The Bulletin of the Virginia Section AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY MARCH MEETING NOTICE MARCH 2014 Virginia State University Petersburg, Virginia Friday, March 14, 2014 SOCIAL HOUR: 6:00 p.m. Gateway Dining Hall Gateway Dining Events Center - Salon C DINNER: 6:30 p.m. Gateway Dining Hall Gateway Dining Events Center - Salon C S M T W T F S 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 reservations 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 meeting 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 PROGRAM: MENU: 7:30 p.m. Gateway Dining Hall, Gateway Dining Events Center - Salon C Cucumber Cup Salad, Chicken Picatta, Parsley Red Bliss Potatoes, Sauteed Green Beans, Dinner Rolls and Butter, NY Style Cheesecake, Beverages Vegetarian Alternative: Vegetable Terrine (please specify vegetarian when making your reservation) PRICE: ACS Members and Guests - $18.00 High School Students, College Students, High School Teachers - $9.00 Retired ACS Members & Guests; Retired Teachers & Guests - $13.00 DINNER Please make reservations for the Dinner by NOON on Friday, RESERVATIONS: March 7 by calling Mrs. Fran Thomas at (804) 524-5438 or by e-mail to cmtaylor@vsu.edu HOST: Dr. Colleen Taylor, (804) 524-5481; cmtaylor@vsu.edu SPEAKER: Dr. Jeffrey I. Seeman, University of Richmond TOPIC: Humor and Humanness of Great Chemists th of the 20 Century
Page 2 The Bulletin Dr. Jeffrey I. Seeman Jeffrey I. Seeman received his B.S. from the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He is now at the University of Richmond. Seeman has published over 140 articles in the peer-reviewed literature and patents, in fields as diverse as natural products chemistry, chemical physics, flavor technology, responsible conduct of research and history and sociology of chemistry. Seeman s first publication involving the history of chemistry was in his 1983 Chemical Reviews article on Curtin-Hammett/Winstein-Holness kinetics. Seeman was the creator and editor of the series of 20 autobiographies of eminent chemists titled Profiles, Pathways and Dreams, published by the American Chemical Society. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) and as Chair of the Heritage Council of the CHF. Seeman originated and runs the ACS HIST Citation for Chemical Breakthrough award program. He also produces and directs videos for educational purposes including documentaries of eminent scientists. He has produced and directed two major video-based websites: The Archimedes Initiative, aimed at improving science literacy in our youth; and Eminent Organic Chemists, documenting the human side of these scientists. th Humor and Humanness of Great Chemists of the 20 Century How is science performed? How does personality influence research objectives, methodologies, and achievements? What is the nature of competition and collaboration? How do scientists have fun? What lessons have we learned in terms of the human side of science? With the goals of education, inspiration and entertainment, this talk will focus on a number of famous chemists who will reveal their various personality characteristics and behaviors in the scientific milieu. Through the use of photographs of famous chemists and archival documents collected by the presenter over 30 years, the role of personality and societal factors will be discussed (for example, ego, pride, sincerity, oneupmanship, roots and tradition, and professional responsibility). Please: sit back and enjoy! DIRECTIONS Virginia State University is located in Chesterfield County, near the town of Ettrick. The easiest way to get there from the north or south is to use I-95 to the Colonial Height exit (# 54): 1. Take Interstate 95 to Colonial Heights, Exit 54 (Temple Avenue). Turn left at the traffic light when coming off the exit ramp, heading toward Boulevard (US 1-301). 2. Turn left at the second traffic signal on to U.S. Route 1-301 (Boulevard). 3. Stay in the right lane to the fourth traffic light. Turn right (at the WaWa) on to Dupuy Avenue. 4. The VSU campus is less than a quarter of a mile. Turn left on to Matthews Jefferson Drive to enter the campus. Park in lot 28 which is on the left just after you pass the softball field. Take the walking bridge from the parking lot to the Gateway Dining Hall.
