CINTACS Newsletter of the Cincinnati Section of the  American Chemical Society  Vol. 38, No. 1 - September 2000

CINTACS is published nine times a year (September through May) by the Cincinnati Section of the American Chemical Society. All changes of address should be sent to Emel Yakali at Raymond Walters College, 9555 Plainfield Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236, phone 745-5686, FAX 745-5767, or email mc.acs@uc.edu.

SUBMISSION DEADLINES

The submission deadline for the October issue is September 1, 2000. Electronic submission is strongly preferred, except for original photos. All materials should be sent to:

Dr. Bruce Ault
Department of Chemistry
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati, OH 45221
Phone: 513-556-9238
FAX: 513-556-9239
E-mail: bruce.ault@uc.edu

I sit here pondering over my comments for this article, rushing around trying to meet Bruce Ault’s (CINTACS Editor) deadline. What a guy.  He’s going to keep us all honest.  I thank him for his efforts.

As Section Chair for 2000/2001, I am extremely pleased to welcome you to a new year for the Cincinnati Section of the American Chemical Society. For those who don’t know me, I have been an active member of this section for over 25 years. I mostly served in active roles shadowing our previous Section Chairs. I have served additionally, as Secretary to the Central Region for six years, served as Councilor and have been a member of the Joint Board-Council Chemical Abstract Committee.

I must thank the mentoring efforts from our Past Chair, F. Hal Ebetino, who assures me that I have things under control. What a year, Hal had. Through his efforts, the section had an increase in attendance, an increase in social peer interaction, a general strengthening of our committees programs, and an over-all strengthening of our Section. I express our gratitude for his efforts. He now serves as a member on the Section’s  Board of Trustees and will remain a source of valuable ideas and opinions.

Our program this year is in a tentative posture as of this writing, but will be completely on firm ground by the October issue of CINTACS. This year we will start the meetings in October due to the recent completion of the very successful 32nd Central Regional Meeting (CMACS 2000) in May. I felt that some of the committees and chairs needed a well earned rest.

CMACS 2000, chaired by Ray D’Alonzo, was absolutely a success. We thank Ray and all the chairs and members of the organizing committees for their efforts. In the last 20 years the CMACS meeting was held in the Cincinnati area three times. Each time it was a resounding success. (see Ray’s CMACS 2000 article in this issue).

Further to our program this year, we will hold the meetings at most University sites, have one meeting at an Industrial location (Givaudan Flavors), and have three meetings at various neutral locations. We will participate in the Oesper award banquet and poster session; celebrate ACS 125th and the Local Section’s 111th Anniversary; maybe hear about analytical chemistry at the chip level; celebrate National Chemistry Week the first week of November; maybe drag out the oil chemists (AOCS) and chemical engineers (AIChE) to one of our meetings; get Joe Cantrell out of Miami U, “one of the oldest people ever to spend an extended period of time ” in Antarctica, according to one of our local newspapers, and have him tell us of his visit there; maybe have something  about Plutonium; plant chemistry from Madagascar; a chemical show for our Teachers and Student Awards night; many discussion group meetings; Cincinnati Chemist of the Year award, a Golf Tournament given by the Younger Chemist Committee; and finally Party Night. Things of course are subject to change, but I’m working on it.

As to a few last thoughts:

National Chemistry Week will again need volunteers.  Soumya Patnaik (soumya.patnaik@wpafb.af.mil) and Lisa Clapp (lisa@vnetweb.com), are the Co-Chairs National Chemistry Week. Please contact them with your interest. They can always use your help.

The Oesper Banquet and Award Presentation will have a poster session this year. All are welcome to participate. Please contact Jeanette Krause-Bauer (jeanette.krause@uc.edu, (513) 556-9226) at the University of Cincinnati with your needs. This years poster session will be held at the Vernon Manner.

I would like to get an early start on our awards nominations this year. The new Awards Chair is Tim Cassady and specifics on nominations are given in this issue of CINTACS (see Award Nominations Solicited).

Well, Dave Francis did it again. This time he is being honored by the Heroes of Chemistry 2000 Program of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The Heroes of Chemistry Program was initiated by the ACS's Office of Industry Relations in 1996, and highlights the contributions of industrial chemists and chemical engineers to their companies, to the global marketplace, and to the chemical enterprise. Heroes are honored for work that has led to the successful development and commercialization of a technological product. Dave (P&G Pharmaceuticals, retired) is being honored for "applying biophysical-chemical principles to the treatment of bone and tooth diseases," leading to commercialization of Osteoscan, Didronel, and Advanced Formula Crest. All I can say, is this is a far cry from the days of blowing up teeth in vacuum chamber while doing surface analysis. Congratulations Dave, a well deserved honor.

