American Chemical Society announces winner of 2020 Helen M. Free Award for Public Outreach
WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2020 – The American Chemical Society (ACS) today announced Lydia E. M. Hines, Ph.D., as the recipient of the 2020 Helen M. Free Award for Public Outreach. This award is presented annually by the ACS Committee on Public Relations and Communications (CPRC) to an ACS member whose outstanding achievements have improved public recognition and appreciation for the field of chemistry.
In response to receiving this award, Hines had this to say:
Sharing chemistry, both formally and informally, to audiences from the very young to the young-at-heart has been part of my life for so long that it is both humbling and affirming to be the recipient of this award. This honor holds special significance for me, as I have had the privilege of collaborating with Helen Free over the years and have long admired her passion for outreach.
Read the whole press release at the ACS press room.
Comments from Chair-Elect, Ed Thomas
by Ed Thomas
Last month, I attended the Fall 2020 virtual ACS Meeting, which was to be held in San Francisco. I hadn’t been to a national meeting in many years, so I didn’t know what to expect. It was wonderful! For a retired ACS member, the registration fee was $125. No travel costs, hotels or flights. All from my own home!
Leland Jourdan the Chief Diversity Officer at Chevron Corporation presented a lecture on the Case for Diversity and Inclusion. He made a compelling case for defining diversity as more than visual to include cognitive, values, occupational, societal and relationships. These measures of diversity – blended together on teams, companies and organizations – make for a more successful enterprise.
Ben Feringa, a Nobel Laureate, presented the Kavli Lecture on the Art of Building Small, involving nanotechnology and mechanical machines. This fascinating work combined chemistry and engineering on the nanoscale to produce machines that move in a regular fashion. It was fascinating. On a less esoteric level, but still scientifically rigorous, I viewed talks on measuring pesticides in beer and the effects of smoke on wine.
Although I missed the energy of a national meeting in person, I was impressed with the quality of the presentations, the lengths to which ACS went to produce this four-day event, and the ease with which I was able to participate.
Election News for the 2021 ACS President-Elect
The election for the 2021 ACS president-elect will be taking place by e-mail or regular mail from September 28 through October 23. The Committee on Nominations and Elections has approved a Meet and Greet Session for each candidate for ACS President-Elect 2021. Join the candidates for separate informal virtual sessions where each will share her concerns, insights and visions for the ACS. There will be an opportunity to ask questions following their remarks. Candidate statements, bios and links to their websites are available at the ACS elections page.
Mary K. Carroll
October 7 at 15:00 ET
Join on zoom or call 833-548-0276 US Toll-free, Meeting ID 854 812 2276.
Angela K. Wilson
October 7 at 16:00 ET
Join on zoom or call 833-548-0276 US Toll-free, Meeting ID: 604 210 6552.
[Participants will be placed on mute upon arrival. Questions may be asked through the chat box. For more information, send an e-mail to nomelect@acs.org.]
Ballots will be sent to addresses of record at ACS, so please ascertain that your preferred e-address and/or mailing address is available to them (to update your information contact service@acs.org).
KACS-NCW collaboration with Kalamazoo Valley Museum, and Community Event
Though our annual and very popular KACS hands-on National Chemistry Week (NCW) event at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum (KVM) will NOT happen in person, our amazing KVM contact, Mrs. Annette Hoppenworth, has been hard at work with a few of our volunteers preparing for a fun hands-on program which will be presented through the KVM virtually on October 17.
- There is a Facebook event page to share (feel free to post the program as your banner on your Facebook page as well).
- The registration page is available on the KVM website.
Annually the ACS Committee on Community Activities encourages each local section to participate in a community event which corresponds to the chosen theme of that year’s NCW; this year the NCW theme is Sticking with Chemistry (Adhesives) so the Community event chosen was Sticking with a Cause and during NCW, the week of October 18-24, members, students, children, are encouraged to choose a first responder (individual or group) to whom to communicate thanks for their continued service during the pandemic. For the purpose of statistics, our NCW Coordinator, Lydia E. M. Hines, would appreciate an e-mail letting her know that you did so and how.Add block
Do you have questions, comments, or a desire to contribute to the newsletter? Send an e-mail to Mike Weslosky, Communication Chair at communications@kalamazooacs.org.
Recycle-A-Poster canceled
Unfortunately, due to the ongoing Covid19 Pandemic the 2020 Bell’s Recycle-a-Poster event which many of us look forward to in early November every year has been canceled.
We hope to resume this event in 2021 and look forward to seeing members of the Kalamazoo chemical community at other in-person events in 2021!
Do you have questions, comments, or a desire to contribute to the newsletter? Send an e-mail to Mike Weslosky, Communication Chair at communications@kalamazooacs.org.