May 2022, Vol. 12(5)

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Highlights

Greenathon in Portage

Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW)

By Abigail Boyer

The weather in Kalamazoo/Portage between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on May 1, Sunday, was chilly (~50 oF) but it did not rain as forecasted; we had a great turn-out at this outdoors activity; about 25-30 youngsters came by. Our two volunteer WMU ChemClub members (Aleya Brandon and Abigail Boyer) handed out dinosaurs that “grew” when placed in water, and let the kids create Slime! Earth Day stickers and removable tattoos were happily received as were copies of “The Buzz about Bugs” magazine (Adults and children loved this publication). The supplies we used and handed out came directly from KACS! Thank you. Safety goggles were worn and were a big hit with several of the children. Very cute!

K College, WMU Chemistry Clubs Hold Gathering

By Barney Walsh (K)

On April 6, the K College and WMU Chem Clubs hosted an in-person game night. There were nine total students present, four from Kalamazoo College and five from WMU. As we haven’t collaborated with the WMU club frequently, we used this opportunity to meet the members, play some games, and talk about chemistry. We shared pizza and tacos while we socialized, and it was great learning about everyone’s various interests across the disciplines. It was nice to get off the K campus and visit the WMU chemistry building, and we hope there will be another opportunity for collaboration again in the near future.

ACS President’s Career Anything But Linear

Angela Wilson Addresses KACS Via Zoom Meeting

By Ed Thomas

Dr. Angela Wilson is the 2022 President of the American Chemical Society, a John A. Hannah Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, and Director of the Center for Quantum Computing Science, and Engineering at Michigan State University. She earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry at Eastern Washington University and her Ph.D. in chemical physics from the University of Minnesota. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Pacific Northwestern National Laboratory. From 2016-2018 she led the Division of Chemistry at the National Science Foundation. She has been a member of the ACS since 1989.

 The above is Dr. Wilson’s bio from the American Chemical Society’s website. It all sounds very linear and straightforward. However, those of our members who attended Angela’s Zoom presentation to the KACS on April 7 found her career has been anything but linear. She discussed her professional background as a love of chemistry and research. When research opportunities weren’t available in Oklahoma, she applied for, and received, an NSF grant (POWRE) for women in research. At the University of North Texas where she taught, she created the Center for Advanced Scientific Computing and Modeling; this, then, provided new jobs and opportunities at the University in a department she led. Her ACS connections as Councilor for the Dallas/Fort Worth section proved instrumental in helping advance her career, and helped to pave the way to the opportunity for her position as the NSF Division Director of Chemistry. In 2018, she joined the chemistry faculty at MSU. She enthusiastically supported the benefits of membership in the ACS, starting at the undergraduate level (https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/membership.html) and promoted the National Fall ACS Meeting to be held in Chicago (hybrid format) in August 2022. Following a lively Q&A session with the attendees, we all shared our appreciation by a round of virtual applause.

49th KACS Awards Gathering

Second Zoom Version

By Lydia E. M. Hines

Still maintaining caution due to COVID we held our 2022 Awards Gathering/Celebration via ZOOM on Monday, May 2, at 7 p.m.

All 36 HS Chemistry Teachers in our 3-county KACS area, and our 2 4-year institutions were invited to submit the name of one Outstanding Chemistry student to be recognized with an award and a certificate, and give all attendees an opportunity to hear of their future educational plans. As I wrote to the teachers, “Outstanding” does not necessarily refer only to having “the best” grade in chemistry, but can be more broadly defined as a student who shows particular interest in learning the subject, effectively applying the concepts learned, as well as a desire to mentor others.

However, this annual gathering does not recognize only students! We also congratulate those among us who have been members of the ACS for 50 or more years – this year we had one 50-year and one 60-year member – as well as those who have given time and energy to serve our section (KACS) in various capacities: at this ceremony we awarded a past-chair pin, a Volunteer-of-the-Year Award (from the ACS Committee on Community Activities) and a KACS Award for long-term service.

The eleven students nominated along with their teacher nominators and/or parents/guardians were invited to the event, as was our section membership – we truly enjoy recognizing and encouraging our budding scientists. Eighteen folks attended and we were delighted to hear from the four students who were there that they look ahead to continuing in a scientific field – a sophomore who will continue to apply himself at his high school, one at Michigan Tech, one at WMU, and one at the Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

We congratulate each one of these students and wish them well as they move on in their career aspirations.

Passing of 48-Year Member Mike Barcelona

Our deepest sympathy to the family of Mike Barcelona, a 48-year ACS member who passed away on Wednesday, April 20, 2022. His obituary is here. To send a message of condolence to the family, the mailing address is 4016 Grand Prairie Rd., Kalamazoo, MI 49006.