The Bulletin Page 3 MAP Gateway Dining Events Center *** VIRGINIA SECTION NEWS *** FUTURE MEETING DATE: April 11, 2013 LOCATION: University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA HOST: Dr. James Demas PHONE: (434) 924-3343 E-MAIL: demas@virginia.edu SPEAKER: Dr. David Hudson TOPIC: Ethics in Research Good Citizenship Rules Apply STUDENT POSTER SESSION
Page 4 The Bulletin EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING The Spring Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Virginia Section will be held on Friday evening, May 2 at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. All members of the Section are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Dr. Scott Gronert, Chair of the Section: (804) 828-2753; sgronert@vcu.edu. VIRGINIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE ANNUAL MEETING Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia May 14-16, 2014 The 92 Annual meeting of the Academy will be held at Virginia Commonwealth nd University in Richmond on May 14-16. Oral presentations will be scheduled on May 15. There will be a Poster Session for all Sections that will be set up and stay up all day Thursday, May 15. For more information on the chemistry program, contact Tom DeVore, Chemistry Section Secretary, at devore@jmu.edu. Full information about the annual meeting and about Academy membership can be found on the Academy s website: http://www.vacadsci.org. SEMINARS AT VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY March 6 - Dr. Qiaosheng Pu, Lanzhou University, China March 20 - Dr. Richard Vachet, University of Massachusetts April 3 - Dr. Michael Schultz, McGuire VA Medical Center April 10 Dr. Indika Arachchige, VCU Department of Chemistry April 17 - Dr. Charles Winter, Wayne State University April 24 - Dr. Naomi Halas, Rice University (Kapp Lecture) Seminars are held at 3:30 p.m. in Room 1024, in the Physical Science Wing of Oliver Hall, 1001 West Main Street, Richmond. For more information, call (804) 828-1298. WORDS OF WISDOM FOR MARCH: YOU CAN NEVER BE HURT BY WHAT YOU DO NOT SAY
The Bulletin Page 5 SEMINARS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA March 21 - Professor Tatyana Igumenova, Texas A&M University, NMR of Conditional Peripheral Membrane Domains April 4 - Professor Andrew Feig, Wayne State University, Clostridial Toxins: Disease Challenges and Biotechnology Opportunities April 11 - Professor Greg Hillhouse, University of Chicago, Unusual Reactivity of 2-Coordinate Complexes of Ni(I) and Ni(II) April 18 - Professor Jim Skinner, University of Wisconsin April 25 - Professor Michael Fayer, Stanford University, Water Dynamics in Nanoconfined Systems (Jefferson Lecture) May 15 - Professor Peter Dervan, California Institute of Technology, Molecular Recognition of DNA by Small Molecules. Fundamentals to Applications (Hecht Lecture) Chemistry colloquia are held at 4:00 p.m. in Room 304 of the Chemistry Building. The complete colloquium schedule is on-line at http://chem.virginia.edu/events-seminars/. CHEMISTS CELEBRATE EARTH DAY (CCED) 2014 The CCED 2014 theme is the "Wonders of Water, exploring the unique properties of water that are crucial for life and a cleaner environment. CCED seeks to bring international focus to environmental causes, such as clean air, water, and energy. The ACS offers events, contests, and educational resources for members, chemical educators, students, and chemistry enthusiasts to illustrate the positive role that chemistry plays in preserving the Earth. The Virginia Section will be participating in CCED this year. Dr. Kristine Smetana, Chair of the Section Committee on Community Activities, will be organizing the activities that will be held on April 26 as part of the Fool for Arts at John Tyler Community College. Contact her at ksmetana@jtcc.edu or (804) 706-5143 with suggestions for other CCED events and to volunteer your assistance. Look for more information in the April issue of the Bulletin. 2014 CHEMISTRY OLYMPIAD The Virginia Section will host the 2014 Chemistry Olympiad for all high school chemistry teachers and students who are interested in participating. The Virginia Section exams will be administered between February 28 and March 26. The students who do well in the local competition will be nominated to compete in the national competition; that examination will be given on April 19 at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Richmond. The 2014 International Chemistry Olympiad will be held in Hanoi, Vietnam in July. For more information and the application forms, go to the Virginia Section website at http://virginia.sites.acs.org/. Dr. Ann Sullivan is the coordinator for the Chemistry Olympiad in the Virginia Section; asullivan@reynolds.edu; (804) 943-2591.
