News Archive for 2017
December Joint Meeting with NOBCChE
November 18, 2017 (Webmaster)
The December joint meeting with NOBCChE will be held on Wednesday, December 6, at Xavier University. The featured speaker for the evening will be Dr. Charlisa Daniels from Northern Kentucky University. Dr Daniels' research focuses on identifying mass transport of small molecules within tunable materials for environmental applications. The title of her talk will be "Protecting Our Natural Resources: Germinating a Career Cognizant of its Footprint".
Registration is required and must be received by noon on Tuesday, November 28. For additional information and to register please
click here.
Part VI — Celebrating 125 Years of ACS in Cincinnati
November 6, 2017 (Mark Laskovics)
This sixth installment presents Frank Wigglesworth Clarke (1847 – 1931), a Boston native trained as a chemist with a B.S. degree from Harvard in 1867. After teaching jobs at Cornell University, Boston Dental College and Howard University, Clarke was appointed, in 1874, the first Professor of Chemistry and Physics at the newly established University of Cincinnati. While at UC, Clarke wrote the first comprehensive Report on the Teaching of Chemistry and Physics in the United States for the US Bureau of Education. This extensive survey of US chemical education was published in 1881. In 1883, Clarke departed Cincinnati to become the Chief Chemist of the US Geological Survey in Washington DC. Clarke when on to be elected to the National Academy of Sciences and, in 1901, became President of ACS.
I hope you enjoy this final installment in our series of founding chemists within the Cincinnati Section.
Section Elections Currently Underway
October 31, 2017 (Webmaster)
Elections for 2018 Cincinnati Section officers has begun. All eligible members should have received an email which contained their electronic ballot link and PIN code.
If you did not receive an email with your ballet information or wish to request a paper ballot, please contact webmaster@acscincinnati.org.
All ballots must be received by midnight on Tuesday, November 14.
2017 Oesper Symposium
October 22, 2017 (Webmaster)
The University of Cincinnati Department of Chemistry and the Cincinnati Section of the American Chemical Society are pleased to announce
the 2017 Oesper Award Winner, Matthew Platz, Distinguished University
Professor of Chemistry Emeritus, of The Ohio State University, and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs of the University of Hawaii Hilo.
This year's Oesper Symposium and Awards Banquet will be held on Friday, November 17. Professor Platz will speak at 4:30 PM on "Fifty Years of Carbene Chemistry: A Personal Perspective".
A poster session and reception will follow from 5:30 - 7 PM. The Award Banquet begins at 7 PM.
The Oesper Award presentation will follow dinner with a talk given by Raymond Goodrich (Colorado State University) on "Improving Blood Safety on a Global Basis: A Thirty-Plus Year Journey with Dr. Matthew Platz".
Registration must be received by Saturday, November 11. For additional information and to register please click here.
Section Elections to Begin Soon
October 22, 2017 (Webmaster)
Elections for 2018 Cincinnati Section officers will begin shortly. Electronic ballot information will be distributed via email to all eligible members of the Section on or before November 1.
You can view the slate of candidates and their biographies by visiting this sample ballot.
If you do not receive your electronic ballot information by November 1, please contact webmaster@acscincinnati.org.
Part V — Celebrating 125 Years of ACS in Cincinnati
October 8, 2017 (Mark Laskovics)
This fifth installment presents Alfred Springer, nephew of Alexander, Karl and Gustave Fries who, along with Alfred’s father, founded Cincinnati’s Alex Fries & Brothers Chemical Works that eventually led to the Flavorings industry here. Alfred was born in Cincinnati in 1854. After the death of his father, Alfred graduated from Hughes High School at 16 then studied chemistry in Heidelberg, obtaining a Ph.D. at the age of 18. Alfred returned to Cincinnati in 1873, becoming a partner in Fries Brothers then, upon the passing of his uncles in the early 1900’s, he became sole leader of the company until retirement in 1931. In addition to leading Fries Brothers, Alfred also was an inventor / co-inventor of a number of mechanical devices including the Torsion Balance and played leadership roles in National Chemical Societies. He was an officer in the American Association for the Advancement of Science, organized the Cincinnati Chemical Society and, as president, merged the Cincinnati Society into the American Chemical Society in 1892. Alfred also lived a long and multifaceted life, passing away in 1946 at the age of 92. Hope you enjoy learning about one of the founding families of Cincinnati’s chemical industry and one of the people who led us into ACS.
Register now for our 125th Anniversary Event!
September 23, 2017 (Webmaster)
Join us Monday, October 16, at the Manor House in Mason, Ohio, as the Section celebrates its 125 years of chemistry in Cincinnati. Our special guest speaker for the evening will be Dr. Thomas M. Connelly, Jr.
Dr. Connelly is the current Executive Director and CEO of the American Chemical Society and will be presenting "The Future of ACS and the Chemistry Professions”.
