• Retrospective from the 2025 Bell’s Event
• Aldrich Focus on Science Scholarship Now Available
• Calling for a Volunteer to Chair and Revitalize a KACS Women Chemists’ Committee (WCC)
• Seeking Volunteers for 150th ACS Anniversary Events at KVM
• Help Requested by the Science Olympiad Director at WMU
• KACS Calendar

Retrospective from the 2025 Bell’s Event

By Tomasz Respondek

The 13th Recycle-a-Poster annual KACS event took place on Thursday, November 6, 2025 at Bell’s Eccentric Café. The event drew close to 100 attendees and 15 poster presenters. The iconic Kalamazoo venue was once again filled with a broad spectrum of scientists from the Kalamazoo area representing both academia and industry.

This year’s event featured a keynote presentation from Professor Jeremy J. Kodanko, Professor of Chemistry and Associate Chair at Wayne State University, where he also serves as Director of Graduate Studies for the largest Ph.D. program on campus.

He is also the founder of AnchorChem LLC, a company focused on environmental health and monitoring. His translational research has led to multiple patents and federally-funded projects from NIH, NSF, and NASA aimed at advancing both fundamental science and real-world applications.

Professor Kodanko shared his newest research in the area of the chemistry of algae blooms titled “Advancing Solutions for Reliable Access to Cyanotoxins and Cyanopeptides in Environmental and Biomedical Research.” This extremely informative talk resonated with the attendees, as algae blooms have become synonymous with hot summers around the Great Lakes.

This year was the first time that the KACS extended an invitation to the Western Michigan section to participate in the event, and a number of them did join us. All present enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and craft beers and other beverages from Bell’s Brewery, made possible by a generous grant from our longstanding partner, Zoetis.

The Eccentric Café was buzzing during the poster session that followed Professor Kodanko’s lecture. The posters sparked lively questions and debates, and gave presenters the chance to broaden their professional networks. Fifteen presenters showcased research done privately, or at WMU, Kalamazoo College, Grand Rapids Community College, Aquinas College and Zoetis. The following three students were awarded $50 prizes:

· Ella Satterthwaite, Aquinas College, “The River Narrative: Development of low-cost, aquatic, electrochemical sensors for environmental monitoring.”

· William Aiden Martel, Kalamazoo College and the Center for Molecular Medicine, Maine Health Institute for Research, “Propranolol treatment does not rescue social isolation-induced bone loss in C57BL/6J mice.”

· Landon Palmer, Western Michigan University, “Dietary Probiotic Supplement Effects on Methamphetamine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Sprague-Dawley Rats.”

The KACS Executive Committee extends its sincere thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors who helped organize and finance the event, and to the participants who made it memorable. We look forward to the 14th edition in fall 2026.

Tomasz Respondek, former KACS alternate councilor and lead organizer of the event since 2019, will be passing the baton for the 2026 event to Jacob Hood.

Professor Kodanko discussing algae bloom chemistry in the Great Lakes

Aldrich Focus on Science Scholarship Now Available

Applicants must be current graduate or undergraduate students who are pursuing associates degrees, bachelor’s degrees, graduate degrees, or vocational/trade certification. They must also be residents of Kalamazoo County (or graduates of Kalamazoo County high schools), demonstrate financial need, and be majoring in science (preference for chemistry, biochemistry, or pharmaceutical science).

To apply, visit https://kzcf.org/scholarship-search/aldrich-focus-on-science-scholarship/.

The Aldrich Focus on Science Scholarship was established in honor and memory of D. Scott Aldrich, who started his career after receiving a Bachelor of Science degree from Western Michigan University. Although he was focused on biology and chemistry, the opportunity to take a class at McCrone Associates opened a lifetime passion in microscopy. He pursued a career with Upjohn, Pharmacia, Pfizer, and his own company, Ultramikro LLC. Scott transformed his passion for microscopy and trace analysis techniques into a career of solving scientific problems, a relentless pursuit of excellence, and a passion for advancing pharmaceutical quality standards, specifically as it relates to particulates in pharmaceutical dosage forms.

Calling for a Volunteer to Chair and Revitalize a KACS Women Chemists’ Committee (WCC)

They are encouraging Local section engagement, and would like to make sure the appropriate contacts are listed for any WCC programming being done by the local sections so that correct information is included on the WCC Local Sections webpage at https://acswcc.org/local-regional/local-section-contacts/. Unlike in years past, our KACS does not currently have a functioning WCC and consequently has no chair of the same, nor does it plan any relevant activities. The function of the KACS WCC parallels that of the national committee and may be found in our Section’s Operations Manual on our website (https://kalamazooacs.org/operations-manual/):

“The Women Chemists Committee (WCC) serves the membership of the American Chemical Society. Its mission is to be leaders in attracting, developing and promoting women in the chemical sciences. The committee shall:

· Serve as a forum for women in chemistry and related professions.
· Develop recommendations regarding issues of interest to women chemists.
· Provide a means of increasing and improving participation of women in the chemical sciences and the SOCIETY.
· Promote the recognition of women chemists.

Seeking Volunteers for 150th ACS Anniversary Events at KVM

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of the American Chemical Society, the KACS will partner with the Kalamazoo Valley Museum to educate the public about how “Chemistry is Everywhere.” Through immersive planetarium experiences and interactive exhibit-based engagement, visitors will explore local contributions to chemistry while connecting with KACS members who will be on-site to share insights and information about the organization. These activities are designed to strengthen community ties, promote chemistry literacy and invite deeper involvement in the mission of the ACS.

Volunteers are needed to help at the information table from 1 to 3 p.m. on the following dates:

· Saturday, February 14, 2026
· Saturday, May 9, 2026
· Saturday, August 8, 2026
· Saturday, November 7, 2026

If you are interested in volunteering your time at one or more of these events, please contact Carol Guerrero (cguerrero@kvcc.edu).

Help Requested by the Science Olympiad Director at WMU

Hello Chemistry community!

I am looking for supervisors to run chemistry related science olympiad events on March 21, 2026,at WMU. In the last few years Kristen Burns and Linda Hanson from the WMU Chemistry department have worked with some of you to do a great high school level “Chem Lab,” and the WMU Chem club also ran a fine “Potions and Poisons” and other events. Ramikrishna Guda, also from the WMU Chemistry Department, has been running a fantastic “Crime Busters.” We are looking for commitments from undergrads, grad students, faculty and community chemistry professionals to come together and collaborate on this year’s events! Many hands make light work! Please consider volunteering with us this year! It means so much to the kids and helps us bring in future students in Chemistry! I want to thank you in advance, and I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

The Chemistry events for March 21, 2026 are:

High School
Chem Lab with emphasis on chemical rxns/stoichiometry and kinetics
Materials Science (nanomaterials)

Middle School
Crime Busters
Potions and Poisons

Marty Buehler, martin.r.buehler@wmich.edu or mbuehler17@gmail.com
K-12 Schools Liaison College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS)
WMU STEM-Workforce Collaborative Innovation Expo
Cell Phone: (269) 903-9044