Page 6 The Bulletin THE CHAIR S CORNER February was a fine month for the Virginia Section. On February 11, Kristine Smetana offered a very successful event associated with a Younger Chemists Committee (YCC) Webinar. It was titled Love Potion #9, The Chemistry of Scent and Flavor, and was attended by a large number of student affiliate members in the Richmond area. On February 21, Barbara Imperiali provided an impressive and entertaining Powell Lecture at the University of Richmond as a part of the Section meeting. These events highlight the ever rising role of women in Chemistry. In 2010, 50% of the BS Chemistry degrees in the US went to women, according to Department of Education data. In 1970, that percentage was only 18%. What happened in those 40 years? The number of women earning BS degrees in Chemistry increased by nearly 400% whereas the number of men dropped by 35%. Changes are also occurring at the PhD level. From 1970 to 2010, the percentage of PhDs going to women grew from less than 8% to nearly 40%. This a sea change in the demographics of the community and will greatly alter the makeup of our society in the decades to come. Leadership in the Virginia Section reflects this changing demographic and supports a strong Women Chemists Committee (WCC). Finally, we are hoping to bring new at-large members into the Executive Committee this year. If you are interested in playing a larger role in the section, please let me know....scott Gronert Section Chair sgronert@vcu.edu REPORT ON THE FEBRUARY SECTION MEETING The February 14 Section meeting was the annual Allan W. Powell Lectureship at the University of Richmond. Dr. William Myers reminded the guests of the legacy of Dr. Powell who made significant contributions to the University of Richmond, the American Chemical Society, the Virginia Academy of Science, and to the field of chemistry. The Powell Lectureship was established in his honor. For the past 27 years, outstanding scientists have made presentations as part of the Lectureship series. The 2014 speaker was Dr. Barbara Imperiali from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who spoke on Chemical Tools for the Study of Complex Biological Systems. A full auditorium of over 80 persons heard the presentation which was followed by a lively question-and-answer session. Dr. Raymond Dominey of the Department of Chemistry at University of Richmond introduced the speaker. At the conclusion of Dr. Imperiali s talk, Dr. Todd Koch, Chair Elect of the Virginia Section, presented her with the traditional engraved Jefferson Cup from the Section. As usual, the Lectureship talk was preceded by a delicious dinner in the Heilman Dining Center. The Section appreciates the continuing cooperation and financial support for these meetings by the University of Richmond. Bill Myers
The Bulletin Page 7 Some past meetings of the Virginia Section:...A LOOK BACK... One Year Ago: March 1, 2013, University of Richmond Emily Carter, Princeton University, The Role of Science in Moving the Planet to Green Energy and a Sustainable Future Five Years Ago: March 27, 2009, Lynchburg College Bradley Smith, ACS, Science Policy for a Better Tomorrow Ten Years Ago: March 11, 2004, Virginia BioTechnology Research Park, Richmond Robert Bates, University of Florida, What You Always Wanted to Know about Chemicals but Were Afraid to Eat 25 Years Ago: March 17, 1989, The College of William and Mary, Williamsburg Foil Miller, University of Pittsburgh, Great Mistakes in Science 50 Years Ago: March 20, 1964, Charlottesville Howard Bond, National Cancer Institute, Recent Developments in Cancer Chemotherapy 60 Years Ago: March 12, 1954, University of Virginia, Charlottesville Louis Fieser, Harvard University, Some Aspects of the Chemistry and Biochemistry of Cholesterol SCIENCE FAIR JUDGES NEEDED METRO RICHMOND STEM FAIR - March 15, Clover Hill High School. Contact Martha Vogel: mvogel@msinnovation.info; (804) 343-6535, ext. 231 VIRGINIA JUNIOR ACADEMY OF SCIENCE - May 14, Virginia Commonwealth University. Contact Susan Booth: susan.science@gmail.com ACS WEBINARS ACS Webinars is a free, weekly online event connecting ACS members with subject matter