Kalamazoo Section of the American Chemical Society
We are a dynamic and visionary organization committed to improving people’s lives in our community through the transforming power of chemistry. We strive to advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Kalamazoo, Allegan and Van Buren counties.
April 2018 Newsletter
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Highlights
- Meet Lucas Chadwick - KACS Chair Elect
- KACS Annual Awards Gathering
- CGSA Potluck Picnic
- Report: ACS Member Services
- Report: Sci-Mix Poster Session at Bell's Eccentric Café
- Planning a fall Chemistry and Art event
Meet Lucas Chadwick - KACS Chair Elect
Lucas Chadwick received a B.A. in chemistry from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, MI. He went on to earn his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), where his work at the UIC/NIH Center for Botanical Dietary Supplements Research focused on the pharmacognosy of hops (Humulus lupulus L.). After a post-doctoral appointment in the Botanical Center, he began employment at Kalsec, Inc., where he worked on natural antioxidants and process development. In 2006, Luke co-founded Wrightwood Technologies and was subsequently awarded a Small Business Innovative Research Grant to automate a preparative chromatographic technique known as countercurrent chromatography. After a one-year stint working to develop methodologies for metabolomic analysis of human plasma at the University of Michigan Center for Translational Pathology, Luke joined Bell's Brewery, Inc. in 2010 as quality/lab manager and has served as senior scientist at Bell's since 2015.
KACS Annual Awards Gathering
Western Michigan University’s Chemistry Building’s Atrium
Monday May 7, 2018
18:30 – 20:00
The KACS Annual Awards Gathering is scheduled for Monday, May 7, from 6:30pm to ~8pm at the Atrium of the Chemistry Building at WMU - this is an annual event where we give awards to our Section’s students, teachers, members and others who have been instrumental in promoting our science in our community - the event starts with an hors d’oeuvre reception and moves on to the presentation of awards. It is a wonderful opportunity to honor many, so join us – it would be great to see you there!
Among the over 50 awards to be given that evening will be:
- Outstanding College Chemistry Student from WMU
- Outstanding College Chemistry Student from Kalamazoo College
- Outstanding High School Chemistry Teacher
- Outstanding High School Chemistry Students
- Competitive Exam Scholarship Awards
CGSA Potluck Picnic
Friday May 10th 17:00
Oshtemo Township Park
7275 West Main Street
Kalamazoo MI 49009
KACS is again sponsoring the annual WMU Chemistry Graduate Student Association (CGSA) spring picnic. The purpose of this event is to introduce chemistry graduate and undergraduate students to the KACS community outside of the university. In previous years, this event has been a successful opportunity to gather professors, students, and local ACS members. This is a family-friendly event with many activities and yummy food!
Report: ACS Member Services
In the last issue of the Newsletter I presented information regarding the distinction between ACS Districts and Rgions; in this issue I want to turn our attention to the rich resource called the acs.org website. There you will find a vast amount of services which our Society makes available to us as members, as well as some education materials which our Society generously makes accessible to non-members as well. Many have mentioned that it is “difficult to navigate” the website, but on a recent check it seems to have been revised to be more “user-friendly”.
In this issue of the newsletter I want to highlight the Careers section, which is replete with opportunities for members, from students to more seasoned chemists; there one can find advice concerning the interview process, a presentation of career alternatives, ways to assess one’s strengths and weaknesses, instruction on how to connect with personal mentors, and much more. Also, in each first monthly issue of C&E News there is an article on some aspect of employment – from how to seek it, to how to reflect on your changing aspirations, to how to respond to challenging situations in the workplace, etc. For a list of the many services offered go to acs.org/careers. If your interest is in having someone mentor you, find out more here.
Another option available is to select one of the many ACS e-publications on careers in chemistry – traditional or non-traditional – these may be found at connect.acspubs.org/acsebooksnow.
Report: Sci-Mix Poster Session at Bell's Eccentric Café
On Nov. 7, 2017 KACS hosted its annual poster session titled "Sustainable Science - Recycle a Poster" at Bell's Eccentric Café in downtown Kalamazoo. For the 7th year in a row, KACS organized this public event, which was made possible through a generous grant from Zoetis. There was a record turnout of 153 people. This keynote speaker was Monique Wilhelm from the University of Michigan-Flint. In her roles as Laboratory Manager and Adjunct Lecturer, she witnessed the water crisis first hand when it first unfolded in 2014. Her presentation “The Real Crisis with Flint’s Water - It Was Preventable and Can Happen to You!” included a demo with hands-on activities for the audience. It involved three pennies, a salt pack, vinegar and plastic containers to learn about the influence of the water’s pH on metal. In addition to the keynote speech, there was a poster session with over 30 presentations, including 21 student presenters. At least 50% of those in attendance were ACS members. Participants enjoyed hot appetizers and beer from 5 to 9 PM while listening to the keynote speech, mingling and reviewing the displays. Posters highlighted work from Zoetis, Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University (WMU), among others. Some work was done in collaboration with other institutions.