Click here for more information and to register. Pre-registration is required by noon on Friday, Oct 6. Pre-payment is greatly appreciated.
Register now for 14th Annual Family and Friends Picnic!
September 6, 2017 (Mark Laskovics)
Ask family and friends to join you on Sunday, September 17, as summer comes to a close and we start up a new school year. Reconnect with ACS friends and make new ones in the relaxed and casual atmosphere at Germania Park.
Activities and entertainment will include food, drinks, games, and chemistry fun. Again this year is an informal networking session highlighting some of the ways to get involved and connect with colleages who share your interests.
Click here for more information and to register.
Part IV — Celebrating 125 Years of ACS in Cincinnati
September 6, 2017 (Mark Laskovics)
This fourth installment presents Thomas Herbert Norton, the Chair of the Chemistry Department of the University of Cincinnati from 1883 to 1900. Professor Norton led the founding of the Chemical Society of Cincinnati in 1890 and was instrumental in petitioning the ACS for the Cincinnati Society to become a Section. The petition was granted on 29 March 1892 making Cincinnati the third oldest Section in ACS. Norton was born in the village of Rushford, NY (south of Buffalo) then educated at Hamilton College (Hamilton, Ontario) and at the University of Heidelberg under Bunsen. After post-doctorals and working in Europe for 10 years, Norton returned to the US to lead the Chemistry Department at UC. Norton was a bit of a romantic prone to exaggeration when describing his accomplishments, of which there were many for his time. Norton lived a long and multifaceted life, passing away in 1941 at the age of 90. Hope you enjoy learning about the person who led us into ACS.
Part III — Celebrating 125 Years of ACS in Cincinnati
June 2, 2017 (Mark Laskovics)
The third installment of early Cincinnati Chemists presents the impact of Robert Brown Warder on our chemical community. Warder, a Cincinnati native, received a BS degree in Chemistry from Harvard and studied in Germany. He was a contemporary of Frank Wigglesworth Clarke and among the first set of Chemistry professors at the newly established University of Cincinnati. Warder also served on the faculty of Purdue University and Howard University. During their careers, Warder and Clarke made significant contributions to the areas of Physical Chemistry and Physical Organic Chemistry during the late 1870’s and early 1880’s as well as contributing to the establishment of Chemistry at the National level.
Part II — Celebrating 125 Years of ACS in Cincinnati
May 1, 2017 (Mark Laskovics)
In this second installment of early Cincinnati chemists, we invite you to read the story of the life of Thomas Duché Mitchell, author of the first full-length chemistry textbook to be written and published in Cincinnati.
It's Time For Party Night!
April 27, 2017 (Webmaster)
The annual Section Party Night will be held Thursday, May 18, at Madtree Brewery 2.0. Join us for an evening of tasty food and beverage selections, as we gather one last time before summer arrives.
Registration will close at noon on Thursday, May 4, so get more info and register now!
Please note, pre-registration and online pre-payment is required for this event.
Part I — Celebrating 125 Years of ACS in Cincinnati
April 27, 2017 (Webmaster)
Over the course of the year, the section will be highlighting some of its 125 year history. For this month's installment, we invite you to take a few moments to read this account of the life of Cincinnati's first chemistry professor, Elijah Slack, written by William Jansen (Dept of Chemistry, UC).
And don't forget to keep current with other section news by checking out current and past editions of the section newletter, CINTACS.
Teacher and Student Award Night for 2017 
April 17, 2017 (Webmaster)
Join us Wednesday, April 26, as we celebrate our annual Teacher and Student Award night at Northern Kentucky University. In addition to recognizing student achievement in chemistry, we'll also present this year's outstanding educators of the year awards to Diane Goldcamp from Notre Dame Academy in Park Hills, Kentucky, and Sarah Roche from Talawanda, Ohio.
Diane Goldcamp is an energetic teacher who lets her passion for chemistry show and her students respond enthusiastically. Diane plans her lessons and labs to include technology and relates chemical concepts to students’ lives by developing concepts around everyday items. Jack VonHandorf, principal of Notre Dame Academy, says this about Diane: She empowers our students and sets up her lesson plans and labs to allow the students to explore and experience chemistry for themselves.
Diane is focused on student learning and is always looking for new ways to enhance the chemistry curriculum and develop new experiences and labs for her students. To help all types of learners, she includes many techniques including POGIL, flipping the classroom, and scores of technologies such as learning management systems, Vernier data collecting probes, and graphical analysis apps. In Diane’s own words, “My goals are to create science literate citizens who may develop an ongoing interest in chemistry by sharing experiences in my classroom.”
Sarah Roche visits elementary classrooms in the district and collaborates with the classroom teachers. Together they will customize a lesson around a story that has been read, or a science activity. Sarah is incredibly collaborative with the classroom teachers she works with. She is always willing to engage others in professional discussions about the content and the process. The teachers she works with also come to her for advice on how to incorporate her methods in their classrooms. This collaborative spirit and desire to improve the program has driven Sarah to attend many professional development workshops, network with other STEM teachers, and invite visitors as well as arranged visits to other districts for Talawanda staff. Sarah has co-presented at a regional and national conference this year to share what she has learned. She also wrote and was awarded a grant of $5000 for the Talawanda STEM program.
