May 2020 Newsletter
It's National Wildflower Week.
Times are tough, but so are desert wildflowers! Let's take inspiration from them as we weather the current situation.
Check out below how you can stay involved with the Southern Nevada Section this summer.
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Notices
- New website!
- Living in Harmony music contest - ends May 13th
- Project SEED Virtual Summer Camp, Participants - high school students should apply by May 15th
- Project SEED Virtual Summer Camp, Cabin Leaders - college students should apply by May 31st
- Project SEED 2020 mentors
- Project SEED - Call for 2021 mentors
- Western Regional Meeting - get involved!
- Available Committee Chair Positions
- Chemistry Olympiad 2020 - local exam cancelled
Upcoming Events
- None scheduled through the end of May 2020
ACS National Updates
- Candidates for ACS President-Elect, 2021
- Primary Elections for Candidates for Directors
- 2021 Annual Dues
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Chemistry News You Can Use
Developing new molecules with AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing an important role in development and consideration of new molecules. Using the quantitative power of AI, researchers can streamline the process for selecting which chemicals to synthesize. One question to consider is whether or not these new chemical databases should be made available for everyone. Check out the article from C&EN to learn more.
C&EN, April 6, 2020 Issue
Photo credit: Jean-Louis Reymond
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Notices
New Website!
With our new website, local members can easily access their membership profile and review their current member benefits. Additionally, our website streamlines all communications to keep members current with all SNS-ACS activities along with upcoming meetings and volunteering opportunities.
Living in Harmony - music contest
The Southern Nevada Section of the American Chemical Society (SNS-ACS) has created a music contest activity, "LIVING IN HARMONY", as part of the 50th anniversary celebration of the Earth Day. This contest was created mainly for students of Clark County School District in Las Vegas, NV. The LIVING IN HARMONY music contest was designed to increase awareness of the value of Earth’s natural resources and to encourage creative expression in children staying home due to the "Stay Home for Nevada" CoVID-19 safety rule. The contest details are provided on SNS website along with guidelines for video submissions. Due date for entries is May 13, 2020. Interested students are required to create a short song with lyrics that convey appreciation for natural resources on Earth. Creativity requires the use of household items for music. Submitted entries will be judged for effectiveness of lyrics, strong message on the need to protect earth, and creativity in using household items for music. Four best entries will be selected for cash awards. Winners to be announced by May 22, 2020.
Project SEED Virtual Summer Camp, Participants
Attention high school students and chemistry teachers! If you're a high school student who is interested in chemistry-related research, this is your opportunity to gain more experience through a virtual summer camp. Project SEED is a program for high school students from low-income families to have a paid internship in a chemistry laboratory. While the normal Project SEED is not available this summer due to health concerns, you can participate in a 4-week virtual camp. Students will be expected to work between 10-20 hours per week between campfires, sessions, and homework assignments for a stipend of $1,000. Applications are due by May 15th. Use the link below to get more information.
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/students/highschool/seed.html
Project SEED Virtual Summer Camp, Cabin Leaders
Attention undergraduate and graduate college students! The American Chemical Society is looking for at least 25 graduate, undergraduate, and recent college graduates to hire as Cabin Leaders/Student Coaches for ~250 Project SEED high school students. Student Coaches will work in pairs to manage a group of 10 Project SEED students. They will facilitate three virtual meetings with their students each week, grade and provide feedback on student assignments, and serve as the first line of communication. The work period is July 6-30, 2020 and the stipend is $1500.
Eligibility Criteria
-Current students (undergraduate or graduate students) or recent 2020 graduates
-No significant competing priorities that would prevent availability
-Research or technical experience that can help students with technical writing
Selection Criteria
-Previous mentoring, outreach, or managing experience
-Demonstrated technical writing abilities
-Nomination by a Project SEED Committee member, coordinator, or mentor
Please apply at the link below. Applications are due by May 31st.
https://fs16.formsite.com/student/SEED_VSC_StudentCoach/index.html
For questions or nominations, please email SNS-ACS Project SEED coordinator Hokunani Keehu at keehuhr@nv.ccsd.net.
Project SEED - 2020 mentors
The Southern Nevada Section of the American Chemical Society would like to recognize Dr. Pradip Bhowmik (UNLV) and Dr. Eric Bandala (DRI) for their participation as PriojectSEED mentors for Summer 2020. Project SEED is a paid summer internship program for high school students to participate in chemistry-related research projects with scientists in various fields and industries. Their mission is, “To ensure that students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have opportunities to experience the challenges and rewards of chemically-related sciences.”