A ‘KACS History Offer’

You may recall that in May of 2019 our Section celebrated receipt of the National Historical Chemical Landmark (NHCL), for the amazing steroid chemistry research done at The Upjohn Company in 1950-90, with a dinner and a dedicatory ceremony at the Radisson and at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

We have been advised that there are 46 candle holders (with NHCL logo) with battery tea lights and 75 tea light candles (no candle holders) available and are to be discarded; if you are interested in having any of these as a memento, or for use in demos, please let me (Lydia) know by sending me an e-mail or giving me a call at 269-375-7349 by the end of July. Leftovers will be discarded after that!

ACS Endorses Climate Change Legislation and Carbon Pricing

Write Your Representatives!

In April, ACS announced that it has endorsed a package of bills in Congress to fight climate change and encourage sustainable energy through mandated goals, incentives and an added price on fuels that produce carbon dioxide. More details and instructions for contacting Congressional representatives can be found on the ACS member advocacy website. Carbon pricing has gained significant and unexpected support in recent months. For example, see https://www.api.org/climate#carbon-price for an endorsement by the American Petroleum Institute.

Because our SW Michigan House Representative Fred Upton is the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Energy, the KACS Executive Committee has informed Congressman Upton of our support for this important ACS position. We invite you to do the same.

Food for Thought

Culinary Science Cooking Competition Sponsored by Kalsec

By Anna Cheely, Kalsec

On April 21, Kalsec sponsored a cooking competition held by the Kalamazoo Valley Community College’s Culinary Arts Program at KVCC’s Marilyn J. Schlack Culinary and Allied Health building on the college’s downtown Bronson Healthy Living Campus. This competition, Food for Thought, consisted of Culinary students from Kalamazoo Valley Community College teaming up with food scientists and research chefs from Kalsec to create an appetizer using food science principles.

This competition included a hands-on tour at Kalsec with presentations and activities from scientists in brewing, sensory, flavor chemistry, and Culinology. Lunch was also provided using Kalsec extracts to show how culinary collides with food science to create a safe, tasty, and nutritious meal. This learning aided in the students’ concepts and presentations during the final event.

Attendees were also able to sample beers brewed by the Sustainable Brewing program at KVCC. Kalsec is a partner in this program as they

Photos courtesy of Kalamazoo Valley Community College

helped establish the program as the first in sustainable brewing in the U.S. and is aptly named the Kalsec Center for Sustainable Brewing Education. Brewing science and innovation in a sustainable manner is important to both institutions and furthers the impact of the partnership.

Photos courtesy of Kalamazoo Valley Community College

During the event, 5 finalists presented their concepts to all attendees and explained the concepts relating to food science. A panel of judges from Kalsec rated the food concepts along with food science explanations. All five finalists received Kitchen Aid mixers, while the top 3 received scholarship money.

A special thanks to Linda Depta, Paige Eagan, Cory Barrett, and Stephanie Hughes from KVCC and Scott Nykaza, Ken Burns, and Nora Yang from Kalsec.

For more information please visit the latest press release from KVCC.

Job Opening in the WMU Department of Chemistry

Western Michigan University Department of Chemistry seeks candidates for Tenure-Track Faculty Specialist I/II

The successful candidate must complete a MS in Chemistry or a closely-related field by August 2022 with preference given to candidates who specialize in chemical education and/or have completed a PhD in Chemistry or a closely-related field. Application review began on April 25, 2022, and applications will be accepted until the position is filled. See www.kalamazooacs.org/jobs-internships/ for full job description.

Skills Beyond the Bench: Journeys in Leadership

The Central Regional Meeting (CERM) is scheduled for June 7-10 on the campus of Central Michigan University in Ypsilanti, MI.

They will be hosting a session titled “Skills Beyond the Bench: Journeys in Leadership” to which our members have been especially invited.

High School Teacher Travel Grants to BCCE 2022

By Doug Williams and Jacob Kirkendall

The 27th ACS Biennial Conference on Chemical Education (BCCE) will take place from July 31 – August 4 at Purdue University. The BCCE is designed for those who teach chemistry at all levels – from grade school to grad school – and provides chemistry educators with opportunities to meet with colleagues in formal and informal settings and to learn about new materials, methods, and content for successful teaching of chemistry.

KACS is offering grants of up $500 to help cover registration, travel and lodging expenses for high school teachers in our local section who are planning to attend the BCCE. See https://kalamazooacs.org/grants/ for instructions and an application form. Grant applications are due by June 17.

Help a Chemistry Teacher

SW MiSTEM Chemistry Network Meeting

As described in recent newsletters, we invite KACS members to partner with high school chemistry teachers to enhance classroom instruction and help students understand the relevance of and career opportunities in the study of chemistry. If you are interested, please go to https://www.smore.com/mr4b5 and register for our virtual Southwest MiSTEM meeting on May 19 from 3 to 4 p.m. This partnership is organized with KACS by the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Services Agency (KRESA). Please let one of us know if you have any questions about this exciting new project for KACS.

Doug Williams, treasurer@kalamazooacs.org, (269) 760-2360
Carl Stachew, carl.f.stachew@pfizer.com, (269) 720-0984