MARCH 2015 SEPTEMBER-2006MARCH 2015 Vol. 96 • No. 3 ISSN0019-6924PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER See...

MARCH 2015 Vol. 96 • No. 3 ISSN0019-6924

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPERwww.theindicator.org

www.njacs.org www.newyorkacs.org

See Biography on page 7.Symposium Schedule on pages 8-9.

Prof. Gabor A. SomorjaiUniversity of California, Berkeley2015 Nichols Medal Awardee

2 THE INDICATOR-MARCH 2015

THIS MONTH IN CHEMICAL HISTORYHarold Goldwhite, California State University, Los Angeles • [email protected]

A few years ago I obtained a number of volumes of a series “The Mallinckrodt Collection ofFood Classics” published by that manufacturer in the mid-1960s. Most of the books are fac-simile reprints of early classic cookbooks, but Volume II is different. It is a facsimile of an 1820Philadelphia publication reprinting rapidly an English publication of the same year. This influ-ential book, by the chemist Fredrick Accum, deserves to have its complete title, in the early19th. century style given here: “A Treatise on Adulterations of Food and Culinary Poisons.Exhibiting The Fraudulent Sophistications of BREAD, BEER, WINE, SPIRITUOUS LIQUORS,TEA, COFFEE, CREAM, CONFECTIONERY, VINEGAR, MUSTARD, PEPPER, CHEESE,OLIVE OIL, PICKLES. And other articles employed in domestic economy. And METHODS OFDETECTING THEM.”

So who was Frerick Accum, and why this book? For the following biographical sketch I amgreatly indebted to a substantial article on Accum by Lawson Cockroft which appears on thewebsite of the Royal Society of Chemistryʼs Library and Information Service. Accum was bornin Germany on March 29, 1769. His father was a merchant and soap-maker. After beginning hiseducation at the local gymnasium Fredrick was apprenticed to a local pharmacist and becameacquainted with the family of William Brande, who provided medicines to the court of GeorgeIII in London. Accum moved to London in 1793, worked in Brandeʼs laboratory, and extendedhis education by attending lectures. He got to know William Nicholson who edited a well-respected chemical journal (Nicholsonʼs Journal) and helped to translate foreign articles forinclusion. In 1798 Accum began to contribute a series of articles to the journal on adulterationof medical preparations.

Accum set up his own establishment in 1800 as a supplier of chemicals and equipment anddeveloped considerable expertise in analytical chemistry to ensure the quality of his products.For a year he assisted Humphry Davy as a demonstrator at the Royal Institution. Accumʼs firstbook, “System of Theoretical and Practical Chemistry” was published in 1803 and was well sub-scribed, and he began to offer the only laboratory course in experimental chemistry available inLondon at that time. Accumʼs American pupils included James Dana, the famous mineralogist,and Benjamin Silliman, first Professor of Chemistry at Yale. Not surprisingly Accumʼs equipmentand chemicals found their way to the initial Chemistry Departments established in the UnitedStates.

Accum became interested in the novel prospect of providing coal gas commercially for heatingand lighting and testified to government committees on the subject. By 1815 some fifteen milesof London streets were gas-lit, and Accum, always alert to new opportunities, published a bookon coal gas manufacture. In 1817 he published a book “Chemical Amusement” describingexperiments suitable for the drawing room, and created “Chests of Chemical Amusement” con-taining the necessary chemicals and equipment and selling for ten to eighteen guineas, a lot ofmoney at the time.

By 1820 Accum was ready to publish his magnum opus mentioned above and concerned withadulterations of food products. It was reviewed in all the leading journals – not the chemicaljournals but the popular literary magazines such as Blackwoodʼs and the Edinburgh Review.The first thousand copies sold out in under a month and a second edition appeared immedi-ately. The book, and Accum, were vigorously attacked by food and drink manufacturers whoalleged that they were unfairly smeared by the work. Meanwhile Accum was accused of muti-lating books in the collection of the Royal Institution, and a warrant for a search of his roomsled to the discovery of some 30 pages removed from books in the Royal Institutionʼs library.Accum was released on bail but never came to trial. Badly depressed he left England, forfeitedhis bail, and returned to Germany.

He soon obtained two posts related to applied chemistry in Berlin. He published in 1826 his onlybook in German on the properties of building materials. While he continued to publish in thejournal of the Berlin Royal Academy of Sciences his articles were submitted either anonymouslyor under the rather transparent pseudonym of Mucca. New editions of his treatise on adulter-ation appeared in England without his name on the title page. And it was not until 1860 that foodregulation was written into law in England in the Adulteration Act. But Accum had died in Berlinin June 1838.

In my next column I will look at the contents of Accumʼs Treatise.

THE INDICATORManager / Editor - LINDA ATKINS1 Milbark Court, Homosassa, FL 34446973-981-4383; Fax [email protected] Manager - VINCENT GALEMBO Services, PO Box 1150Marshfield, MA [email protected] COMMITTEEChair, DR. LES McQUIRE17 Crown Drive, Warren, NJ [email protected] York Section Rep.DR. NEIL JESPERSENChemistry Dept., St. Johnʼs University8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY [email protected] Jersey Section Rep.JACQUELINE ERICKSONGSK, 1500 Littleton Road, Parsippany, NJ [email protected] MastersNY Section - DR. BRIAN [email protected] Section - PAUL [email protected] YORK SECTION http://newyorkacs.orgChair, DR. PARIS SVORONOSDepartment of ChemistryCUNY-Queensborough Community College222-05 56th Avenue, Bayside, NY 11364718-631-7695 • [email protected], DR. ALISON HYSLOPDepartment of Chemistry, St. Johnʼs University8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY 11439718-990-6297 • [email protected], DR. JOSEPH M. SERAFINDept. of Chemistry, St. Johnʼs University8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY 11439718-990-5226 • [email protected] OfficeSt. Johnʼs University, Chemistry Dept.8000 Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY 11439516-883-7510; Fax [email protected] JERSEY SECTIONhttp://www.njacs.orgChair, DR. RONALD KONG212 Beech Drive N., River Edge, NJ 07661-1110201-707-3899 • [email protected], DR. LUCIANO MUELLERSenior Research Fellow, Department of LeadDiscovery and Optimization, Bristol-Myers SquibbRoute 206 & Provinceline Rd., Princeton, NJ 08543609-252-4360 • [email protected], BETTYANN HOWSON49 Pippins Way, Morris Township, NJ 07960973-822-2575 • [email protected] Office49 Pippins Way, Morris Township, NJ 07960973-822-2575 • [email protected]

The monthly newsletter of the New York & NorthJersey Sections of the American ChemicalSociety. Published jointly by the two sections.

CONTENTSAdvertisersʼ Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Call for Nominations . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-20Call for Papers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Call for Presentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Call for Volunteers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 National . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-22New York Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-13 Nichols Awardee Biography . . . . . . . . . . 7Nichols Symposium Program . . . . . . . 8-9 North Jersey Meetings . . . . . . . . . . . . .5-6 Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Pittcon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21 Professional/Product Director . . . . . . . .24

EDITORIAL DEADLINESApril February 20May March 20June April 20September July 20October August 20November September 20December October 20January 2016 November 20, 2015February 2016 December 20, 2015March January 20, 2016

The Indicator (ISSN0019-6924) is publishedon-line monthly except July and August by theNew York and North Jersey Sections of theAmerican Chemical Society, Office of Publi ca -tion, 1 Milbark Court, Homosassa, FL 34446.

All views expressed are those of the editorand contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the New Yorkand North Jersey Sections of the AmericanChemical Society unless so stated.Distributed electronically to members throughthe website www.TheIndicator.org. Non-members are invited to read it online.Members should register their email address-es at www.acs.org/editmyprofile.

Address advertising correspondence toAdvertising Manager. Other correspondenceto the Editor.