experts and global leaders in chemical sciences, management, and business. Each webinar is 60 minutes in length, comprising a short presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session. The live webinars are scheduled on Thursdays at 2 p.m. Recordings of past webinars are available online. For a schedule of upcoming events and more information on ACS Webinars, go to http://acswebinars.org/. Here are a few upcoming webinars: March 6 - From Waste to Wealth Using Green Chemistry March 13 - Detecting Bioterrorism: Is Chemistry Enough? March 17-18 - Exclusive Access to Energy Experts from the ACS National Meeting March 27 - Drug Discovery Series Session 2: Counting Targets A Primer in Drug Target Classes
Page 8 The Bulletin REPORT ON THE JANUARY AWARDS MEETING The 2013 Distinguished Service Award and a special award for Excellence in Industrial Analytical Chemistry were presented at the January meeting of the Virginia Section. Nearly 60 persons attended the meeting at Arista Laboratories in Richmond. Dr. Scott Gronert, Chair of the Virginia Section, presided. The program was preceded by tours of Arista Laboratories and an Italian dinner. Dr. Gronert introduced several family members of the award recipients. Dr. Joseph Pompano, Distinguished Service Award recipient, was accompanied by his wife Debbie and two of his three daughters, Laura Pompano and Rachel Pompano McLaughlin. Rachel s husband, James McLaughlin, also attended the meeting. Debbie Koller accompanied her husband, Dr. Kent Koller, who received the Excellence in Industrial Analytical Chemistry Award. Randy Courington, Laboratory Director for Arista Laboratories, welcomed the Virginia Section to their facilities and described some of the operations and capabilities of the Laboratory. Dr. Gronert then introduced Timothy Danielson of Altria Client Services, who enumerated some of the many accomplishments of Kent Koller. Dr. Koller presented a short talk on Industrial Analytical Chemistry as Practiced in Altria Client Services and entertained questions. Dr. Todd Koch, Chair-Elect of the Section, then presented him with a plaque and an engraved Jefferson Cup. Dr. Ann Sullivan, Virginia Section Councilor, introduced Joe Pompano, winner of the 2013 Distinguished Service Award. Dr. Sullivan described Joe s contributions to the Section, especially his leadership in the very successful SERMACS-2011 meeting that was hosted by the Section. In his talk on Heterocyclic Amines, Dr. Pompano described some of the work that led to the development of new methods for the analysis of amines in tobacco products. Dr. Koch presented him with a plaque, a desk set, and an engraved Jefferson Cup. The Section expresses sincere gratitude to Arista Laboratories for hosting this meeting and to Joe Pompano for making the arrangements. left-to-right: Dr. Kent Koller, Excellence in Industrial Analytical Chemistry Award Dr. Scott Gronert, Chair of the Virginia Section Dr. Joseph Pompano, Distinguished Service Award
The Bulletin Page 9 CHEMISTRY AT VSU Chemistry at Virginia State University means small classes, frequent contact with instructors, and plenty of individual attention. Classes and laboratories are taught by faculty members who are dedicated to excellence in teaching. Facilities, equipment, and personnel provide opportunities for undergraduate research and student-originated projects. Students are expected not only to master the principles and theory of chemistry, but to become proficient in laboratory techniques, instrumental methods, computer applications, and the use of the chemical literature. Instrumentation includes ICP, GC, UV/Vis, FTIR, polarimetry, fluorescence and a variety of small portable instrumentation. There is a heavy emphasis on written and oral communication skills. The department offers a BS in Chemistry with a concentration in Forensic Chemistry and a Biochemistry/Pre-professional curriculum for students interested in professional schools. Students in the department are involved in a wide variety of research work with projects ranging from the search for new sources of biofuels to the fabrication of biosensors for applications in imaging and the detection