Dr. Bhowmik's research proposal of Synthesis of Ionic Liquid Crystals and Dr. Bandala's research proposal of Engineered processes for the separation and degradation of microplastics in freshwater were accepted for the program earlier this month. Unfortunately, site-specific research will not be conducted this year due to Coronavirus. The research project topics are Synthesis of Ionic Liquid Crystals (Dr. Bhowmik) and Engineered processes for the separation and degradation of microplastics in freshwater (Dr. Erick Bandala).
Thank you so much to both Dr. Pradip Bhowmik (UNLV) and Dr. Erick Bandala (DRI) for giving back to the community!
Project SEED - Call for 2021 mentors
The Southern Nevada Section of the American Chemical Society would like to invite you to be a mentor for ProjectSEED in Summer 2021.
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/students/highschool/seed.html
This program provides chemistry research experience for economically disadvantaged high school students for 8-10 weeks during the summer. The project would provide a stipend for the students for up to 2 years. Each mentor can have 1-2 students.
If you are interested in being a mentor, please send a short abstract for your project (example) and the number of students (1-2) you would be willing to mentor in your lab to SNS-ACS Project SEED coordinator Hokunani Keehu at keehuhr@nv.ccsd.net.
Western Regional Meeting
Tired of hearing about all the things you can't do right now? Well, you can still participate remotely with planning the 2022 Western Regional Meeting in Las Vegas! Get involved and be a part of the planning committee. You can join a technical program, publicity, arrangements, awards, K-12 education, and other committees. Please contact the WRM Chair, Rampur Viswanath (r.viswanath@yahoo.com) to get started.
Available Committee Chair Positions
Become a Committee Chair with the Southern Nevada Section. We encourage you to nominate yourself for one or more of the available 2020 Committee Chair positions: Awards, Environmental Improvement, Long Range Planning, Minority Affairs, Public or Government Affairs, Younger Chemists. Self nominations may be emailed to the SNS Secretary. Nominations consist of a bio/profile (one paragraph) and why you are interested in that committee position.
Chemistry Olympiad - local exam cancelled
We are saddened to say that the local exam for Chemistry Olympiad will not be held this year. It was scheduled for April and could not be conducted in person due to health concerns with CoVID-19. The local section is considering a competition in the fall. More information will be shared when available.
Upcoming Events
None
At this time, there are no in-person events planned for May 2020.
ACS National Updates
These updates are courtesy of the Alternate Councilor, Kazumasa Lindley.
Candidates for ACS President-Elect, 2021
The ACS Council voted electronically on the nominees for President-Elect 2021. The two candidates moving foward are Mary K Carroll and Angela K. Wilson. ACS members will be able to vote this fall with ballots distributed on or before October 1, 2020.
Click on the image below to view the full document.
Primary Elections for Candidates for Directors
Councilors from each district voted on candidates for District Director. The three candidates moving forward in District VI (our district) are Janet L. Bryant, Paul W. Jagodzinski and Jeanette Van Emon. District members will be able to vote this fall with ballots distributed on or before October 1, 2020.
2021 Annual Dues
The rates will remain the same. No change for 2021.
And...the monthly joke
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Southern Nevada Section Executive Committee
Chair: Roger Rennels
Chair-Elect: Hokunani Keehu
Immediate Past Chair: Rampur Viswanath
Secretary: Erica Marti
Treasurer: Kazumasa Lindley
Councilor: Tammy Jones-Lepp
Alternate Councilor: Kazumasa Lindley
Member-At-Large: Josh Monk
Member-At-Large: Liuba Williams
Western Regional Representative: Rampur Viswanath
Southern Nevada Section Committee Chairs
Chemistry Olympiad: Mark Garner
Education: Hokunani Keehu
Membership: Hokunani Keehu
National Chemistry Week: Erica Marti
Nominations: Kazumasa Lindley
Professional Relations: Kazumasa Lindley
Public Relations: Roger Rennels
Safety: Liuba Williams
Senior Chemists: James Houts
Webmaster: Josh Monk
Women Chemists: Liuba Williams
Click on the link above to visit the SNS website.
Questions?Click on the link above to contact us with any questions about the Newsletter and the activities mentioned.
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