THE INDICATOR-MARCH 2015 3

Visit Uswww.TheIndicator.org

NEW YORK SECTIONThursday, March 5, 2015Long Island SubsectionSee page 10.Friday, March 20, 2015High School Teachers Topical GroupSee page 11.Tuesday, March 24, 2015Biochemical Topical GroupSee pages 11-12 .Thursday, March 26, 2015Westchester Chemical SocietySee pages 12-13 .

also

Thurs., April 2, and Fri., April 24, 2015Long Island SubsectionSee page 13.Thursday, April 2, 2015MetroWomen Chemists CommitteeSee page 14.Tuesday, AprIl 7, 2015NY Nanoscience Discussion GroupSee page 14.Wednesday, April 8, 2015Adelphi University - Dakin LectureSee page 15.Friday, April 17, 2015William H. Nichols SymposiumSee pages 8-9.Friday, April 24, 2015New York Section Board MeetingSee page 10.Saturday, AprIl 25, 2015Earth Day CelebrationSee page 15.Saturday, May 9, 201563rd Annual URSSee page 16.Early October and Early November 2015Westchester Chemical SocietySee page 17.

NORTH JERSEY SECTIONMonday, March 9, 2015Careers in TransitionSee page 5.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015North Jersey Executive CommitteeSee page 5.

Tuesday, March 17, 2015Mass Spectrometry Topical GroupSee page 6.

Thurssday, March 19, 2015NoJ Chromatography GroupSee page 6.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015NMR Topical GroupSee page 6.

also

Monday, April 27, 2015Drug Metabolism Discussion GroupSpring Symposium and Vendor ExpositionSee page 6.

Sunday-Friday, June 7-12, 2015Drew University Res-Med SeminarSee page 6.


The Indicator is posted tothe web on the 15th of the

previous month atwww.TheIndicator.org

March Calendar

Deadline for items to be included in the

April 2015 issue ofThe Indicator is

February 20, 2015


North Jersey Meetingshttp://www.njacs.org

NORTH JERSEY EXECUTIVECOMMITTEE MEETINGSection officers, councilors, committeechairs, topical group chairs, and sectionevent organizers meet regularly at the Exec -utive Committee Meeting to discuss topicsof importance to running the section andrepresenting the membership. The Marchmeeting will be held in conjunction with theMass Spectrometry Topical Group. All ACSmem bers are welcome to attend this meet-ing and to become more involved in sectionactivities.

Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2015Times: Dinner 6:15 PM

Executive Meeting 7:00 PMPlace: Holiday Inn Hotel

195 Davidson AvenueSomerset, NJ

For reservations please call (732) 463-7271or email [email protected] prior toWednesday, March 11, 2015.

Dinner cost is payable at the door; however,if you are not able to attend and did not can-cel your reservation, you are responsible forthe price of your dinner.

hCAREERS IN TRANSITIONMEETINGSJob Hunting??

Resume & LinkedIn writing and key wordsearch rules are changing. To be found, comeand utilize our latest insights. Our ACS trainedCareer Consultants offer assistance atStudents2Science to help members with theirjob search on the second Monday of eachmonth. Topics at this free workshop are:

• Techniques to enhance resume effectiveness

• Interview practice along with responding todifficult questions

• Networking to find hidden jobs

• Planning a more effective job search

Date: Monday, March 9, 2015New from now on is a second CITmeeting in East Windsor on thethird Monday. Contact Bill fordetails.

Times: Meeting 5:30 - 9:00 PMPizza snack and soda 6:30 PM

Place: Students 2 Science, Inc.66 Deforest AvenueEast Hanover, NJ

Cost: $5.00 for pizza and soda

Reservations: at www.njacs.org/careers.html

A job board and networking assistance isoffered at most topical group meetings.Appointments with Bill can be arranged forpersonal assistance at (908) 875-9069 [email protected].

See www.njacs.org under the Career tab forJobs hidden from sight and relevant blogs.

5NJACS PARTNERS WITH STUDENTS2SCIENCEMembers are encouraged to volunteer attheir East Hanover facility and explore theirwebsite at www.students2science.org tolearn more about this innovative program.

S2S continues to expand their exciting lab-oratory experience the disadvantaged chil-dren. Many of our members continue to vol-unteer as mentors. At their 2 million dollaranalytical lab, every 40 kids are assisted by16 professional volunteer mentors. Theexperiments performed really make chem-istry and science come alive using state ofthe art analytical equipment working withstudents starting in 6th grade up to HSseniors. Each day is optimized for gradelevel and curriculum.

Now the program has further expanded withinternet video and experiments performed inthe classroom for 4 & 5th grades. Internetallows views of the lab in operation andrelates to simpler experiments setups donein the classroom with their teacher and apartnering chemist.

North Jersey members who volunteeredbenefited in many ways. Those in transitionexpanded their network and received jobfinding assistance. Retired chemists met upwith old friends and made many newfriends. Those with jobs used the volunteerhours as part of the company outreach pro-grams and team training. All feel greatabout making a difference in the lives of theyouth who may have never met a scientistor considered a career in the sciences.

Please consider volunteering and discover-ing more about this innovative program. Ifyou want to learn more, you can speak withDon Truss at (908) 334-8435.


MASS SPECTROMETRY TOPICAL GROUPDate: Tuesday, March 17, 2015Times: Dinner 6:15 PM

Meeting 7:00 PMPlace: Holiday Inn Hotel


4NORTH JERSEY CHROMATOGRAPHY GROUPDate: Thursday, March 19, 205

wNMR TOPICAL GROUPDate: Wednesday, March 25, 2015

For speakers, location and updates, pleasecheck our website:http://www.njacs.org/nmr.html

LNORTH JERSEY DRUG METABOLISM DISCUSSIONGROUPSpring Symposium and Vendor Exhibition

Details will be posted at http://www.njacs.org/topical-groups/drug-metabolism.

Date: Monday, April 27, 2015Times: 8:00 AM to 4:00 PMPlace: The Palace at Somerset Park


KDETECTING AND COMBATINGHIV IN 3A Video Challenge for High School StudentsRCSB PDB invites high school students tocreate short videos that promote under-standing of HIV/AIDS at the molecular level.Videos should incorporate structures fromthe PDB in order to tell a story related to theglobal efforts of defeating, combating, andcontrolling the HIV pandemic. The videosubmission is underway and will concludeon May 31, 2015.

Visit rcsb.org/pdb-101 and use the VideoChallenge tab for more information,resources, HIV related curriculum, andmore. A PDF flyer describing this challengeis available for download and distribution ateducation. rcsb.org/events/HIV-flyer.pdf

RES MED: RESIDENTIALSCHOOL ON MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGY INDRUG DISCOVERYThe ResMed School offers an intensiveweek long graduate-level course organizedto provide an accelerated program for med-icinal chemists, biologists and other industri-al and academic scientists who wish tobroaden their knowledge of drug discoveryand development. The aim of the school isto concentrate on the fundamentals that areuseful in drug discovery spanning initial tar-get assay evaluation through clinical devel-opment. Several case histories of recentsuccessful drug development programs willalso be presented. The five-day programconsists of lectures, seminars and case his-tories.

Date: Sunday-Friday, June 7-12, 2015Place: Drew University

Madison, NJ

For more information and application formsvisit our website, www.drew.edu/resmed,email [email protected], phone (973)408-3787 or fax 973/408-3504.

ResMed: Residential School on MedicinalChemistry and Biology in Drug Discovery

June 7-12, 2015Drew University, Madison, NJ

The ACS New York Section congratulates and extends its best wishes toProfessor Gabor A. Somorjai of the University of California, Berkeley, who willreceive the William H. Nichols Medal Award on April 17, 2015 in White Plains, NewYork. The Nichols Medal is presented at an award dinner following the NicholsDistinguished Symposium. The title of the Distinguished Symposium is “MolecularSurface Science and its Applications: Nanomaterials, the Surface Chemical Bond,Biointerfaces, and Catalysis.” Professor Somorjai will receive the Nichols GoldMedal Award for “his outstanding contribution to the elucidation of novel highlyselective nanocatalysis.”

