• ACS and KACS Election Time is Upon Us!
• Financial Assistance Programs Available from ACS
• Chemistry Day: Save the Date and Call for Volunteers
• 2025 Project SEED Summary and Poster Presentations
• A Visit to Founders Brewing Co. with the Western Michigan Section
• Brief Councilor Report from Fall ACS Meeting August 17-21, 2025
• KACS Calendar

ACS and KACS Election Time is Upon Us!

For our Kalamazoo Section

Election season is near for two KACS officers: Secretary (2-year term 2026-7) and Chair-elect (1-year term 2026 in a 3-year succession (chair-elect > chair > past-chair)).

Descriptions of responsibilities may be found on our website at https://kalamazooacs.org/operations-manual/. If you desire to be considered for any of the positions mentioned above, please let our secretary (Jacob Kirkendall) know of your interest by contacting secretary@kalamazooacs.org. To nominate someone for either position, please determine his/her willingness to accept the responsibility before submitting the person’s name!

For President-elect of the National ACS

The two individuals who have been selected, and have agreed, to stand for election in 2025 for the term beginning in 2026 are Christina Bodurow, Deputy Director and Chief Operating Officer, AViDD, Stanford University, and Dawn Mason, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Partnerships, NC State University.

Read their biographies here (first two at the link).

The Younger Chemists Committee (YCC) in partnership with the Committee on Nominations and Elections has a webinar (Catalyze the Vote) scheduled on September 11, 2025, from 2-3 p.m. ET where you may hear from both candidates so that you may vote knowledgeably when your ballot arrives, starting in mid-September, either by e-mail or in paper form.

· Meet the ACS President-Elect Candidates

· Listen as the candidates share their vision for ACS

· Ask your questions to the candidates

Don’t miss this opportunity to discover more about each candidate’s values as they answer questions relevant to young chemists as well as the entire Society. Become more informed of their specific goals during this free interactive broadcast and get the information you need to cast your vote confidently.

Register for free here.

Financial Assistance Programs Available from ACS

Keeping Membership Accessible

A central feature of PMAP is flexibility with dues. Members who find themselves unable to pay because of unforeseen challenges may request a reduction or waiver of their annual fees. This support allows them to maintain access to ACS publications, technical resources, and professional networks. PMAP is available to members worldwide, and serves members at all career stages—from students to senior scientists.

Career Resources and Guidance

Beyond financial relief, PMAP links members to a range of career development tools. These include confidential consultations with ACS career advisors, access to the ACS Career Navigator, professional development webinars, and job boards tailored to chemical professionals. For those navigating layoffs or transitions, these services provide immediate help and strategies for career recovery.

How to Apply

Members seeking assistance can apply confidentially through the ACS website. Details about eligibility and the application process are available at www.acs.org/PMAP, or contact Member Services at (202) 872-4600 or service@acs.org.

2) Grants available from ACS

(a) At ACS Fall 2025, Chair of the ACS Board of Directors, Wayne E. Jones, Jr., announced that ACS will award $2.5 million in the form of 100 $25,000 grants. This will support graduate students within one year of degree completion who have been impacted by the termination or cancellation of their advisor’s research grants.

Starting Monday, Sept. 15, principal investigators can apply for the funds. The grant seeks to lower the risk of a declining number of U.S.-trained chemists with advanced degrees, thereby preserving the strength and continuity of the scientific community. For more information about the opportunity, visit www.acs.org/gradsuccessgrant.

(b) Apply Soon for an ACS PrepareCTP (Chemistry Technical Professional) Seed Grant

Community colleges and similar institutions can apply for up to $20,000 in PrepareCTP Seed Grants to support student training, faculty release time, equipment, and employer partnerships in the chemical sciences. Apply by Tuesday, Sept. 16.

Chemistry Day: Save the Date and Call for Volunteers

2025 Project SEED Summary and Poster Presentations

Dorian Roberts studied under Prof. Dwight Williams at Kalamazoo College on the Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of a Maleimide-Indole Hybrids as Potential Antibacterial Agents. She graduated from Kalamazoo Central HS in June and has enrolled at Eastern Michigan University this fall to pursue and degree in biochemistry and medical science with a goal to become a physician. Dorian was unable to attend our poster session in person because of her move to EMU but presented her poster virtually on the electronic board at the session.

Lizbeth Mares Castro studied under Prof. Dwight Williams at Kalamazoo College on the Synthesis and Purification of a Maleimide-Tryptamine Hybrids as Potential Antibiotics. Lizbeth returns to her studies this fall at Loy Norrix, where she is a junior.

Rowan Hagenbuch studied under Prof. Blakely Tresca at Kalamazoo College on Molecular Models of Peptoid Aggregation in Virtual Reality. Lizbeth returns to her studies this fall at KAMSC and Comstock HS, where she is a senior.

