Washington, DC -- Mid-Atlantic members of the world's largest scientific society will meet in Madison, N.J., next week to consider new research findings on cutting-edge chemistry in such areas as plastics, environmental protection, medicinal chemistry, and more.
The American Chemical Society will hold its 32nd Middle Atlantic regional meeting May 17-19 on the Florham-Madison campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, N.J. More than 700 chemists are expected to attend the three-day meeting at which 300 papers are scheduled for presentation.
In addition to the scientific papers, a variety of workshops will be held on topics ranging from enlivening chemistry classroom teaching to career resources for ACS members. On Wednesday, May 19 at 4 p.m., Philadelphia cable television host Tyraine Ragsdale will present a session on "How to Turn Students On to Science Through the Use of Rap Music." Ragsdale, a chemist and former disc jockey, incorporates the National Standards for Science Education in his "high energy" presentation. The session will be in room 108 of the New Academic Building.
On Tuesday May 18, American Chemical Society President Ed Wasserman will deliver the keynote address - a discussion of the region's history as the site of two of the most important developments in industrial research in the 20th Century. Focusing on the polymer studies at DuPont and the invention of the transistor at Bell Laboratories, Wasserman will talk about the similarities and differences in the two initiatives and their implications for future efforts in industrial chemical research. This event will be held on the second floor of the Student Center Building.
Dr. Wasserman will also present the region's annual awards for 1998 and 1999, respectively. They are:
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--High School Regional Award to a teacher who has demonstrated excellence in the
classroom and the ability to inspire students to pursue careers in chemistry.
Recipients are Joan Anne Laredo Liddell of St. Barnabas High School, the Bronx,
and David T. Lee of Mountain Lakes High School, Mountain Lakes, N.J.
--Global Salute to Polymers Award to Union Carbide Corporation, Bound Brook, N.J., for its role as a major force in advancing and commercializing polymers in today's world. Through its technological innovations, Union Carbide has had a major impact on the manufacture and use of polymers in industries such as packaging, paints and coatings, telecommunications and pharmaceuticals.
--E. Emmet Reid Award for outstanding achievement in teaching chemistry at a college without a program for doctoral science candidates. The award's aim is to recognize and encourage high quality teaching and research at smaller colleges. Recipients are chemistry professors Donald W. Shive, Muhlenberg College, Allentown, Pa., and Owen A. Moe, Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pa.
A nonprofit organization with a membership of nearly 159,000 chemists and chemical engineers, the American Chemical Society publishes scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences, and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.