Professor Gabor A. Somorjai received a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from theTechnical University, Budapest in 1956 and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 1960. He was a staff scientist with IBM for afour-year period until his appointment as an Assistant Professor at the Universityof California Berkeley in 1964, where he was promoted to Associate Professor in1968 and became a Full Professor in 1972. In 2002 he was appointed UniversityProfessor, the highest honor bestowed to a faculty member in the UC System. Heis also a Faculty Senior Scientist at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Professor Somorjai is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences. He received the NAS Award inChemical Sciences in 2013, the Eni New Frontiers of Hydrocarbons Prize, theBBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Awards and the Honda Prize in 2011.He has received several awards from the American Chemical Society (ACS),including the Priestley Medal (2008), the Award for Creative Research inHomogeneous and Heterogeneous Catalysis (2000), the Adamson Award inSurface Chemistry (1994), and the Peter Debye Award in Physical Chemistry(1989). He received the National Medal of Sciences in 2002, the Langmuir Awardfrom the American Physical Society (2007), the Wolf Prize (1998), and the vonHippel Award of the Materials Research Society (1997). Professor Somorjai holds10 honorary degrees from universities around the world. He has educated about400 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and is the author of over 1100 sci-entific publications and four books.


Biography of Prof. Gabor A. Somorjai


2015 WILLIAM H. NICHOLS MEDAL DISTINGUISHEDSYMPOSIUM AND AWARD DINNER

Symposium: MOLECULAR SURFACE SCIENCE AND ITS APPLICATIONS. NANOMATERIALS,THE SURFACE CHEMICAL BOND, BIOINTERFACES, AND CATALYSIS

Award Recipient: PROFESSOR GABOR A. SOMORJAIUniversity of California - Berkeley

Date: Friday, April 17, 2015Time: 1:00 PM Registration 1:30 PM – 5:30 PM Symposium

5:45 PM Reception 6:45 PM Award DinnerPlace: Crowne Plaza Hotel, White Plains, NY

PROGRAM1:30 PM Welcome Professor Paris Svoronos

2015 Chair, ACS, New York SectionCUNY - Queensborough Community College

1:35 PM Opening of the Distinguished Symposium Professor Alison G. Hyslop2015 Chair-elect, ACS, New York Section

St. John’s University1:45 PM Metal-organic Frameworks Professor Omar M. Yaghi

University of California-BerkeleyMetal-organic frameworks (MOFs) represent an extensive class of porous crystals in which organic‘struts’ are linked by metal oxide units to make open networks. The flexibility with which their buildingunits can be varied and their ultra-high porosity (up to 10,000 m2/g) have led to many applications ingas storage and separations for clean energy. This presentation will focus on (1) how one can designporosity within MOFs to affect highly selective separations (carbon dioxide), storage (hydrogen andmethane) and catalysis, and (2) a new concept involving the design of heterogeneity within crystallineMOFs to yield sequences that code for specific separations and chemical transformations.2:30 PM Exploring the Interactions of Ions, Peptides, Professor Paul Cremer

and Proteins with Lipid Membranes Pennsylvania State UniversityBiological membranes often contain negatively charged lipids such as phosphatidylserine, phos-phatidylglycerol, phosphatidic acid, and gangliosides. The groups of these lipids can strongly interactwith positively charged aminoacids from peptides and (i.e. Arg and Lys residues), metal cation fromthe extracellular solution as well as positively charged drug molecules. These negatively charged lipidsare highly regulated within cells and are highly abundant in certain organelles while almost completelyabsent in others. Moreover, their concentration within a particular leaflet of a given membrane is oftentightly regulated. Despite the high degree of control of lipid composition within cells, little is oftenknown about the reason for it or even the specific nature of ligand-receptor binding interaction withsuch moieties. To remedy this, we have employed a combination of spectroscopic techniques, microflu-idic platforms, monolayer and planar supported bilayer architectures to explore the specific biophysicalchemistries of these interactions. This includes the development of a novel analytical tool that employsa pH sensitive fluorophore to probe subtle changes in the surface potential of lipid bilayers upon ligandor ion binding. Both thermodynamic and molecular level details of these systems have been obtained.The results reveal that binding can be highly dependent on the concentration of specific lipids within themembrane. Moreover, the presence or absence of various uncharged lipids can also greatly influencethe binding properties. Interestingly, specific interactions involving hydrogen bonding, charge transfer,and hydrophobic interactions often dominate over simple electrostatic effects. 3:15 PM Coffee Break3:45 PM The Surface Chemical Bond: Professor Steven L. Bernasek

Explorations of Structure and Dynamics Princeton UniversityThe tools of molecular surface science developed over the past fifty years have enabled the examina-tion of the nature of the surface chemical bond and its dynamic behavior in unprecedented moleculardetail. In my lecture I will discuss two examples of this sort of work. I will comment on the insights thathave been gained in the basic understanding of surface chemical processes using this approach, whichhas been pioneered by this year’s recipient of the Nichols Award. This understanding provides impor-tant foundations for the range of applications described in this symposium.The first example focuses on the process of molecular self-assembly at characterized surfaces. The useof molecular beam scattering as well as scanning probe microscopy, coupled with electron spectro-scopic and microscopic methods, provides information about the formation and energetics of chiral andachiral organic monolayers and designed nanostructured surfaces. Implications for the understandingof homochirality in biological systems, and applications in organic electronic device design will be men-tioned.

, .


The second example uses the tools of surface science, coupled with optical pulse shaping methods, toaddress the quantum control of surface chemical dynamics. Carefully designed self-assembled mono-layer samples along with surface sum frequency generation as a feedback signal, have been used tooptimize selective bond manipulation at the surface. Possible applications to heterogeneous catalysisand electronic device preparation will be presented.4:30 PM The Genesis and Integration of Heterogeneous, Professor Gabor A. Somorjai

Homogeneous, and Enzyme Catalysis on the Nanoscale NICHOLS MEDALISTThe synthesis of metal and bimetallic nanoparticles in the 1-10 nm range, and mesoporous high sur-face area oxides, were utilized as heterogeneous catalysts. The rates and chemical selectivity of multi-path reactions were dependent on the nanoparticle size and the oxide-metal nanoparticle interface com-position. Instruments including laser spectroscopy (sum frequency generation vibrational spec-troscopy) and synchrotron based x-ray spectroscopies and scanning tunneling microscopy reveal themobility and dynamic restructuring of adsorbed and reacting molecules and catalyst surfaces underreaction conditions. The formation of covalent bonds between the adsorbed molecules and the diversestructures of the catalyst surfaces are one important ingredient of catalytic selectivity. The charge trans-fer of oxide‐metal interfaces to the reacting molecules (acid-base catalysis) is the other important prop-erty of catalytic reactivity. Metal nanoparticles at 1 nm size (40 atoms) and below behave as singlemetal-ion transition metal homogeneous catalysts. Studies of adsorbing enzyme catalysts on oxide sur-faces explore how their rates and chemical selectivities are altered in progress. 5:45 PM Social Hour6:45 PM William H. Nichols Medal Award Dinner Professor Kenneth B. Eisenthal (Columbia

University) will introduce the MedalistMore information on the William H. Nichols Medal Events is available on the New York Section’s web-site at http://www.NewYorkACS.org. Tickets may be reserved using the following form, or preferably through the New York Section website thataccepts credit cards or Paypal. http://www.NewYorkACS.org.

