Executive Committee Meeting KACS Annual Report Due February 13, 2021

Sustainability and Green Chemistry
Abstract
With increasing public awareness of climate change, environmental pollution, and earth’s declining resources, sustainability and green chemistry have become hot topics these days. In 2015, the United Nations adopted 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) to be achieved in 2030. As polymers are being used all around us, they play a major role in the achievement of these goals. In this talk, the speaker will provide an overview of the sustainability initiatives at American Chemical Society (ACS) and his platform as ACS President in 2021. He will also cover selected polymer research and development (R&D) areas that are related to sustainability and green polymer chemistry. The following examples will be shown: 1) to use natural renewable raw materials (e.g., polysaccharides, proteins, and triglycerides) as source materials for new chemistry and products; 2) to exploit biocatalysts (e.g., enzymes and micro-organisms) for chemical and polymer conversions; 3) to apply green chemistry concepts to conversion and processing; and 4) to develop green methodologies to promote the development of green products. In view of the relevance of sustainability and green polymer chemistry to our society, we can expect to see continued R&D and commercial activities relating to this field in the future.

Biography

Cheng with his family: son, David; wife, Julia; and daughter, Jennifer
H. N. Cheng is the ACS President in 2021. He has been active at ACS for many years and has served in many leadership roles at local, division, and national levels. He obtained his B.S. from UCLA and his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He currently works at USDA Southern Regional Research Center in New Orleans. Over the years, he has been involved with the use of agro-based materials, biocatalysis, green processing, and green methodology. He has also contributed to polymerization theory and polymer NMR. He has authored or co-authored 280 papers and 26 patent publications. He has organized 43 symposia at national meetings since 2000 and edited 21 books. He was selected as a Fellow of the ACS (2009), a Fellow of the ACS Polymer Chemistry Division (2010), and a Fellow of the ACS Agricultural and Food Chemistry Division (2018), among other recognition and awards.

Dr. Kayunta Johnson-WintersU of Texas at Arlington Title TBD. Zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88426148109?pwd=VWE1NldZQm43TWY3UzhhZGZHZ21qdz09 (ID: 884  2614 8109; passcode gfNC43)

Executive Committee Meeting

Dr. James Salvador, General Motors Title: “Sulfide Solid State Electrolytes for  Protected Li-metal Anode Batteries.” Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82939294138? pwd=Q0VvOUN0VDFQVmMxL1JQSjFtMVk4UT09 (ID: 829 3929 4138; passcode: ks9Er8) 

Deadline for applications for Rubber Division Scholarships

Theme: Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century Registration for the Spring National ACS meeting, with the theme Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second  Century is now open. Complete information can be found at www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetings/acs meetings.html.

Topic: “Reducing our Footprint with Chemistry”  Celebrating Chemistry hands-on activity publications are available from Lydia E.M. Hines.

Dr. Vasileios AnagnostopoulosUniversity of Central FloridaTitle:  “Geochemical controls of manganese oxides in the mobility of anionic contaminants in the environment:  the case of iodine and technetium.”Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81359137631? pwd=ZUFJL0FiYXYyVXpFRWUzSm1IaHBCZz09(ID: 813 5913 7631;passcode: 9pG5q6)