In their nominating letter on Sarah’s behalf, Joan Stidham, Director of Teaching and Learning, and Jeff Winslow, Principal of Bogan Elementary, said: The whole STEM experience as led by Sarah has been engaging for students and teachers alike. Sarah Roche is passionate about the students. She will go way above and beyond to see a student succeed. Her humble ways make her approachable and sought out by her peers. She cares deeply and works hard. She is inspiring students to do the same.
For more information and to register, please click here.
Chemist Celebrate Earth Day 2017 - Announcement and Call for Volunteers
April 17, 2017 (Donna Wiedemann)
This year’s ACS Earth Day theme is “Chemistry Helps Feed the World” and pairs nicely with the Cincinnati Earth Day Coalition’s theme Local Food.” This is the 47th year for the Earth Day Event in Cincinnati and 15 years since the ACS has been formally celebrating Earth Day. We will be exhibiting at this year’s event on Saturday, April 22, 2017 at Summit Park, Blue Ash from noon to 7 pm (set up 9-11 am). This is a new venue site this year and I am excited for the expected large turnout. Help is needed to set up, man the booth during the event, and break down. The time frames for volunteering are given below; two to three people for each slot would be ideal.
The event itself is lot of fun and very family friendly. Typically there are a several of exhibitors who bring animals, there is a free climbing wall, ORANSCO brings a large (semi size) fish tank, there is entertainment throughout the day, and many many more fun things to explore to help make our earth a better place. You will go home with many starts or seeds for flowers, vegetables, and trees.
In addition to Earth Day there will be a March for Science on April 22nd. This too is expected to have a large turn out and I encourage all members and their extended network of family, friends and colleagues to consider supporting the Sciences by attending.
I will be developing 4-5 demonstrations for the event. Anyone who has any ideas to share or would like to bring a demonstration please contact me via email. If interested in volunteering, please click here to sign up for a time slot.
Cincinnati Section of the American Chemical Society Chemist of the Year – 2017
March 9, 2017 (Mike Weaver )
Ken Wehmeyer, a Research Fellow at Procter & Gamble, has been announced as the Cincinnati Section's 2017 Chemist of the Year.
Ken received his Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry from University of Cincinnati in 1983, under guidance of Bill Heineman. After a postdoctoral appointment at Indiana University, Ken joined Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals in 1985. He worked on a wide variety of aspects of drug development from Discovery to Phase II clinical studies as well as on new OTC products. He concurrently established P&G’s Bioanalytical capability and later led the development of an integrated trace analysis capability at P&G. His expertise covers a broad range methodologies including chemical separation and bioanalytical techniques for in-vitro and in-vivo trace assays for metabolites and drugs; development of biomarker screening methodologies for elucidation of physiological mechanisms, and new high-throughput separation and measurement methodologies for trace analysis. Ken also engaged external collaborators to develop selective enzyme assays (University of Kentucky); methodology for screening ion channel inhibitors (MAST Center, University of Cincinnati); and developed aptamers for trace bioanalysis (SomaLogic and University of Cincinnati). Ken is broadly recognized by his peers as driving deep engagement in all areas of research which has greatly enhanced the fundamental science behind the development of new drugs and health care products. Ken is a Research Fellow at P&G and has contributed 83 publications and has been awarded 14 patents.
February Section Meeting -- "Tainted Goods: Tales of Adulterated Dietary Supplements"
February 2, 2017 (Mark Laskovics)
The February Section meeting will be held Thursday, February 23, at Mt St Joseph University. The featured speaker for the evening is Travis M. Falconer, Ph.D. Dr. Falconer is an Analytical Chemist in the Forensic Chemistry Center (FCC) of the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). One of his areas of focus at the FDA is on the regulation of dietary supplements through the investigation of unlabeled and potentially hazardous ingredients found in so-called “all natural” products.
For more information and to register, please click here. Registration will close at noon on Friday, February 17.
Sponsorships for Local ACS Monthly Meetings
February 2, 2017 (Ed Hunter)
I am looking for suggestions for contacts as potential sponsors for local ACS monthly meetings. Meeting sponsorship generally entails commitment of cash or cash equivalent of $1000 to help defray many expenses associated with presenting quality meetings for members. Such expenses include student and retiree meal discounts, speaker expenses (travel, housing, food), A/V, and room rental for the meeting. We permit sponsors to make a brief (10-15 minutes) presentation describing their products and/or services prior to the main speaker.
Two organizations who have been previous meeting sponsors are Praxair and Advanced Testing Laboratory. If anyone has suggestions of others I might contact about sponsorships, please email me the contact information. Many thanks in advance.