Students who submitted a poster abstract for this event ahead of time had the opportunity to win a $50 cash prize, which was handed out by KACS Treasurer Bill Schinzer. The lucky winners were Daniel Corey, Jashaun Bottoms and Gabriel Aleida Alves. The prizewinners presented the following posters.
Chemistry, the Flint Water Crisis, and You by Catherine Wilhelm, Daniel Corey, Anthony Maxwell, Noor Alawwa, Mohammad Alsarraj, Wendy Yahr, Tomas Sanson, Lina Eltahir, Maryam James, Hannah Nettleton, Monique Wilhelm*, Jessica Tischler, Samantha Grathoff; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Michigan – Flint, MI
Organic-inorganic hybrid metal halide perovskites for water-resistant solar cells: Tetraphenylphosphonium metal halide crystal structures by Saja Althobaiti, Jashaun Bottoms, Ekkehard Sinn* Department of Chemistry, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
The Effects of Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide on the Expression of Nerve Growth Factor and Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Cardiac Cells by Gabriel Almeida Alves, *John Spitsbergen, John-Mary Vianney, Department of Biological Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI
This year’s event also included the celebration of the “Partners for Progress and Prosperity (P3) Award” that was given to the Kalamazoo ACS Local Section, Zoetis, and Bell’s Eccentric Café for offering this annual poster event in a 3-way collaboration. The award was given for incorporating 3 important categories, specifically for 1) organizing a public event to help improve the public image and perception of science in general and of chemistry in particular; 2) helping improve career development through networking opportunities in an informal setting; and 3) supporting the importance of STEM education and research via its keynote speaker and poster session.
KACS Chair Dr. Steve Secreast also showed a brief video he filmed at the Kalamazoo pedestrian mall that showed public volunteers reciting the elements of the periodic table. Last but not least, the KACS Board is grateful for the financial support that Zoetis has provided to help defer the expenses associated with this event.
KACS rented "The Back Room" at Bell's Eccentric Café for this event. It was a full house where 153 people showed up, scientists and non-scientists, situated downstairs and upstairs to hear a presentation about the Flint water crisis by Monique Wilhelm from UM Flint.
Dr. Steve Secreast (left) and Dr. Elke Schoffers (right) presented the ACS P3 award to Dr. Jim Freeman, Vice President, Laboratory Sciences, Veterinary Medicine Research & Development at Zoetis (left) and to Liz Glaab at Bell’s Eccentric Café.
Posters highlighted research done at or in collaboration with scientists at K-College, Loyola University - Chicago, WMU, UM Flint, GVSU, as well as in industry.
The event was a great opportunity to network and catch up with fellow scientists (Dr. Brian Eklov, Luke Chadwick, Jake Kirkendall, Dr. David Pinkston, and Dr. Lydia Hines (left to right)).
There was great interest to learn about the Flint water crisis at this public KACS event.
Poster presenters from industry and academia participated.
Young and old attendees enjoyed the hands-on demo with pennies, salt and vinegar.
Many student presenters from K-College (some shown here) and from WMU participated.
The lucky cash prize-winners were Daniel Corey, Jashaun Bottoms and Gabriel Aleida Alves, shown in the picture next to KACS chair Dr. Steve Secreast (left) and event co-organizer Dr. Elke Schoffers
Any Interest? Chemistry & Art
For the fall of 2018, KACS is considering hosting an evening of chemists painting!
The proposed three hour event would be help at the local family-owned business, Happy Our Art, where one of their trained artists would guide our group in painting the same chemistry-themed image on a 16" × 20" canvas. No art training is required! Only the desire to have fun and learn something new! This establishment can hold up to 50 people with a minimum of 15 attendees. ACS would provide light refreshments, but the venue is BYOB so participants are also able bring their preferred food and beverage. Typical cost of $35 per person, but the cost may vary depending upon the number of individuals who attend.
Do you have questions, comments, or a desire to contribute to the newsletter? Send an e-mail to chair@kalamazooacs.org .