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Chairman's Message

Ron Block

The fall season of ACS activities for the South Florida Section has been a great success thanks to the efforts of a number of our members and student affiliate members. In the October meeting, ACS Tour Speaker Dr. Shelton Banks discussed "Serendipity in Chemistry" following the Barry University Chemistry Honor Society's initiation of new members and award presentations. Over 50 attendees showed their support. The Barry University and Florida International University ACS Student Affiliate chapters are to be congratulated for being recognized by the national ACS as being an Outstanding Chapter and Commendable Chapter, respectively.

In November, National Chemistry Week started for the South Florida Section with a family day barbecue and presentation at Parrot Jungle and Gardens. This was very successful, having 131 adults and 37 children in attendance. While spouses and children roamed the gardens and enjoyed the colorful and educational bird exhibits, Dr. Michael Barris gave a very interesting presentation to the members on the mechanisms involved in color vision and its perception. National Chemistry Week activities continued with the annual Howard Moore Third Grade Demonstrations. FIU Professor Zaida Morales and her students along with high school teachers and their students prepared solutions and kits. Chem

istry magic shows/demonstrations were performed at local elementary schools by the high school teachers and their students as well as by Barry University professors and students.

Later on November the19th, ACS Tour Speaker Dr. York Rhodes gave a presentation at Florida International University on the formation of organic molecules in interstellar space. The South Florida Section really appreciates the tireless efforts of Prof. Zaida Morales, her student affiliate chapter members and Prof. Martin Quirk as well as the support of Department Chair Dr. Ken Furton for making this meeting a great success with over 35 attendees.

We are also reminded to cast our ballots in the upcoming Local Section Officers election even if some positions only have one candidate who expressed interest in serving.

As 1999 comes to an end and my Chairmanship of the South Florida Section comes to a close, I would like to express thanks again to the many student members from Barry University, Florida International University and the University of Miami as well as the faculty members and officers such as Drs. Len Keller, Allan Smith, George Fisher, Zaida Morales, Jeff Evanseck, Milly Delgado, Kelly Rein and many others who helped make this year a great success.

PLEASE PARTICIPATE WITH LOCAL EVENTS. Please try and attend the NEW meetings listed below!

Activities

Section Meeting Schedule

FUTURE MEETINGS - MARK YOUR CALENDAR

Sat., Jan. 8, 2000 - 11:00 am - 4:00 pm. Section Picnic at Yacht Club Pointe Park, at end of Clubhouse Road, North Ft. Myers. Food, fellowship and canoeing. Take I-75 to exit 26 (just north of the Caloosahatchee River bridge). Make a left at bottom of the exit ramp onto Bayshore Dr. and head west to Coon Rd. Go left (south) on Coon Rd. At the stop sign, go left (east) on Donald Rd. After a mile, go right (south) on Winston Rd. At the end of Winston Rd., go right (west) on Clubhouse Rd. until it ends at Yacht Club Pointe Park.

Thurs., Jan. 20, 5:00 pm - Executive Committee meeting, Barry University Chemistry Dept., Wiegand 128, Miami Shores.

Thurs., Feb. 10, 5:00 pm. ACS tour speaker, Dr. Ron DeLorenzo, at Wiegand Science Bldg., room 116W, Barry University, 11300 NE 2nd Ave., Miami Shores. Topic “Mysteries in Science from the Loch Ness Monster to the Killer of Lake Cameroon.” Refreshments at 4:30 pm. Dinner following at the Thai Kitchen. For reservations call Dr. A. Smith 305 899-3262.

Fri., Feb. 11, 5:00 pm. ACS tour speaker, Dr. Ron DeLorenzo, at Florida Gulf Coast University, Ft. Myers, Ben Hill Griffin II room 109. Dinner following at Villages at Country Creek, Country Club Restaurant, directly across from campus on Corkscrew Road.

Section News

ACS SCHOLARS PROGRAM HELP MINORITY STUDENTS

The ACS Scholars Program is helping high-achieving minority college students in the chemical sciences to reach their educational goals while helping the nation to increase the number of minority scientists in college and in the workforce. In this, the fifth year of the program, ACS has just awarded college scholarships to 170 more minority students in 37 states to study chemistry, chemical engineering, chemical technology, and related disciplines. Scholarships consist of up to $2500 per year and are awarded to black, Hispanic, and Native American students on the basis of academic achievement and demonstrated financial need. So. Florida ACS Councilor, Zaida Morales-Martinez from FIU, has accepted a half-time position with National ACS as mentor of the ACS Scholars.

The application period for the 2000-2001 academic year has begun. The application package is available on the web at www.acs.org/minorityaffairs/scholars.html.