And now you may be asking yourselves’, “What’s with the fish?” Well, you are looking at a 4.3 lb., bragging size Wall-eye caught this June on Rush Lake in Ontario Providence, Canada. The fishing trip consisted of six people of which four were chemist. As usual a “Standard Bet” was made for the best fish caught. This fish lost. Now I ask you, how in the world could this fish lose?

Regards to all. I hope all of you had a great summer.

Rick Fayter - Cognis Corporation - (513) 482-3156 - Rick.fayter@cognis-us.com

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The first meeting of this school year will be held on Wednesday, October 11, at Walnut Hills High School.  We are planning an exciting evening that includes a tour of the new science classroom/laboratory wing, a demonstration  of the MeasureNet Technology, and a roundtable discussion among college and high school teachers.  Jeff Lazar will be our host and lead the tours.  Estel Sprague from UC will demonstrate the MeasureNet system which allows student lab teams to acquire precise data with only one computer in the lab area.  Representatives from UC, Xavier, and NKU will discuss the important elements of student preparation for college science curricula. We will begin the tours and social time at 6:30 PM.  The technology demonstrations will occur from 6:45 to 7:45 PM.  The discussion will occur from 7:45 to 9 PM. Walnut Hills is located on Victory Parkway.  From I-71 exit at Dana Avenue and proceed west to Montgomery Road. Turn left on Montgomery and travel less than one mile to Blair Avenue. Turn right on Bair and travel four blocks into the back circle of the school.  You will see the new wing off to your right. There is plenty of parking adjacent to the wing.  Then follow the signs to a great professional evening!

Other crucial business is to make plans for two other events: National Chemistry Week (NCW) and Hands-On Chemistry Day in March.  Consider training some students to do chemistry demonstrations at the Museum Center during National Chemistry Week.  It is great fun for your students, great positive exposure for your school, and wonderful role-modeling for the young audiences.  Since NCW happens early in November, commit quickly by e-mailing our coordinator, Frank Huss, at fhuss3@aol.com.

The discussion group has talked for over 2 years about hosting a Saturday workshop featuring chemistry activities and inquiry methods for grades K through 12. We can make it happen if enough interested teachers commit to an organizational committee. Let’s do it! E-mail Linda Ford at linda.ford@7hills.org to say YES! to helping.

The group is always looking for new ways to reach out to the teaching community.  One very easy way is for veteran teachers to invite and escort a new person to our first meeting. All suggestions for improving the outreach of the group will be warmly received by the chair, Linda Ford. Fire off those great ideas to her e-mail. This is Linda’s second year as chair, and she needs all the help her colleagues can offer.

And a final fun note! C&EN  has compiled all of their columns called ”What’s That Stuff?” on line at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff.html.   These columns deal with everyday chemistry by featuring a substance or material of common interest. Check it out!

The 32nd Annual ACS Central Regional Meeting or CMACS 2000 was held on June 16-19, 2000, at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Kentucky.  It consisted of 570 submitted abstracts and attracted 1053 registrants.  The meeting was financially supported by 31 sponsors, 28 exhibitors and three advertisers.

 The meeting did not revolve around a theme.  Rather, the meeting attempted to provide something for everyone in much the same manor as a National ACS meeting.

 The technical program consisted of 246 invited symposia, 203 posters, 110 general session presentations, and 11 abstracts classified as other.  By employer, 70% of the abstracts originated from academia, 16% from Industry, 9% from government, and 5% from other.  By geography, 82% originated from within the Central Region (51% from Ohio, 12% from Kentucky, 9% from Michigan, 6% from Indiana, 3% from Pennsylvania, and 1% from West Virginia), and 18% from 27 states outside the region, the District of Columbia, and 3 foreign countries.

 Short courses were provided in organic synthesis, organic mass spectroscopy, and laboratory safety.  ACS National sponsored an employment clearing house and career workshop.  The student affiliate program consisted of a short course in industrial analytical problem solving, a graduate school fair with 8 departments, a poster session, and a pizza social.