*********** RESERVATION FORM ***********2015 WILLIAM H. NICHOLS DISTINGUISHED SYMPOSIUM &

MEDAL AWARD BANQUET in honor of Gabor A. SomorjaiReturn to: ACS, New York Section, c/o Dr. Neil D. Jespersen, Department of Chemistry,St. John's University, 8000 Utopia Parkway, Queens, NY 11439 (516) 883-7510Please reserve _____ places for the symposium & banquet at $120/person, ACS member

_____ places for the symposium only at $40/person, ACS member_____ places for the banquet only at $110/person, ACS member_____ places for the symposium & banquet at $150/person, Non-member_____ places for the symposium only at $60/person, Non-member_____ places for the banquet only at $120/person, Non-member_____ places for the symposium only at $25/person, Students, Unemployed_____ places for the symposium only complimentary for 50 year + ACS members

(For table reservations of 8 or more, use the ACS member $120/person rate for combination tickets)Reserve a table in the name of: _______________________________________________________Names of guests are: e-mail Addresses:______________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________

Indicate numbers in your group who choose: Mail Tickets to:Chicken ________ Name: _________________________________Prime Rib ________ Address: _______________________________Salmon ________ ______________________________________Vegetarian ________ ______________________________________

BANQUET RESERVATION DEADLINE: APRIL 7, 2015Please make checks payable to: ACS, NEW YORK SECTION Check for $_________enclosed


New York Meetingswww.newyorkacs.org

NEW YORK SECTION BOARDMEETING DATES FOR 2015The dates for the Board Meetings of theACS New York Section for 2015 have beenselected and approved. The meetings areopen to all – everybody is welcome. All non-board members who would like to attendany (or all) meetings ought to inform theNew York Section office by emailing Mrs.Marilyn Jespersen at [email protected] or by calling the Sectionoffice at (516) 883-7510.

All 2015 Board Meetings will be held on thefollowing dates at St. Johnʼs University, 8000Utopia Parkway, Jamaica, NY. Dr. ParisSvoronos will chair all meetings.Refreshments will be available starting at6:00 PM while the actual meeting will start atexactly 6:30 PM. Please check MarilynJespersen for the exact building and roomnumber. You may also be added in the mail-ing list if you so desire.

Friday, April 24, 2015Friday, June 5, 2015Friday September 18, 2015Friday November 20, 2015

In addition please mark your calendar withthe dates of the following major events:

Friday, April 17, 2015, William H. NicholsMedal Award Symposium and Dinner,Crowne Plaza Hotel, White Plains, NY

More information will be posted in futuremonthly issues of The Indicator and on theNew York website athttp://www.NewYorkACS.org.

LONG ISLAND SUBSECTION “Spice Tales”: Rapid Detection andQuantification of SyntheticCannabinoids

Speaker: Ling Huang, PhDDepartment of ChemistryHofstra University

Since 2008, Designer drugs such as syn-thetic cannabinoids mixed with herbal prod-ucts, also known as "Spice" have been soldas herbal incenses in smoke shops andonline. Many synthetic cannabinoids havebeen outlawed as Schedule I controlled sub-stance. New and "legal" compounds are stillbeing sold around the world, which createschallenges to forensic analysts and lawenforcement agencies and causes greatharm to unaware users. Our lab successful-ly utilizes NMR as an alternative to conven-tional GC-MS method to rapidly identify andquantify emerging cannabinoids. We havealso optimized simple extraction techniquefor these designer herbal drugs prior to opti-mized HPLC separation and quantification.Our methods can be utilized to acceleratethe accurate screening of designer drugsand to reduce evidence backlog in the battlewith emerging "Spice" products.

Date: Thursday, March 5, 2015Times: Social – 5:30 PM

Seminar – 6:00 PMPlace: CUNY Queensborough

Community CollegeScience Building, S-112

Directions: http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/about/driving.html


HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS TOPICAL GROUPA Ray of Light in a Sea of Dark Matter

Speaker: Charles R. Keeton IIRutgers [email protected]

Whatʼs in the dark? That question has beenasked by generations of children and cos-mologists alike. The answer, in our uni-verse, turns out to be surprising and rich.The space between stars is filled with anexotic substance called “dark matter” thatexerts gravity but does not emit, absorb, orreflect light. The space between galaxies isrife with “dark energy” that creates a sort ofcosmic anti-gravity causing the expansionof the universe to accelerate. Together,dark matter and dark energy account for95% of the content of the universe. This talkpresents an accessible description of howgravity affects light and how astronomersuse it to prove dark matter. Gravitationallensing is now a key part of the internation-al quest to understand the invisible sub-stance that surrounds us, penetrates us,and binds the universe together.

Date: Friday, March 20, 2015Time: Social and Dinner — 5:45 PMPlace: White Oak Tavern

21 Waverly PlaceNE corner at Greene Street(site of the former M&G Pub)New York, NY

Time: Meeting — 7:15 PMPlace: New York University

Silver Center Room 20732 Waverly Place (South-east corner Washington Sq. East)New York, NY3

Security at NYU requires that you show a picture ID to enter the building

In case of unexpected severe weather, callJohn Roeder, (212) 497-6500, between9:00 AM and 2:00 PM to verify that meetingis still on; (516) 385-4698 for other info.

Note: On street parking is free after 6:00PM.

BIOCHEMICAL TOPICALGROUP — JOINT MEETINGWITH THE NY ACADEMY OFSCIENCES BIOCHEMICALPHARMACOLOGY DISCUSSIONGROUPPositive Allosteric Modulators for Challenging GPCRs: Identification andOptimization

Organizers: Mercedes Beyna, MSPfizer

Phil Carpino, PhD Pfizer

Esther Lee, PhD Pfizer

David Price, PhD Pfizer

Sonya Dougal, PhDThe New York Academy ofSciences

Speakers: P. Jeffrey Conn, PhDVanderbilt University

Ron Dror, PhDStanford University

Christopher Fotsch, PhDAmgen

Corey Hopkins, PhDVanderbilt University

Whitney Nolte, PhDPfizer

GPCRs are key targets for drug develop-ment. Positive allosteric modulators (PAMs)of GPCRs potentiate the activity of endoge-nous GPCR ligands at a topographically dis-tinct site from the orthosteric ligand bindingsite. The therapeutic benefits of PAMs include increased functional selectivity,reduced side-effects, and fine-tunedpharma cological responses. In this sympo-sium, academic and industry scientists willdescribe the identification, characterization,and development of PAMs for challengingGPCRs.

Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2015 Time: 11:45 AM – 4:00 PM

(reception to follow)Place: The New York Academy of Sciences

7 World Trade Center250 Greenwich Street – 40th FloorNew York, NY 10007

(continued on page 12)

Cost: This event is has free registrationfor ACS and NYAS members.Please select the appropriate non-member Registration Category anduse the Priority Code ACS.Non-members may attend for a feeof $60 (corporate), $40 (non-profitor academic) or $20 (students andpost-docs).

For more information and to register for theevent, go to: www.nyas.org/GPCRs2015. To become a Member of the Academy, visitwww.nyas.org/benefits.

=WESTCHESTER CHEMICAL SOCIETYSpecial Seminar – “Nanoscience ofGraphene and Other Two-dimensionalMaterials”

Speaker: Phaedon Avouris, PhDIBM FellowManager, Nanometer ScaleScience & TechnologyIBM Research DivisionT.J. Watson Research CenterYorktown Heights, NY

Graphene is a single atomic layer of agraphite crystal. Despite the fact thatgraphite was a known material since earlyantiquity, a single graphene layer was notisolated and characterized until 2014. Sincethen, numerous studies have shown thatgraphene possesses very unique electrical,optical, mechanical and thermal properties.These findings created strong interest in tak-ing advantage of these properties for tech-nological applications, and in searching forother single-layer structures (two-dimen-sional materials).

Graphite is not unique in its layered van derWaals bonded structure. There are numer-ous other van der Waals solids, such aschalcogenide crystals and black phospho-rus, whose single layer properties had notbeen studied until recently.