of toxins. They are supported by the VSU HBCU-UP, LS-AMP and RIMI programs. Graduates have gone on to obtain Ph. D.s in their field of study including two recent graduates from University of Maryland College Park and one from Virginia Commonwealth University. Others obtain employment in industry with recent positions obtained by graduates at Alere Toxicology, Evonik Industries and Boehringer Ingelheim Chemical for example. The ACS student affiliate is very active, participating annually in National Chemistry Week at the Science Museum of Virginia, the Fool for the Arts Festival in Chesterfield County, the Christmas Angel Tree, and the Girls in Science event sponsored by DuPont. The students were awarded an Undergraduate Student Affiliate Grant to sponsor the undergraduate program at SERMACS in 2011. Students have volunteered to assist in the implementation of Guided Inquiry experiments in the chemistry lab curriculum at Hopewell High School. Some VSU ACS student affiliate members are shown at the Dupontsponsored Girls in Science Camp-in Event at the Science Museum of Virginia in October, 2013. Right-to-left: Jasmine Burch, Kymisha Wells, Alexandria Caston, Alyssa Allen, past Chemistry Club President, and Niesha Paul. CURRENT CONTACT INFORMATION Does ACS have your correct contact information? If you have had a change in address, phone number, or e-mail address, contact ACS to update your information. Please include both the old and new contact information and your membership ID (the 8-digit number in the upper left hand corner of the C&E News address label). Telephone (800) 333-9511 or e-mail service@acs.org.
Page 10 LOVE POTION # 9 The Bulletin On February 11, John Tyler Community College hosted the ACS webinar, The Chemistry of Scent & Fragrance. Students from John Tyler, Virginia Union University, the University of Mary Washington, and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College joined Virginia Section members and other guests at the event. Scientists from Pfizer Consumer Healthcare led an informal discussion. The webinar was a collaboration of the ACS Younger Chemists Committee, ACS Careers, and ACS Webinars. Dr. Kristine Smetana organized the local event that was sponsored by the Vriginia Section and the JTCC Chemistry Club. CAN YOU IDENTIFY THESE PERSONS? The mystery person shown in the February Bulletin was the renowned chemist, Dr. Louis Fieser, who addressed the Virginia Section on at least two occasions. On March 12, 1954, he spoke at the University of Virginia on Some Aspects of the Chemistry and Biochemistry of Cholesterol. On January 9, 1942, he spoke to the Section at the Medical College of Virginia on Studies of Cancer- Producing Hydrocarbons. QUESTIONS FROM THE PAST The photograph was taken at a Virginia Section meeting held at Afton Chemical Corporation on December 2, 2005. The Coordinator of the Chemistry Olympiad had just presented an award to a teacher from the Maggie Walker Governor s School. T he plaque recognized the accomplishment of Governor s School students on both the First-Year and the Second-Year examinations for the 2005 Chemistry Olympiad competition in the Virginia Section. She received the Section s Distinguished Service Award for High School Chemistry Teaching in 2001. This question was asked in the February Bulletin: Between the years 1953 and 1974, the Virginia Section met 29 times in one of the cities within the Section. At least twelve of those meetings were held at a hotel and five more after the hotel became a motor inn. The last meeting of the Section that was held in that city was a special National Chemistry Day program in 1987. What is this city that has not hosted a Section meeting for over 25 years? Extra points for the name of the hotel/ motor inn where many of the meetings were held. The City is Waynesboro and the meetings were held at the Hotel General Wayne, later known as the General Wayne Motor Inn. The Section actually met there at least 38 times between 1938, when the hotel first opened, and 1987 when a dinner was held there to celebrate the first National Chemistry Day. See the article below on the Hotel General Wayne for more information.