 For the first time at a Central Regional Meeting, two awards were presented for innovation in industry, one for environmental chemistry and one for polymer chemistry.  A special CMACS 2000 Award in Chemical Sensors was also presented to Professor Emeritus Leland C. Clark.  The Regional Award in High School Chemistry Teaching was presented to Linda Ford of The Seven Hills High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

 A number of special events were organized by ACS affiliated groups.  The Young Chemists Committee sponsored a seminar on investment planning.  The Women’s Chemists Committee sponsored a reception and symposia on the Chemistry of Color and Achieving Success in Chemistry.  A special symposium entitled Diversity: A requirement for Success was organized joint with the ACS Division of Professional Relations.  Finally, several sessions on chemical education were incorporated into the larger technical program.

 The meeting’s social events consisted of a vendors’ reception, a Reds vs. Pirates baseball game, a riverboat dinner cruise, a tour of new Newport Aquarium, a gala reception, and a Directors’ breakfast sponsored by ACS National.

 Preliminary financial figures indicate that the meeting was a success.  Final figures will not be available for a few months.

 Publicity which resulted from the meeting included two articles in local newspapers.  One article entitled, Bad Beer Boosts Chemists’ Spirits, appeared in the Friday, May 19, 2000 edition of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Another entitled, Chemists Imbibe to Study Beer, appeared in the Wednesday, May 24, 2000 edition of the Kentucky Post.  The symposium on the chemistry of beer was apparently a hit with the local media.  Also, on the morning of the opening day, Jack McKeon, General Manager, Cincinnati Reds, was present at the vendors’ exhibit to chat with attendees and sign autographs.

Ray D’Alonzo

Editor’s Note: A big “thanks!” to Ray and everyone involved with the organization and running of the Central Regional Meeting.

It is once again time to prepare for National Chemistry Week (NCW).  The mission of the yearly NCW event is to reach the public, especially elementary and secondary school children, with positive message about chemistry.  We plan on celebrating NCW, November (5-11), 2000 by continuing our library and museum demonstrations.  Last year over 30 local libraries participated in the program, reaching a large number of children.  This is a big task and we need YOU to volunteer.  We are looking for seasoned demonstrators as well as newcomers.

 The theme for NCW 2000 is “Kitchen Chemistry”.  Although volunteers are free to plan their own theme and shows, you can get ideas related to Kitchen Chemistry from NCW publications such as ChemMatters and WonderScience.  These publications will be provided to interested volunteers.  We will also provide additional demonstration ideas upon request.

National Chemistry Week and Challenge 2000:

 Help is also needed in identifying corporations or foundations that can be requested to take part in a matching gift fund program.  If your company might be interested please contact Rick Fayter.

Chemists Reacting to Hunger:

 In keeping with the theme, Kitchen Chemisty, the National office has asked the local sections to organize a food collection drive to benefit a local charity.  If you would like to coordinate such an effort please let us know.

 Please check http://www.che.uc.edu/acs/ncw/ncw_cin.html for library sites and demonstration times.  Additional information can be obtained from Soumya Patnaik at 937-255-6671 ext. 3116, (e-mail: Soumya.Patnaik@afrl.af.mil) or from Lisa Clapp at 513-681-5950 ext. 649 ( e-mail at lisa@vnetweb.com).

Cincinnati Chemist of the Year

The Awards Committee request nominations for the 2001 Cincinnati Chemist of the Year. This award recognizes professional accomplishments of a member. The 2001 Chemist of the Year will be the featured speaker at the March meeting at Miami University. Deadline for nominations is November 16, 2000 (at the meeting)

Cincinnati Research Assistant of the Year

The Awards Committee request nominations for the 2001 Cincinnati Research Assistant/Chemical Technician of the Year. This award recognizes job skills, teamwork, leadership, publications and presentations, reliability, communication skills, and additional professional and community activities. A Chemical Technician/Research Assistant is defined as a person whose training includes successful completion of a two year post-high school chemistry curriculum or equivalent work in a Baccalaureate program, or equivalent knowledge gained by experience. The award will be presented at the March Meeting. The winner will be the Section’s candidate for the National award. Deadline for nominations is November 16, 2000.

Outstanding Teaching Awards

The Awards Committee request nominations for each of the following:

High School Chemistry Teacher of the Year
Middle School/Junior High School Science Teacher of the Year
Elementary School Science Teacher of the Year

All three awards recognize excellence in teaching ability, enthusiasm, mentoring skills, and other leadership activities. Nominees need not be members of the American Chemical Society. Generally speaking, anyone teaching in the 35 mile radius of downtown Cincinnati is eligible. Deadline for nominations is December 7, 2000 (at the meeting).