In my talk I will discuss briefly the electronicstructure and methods of preparation ofsuch single atomic layers and then focus ontheir electrical, optical and plasmonic prop-erties and their strong interactions with their

environment. With respect to potential tech-nological applications, I will consider appli-cations in nanoelectronics, e.g. ultrafasthigh frequency transistors, and in optoelec-tronics, e.g. ultrafast photodetectors, detec-tion in the far-infrared and terahertz rangesand plasmonic enhancement of opticalabsorption.

Dr. Avouris earned his BSc in chemistry fromAristotelian University, Athens, Greece in1968 and did post-graduate studies at theNuclear Research Center “Demokritos” inGreece. He completed a PhD in physicalchemistry at Michigan State University in1974, following this with a post-doc atUCLA. Since 1978 he has been associatedwith the IBM Corporation, quickly rising frombeing a staff researcher to research man-agement. Over the years, his research hasincluded a wide variety of subjects: laserspectroscopy, surface physics/chemistry,scanning tunneling microscopy, atommanipulation and nanoelectronics. His cur-rent research focuses on experimental andtheoretical studies of the electrical, opticaland optoelectronic properties of 2D and 1Dnanostructures. The work includes basic sci-ence studies and also the design, fabricationand study of nanoelectronic and optoelec-tronic devices. He has also served asadjunct research professor in chemistry atColumbia (2003) and of electrical engineer-ing at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (2004). He has 500 publicationsand has won numerous awards includingthe Langmuir Prize from the AmericanPhysical Society, the NanotechnologyPioneer Award from IEEE, the FeynmanPrize for Nanotechnology from the ForesightInstitute, the Smalley Prize from theElectrochemical Society, numerous internalIBM awards, and an honorary doctoratefrom the International Hellenic University.

Date: Thursday, March 26, 2015Times: Refreshments 5:30 PM

Lecture 6:00 PMPlace: Westchester Community College

Gateway Building, Room 11075 Grasslands RoadValhalla, NY

Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Further Information: Paul [email protected](914) 393-6940

Or:

Anthony [email protected]


BIOCHEMICAL TOPICALGROUP (continued from page 11)

(718) 289-5542 or 5569

Note: Inclement Weather: Cancellation Dueto Inclement Weather

Should Westchester Community College'sValhalla campus close due to inclementweather (or has delayed opening or closesearly) the meeting will be cancelled.Decisions about delay/closure are madearound 6:00 AM for day courses and 3:00PM for evening courses. The college willcommunicate delays, closings or early dis-missals on their website(www.sunywcc.edu), Facebook, Twitter,and the (914) 606-6900 phone line.

lEMPLOYMENT AND PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSCOMMITTEE OF THE NEW YORKSECTIONTo Human Resources Departments inIndustry and Academia

The Employment and Professional Rela tionsCommittee maintains a roster of candidateswho are ACS members seeking a position inthe New York metropolitan area. If you havejob openings and would like qualified candidates to contact you, please senda brief job description and educational/experience background required to [email protected].

Candidates from our roster who meet therequirements you describe will be asked tocontact you.

4LONG ISLAND SUBSECTION

Upcoming Meetings

Electrophilic Cyclizations ofAlkynes–Facile Approaches toHeterocyclic and Carbocyclic Molecules

Speaker: Yu Chen, PhDDepartment of ChemistryQueens College

Palladium and gold-catalyzed as well asiodine monochloride-induced intramolecularelectrophilic cyclizations of functionally sub-stituted alkynes will be discussed. Theseregioselective annulations represent newand efficient synthetic approaches to carbo-cyclic and heterocyclic molecules, includingisoxazoles, isoquinolines, indenones, anddibenzoannulen-5-ones. These approaches

utilize palladium or gold catalyzed reactionsas the key steps towards the production ofthe final target molecules or intermediatecompounds. The new methods start fromreadily available starting materials and onlyconsist of facile and user-friendly syntheticconditions, while they will serve as valuabletools for the preparation of compounds cov-ering a broad spectrum of fields includingsynthetic and medicinal chemistry, and thematerial sciences.

Date: Thursday, April 2, 2015Times: Social – 5:30 PM

Seminar – 6:00 PMPlace: CUNY Queensborough



****

The 15th Annual LI-ACS Chemistry Challenge

The Long Island subsection of the NY-ACSinvites you to participate in the 15th AnnualChemistry Challenge, to be held at CUNYQueensborough Community College. TheChemistry Challenge is a fun, fast-paced“Jeopardy-style” competition betweenChemistry students of local colleges. Timed,multiple choice questions (~75% Generaland 25% Organic Chemistry) will be askedduring the competition. Students will discussthe questions with their team members andselect a final answer using electronic“Clickers.” Medals and prizes will be award-ed to the top student teams. The atmos-phere is exciting and brings both studentsand mentors together!

To register a student team or obtain moreinformation, please contact Paul Sideris [email protected]. To view pho-tographs from prior Chemistry Challengeevents, please visit: http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/chemistry/chemchallwinner.html

Date: Friday, April 24, 2015Times: Dinner – 5:00 PM

Chemistry Challenge – 6:00 PMPlace: CUNY Queensborough





METRO WOMEN CHEMISTSDrug of Abuse Bioanalysis During Pregnancy: Recent Advances and NovelSampling Strategies

Speaker: Dr. Marta ConcheiroAssistant Professor of Forensic ToxicologyJohn Jay College ofCriminal JusticeCity University of New York

Abstract:

Consumption of drugs of abuse, tobaccoand alcohol throughout pregnancy is a seri-ous public health problem and results in animportant economic cost to the health sys-tem. Drug and/or metabolites determinationin biological matrices from mother and new-born is an objective measure of in utero drugexposure. Biological samples from themother (urine, hair), from the newborn(urine, hair, meconium), and those collectedat delivery (placenta, umbilical cord) arestudied, showing their main advantages anddisadvantages (window of detection,amount of sample normally available, collec-tion procedure). Accurate bioanalytical pro-cedures are essential to obtain high qualitydata to perform interventions and to estab-lish correlations between analytical mea-sures and clinical outcomes. We include abrief overview of clinical implications of inutero drug exposure to better understandthe importance of this serious health issue.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Marta Concheiro is Assistant Professorof Forensic Toxicology at John Jay Collegeof Criminal Justices, City University of NewYork. She received her Ph.D. in Toxicologyin 2006 from the University of Santiago deCompostela, Spain. During her Ph.D., shetrained at the Institute de Médicine Légale etde Médicine Social in Strasbourg (France)and the Instituto Nacional de Medicina Legalin Lisbon (Portugal). From 2008-2009, shewas a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at theNational Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA),NIH, in Baltimore, MD. She subsequentlyreturned to the University of Santiago deCompostela as a Researcher and TeachingAssistant of Forensic Toxicology. From 2012to 2014, Dr. Concheiro was a ResearchScientist at NIDA. Dr. Concheiro has active-ly participated in Drugs and DrivingResearch Projects, including the ROSITA(Road Side Testing Assessment) and

DRUID (Driving Under the Influence ofDrugs) European Projects, and in ClinicalProtocols at NIDA. Dr. Concheiro has morethan 40 publications in peer-reviewed jour-nals, and she has participated presentingher work at more than 30 professional toxi-cology meetings.

Date: Thursday, April 2, 2015Times: 3:30 PM – 4:30 PMPlace: Pace University

Lecture Hall North (2nd Floor)One Pace PlazaNew York, NY

Please contact Dr. Rita K. Upmacis (Chairof the Metro Women Chemistsʼ Committee([email protected]) if you plan toattend.

BNEW YORK NANOSCIENCE DISCUSSION GROUP 2014-2015 Sessions

Speakers to be announced

Hosted by: New York UniversityDepartment of Chemistry

The NYNDG is an ACS Topical Group thatmeets in the New York UniversityDepartment of Chemistry. Sessions featurethree 30-minute presentations on nano -science, one each with strong orientation inbiology, chemistry, and physics/appliedmathematics. Presen ta tions will be focusedon discussion of recent work, althoughspeakers will place the work in a contextunderstandable to a broad audience.

