of Amino Acids Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Shiva Agarwal, Michael Famiano* from WMU’s Department of Physics

-Ion Suppression Investigation in Direct Analysis of Hop Bittering Compounds
Vitalis Omulo, Chhiring Sherpa, Andre R. Venter* from WMU’s Chemistry Department

-Fabrication of Monolayer-Protected Gold Cluster Thin Films: Electrochemical and Optical Properties
Shivi Saxena, Guda Ramakrishna* from WMU’s Chemistry Department

The KACS executive committee would like to thank all of the volunteers that helped organize the event and all the participants for joining us. We are looking forward to the 11th edition of the event next fall.

Memory Aid From a HS Teacher:

CATions
are always
PAWSitive!

Kalamazoo ACS Local Section Year-at-a-Glance 2022

Chemistry at Home, Connecting Chemistry with Everyday Life

If you’re in search of fun and enriching science learning activities to do at home over the upcoming holidays, have a look at Chemistry at Home. This free, online compilation of hands-on virtual learning resources for students in grades K-12+, or for anyone interested in learning a little more about the practical applications of chemistry in everyday life, is available at www.acs.org/chemistryathome. Organized by topic, these resources are designed to aid parents, teachers, and the science-curious in knowledge enrichment where distance learning is still extremely valuable and occasionally advisable.

Materials from the Reactions video series, C&EN, magazines from ACS Education, and the ACS portfolio of hands-on activities for students in grades K–12 and beyond are organized and bundled together into convenient groupings. The resources focus on five topics: The Earth, Water, Food, Health & Your Body, and The Periodic Table, putting a spotlight on the connection between chemistry and everyday life.

Kalamazoo Undergraduate Chemists Present at WMRUGS

By Blakely Tresca

The Van Andel Institute in Grand Rapids hosted the Western Michigan Regional Undergraduate Symposium (WMRUGS) on November 5, 2022, for the 16th year. Several chemists and biochemists from Kalamazoo College shared their research through posters and presentations. Maxwell Rhames (K College student presenter pictured here) represented Kzoo with an exceptional seminar on his summer research into Schiff Base Ligands and Manganese Complexes in the Arias-Rotondo lab. The day began with a keynote by Amy Lane from the University of North Florida. Graduate and undergraduate students from across western Michigan presented their work on posters and oral presentations throughout the day. This annual conference serves as a wonderful opportunity for students to connect with graduate school and industry recruiters during multiple networking sessions.

Long Time Member and KACS Past Chair Marv Grostic Passed Away

We want to extend condolences to the family of Marv Grostic, who died on November 6, 2022; Marv served as KACS chair in 1996. His obituary may be found here.

Share Your News Now

We would love to hear from you and share your news with fellow scientists in the Kalamazoo area! Send your news and events to newsletter editor Lydia E. M. Hines at lemhwgh@gmail.com by the end of the month in order to get it in next month’s newsletter!