The Bulletin Page 11 A new question: Several persons have spoken at more than one meeting of the Virginia Section (at least two persons have each spoken four times). One person spoke twice using exactly the same title for his talk Great Mistakes in Science. His first presentation was in Waynesboro on October 11, 1974 and his encore talk on the same topic was in March, 1989 at the College of William and Mary. When he gave the first talk, he was Professor and Director of the Spectroscopy Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh. In 1989, he was University Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at Pittsburgh. He has had an outstanding career in infrared and Raman spectroscopy and received the prestigious Pittsburgh Award from the ACS. One of his hobbies is the collection of stamps relating to chemistry and physics. He is co-author of the book A Philatelic Ramble Through Chemistry. Who was the person who gave the two talks with the same title? THE HOTEL GENERAL WAYNE The town of Waynesborough was officially recognized by the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1801. It is thought that the name was in honor of General Anthony Wayne ( Mad Anthony Wayne). Wayne was born in Pennsylvania (his family home was named Waynesborough) and had no ties to Virginia, so it is not really known how Waynesboro came by its name. Planning for a new hotel in Waynesboro began in 1929 when E.I. du Pont Nemours and Company was coming to the city. The hotel was not completed until 1938; it was named the Hotel General Wayne. The new hotel had 40 guest rooms, most with private baths. There was a coffee shop that seated 45 persons and a main ballroom that held 200. A single room rented for $1.75 per night. The hotel became a popular meeting place for groups such as the Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis, Exchange, Toastmasters, and Women s clubs. Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower stayed there when he was Chief of Staff, prior to his presidency. Ezra Benson, Secretary of Agriculture, and a number of U.S. Senators and House of Representatives members were guests. Until at least 1967, every governor of Virginia had spent one or more nights at the hotel. During World War II, the General Wayne served as headquarters for war bond rallies. One of these featured the actress Greer Garson as the speaker at a $200 a plate luncheon. Tex Ritter, Edward Buchanan, and Rex Allen stayed there. Although he didn t stay the night, Elvis Presley stopped by one afternoon to rest and change his clothes before an evening engagement. The first meeting of the Virginia Section of the ACS at the Hotel General Wayne was held on Friday, October 14, 1938. Dr. Jesse Wakefield Beams of the Department of Physics at the University of Virginia, spoke on The Ultra Centrifuge and Some of Its Applications to Physics and Chemistry. The dinner was $1.00 per plate. Eighty-nine members and guests attended the dinner and meeting. From 1938 through 1962, the Section met at the General Wayne nearly every year, a total of 34 times (in some years, the Section had two meetings in Waynesboro). In 1963, the name of the hotel was changed to the General Wayne Motor Inn. The Section met at the Inn four times, in 1963, 1964, 1974, and 1987. The total of 38 meetings is certainly the record for Section meetings at a hotel. The last meeting featured a social hour and dinner on November 12, 1987. This was part of a special joint meeting with the AIChE, held to celebrate the first National Chemistry Day. Dr. Stanley Proctor, national President of the AIChE, spoke on The Changing Chemical Profession. Prior to the dinner at the General Wayne Motor Inn, participants could take tours of the E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company facility in Waynesboro. Nearly 140 persons visited the DuPont Lycra plant. The dinner cost was $15.00. The former hotel is now owned by the Fishburne Military School and is used for classrooms and offices. Editor s note: Much of the historical information on the Hotel General Wayne was obtained from an article on Waynesboro Virginia and General Anthony Wayne, written and published by the Waynesboro Historical Commission and available on the website visitwaynesboro.net.