Mark your Calendars!

Dates: Tuesday, April 7, 2015Times: Refreshments at 7:00 PM

Science at 7:30 p.m.Place: NYU Silver Center

Room 1003 (10th floor)31 Washington Place(between Washington SquareEast and Greene Street)New York, NY

For more information, contact: James Canary ([email protected])

Topical Group History:http://www.nyu.edu/projects/nanoscience

ADELPHI UNIVERSITY2015 Henry Drysdale Dakin MemorialLecture — “GFP: Lighting Up Life”

Speaker: Prof. Martin ChalfieThe William R. Kenan Jr. Professor ofBiological Sciences, Columbia University2008 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry

Yankee great Yogi Berra once said, “You canobserve a lot by watching.” Unfortunately,before the early 1990s observations in thebiological sciences were usually done ondead specimens that were specially pre-pared and permeabilized to allow entry ofreagents to stain cell components. Thesemethods allowed a glimpse of what cellswere doing, but they gave a necessarily sta-tic view of life, just snapshots in time. GFPand other fluorescent proteins revolution-ized the biological sciences because theseproteins allowed scientists to look at theinner workings of living cells. GFP can beused to tell where genes are turned on,where proteins are located within tissues,and how cell activities change over time.Once a cell can be seen, it can be studiedand manipulated. The story of the discoveryand development of GFP also provides avery nice example of how scientific progressis often made: through accidental discover-ies, the willingness to ignore previousassumptions and take chances, and thecombined efforts of many people. The storyof GFP also shows the importance of basicresearch on non-traditional organisms.

Date: Wednesday, April 8, 2015Time: 7:00 PMPlace: Thomas Dixon Lovely Ballroom

University CenterCost: Free and open to the public

Travel Directions: http://www.adelphi.edu/visitors/directions.php

Additional Information: Contact ProfessorStephen Z. Goldberg, (516) 877-4147 [email protected]

COME AND JOIN US CELEBRATE EARTH DAY With Our 4th Annual “Walk the BrooklynBridge”!

Keynote address: “99 is not 100: A Callto Action”

Speaker: Prof. Spiro AlexandratosHunter College, CUNY

We will meet at Pace University at 10:00 AMand begin our celebratory “Earth DayParade” across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge at12:00 Noon.

Participants will be provided with breakfast,healthy snacks, and Earth Day gifts.

Date: Saturday, April 25, 2015Times: 10:00 AM - 12:00 NoonPlace: Pace University

To register and for more information go to:http://www.newyorkacs.org/meetings/EarthDay/CCED.php

Contact: Prof. JaimeLee Rizzo, CCEDChair, [email protected]


Learn more about the

New York Section at

www.NewYorkACS.org


See Call for Papers, page 18.

Learn more about the New York Section atwww.NewYorkACS.org


WESTCHESTER CHEMICAL SOCIETY

FUTURE MEETINGS

****Special Seminar – “How YourGrandmother's Diet May Have ChangedYour Life”

Speaker: Hailey Clancy, PhDLieutenant Colonel, US ArmyAssistant ProfessorDepartment of Chemistryand Life ScienceUnited States Military AcademyWest Point, NY

Abstract will be supplied in a later issue.

Lieutenant Colonel Hailey Clancy graduatedfrom Westminster College in Fulton,Missouri with a double major in Biology andSpanish and was commissioned into the USArmy in 1992. While on active duty with theUS Army, she earned a MS Degree inEnvironmental Toxicology from CornellUniversity where she developed a biosensorto detect the bacterium that causes Anthrax.In 2012 she earned a PhD in MolecularToxicology and Carcinogenesis from NewYork University, where she conductedresearch on the effects of human exposureto nickel and its role in lung cancer. LTCClancy's military assignments include ser-vice as a Transportation and Logistics officerin Germany (Nürnburg, Kaiserslautern,Wiesbaden, and Baum holder), Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq (Balad, Diyala, Baghdad),and Fort Drum, NY. She is currentlyassigned as an Assistant Professor in theDepartment of Chemistry and Life Scienceat West Point, NY, where she teachesGeneral Chemistry and Biology. Her militaryawards include the Bronze Star (with oakleaf cluster), Meritorious Service Medal (withtwo oak leaf clusters), Joint ServiceCommendation Medal, ArmyCommendation Medal (with oak leaf clus-ter), Army Achievement Medal (with oak leafcluster) and the Meritorious Unit Citation.

Tentative Date: Early October, 2015Times, Place, Cost and Further Information:

See information on page 12.

****

Special Seminar – “Hydrogen Bondingin Redox and Nanoparticle Construction”

Speaker: Marc A. Walters, PhDDepartment of ChemistryNew York UniversityNew York, NY

Abstract and CV will be supplied in a laterissue.

Tentative Date:Early November 2015Times, Place, Cost and Further Information:

See information on page 12.

Call for Presentations

LABORATORY ROBOTICSINTEREST GROUP21st Annual Technology Event

Laboratory automation users and technolo-gy vendors are invited to submit poster andpodium presentation abstracts for this meet-ing. It is scheduled for Thursday, May 14,2015. At press time, the meeting venue hasnot been established but it will be held in theSomerset, New Jersey, area. Presentationswill begin approximately 6:00 PM. Each pre-sentation should be 15 to 20 minutes long.

The Laboratory Robotics Interest Group isdedicated to educating our membershipabout new and advanced laboratory tech-nologies. We encourage the sharing ofinformation through regular meetings andinformal networking. Our membership isprimarily drawn from the pharmaceutical, lifescience, chemical, and food industries.Each meeting begins with a free buffet din-ner, followed by presentations,and cappedoff with desserts.

For more information or to submit abstractsplease contact:

Kevin OlsenMontclair State [email protected](973) 655-4076

Call for VolunteersMARM 2016The New York Section will be hosting MARM2016, June 9-12, 2016 at the College ofMount Saint Vincent, Riverdale, NY 10471.The section will be celebrating its 125thAnniversary during its event. The theme

has yet to be determined. The GeneralChairs for this meeting are Dr. PamelaKerrigan and Dr. Daniel Amarante from theCollege of Mount Saint Vincent's Division ofNatural Sciences. To volunteer in planningand/or for further information, please contactthem at the following emails:

[email protected]

[email protected]

Call for Papers



Call for NominationsTHE WILLIAM H. NICHOLSMEDAL AWARD FOR 2016The New York Section is accepting nomina-tions for the William H. Nichols Medal Awardfor the year 2016. This distinguished award,established in 1902 by Dr. William H.Nichols, for the purpose of encouraging orig-inal research in chemistry, is the first awardauthorized by the American ChemicalSociety. The New York Section presentsthis award annually in recognition of an out-standing contribution in the field of chem-istry. The award consists of a gold medal, abronze replica and $5000. The medals arepresented at the William H. Nichols Meetingthat involves the Distinguished Symposium,related to the medalist's field of expertise,and a Medal Award Dinner. The event isattended by members of the Nichols Familyand officers of the American ChemicalSociety.

Investigators who have published a signifi-cant and original contribution in any field ofchemistry during the five calendar years pre-ceding the presentation meeting are eligiblefor consideration by the Nichols Medal Jury.The New York Section encourages nomina-tions from academia, government andindustry.

Each nomination requires a completed nom-ination form, biographical and professionaldata, and three supporting letters. The nom-ination process goes through the New YorkSection website where the nomination formand instructions appear at http://www.newyorkacs.org/meetings/Nominations/Nichols.php

Nominations must be received by May31, 2015. The Nichols Medal Award Jurywill meet in June 2015 to select the NicholsMedalist for 2016.

Questions regarding the nomination procedure should be directed to the ACS,New York Section Office at [email protected].

METRO WOMEN CHEMISTSCOMMITTEEThe Metro Women Chemists Committee isnow accepting nominations for the 6th annu-al Gift of Mentoring Award. Please shareyour stories with us if you have benefitedfrom mentorship or you have had positiveinfluence over other people's lives orcareers. Please write your stories with nomore than 300 words and send them toSarah Carberry at [email protected]: April 1, 2015.

