"We have ignition...We have liftoff!" That was the title of the keynote address given by 2007 ACS President Katie Hunt at our Annual Dinner on February 9th. Her talk focused on re-igniting our commitment to science and technology through innovation, collaboration, and education. It was a great presentation, as was her entire day which included a breakfast with Kodak Managers, a keynote address before the Technician Symposium at Kodak, and a full schedule of events at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at RIT.

A big “Thank you” and congratulations to the members of the Technician Affiliate Group for their successful technician symposium. Thanks also to Joan Williams for planning the successful Annual Dinner, and to Todd Pagano, the students and faculty at NTID/RIT for their wonderful programs and presentations to Dr. Hunt. The day at RIT was a moving and an eye opening experience for me. In the near future, I am hoping to be able to announce plans for a new “WOW” Program in our area. This will be an exciting venture that will connect students from NTID/RIT with the Rochester School for the Deaf.

So we have experienced out own "ignition and liftoff" for 2007 with these successful events. Now we need to take it a step further.

Why are these University of Rochester graduate students back in the 4th grade?

These volunteers are part of Adopt-a-School, a program designed to bring science resources and role models into local fourth grade classrooms. The group was created in 1990 by the Rochester Section of the American Chemical Society and is currently chaired by Katherine O’Brien. To make more outreach programs available to young chemists, the Rochester Section's Younger Chemists Committee (YCC) paired up with Adopt-a-School in 2003.

The project has taken off. This year, YCC adopted six 4th grade classrooms at James P. Duffy Elementary School (School 12) in downtown Rochester. Eighteen graduate students participate in the program. The students visit the school for one hour each month and bring topics like classification, magnetism, and chromatography to life for the fourth graders. As one volunteer stated, "Kids see that learning can be more than just reading from a book. It can be measuring water squeezed from a sponge to learn about volume, or sorting items from their own grocery store to learn about classification." The graduate students also meet monthly to discuss previous visits, prepare for the next kit, and brainstorm ways to improve their teaching strategies.

And the schools love it!

The Rochester Section is seeking nominations for the 2007 ROCHESTER TECHNICIAN AWARD.

All technicians, as defined by the ACS and with a minimum of five years experience, are eligible for nomination. Membership in the ACS or the Rochester Section's Technician Affiliate Group (TAG) is not required. All technicians working in the areas covered under the 34 divisions of the ACS are eligible for nomination. This includes, but is not limited to, process, environmental, health/safety, quality assurance, medical, analytical and R&D technicians.

The Award will be presented at the local ACS Award dinner on October 26, 2007.

Nominations are due by May 1, 2007.

Please send Nominating Letters to:
Joan K. Williams
Eastman Kodak Company
Building 82C
Rochester NY 14650-2124
(585) 477-0990
joan.williams@kodak.com

The Kodak Technicians’ Symposium, "The Technician Element in Innovative Technology at Eastman Kodak", was held February 9, 2007. The event was co-sponsored by the Rochester Technician Affiliate Group (TAG) and Kodak's Office of the Chief Technical Officer. The symposium invited all Kodak technicians to present posters of their work. Dr. Catherine Hunt, 2007 President of the American Chemical Society was the keynote speaker and focused her presentation on the three central themes of her presidency:

* Education: For ourselves, legislators, the media, the general public, and the next generation
* Collaboration: Building a strong, vibrant and vocal technical community
* Innovation: Recreating our companies, our schools, and ourselves

Following Dr. Hunt’s presentation, a poster session was held in Kodak’s research complex. A total of 21 posters were presented by Kodak technicians on a wide array of topics.

Greetings. My name is Brad Bovenzi, and I am a chemistry teacher at McQuaid Jesuit High School in Brighton. As Chemistry Olympiad Coordinator for the Rochester Section of the American Chemical Society, I am pleased to announce that we will be participating in the 2007 U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO). The primary goals of this program are to stimulate all young people to achieve excellence in chemistry and to recognize outstanding chemistry students, teachers and schools.

We would like to encourage area high schools to participate in this program. The identification of the four-member U.S. team begins at the local level. It is the responsibility of the Rochester Section to nominate students from this area to take the USNCO examination Saturday, April 28, 2007 at McQuaid Jesuit High School from 8:00 a.m. to approximately 2:00 p.m. To identify these students we will conduct a preliminary screening of students through teacher recommendations.

The 52nd Annual Rochester ACS Section Undergraduate Research Symposium will be held Saturday, April 21st at RIT.

For additional information, please contact Dr. Suzanne O'Handley (585-475-2751, sfosch@rit.edu).

Michelle Bruzee of Xerox Corporation will host the first "Coffee and Chemistry" event of 2007. The topic is "All About IP", and will focus on best practices for writing invention disclosures, working with patent attorneys, and dealing with the US Patent Office.

Date: March 13, 2007
Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Literacy Volunteers of Rochester
(in the Cooperative Extension Building)
249 Highland Avenue
Rochester NY

The Rochester Section's Younger Chemists Committee welcomes bowlers of all skill levels to join them for a friendly bowling tournament. To even the playing field, players will be randomly assigned to teams. The cost is $10 and includes two games of bowling, shoes, chips & salsa, and unlimited fountain beverages. Trophies will be awarded!

Where: Olympic Lanes, 1350 Scottsville Rd
When: Saturday, March 24
Bowling begins at 1:00 p.m.

Please direct questions and RSVP to Matt Betush (585-275-7142, mbetush@mail.rochester.edu). Please RSVP by Friday, March 16th.

The Rochester Section is planning two future events with neighboring Local Sections.

On Saturday, May 12, a trip to the Niagara Falls Power Vista is planned with the Western New York Section.

On Saturday, June 23, there will be a trip to the Corning Museum of Glass with the Corning ACS Section.

Further details and reservation forms are available on the Rochester Section's website.

The next networking mixer will be held at MacGregor's Bar & Grill in Henrietta on Tuesday, March 27 from 5:00 - 8:00 PM.