Congratulations to the following students from South Florida who have been given an ACS scholarship:

Deverraux A. Jones, N. Miami Beach - Freshman at MIT

Carlos N. Lopez, Hialeah - Senior at FIU

Donna-Michelle Richards, Plantation - Junior at Georgia Institute of Technology

CONGRATULATIONS TO FIFTY-YEAR MEMBERS

Congratulations to the following member of the South Florida Section who have achieved fifty years of membership in ACS in 1999. They were honored at the annual So-FL-ACS picnic on December 4 at Deerfield Island Park:

Dr. Sheldon Bernstein.......................................... N. Miami Beach

Duane H. Bond......................................................... Coral Springs

Louis Drucker........................................................ Pembroke Pines

Jerome Feinman..................................................... Boynton Beach

Delfin Galvez.......................................................................... Miami

Dr. Ely Gonick................................................................ Islamorada

Dr. David Gordon....................................................... Punta Gorda

Clyde I. Hause........................................................... Marco Island

Dr. Richard E. Hein......................................................... Punta Gorda

Dr. Andrew C. Hsu................................................................... Naples

Dr. Otto Samuel Kauder........................................... Boynton Beach

George F. Kirkpatrick.......................................................... Ft. Myers

Dr. Edward A. Mason.......................................................... Palm City

Raymond E. Muth............................................................... Ft. Myers

Joseph M.. Schutz.................................................... Pompano Beach

Dr. Ronald L. Sweet......................................................... Boca Raton

Joseph D. Teller........................................................................ Jupiter

SoFL-ACS LOSES ONE

NATIONAL COUNCILOR

The National ACS has raised the divisor by which a section’s membership is divided in order to determine how many national councilors and alternate councilors the section is entitled to. As a result, our number of councilors has been reduced from three to two. Consequently, there is no election for councilor/alternate councilor this year (see ballot later in this issue). The reduction will affect Zaida Morales-Martinez, Councilor, and Jeff Evanseck, Alternate Councilor, whose terms end this year. George Fisher and Millagros Delgado will continue to represent the section on the national council.

Zaida has been a National Councilor since 1986, first for the Florida Section, and beginning in 1992 for the South Florida Section when it split from the Florida Section. As a councilor she has been very involved with National ACS: in 1987 she was appointed associate member of the SEED committee, becoming a full member in 1989. In 1989 she was appointed associate member of the SOCED committee, becoming a full member in 1990. ACS President Al Heininger appointed her to the Task Force on Minorities in the Chemical Sciences in 1991. In 1993, ACS President Helen Free appointed her to the Task Force of National Chemistry Week. Her appointment has been renewed every year since 1993. Zaida was appointed as a full member of the joint Board‑Council Committee on Minority Affairs when it was established in 1993. She has been an instrumental force in the establishment of the ACS Scholars Program and has participated in its Selection Committee. In August, 1999, she accepted a half-time appointment at National ACS headquarters in Washington as coordinator and mentor of the ACS Scholars Program. Also this year, she retired from teaching after 25 years at FIU, but she remains half-time at FIU as the Arts and Sciences Coordinator of Pre‑Medical Advising and Science Student Recruitment and Retention. She will also remain active on the SoFL-ACS Executive Committee. Best wishes, Zaida, from all of us in the South Florida Section.

CHEMCENTER AND ACS

WEB SITES MERGE

ChemCenter and the ACS Web site have merged to form one Web site embodying The American Chemical Society Online. “We're making this move as part of our commitment to continued responsiveness to members and the chemistry community” said Louise Voress, General Manager of Chem Center. The decision to combine the two sites is part of an ongoing evolution of the Web. “After talking to and hearing from ChemCenter and ACS Web users, it became apparent that having the two separate sites was not as efficient as it could be, and, as the Web has evolved, people's expectations of the information they can find on Web sites and what they can do there have increased as well. We felt that we could provide a much more valuable and easier‑to‑use resource by combining the strengths of the two sites.” The new site carries the ChemCenter name and is located at http://www.acs.org/. Users of the new site can expect to see additional content while they get accustomed to a different look. This new site will bring one‑stop electronic shopping to members who want ACS services or information online.

Louise notes that the new site has a number of user‑friendly features. “We’ll maintain our text‑oriented look in order to speed download times. We'll make it easy to move throughout the site by letting users know where they are (and how they got there), and by providing consistent menu of links on the left of each page. That menu will also include a search engine that queries content on the ChemCenter, CAS, Publications, and Membership Web sites. We're very excited about the changes. By merging the sites, the online presence of the Society will be much stronger and more clear to our members. We're sure ACS members and non‑members alike will find it a useful and valuable tool.”