The mentoring award will be presented atthe MWCC event on May 12th at FarleighDickinson University in Madison. The eventwill start at 6:00pm and include dinner. For further details as the event approachesplease check our website (http://njacs.org/metrowomen.html) or email SarahCarberry ([email protected]).

Pittcon2015 TECHNICAL PROGRAMPittcon is pleased to announce the 2015Technical Program that includes over 2,000technical presentations offered in symposia,oral sessions, workshops, awards, and posters.This yearʼs program covers a wide range ofapplications such as, but not limited to, biotech-nology, biomedical, drug discovery, environ-mental, food science, fuels/energy, genomics,lab management, materials science, nanotech-nology, polymers/plastics, proteomics andwater/ wastewater. The Technical Programbegins on Sunday, March 8 and runs throughThursday, March 12, 2015.

To help celebrate the International Year ofLight, there will be two special symposia:

“Fundamental Science-driven Infrared Spec tro -scopic Imaging for Clinical Diag nostic Systems”will be presented by the SAS (Society ofApplied Spectroscopy), March 9, at 9:45 AM.

“The Early Days of Modem InfraredSpectroscopy: The First Three Years of FT-IR.”The Coblentz Society/SAS will present a “60Year Celebration of the Coblentz Society” orga-nized by Peter Griffiths, March 9, 8:35 AM.

We will once again be co-programming with theACS Division of Analytical Chemistry with aMonday afternoon poster session and eight

symposia on analytical methods and advance-ments in areas such as environmental science,food science, life science and nanotechnolgy.

See a complete list of all co-progrmming andtechnical sessions at pittcon.org.

XTHIRD ANNUAL FOOD LABSCONFERENCEThe Pittcon Organizing Committee is pleasedto announce the third annual Food LabsConference, the only food conference focusedon the food laboratory, will be held in conjunc-tion with Pittcon 2015, in New Orleans,Louisiana. The co-location of the two confer-ences provides that the registration fee toattend the two-day Food Lab Conference,March. 9-10, will also include unlimited weeklong admission to the Pittcon exposition floorand technical program.

The Food Labs Conference is unique in that itis not just focused on one discipline such asmicrobiology or chemistry, but takes a moreholistic approach to best practices in managingfood testing and analyses needs

Rick Biros, publisher of Food Safety Tech andFood Labs Conference organizer commented,“It is a win-win for the attendee. Conferees willtake away practical hands-on information thatwill help them to not only run their food lab incompliance with new regulations, but withincreased efficiently, as well.” He added, “Withregistration, they will also have access toPittconʼs dynamic exposition with hundreds oflaboratory equipment vendors and the diversetechnical program offering a wide selection offood related technical sessions.”

Palmer A. Orlandi, Ph.D., CAPT, U.S. PublicHealth Service, Sr. Science Advisor, Office ofFoods and Veterinary Medicine, U.S. Food &Drug Administration, will deliver the plenarypresentation, “Partnerships and Innovations.”

Other presentation topics include:

Pathogen Testing Update: Salmonella, STEC,Listeria

GMO & Pesticide Residue Analysis

Training & Development of Lab Personnel

Water Testing

Method Validation

Food Fraud/Economically MotivatedAdulteration

Flavor Profiling

“Ask the Experts” discussion groups

Go to http://www.FoodLabsConference.com for agenda, speakers and more info.


CALL FOR NOMINATIONS(continued from page 19)

NationalON-LINE SURVEYGreetings -I am pleased to announce that the ACSCommittee on Local Section Activities(LSAC) will be convening a strategic plan-ning session later this year to identify majorinitiatives to be taken during the next threeyears. In preparation for the strategic plan-ning session, we are seeking the opinion ofmembers like you.

This online survey will take just a little ofyour time to complete, but will influence theoutcome of the new strategic plan andshape the course of this committee throughthe coming years.

http://surveys.acs.org/se.ashx?s=04BD76CC48CBAE2D08D20535B1094E0F7C

Thanks in advance for your time and contri-butions.

Sincerely,Martin Rudd, Chair, ACS Committee onLocal Section Activities (LSAC)

=DISCOVERY — THE RIGHTCHEMISTRYNSF-funded researcher mixes mentoringand materials science — From freshmenyear, students work with Sunghee Lee,doing hands-on soft materials research.

September 17, 2014

During the week leading up to the AmericanChemistry Society national meeting, SungheeLee pulled two all-nighters in her lab.

She wasn't a college student who had procras-tinated. She wasn't on a deadline, exactly. Shedidn't need these data for an imminent posteror presentation at the conference. And, if left toher own devices, she might not have spent allthose hours in her lab, instead spending moretime with her aging mother who lives with her.

No, this was the result of her success at instill-ing the value of research perseverance in herstudents. They were determined that theirresearch shouldn't suffer because they wereattending the upcoming conference. Whilereaders of this story might assume her studentsare graduate students or even postdocs,they're not. Sunghee Lee is an NSF-fundedchemistry professor who has spent the past 10years mentoring undergraduate students byhaving them actively work in her lab at IonaCollege.

"A lot of people talk about integrating researchand education, but I wanted to show it reallywas possible," Lee said. "My students may nothave gotten into MIT or Harvard, but that does-n't measure what they can or cannot do. It's myjob to awaken their potential."

Frontier of science and education

Like so many chemists, Lee had initially intend-ed to pursue a career involving pure chemistryresearch. "I was thinking it would be at the fron-tier of science where I'd leave my mark--myname--on some chemistry advance or discov-ery," she said. "Then I did a postdoc at DukeUniversity where I first taught undergrad class-es. I could see the incredible potential I hadwith these students. Even if it meant I publisheda few fewer papers each year, I actively lookedfor a research position that would includeteaching."

And, in fact, Lee hasn't left her chemistryresearch behind. She studies soft materialsand how molecules organize around soft sur-faces, such as at a liquid interface.

"Oil and water actually do mix," she laughs, butthen quickly explains. "We use micropipettes tocreate a water droplet in an oil that containssome sort of lipid or surfactant. We quickly seehow a crystal develops as water leaves from itsdroplet into oil, and we are able to control whatis left behind (crystal) by changing the chem-istry of the soft interface."

Using water droplets and an array of biologicalmolecules, she and her students create amembrane mimic, using droplet interface bilay-ers, and study the fundamental properties ofbiological membranes. Additionally, she andher students look at temperature changes andother variables to see how they affect mem-brane permeability--what the molecule's mem-brane will allow in and keep out. Understandingthis soft interface means finding more effectivedrug delivery systems, safer cosmetics andlearning how our biological systems metabolizedifferent foods.

"Nature, our bodies--all the cells are soft mate-rials," she said. "And this is all fundamentalresearch. I always volunteer to teach generalchemistry because it is the first taste of sci-ence, and it covers so much. From my stu-dents' freshmen year, I am teaching these fun-damental concepts."

The power of motivating students

"Negative results are just what I want. They'rejust as valuable to me as positive results. I cannever find the thing that does the job best untilI find the ones that don't." Attributed to ThomasA. Edison, this quote was one of many that Leeand her students periodically put on the whiteboard in the lab to motivate one another. ForLee, the quote is a way to show her studentsthat being a scientist doesn't mean having a


(continued on page 22)

series of uninterrupted successful discoveries,but that failure is part of the process.

But Lee has had undeniable success in moti-vating students. Out of 20 students who havegone through her NSF-funded mentoring pro-gram, 14 are now enrolled in doctorate pro-grams and four in masters programs. WhenNSF first funded Lee's work, her lab added oneor two new students each year, making for afive-person team. Today, it has grown to a 15-person team. Some students also get stipendsto work during winter and summer breaksthere. Iona College students come from diversebackgrounds, and Lee is fostering an interest inscience among some students who have notbeen exposed to it much before college.