Arib Haider worked under Dr. Tiffany Crawford and Dr. Carolyn Suh at Kalsec, Inc. to develop a database of over 300 flavor chemicals for automated interpretation of in-house GC/MS data from complex volatile mixtures such as essential oils and flavor blends. Arib worked remotely this summer from his home in Brooklyn, NY and returns to his studies this fall at Stuyvesant HS, where he is a senior.

Our ability to offer this program has become increasingly dependent on local fund raising as we continue to spend down excess reserves. Thank you to our members who have donated to this effort. Please visit our Project SEED webpage or contact me directly at projectseed@kalamazooacs.org to learn more about how to help. We cannot do this without you.

A Visit to Founders Brewing Co. with the Western Michigan Section

The Western Michigan Section has sent us invitations to some recent programs, and one of our Local Section Affiliates, Michael Kiella, participated in two of them. In this newsletter you will read a summary of his experience at his June 20 visit to Founders Brewing Co. (Part 1) and in the October Newsletter you will read about his experience on the July 12 event – a visit on the GVSU Research Vessel D. J. Angus (Part 2).

Part 1: June 20 Visit to Founders Brewing Co.

By Michael Kiella, PhD

Local Section Affiliate and Past Chair of the KACS

The Western Michigan Section of the American Chemical Society invited members of the Kalamazoo Section to participate in two joint summer activities. Section Chair, Carter Tomko, served as host and organizer for both events.

On June 20, Hospitality Leader Kyle presented an overview to an audience of 18 members in the hospitality tap room at Founders Brewing Co., which included the history of then Hope College student “Garage Brewers,” Mike Stevens and Dave Engbers and the early days preceding their commercial adventure. Canal Brewing was the predecessor to the Founders Brewing label. Kyle walked the participants through the difficult financial origins of the company and humorous anecdotes about the selection and branding names of several of the different beers that are now well known selections—favorites for beer drinkers across the nation. Kyle also shared that in the early days of the company, wages, design creations, and brand artwork was often paid-for in beers. The tap room presentation was completed with “refills” around the room and word that 5 years ago, Dave and Mike wanting to retire from the day-to-day involvement in running the company, sold Founders to MAHOU USA, a Spanish company. MAHOU successfully recapitalized the operation and added a more expansive restaurant experience. As a measure of that success, last year the restructured restaurant revenues exceeded revenues from beer production and sales. To help participants obtain a feel for the size of the production operation, a geometric visual is painted on to the floor of the second story viewing area which demonstrates in scaled concentric circles, the number of barrels of beer, and what each increment translates to in 12oz. bottles.

The presentation concluded with a tour of the production facility, where participants were able to see first-hand the brewing vats and systems where raw materials are added to the brewing process, all the way through the final staging, filling, and canning operation in a magnificently clean and modern facility. Kyle responded to questions from the tour group and invited participants to sign the “visitor’s canvas” in the main packaging area.

A BIG thank you goes out to Carter Tomko for his efforts in organizing and hosting this event. This reporter recommends we keep our eyes peeled for other activities with the Western Michigan Section….from my place in the scheme of things, it was time well spent!

Brief Councilor Report from Fall ACS Meeting August 17-21, 2025

By Lydia E. M. Hines

(A more extensive report will be posted on our website)

The Council meeting on Wednesday, 8/20, was very low key. The formation of one new Committee was approved by a vote of 86%:14% (CALC, Committee for the Advancement of LGBTQ+ Chemists) and several other committees had their duties updated or their names adjusted to reflect current activities. An updated version of the Professional Employment Guidelines was adopted. Attendance at the meeting was11,640 (10,602 in-person and 1,038 online). The ACS Spring 2026 meeting will be held in Atlanta, GA from March 22-26, 2026. The Board voted to approve that the advance member registration fee for 2026 ACS Spring and Fall meetings remain at $549 for in-person and $149 for virtual, and approved associated pricing for all other registration fees.

The Local Section Activities Committee (LSAC) was pleased to have the council accept the new LS assignments of the ~1000 previously-unassigned US ACS members.

Turning to CCEW and NCW, the 2026 CCEW topic will be “Trees and Forests” with the theme “Into the Woods with Chemistry” and for 2027 CCEW it will be “Harvest Chemistry,” with the theme “Crop to Cart: The Chemistry of Food.” The 2026 NCW topic will be “Construction” with the theme “Chemistry under Construction.”

Help was requested for topics for NCW 2027 and CCEW 2028 and beyond. To make suggestions and offer help contact outreach@acs.org. Topics and themes for past events may be found at acs.org/ccew and acs.org/ncw