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Howard E. Moore Civic Service Award

Nominations are requested for the Howard E. Moore Civic Service Award of the South Florida Section ACS. The award, named in memory of Dr. Howard Moore, the first winner of the award in SoFL-ACS, recognizes a chemist for distinguished community and civic service outside of the field of chemistry.

Please send names of nominees and supporting information for either of these awards by December 31 to:

High School Chemistry Teacher Award

Each year SoFL-ACS recognizes an outstanding high school chemistry teacher with an award to the teacher and to the teacher’s school. Any public or private high school chemistry teacher is eligible for nomination for the award.

Ms. Zaida C. Morales-Martinez

Department of Chemistry, FIU

Miami, FL 33199

ACS FELLOWSHIPS:

CALLING ALL CHEMISTS

Senior professionals and graduate students can apply for one of two ACS Congressional Fellowships and a Science Policy Fellowship. Work in Congress or ACS using your scientific and technical expertise. Gain first-hand knowledge of government and contribute to decision making. For a brochure contact: ACS Office of Society Services, 1 800 227-5558; E-mail: help@acs.org; or via internet http://www.acs.org/government.

YOUR SOURCE FOR ACS

MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

The Council Committee on Membership Affairs (MAC) is responsible for coordinating Society membership activities. To provide ACS members with a single place where they can find information about ACS membership and its benefits, MAC has established a web site at: http://membership.acs.org/M/MAC/. There you will find information about MAC activities and issues, work in progress, and a “Talkback to MAC!” page.

MINUTES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

The meeting was called to order at 3:15 pm, Thursday, October 21, 1999, at Barry University. Present: Ron Block, Jeff Evanseck, George Fisher, Leonard Keller, Zaida Morales-Martinez, Allen Smith.

Plans for National Chemistry Week were discussed. SoFl-ACS will sponsor a family day outing and picnic at the Parrot Jungle, noon-4:00 pm, Sunday, Nov. 7, the beginning of NCW. A talk on “Chemical Basis of Color Perception” will be given by Dr. Michael Barris.

Zadia and FIU students will be making solutions and packing boxes for high school teachers to take out to do the third grade demos/magic shows throughout November. Barbara Schwartz has arranged with the Dade County School system to give chemistry teachers release time and substitutes so that they can go out with their students to the elementary schools. Barry is going to about 15 schools. George described the ACS contest for students to submit ideas of how to use the polymer, sodium polyacrylate - the super soaker. The 10 best ideas submitted by elementary school students will receive a prize (a NCW “Milli Mole” stuffed animal) and those ideas will be sent to National ACS to be entered in the nationwide competition.

The committee decided to hold the annual SoFl-ACS picnic honoring 50-yr members at Deefield Island Park on Sat. Dec. 4, noon-4:00 pm.

Nominations: since we are losing one councilor/alternate councilor position, we will need nominations only for chair-elect and treasurer. Len Keller agreed to run again for treasurer. Ron has contacted Don McCorquodale about running for chair-elect.

National ACS has asked us to appoint a liaison with industry.

Treasurer’s Report: balance of $28,294 is about the same as last year at this time.

Student Travel Awards: The committee agreed to split up the five $750 travel awards among the students applying so that they are more evenly distributed among the different universities.

Allen discussed the program for next spring. An ACS tour speaker, Dr. Comstock, will make two stops in South Florida in February, one on the west coast in Ft. Myers at Florida Gulf Coast University and one on the east coast in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale area. Allen asked for ideas about a symposium for the spring. Jeff said Russ Kerr at FAU may do another marine environmental symposium. Jeff said U. of Miami may also do something when their new computer resource lab is finished. Allen was given suggestions of some local speakers to contact from FIU and UM.

Zaida has booked the FIU faculty club for the annual under-graduate student award ceremony for April 8. George announced that although we’re losing Zaida as a councilor, she will still be active in National ACS since she has accepted a half-time appointment as mentor and coordinator of the ACS scholars program.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:30 pm with a showing of the video the Barry Chem Club has produced for elementary school teachers to show them how to do hands-on experiments with their students.

Respectfully submitted by George Fisher

Student Affiliate Activities

CONGRATULATIONS TO BARRY AND FIU STUDENT AFFILIATE CHAPTERS

The ACS Committee on Education selects Student Affiliate chapters to receive special recognition on the basis of their programs and activities as described in their annual reports. AwardS are classified as “Outstanding,” “Commendable,” or “Honorable Mention.” For the 1998-1999 academic year the Barry University Student Affiliates chapter was selected as one of 28 “Outstanding” chapters, and the Florida International University Student Affiliates chapter was selected as one of 49 “Commendable” chapters. This is the 7th consecutive year for the FIU chapter and the 6th for the Barry chapter as award winning chapters.