As she talks about her program's growth, it'sapparent she's most proud of the enthusiasmfor science she's instilled in her students.

"Research is exciting," she said. "We place avery high emphasis on research, and the stu-dents think this is something fun. But they takeit very seriously too. We've had snow dayswhere students call me, asking how I can helpthem get access to the lab so they can contin-ue their work. And with the NSF funding, I havebeen able to bring them to conferences andbuy things to help them do their research in thelab. It makes a difference in what kind of expe-rience I can share with them."

From the first day of Intro to Chemistry, shetells students about her lab, inviting them tovisit. Not everyone stops by, but for those whodo, she shows them a personal connectionbetween the data they discuss in class and thestudent lab assistants who have accrued thatdata.

"This research program and other mentoringprograms are critical to filling the careerpipeline with new scientists," said TimothyPatten, an NSF program officer in the chem-istry division. "Here is an environment wherereal, relevant research is taking place, andthese students are integral to the process.That's not only a confidence builder; it's a greatexperience for them to see what it is really liketo be a scientist. It's a great opportunitySunghee has provided to these students."

Contributions and limitations

Lee recognizes that not every student that sheworks with is going to become a chemist. She'shad a student graduate and move on to work ata Napa Valley winery. Others have honed in onmore tangential aspects of the work, ultimatelychoosing to explore software development orengineering careers as a result of their roles inher lab.

For example, one student knew he didn't want

to work on the lab's experiments, but he wasgood at writing computer code. He ended updeveloping a computer program that wouldtransfer data to video -- a process that had pre-viously been done manually but could now beautomated, saving a significant amount of timefor his student colleague experimentalists. Heis currently a junior and plans to go on to agraduate program in computer science.

Lee's outreach at New Rochelle High Schoolbrought a high school freshman to work withher three years ago. He showed initiative andinterest, and she knew she could work withhim. He continues in her lab today as he beginshis senior year in high school with plans tomajor in chemistry in college.

And while she admits that the challenge of hav-ing an all-undergrad lab means she needs tobe there whenever her students are, she isquick to explain that it's not because she doesn't trust them.

"It's not because they can't handle it--that's notit at all," she said. "It just defeats the purpose ofwhat I'm doing here. If it's going to be a mean-ingful, enjoyable educational experience, thenthey need to always have access to on-sitementoring."

That's what it's all about. As Lee says, shewants to see the "seed she plants in them"grow.

These days, Iona College, a liberal arts institu-tion, has noticed Lee's impact, making her theschool's first endowed professor. And NSFfunding continues to advance Lee's mission ofmotivating and mentoring science students.

"I recognize that science may not be a majorfocus for a liberal arts institution, so I feel like Ihave had a unique opportunity to grow this pro-gram," she said. "What I am most proud of isthat I feel I transform students. I awaken thepossibility in them. And sometimes I am the onewho helps them realize how much they are ableto do."

— Ivy F. Kupec, (703) [email protected]

InvestigatorsSunghee Lee

Related Institutions/OrganizationsIona College

LocationsIona College , New York

Related ProgramsNano

Related Awards#1212967 RUI: Microdroplet InterfaceChemistry-Fundamental Studies of Self-Assembled Structures at the Liquid/LiquidInterface

Years Research Conducted2012 - 2016

DISCOVERY — THE RIGHTCHEMISTRY(continued from page 21)



Total Grants$192,000

Related WebsitesSoft Materials Laboratory of Sunghee Lee atIona College:http://www2.iona.edu/faculty/slee/index.htm

OthersACC&CE — JOINT MEETINGWITH THE NORTH JERSEY SECTION, AMERICAN INSTITUTEOF CHEMICAL ENGINEERGrid-Scale Electricity Storage and DispatchCarbon Capture With Power Generation

Speakers: Bernard Ennis, P.E.President, EGT Enterprises, Inc.Cedar Grove, [email protected]

and

Jacinta SchultzSenior Process EngineerProcess GroupThielsch Engineering, Inc.Cranston, RIwww.thielsch.com

Abstract

Bernard Ennis and Jacinta Schultz will describethe requirements and techno-economic issuesat play in meeting the challenges presented asincreasing amounts of renewable electricityentering the power grid. Grid stability i.e., main-taining voltage and frequency and avoidingblackouts, has emerged as a global issue asthe percentage of renewables to the grid fromall sources has increased. Wind and solarpower systems are being deployed aggressive-ly due to improving economics and public poli-cy. These power sources are intermittent gen-erators and rapid compensating capacityadjustments must be made in real time fromother power generators. Electricity storage sys-tems are set to play an essential role.

The speakers will present the European andU.S.A. experiences, assess the future risk,review current electricity storage technologies,and propose a novel solution.

Biographical Information

Bernard Ennis, P.E. has consulted on insur-ance, legal, technical and management mattersin oil & gas, refining, petrochemical, chlor-alka-li, and power generation. He has authoredpatents on oxy-combustion, electric chemicalreactors and power generation systems. Heunderstands the significant issues relating tonew chemical technology development.

Jacinta Schultz has supervisory experience

providing process, technical and project man-agement advisory services to industry, govern-ments and investment houses. She is an expertin fertilizers, syngas processing and powergeneration. Additional experience includes pro-ject construction and plant operations problemsolving as well as advising on 500+MM$ pro-jects in Africa, Asia-Pacific, IndianSubcontinent, and the Middle East.

Bernard Ennis, P.E. is President at EGTEnterprises, Inc. of Cedar Grove, New Jersey.He has consulted to industry, attorneys andinsurance companies regarding ammonia-urea, ethylene, chlor-alkali, and power genera-tion since 1993. Prior he worked in executivemanagement and technical positions at CB&I,Inc. and KBR, Inc. He earned his B.S. and M.S.in Chemical Engineering at VillanovaUniversity. He has authored over 25 chemicaltechnology patents. Member American Instituteof Chemical Engineers, Association ofConsulting Chemists and Chemical Engineers,Sigma-Xi Research Society of [email protected] and www.egtgroup.com.

Jacinta Schultz is a Senior Process Engineer inthe Process Group at Thielsch Engineering,Inc. of Cranston, Rhode Island. She is respon-sible for process design and project interfaceswith clients and other Divisions for all aspectsof projects concerned with process and designengineering, and project management servicesregarding ammonia-urea, methanol, gasifica-tion, Fischer Tropsch, power generation, andother chemical processes. She earned her B.S.in Chemical Engineering at the University ofRhode Island and is member of the AmericanInstitute of Chemical [email protected] andwww.thielsch.com.

Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2015Times: Registration and Networking

6:00 PMDinner and Presentation 7:00 PM

Place: New Jersey Institute of TechnologyCampus CenterFaculty and Staff Dining RoomThird Floor

The registration fee is $25 for members andnon-members, complementary for students.Please contact Thomas B. Borne, (908) 233-6854, tslbrn@verizon, Joseph V. Porcelli,(917) 912-9804, [email protected]; or AndySoos, phone: 908-604-2670. Please registerby March 16.

Referring to NJIT Campus Map (http://www.njacs.org/wp-content /uploads/NJIT-revised-campus-map-2012-12-03a.pdf),please park in building “1. Student Mall/ParkingDeck”, and proceed to building “24. CampusCenter”.

Professional/Product Directory

ANALYTICALChemir . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Micron Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 New Jersey Institute of Technology . . . 24 NuMega Resonance Labs. . . . . . . . . . . 24 Quantex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Robertson Microlit Labs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

EDUCATIONDrew University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

EQUIPMENTEastern Scientific Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

GENERALACS-NY/NoJ Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 ACS-NY/NoJ Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 ACS-NY/NoJ Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

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MARCH 2015 SEPTEMBER-2006MARCH 2015 Vol. 96 • No. 3 ISSN0019-6924PLEASE RECYCLE THIS PAPER See...

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