February 2024, Vol. 14(2)

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2024 KACS Chair’s Comments and Request for Membership Participation

By Dibyendu Mondal

Post COVID, the Executive Committee of the Kalamazoo Section of the American Chemical Society (KACS) devoted much of their time to exploring opportunities for in-person meetings. While we have been somewhat successful in this regard in 2023 with the June member meeting/outdoor picnic and the October poster session at Bell’s Brewery, we are still behind the pre-COVID times.

Our aim for 2024 will be focused on re-engagement with the community, particularly the high school teachers and students: We will continue to work with the teachers to fund acquisition of necessary equipment for classroom loan, and I am strongly committed to working with my colleagues to re-instate our successful annual chemistry competitive exam for high school students, which was a highlight of our section but has been on hiatus for the last several years. We also have plans to continue hosting our annual awards ceremony which recognizes long-term ACS members and exemplary students and teachers, support Project SEED engagement, participate in outreach activities during National Chemistry Week and Chemists Celebrate Earth Week, host speakers, and offer networking opportunities.

Finally, we have formed a planning committee to pursue our intent to take part in the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad in 2025.

We would welcome your participation in these efforts.

A Chemistry Joke

Q: What did the thermometer say to the graduated cylinder?

A: “You may have graduated but I’ve got so many degrees”

Kalamazoo College Chemistry Club 2023 and 2024 Update

By Maxwell Rhames

Student Leader

Happy 2024 Kalamazoo Chemists! The Kalamazoo College Chemistry Club is happy to report back on a very successful 2023 fall term here at K! Our term was jam-packed with activities both on campus and in the community. Many of our members were able to participate in the outstanding KACS Speed Networking event. I was fortunate enough to have been attending for the third time and I am always blown away at the kindness and excitement that mentoring chemists share with our students! This is by far one of our favorite events to participate in and it is so important in allowing young scholars to hear about the infinite places that a career in chemistry may take them. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for providing local collegiate chemistry students with an opportunity to network with such supportive and encouraging professionals.

Our fall term also included participation in the Kalamazoo Valley Museum’s Chemistry Day. Several of our members were able to host a booth demonstrating the powerful effects of UV radiation and the effectiveness of various household products in protecting the skin from these rays. Our chemists were thrilled to work with local students throughout the event and share the love for science with the community! We were also fortunate enough to host a large-scale demonstration where we performed the tried and true “Elephant’s Toothpaste,” but with a Halloween twist!

After a lackluster first demonstration in a standard graduated cylinder where the foamy product barely obtained liftoff from the vessel, our chemists doubled down to perform the experiment within a carved pumpkin. This time, the foam exploded out of the pumpkin’s eyes and mouth while our chemists bathed in the thunderous applause of the crowd! It was quite a riot! Many thanks to Carol Kercher and the museum staff for allowing us to make a mess in their auditorium! K College chemists also enjoyed some time together as a club during the fall, hosting an evening of trivia. We are unsure if it was the trivia or the free pizza which drew such a crowd, but we certainly enjoyed the friendly competition among students!

Our club sees no need to slow down after a busy fall, however, as we have many upcoming events on our 2024 calendar. We will be hosting a chemistry “Jeopardy” game night in the next few weeks to welcome everyone back to campus. We hope this will be a fun evening where our members can reconnect after a long break. Later in the term, we will be collaborating with the Western Michigan University Chemistry Club for an evening of inter-club camaraderie and chemistry-themed Bingo! We will also host an event to celebrate Kalamazoo College’s new chemistry majors on the upcoming Declaration of Major Day. In March the K College Chem Club will be sending nine members to present their research at the Spring meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans, LA; some will be presenting their posters at various symposia, and several will be giving talks! We are so excited to support our members while they share their impressive accomplishments at the national level! Spring term at K will also mark the occurrence of Dow Science Night, a fun evening of chemistry demonstrations for area elementary and middle school students. Keep an eye out for more details and upcoming events!

Our club is incredibly grateful for the ongoing support that the KACS has continued to offer us! We are extremely excited to continue our partnership in the future! Thank you for supporting our students and sharing your passion for chemistry with us!

Planning Underway for Upcoming Project SEED Program

Doug Williams

KACS Project SEED Coordinator

Planning is underway for our local Project SEED high school student research program this summer with five to six projects. We are grateful to Kalamazoo College and Kalsec, Inc. for the continued support to offer these experiences and to the mentors who supervise them. See the September KalChemist News for a summary of our 2023 program. Additional comments on the 2023 national program and recent enhancements were published in C&E News in November. We are happy to be part of this influential commitment to our young scholars and our collective future.

Student applications open on Feb 12. Due to project locations, we will focus our recruiting on high school students in Kalamazoo County. Last year, however, we were able to host a student from Allegan County for a project that allowed much of the work to be done from their home. ACS is interested in increasing the number of virtual or hybrid (”flex”) projects for students who do not live within easy commuting distance to a research site.

Your support is important to us. Thank you to those who are already contributing. You can help by considering the following.

1. Do you know of a potential research project site, especially if it is outside of Kalamazoo County?

2. Would you consider mentoring a student yourself in a future year? I can add you to our team communications as an observer this year to give you a better idea of what is involved. More information is available on the ACS Project SEED website.

3. Donate to our KACS Project SEED fund. Each student project currently costs our section $2,000. Donated funds are spent entirely on student stipends. Our budget is sufficient for 2024 (see Dec-2023-Donations & Finances) but we are seeking ways to improve and stabilize our long-term funding. This year we will explore partnership with the Kalamazoo Community Foundation to establish a wider community commitment and assess the potential for a Project SEED endowment fund. Every donation that we accept this year could be reserved as “seed” money for that endowment fund.

Please contact me (treasurer@kalamazooacs.org) if you have questions, interest, or expertise in any of these ideas.

Cartoon: Chemistry is Awesome