Congratulations to the active students and faculty advisors of each of these chapters.

Women Chemists Committee Activities

1999 NATIONAL CHEMISTRY WEEK ACTIVITIES IN SO. FLA.

In observance of National Chemistry Week, Nov. 7-13, 1999, the South Florida Section focused on the nationwide salute to polymers. Barry University chemistry faculty and chemistry club/student affiliates produced a video tape in English and Spanish in which they demonstrated the properties of sodium polyacrylate to absorb water (the polymer in baby diapers). The video also included experiments on states of matter, and paper chromatography of colors. The video tape was distributed to approximately 300 elementary schools in the Miami-Dade metropolitan area. Included with the tape was the ACS challenge for students to come up with unique ideas of other uses for this amazing polymer. Students are still submitting their ideas. The ten best will receive a prize from the South Florida Section, and those will be submitted to national ACS to be entered into a nationwide contest. If every third grade teacher shows the video to their classes, we could reach well over 25,000 third graders.

On Sunday, Nov. 7, the SoFL-ACS section held a NCW family day outing at the Miami Parrot Jungle and Gardens. The gathering featured a picnic, tours of the jungle gardens and wildlife, and the trained bird shows. Dr. Michael Barris presented a talk on “Color Perception”. The day’s event was attended by 131 adults and 37 children.

As in the past, the main NCW activity for the SoFL-ACS section was the annual the Howard E. Moore Third Grade Project in which high school chemistry teachers and their students go out to local elementary schools and perform chemical magic shows/ demonstrations. Twenty five demonstration boxes were filled with solutions and chemicals prepared by four high school teachers with 20 of their students and about 20 FIU ACS Student Affiliates and their faculty advisor. In addition to the chemistry demonstrations, 1500 copies of a special “polymer” issue of Wonder Science magazine were distributed to the elementary school teachers to use with their classes at a later time. NCW pencils, balloons, beaker buddies, and other freebies for the

demonstrators and helpers on the project were given out. The magic shows/demonstrations are still being performed throughout November and early December. Our goal is to match or surpass last year’s total of over 70 elementary schools, reaching more than 12,000 third graders.

ACS Student Affiliates at Florida International University and Barry University participated in several NCW events: In addition to preparing the solutions and kits for the third grade demonstra-tions (mentioned above), FIU Student Affiliates and faculty performed several of these chemical magic shows at elementary schools. Barry University Student Affiliates and chemistry faculty also participated in chemical demonstrations/ magic shows by presenting over thirty 45-minute shows at 13 local elementary schools, reaching over 1500 third graders. The Barry Chem Club also gave each elementary school teacher photocopies of a dozen more experiments for use with elementary school kids and a copy of the video tape mentioned before. Each child attending the elementary school magic shows also received a copy of WonderScience or a sheet of the IChC game stickers.

Barry University president, Sr. Jeanne O’Laughlin officially proclaimed Nov. 7-13 as National Chemistry Week at Barry. NCW was highlighted on the Barry weekly web news. Barry Student Affiliates/Chem Club hosted a special NCW table in the lobby of the science building each day of NCW where they gave away periodic tables, “Chem Matters”, beaker buddies, NCW pencils, balloons, IChC game stickers, career and graduate school literature, and sold chemistry bumper stickers and Milli Mole dolls. The Barry SA/Chem Club also provided the same materials on a table at the South Florida Section’s family day event at the Miami Parrot Jungle on Nov. 7. Barry SA/Chem Club also posted the chemical structure and formula for caffeine and theobromine (chocolate) on soda, coffee and candy vending machines in the science building.

INTERNATIONAL CHEMISTRY CELEBRATION 1999

For the first time in history scientists from many different organizations are planning a worldwide celebration of chemistry, the 1999 International Chemistry Celebration (IChC). Many countries have already established National Chemistry Days or Weeks. The year-long International Chemistry Celebration in 1999 will serve as a focal point for these efforts. It will also allow millions more people to participate by introducing new activities, including at least one worldwide event. The IChC steering committee, spearheaded by the ACS, is currently scouring the world for innovative, easy-to-use activities and material s that highlight the achievements of chemistry. Each participating organization will decide which activities they choose to host for the 1999 International Chemistry Celebration. You can help now to make it a success by spreading the word, sharing the activity, and planning to celebrate with us in 1999. Check out the IChC website at: http://www.acs.org/memgen/meetings/ichc/ichc.htm

Volunteers in Public Outreach(VIP)