Nomination forms for each award may be requested from, and return to:

Tim Cassady
Awards Committee Chair
Cognis Corporation
4900 Este Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45232
Phone: (513) 482-2294, Fax (513) 482-2862
e-Mail: Tim.cassady@cognis-us.com

The Cincinnati section of the YCC is very pleased and excited to announce the winning of National YCC’s “Most Creative Event” award.  The award was announced at the ACS meeting in Washington D.C. during the Chemluminary Awards program on Tuesday, August 22nd, 2000.  The Chemluminary Awards program recognizes ACS local sections and local section YCC’s for their outstanding programs and achievements.  The award was given to us for the brown bag lunch series hosted last year, which consisted of “Résumé Writing Tips” and “Post-Doc Experiences”, and for organizing a “Recruiter’s Panel” discussion at the CMACS meeting  in June of 1999.

Congratulations and let’s keep up the good work!!!

After a long summer, the Cincinnati section of the Younger Chemists Committee (CYCC) is gearing up to plan its events for the coming year.  We invite you to come and participate in our annual “Kickoff Meeting” that will be held this September (exact time and location TBA in next CINTACS).  The purpose of this kickoff meeting is to brainstorm new ideas for professional events and social activities.  For old members, this is the perfect time to voice your opinion and tell us what you want.  You have seen our past programs!  Was there anything you would like to see repeated?  Was there anything you wished we had planned?  For new students, this is an excellent opportunity to come and learn what the CYCC is all about.  We encourage participation from both academia and industry.  So, if you know of someone who might be interested, please pass on the news.

Celebrating 50 Years of Support for Chemical Research and Education

"Penicillin, the proximity fuze [sic], the atom bomb, among a host of other scientific contributions to American victory in the Second World War, brought home to many citizens the value of scientific research. In the continuing crisis after the war, there were few who opposed the proposition that sustained Federal support of science and research was essential to the defense and welfare of the United States."

-- Excerpt from The First Annual Report of the National Science Foundation, 1950-51

The 50th anniversary of the National Science Foundation (NSF) provides a unique opportunity to express the profound appreciation of the entire science community for the Foundation's uniquely beneficial contributions to our nation. NSF can be credited with expanding scientific knowledge and laying the groundwork for some important technologies: MRI, Doppler radar, and the Internet, just to name a few. The Foundation also provides crucial support for training the next generation of scientists and engineers and for science education programs that enhance the lives of every American.

Chemistry has had a significant presence at NSF since the agency was created, growing from a program in the Division of Mathematical & Physical Sciences to the Division of Chemistry within the newly created Directorate for Math and Physical Sciences in 1975. Today, the division provides about $140 million each year for research and education in the chemical sciences through about 800 active awards. Chemical engineering also has been an important component of NSF. Engineering began as a small division at NSF in 1964, and became its own directorate 15 years later. The Chemical and Transport Systems Division funds research for industrial manufacturing processes and some natural processes, such as those in water and in the atmosphere.

The Office of Legislative and Government Affairs will sponsor its annual "Contact Congress Week" in February 2001. OLGA encourages all local section to invite a state or federal legislator to speak as part of the program at a local section meeting during the President's Day recess, February 17th–23rd.  Inviting a legislator to a meeting will provide an exceptional opportunity for your local section members to learn about the positions of your elected officials on research, science education, and environmental issues.  It is also an important opportunity to educate legislators on the issues that face ACS members and to build relationships with those who represent you.  No cost is associated with the presentation. The Office of Legislative and Government Affairs will assist you in selecting and contacting the proper legislator, drafting an invitation letter, and promoting the event.  If you already have your February 2001 program planned we can work with you to find an alternative time.  Please contact Ethan Castelo at (202) 452-8917 or e_castelo@acs.org to involve your local section in the 2001 Contact Congress Week.

Let the world know that you belong to the premier society for chemists, chemical engineers, and allied professionals.  Order your 2000 ACS Membership Certificate today!

Each personalized certificate is signed by the President and Executive Director of ACS, and is suitable for framing and display in your office, laboratory, or at home.  To request yours online, go to www.acs.org/membership/certificate.html.  Or complete and submit the following information via fax to 202/872-6337.

Name: (as you wish it to appear on your certificate)
Membership No. :
Address (for shipping) :
City, State, Zip:
Phone Number :

 Upon confirmation of your paid membership, please allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.

Formatted and uploaded March 5, 2001 by acs@www.che.uc.edu