BECOME AN ACS VIP (VOLUNTEER IN PUBLIC OUTREACH)

Founded in 1991 in response to a survey of members who said that one of the Society's top priorities should be improving the image of chemists and chemistry, the VIP program of the Office of Public Outreach is one of the biggest Public Outreach success stories. It was an immediate hit the first year with 5000 ACS members becoming VIPs and the number of volunteers has now tripled to more than 18,000. The 1996 survey of VIPs shows that volunteers donate an average of 60 hours a year to the program through participation in National Chemistry Week, telling people why they are proud to be a chemist, holding open houses, distributing informational materials, doing chemistry demonstrations in schools or malls, etc. For further information on how to become a VIP contact Marleen Weidner at national ACS 800 227-5558 (x 6293) or follow this link to the VIP Web site.

Local Events of Interest

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

Now available from ACS--an updated pamphlet that details the science behind global climate change. The 12-page pamphlet is written for the educated nonscientist. Single copies of this publication are free and may be obtained by writing to American Chemical Society, Office of Legislative and Government Affairs, 1155 Sixteenth Street, NW, Room 330, Washington, DC 20036, phoning 202/872-4386, or e-mailing <govtrelations@acs.org>.

ON-LINE PROFESSIONAL DATA BANK

The ACS Department of Career Services is pleased to announce the release of the On-line Professional Data Bank (PDB). The Online PDB gives members a free and easy way to post their skills, experience, and areas of interest in a searchable database. Employers use this Internet recruiting tool when searching for candidates to fill their open positions--they know they'll find skilled chemical professionals among the membership of the ACS. No other scientific society offers a career management service of such value to its members.

Members facing a job change or considering making a career transition should try the On-line PDB--it's free, it's state-of-the-art, and it's entirely confidential. Candidates may choose to maintain an active listing (where their profile is posted immediately to a searchable database) or remain inactive for awhile (the profile is saved until the candidate wishes to switch to the active listing). All communication between employers and candidates is handled through an e-mail system created just for the PDB. Using the latest technology, candidate profiles can not be viewed by other users--only qualified employers who register with the ACS may gain access to the database. And an additional confidentiality option allows members to block their contact information and creates a blind e-mail address--no need to worry about your boss finding you on the system--so even members currently employed can use the system without risk.

A new landscape is developing in today's employment climate; to keep one's footing, chemists need to develop their own career management plan. Lifelong employment with one organization has become a retreating reality. Employment data support the prediction that job changes will become more frequent, and more members will start their careers as temporary employees. Career self-management is a necessity for all chemists. Check out the newest addition to the menu of career management tools available from ACS and take advantage of your member benefits. Available through ChemCenter at: http://www.acs.org/

Job Announcements

ACS CAREER SERVICES CAN HELP YOU TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR FUTURE

The ACS Career Services can help you take control of your career and lessen the impact of traumatic events such as downsizing, restructuring, and corporate takeovers. Most of the ACS career products and services are free to ACS members and others have just a nominal fee.

The ACS EMPLOYMENT CLEARING HOUSE provides posted positions and the opportunity to interview with on-site employers during ACS national and regional meetings.

The ACS JOB BANK puts weekly postings at your fingertips, including the previous and current weeks' job postings from C&EN;. Simply surf the net and key in http://www.acs.org/. This is hotlinked to CareerPath which allows you to search 25 metropolitan area newspapers for positions in chemistry. ACS members and affiliates who are unemployed or who have been given 60 days notice, as well as student members and affiliates who have not found employment two months prior to graduation, may place free ads in C&EN;.

Coming this fall 97, the PROFESSIONAL DATA BANK will be a computerized registry to match qualified candidates to employers' specific job requirements.

The EMPLOYER MAILING LIST is a state-by-state list of names and addresses of companies known to hire chemists and chemical engineers. It is intended for personal use only and is available in hard copy or on ASCII disk ($15.00 for ACS members and ACS student affiliates; $25.00 for non-members) and will be available via the web after August: http://www.acs.org/.

The ACS Department of Career Services also provides various free workshops and presentations (resume preparation, job/career transitioning, hiring practices, employment outlook, job security) at ACS national meetings or to local sections. Contact the ACS Department of Career Services for further details: inquiries 800 227-5558; to order items 800 451-9190; email: career@acs.org.

The ACS JOB BANK puts weekly postings at your fingertips, including the previous and current weeks' job postings from C&EN; via the web: http://www.acs.org/.

For a list of South Florida chemical employers contact Dr. Mark Jackson, Chemistry Department, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL 33431; 407 367-2612; email: jacksonm@acc.fau.edu.