As hard as it is to believe, we are nearing the mid-point of 2007 already.  We have just come through some very busy times for the Local Section and now everyone begins planning summer activities.

As we reach this mid-point, I would like to use this newsletter's message to urge you to join me in looking ahead; not just to the end of this year, but down the road for the Rochester Section.

In my last message to the Rochester membership, I talked about membership value and opportunities.  In this issue, I would like to talk about membership involvement.

First, we are now in the process of looking for candidates for office in this year's elections.  In 2007, we will be electing a Chair-Elect (who would serve as Rochester Section Chair in 2009), Treasurer (2-year term), Councilor (3-year term), Alternate Councilor (3-year term) and Members-at-Large (2-year terms). This is your chance to step up to the plate and help make a difference in the Rochester Section.  If there are things you wish to change, or new programs and/or activities you want to see us undertake, now is your chance to make a difference.  Please go to the Section's website and review the duties of each of these offices up for election and consider stepping forth to help move us into the future.   Don't wait to be nominated - just let us know of your interest!  

The Rochester Section is in the process of a transformation, as is the local chemical industry.  We are moving towards a more academic Local Section as well as a Section relying more on smaller and newer chemical companies for support.  Now, more than ever, volunteers can help to mold what that future Rochester Section will look like.

As we look towards the future, there is a big year coming - 2012!  The Rochester Section will celebrate its 100th Anniversary in 2012, and we are now beginning to put together a Centennial Committee to prepare special events and activities around that anniversary.  If you are interested in serving on that Committee, please let me know. I know that it may sound as if 2012 is a long time off, but I remember agreeing to Chair the Northeast Regional Meeting in Rochester in 1999; five years before NERM 2004!  Let me state that five years can go by very quickly.

2012 is also the year when we would hopefully host another Northeast Regional Meeting locally.  More than any other NERM, this would be a very special NERM as it would be tied in with our 100th anniversary celebration.  Here again, we are looking for Members to step forth and help organize NERM 2012.

Please take the time to consider these volunteer opportunities and join us during this time of transformation, looking towards a new horizon in 2012!

D. Richard Cobb

TODAY (June 1) is the sign-up deadline for the Younger Chemists Committee White Water Rafting trip to Letchworth State Park on Saturday, June 9th. No experience is required, and everyone is welcome to participate. The rapids are Class I (mild, but still exciting!). Cost is $30 per person.

Rafters will meet in the Trustee Parking Lot at the University of Rochester at 11:30 AM to carpool to the park. After the 2.5 hour scenic raft ride, participants will enjoy a delicious picnic.

Please RSVP to Amy Ensign (aensign@mail.rochester.edu, 585-275-2980)

Rochester Section Members are invited to join with their fellow ACS Members from the Corning Section Saturday, June 23 for a fun day at the Corning Museum of Glass. This 1-day event will enable members from the two sections to socialize, enjoy a couple of speakers and have a nice time visiting the Corning Museum of Glass.

The cost is $20.00 per member (1 guest limit initially also at the cost of $20.00). This includes bus transportation to Corning and back, entrance fee to the museum, technical presentations, and a Chinese buffet dinner. Lunch at the museum is *not* included.

Complete details and a reservation form are in the flyer below, which is also available on the Section's website. The sign-up deadline is June 9. For more information, please contact Dick Cobb (585-727-4903, d.richard.cobb@kodak.com).

Join Rochester ACS Section members and guests for a pleasant summer evening Thursday, July 26, at the Memorial Art Gallery. The evening will begin with a 7 p.m. lecture by Dr. Nicholas Zumbulyadis, an expert on Meissen blue porcelain. Following the lecture in the Gallery Auditorium, there will be a Reception and Mixer in the Lobby area of the Gallery.

Reservations are not required. Gallery admission is only $2, and a cash bar will be available at the Reception.

This year's ACS Golf Scramble will be held Friday, August 17 at Brockport Country Club in Brockport, NY (3739 County Line Rd). The shotgun start is at 1:00 p.m.

You do not need to be an ACS member to participate. The cost is $65 for ACS members and $70 for non-members.

This price includes

• 18 Holes of golf with cart
• Buffet Lunch (burgers, hots, ziti, macaroni salad)
• Appetizers (meatballs & veggie tray)
• Dinner - Boneless smoked ribs and chicken (all you can eat) with veggies, potatoes and salad
• 2-Hour open bar (!)

The Rochester ACS Section will be celebrating its 100th Anniversary in 2012. Section Chair Dick Cobb is seeking volunteers to serve on a History Committee that will begin putting together the 100-year story of the Rochester Section. Committee members should enjoy history and writing, and there are many materials available to help with the effort (including 50- and 75-year anniversary reports prepared by the previous Section Historian, Dick Bent).

If you have such an interest, this is an excellent opporunity to get involved in the Section. Please contact Dick Cobb for further information (d.richard.cobb@kodak.com, 585-727-4903).

In May, the Rochester Section conducted its 20th Annual High School Chemistry Awards  celebrations. On three separate evenings, nearly 1200 students from 74 area high schools were recognized for their outstanding achievement in chemistry. Local participants in the National Chemistry Olympiad were also acknowledged at the ceremonies, which featured entertaining chemical demonstrations by area chemists and educators.

Photos of the three ceremonies and the groups of students are available for viewing on the Rochester Section website.

This year's Rochester ACS Undergraduate Research Symposium was held Saturday April 21, at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  The RIT chemistry department was honored with a large turnout of 40 posters, 5 oral presentations, and over 80 attendees.

 The day began at 8:30 AM with registration and a continental breakfast, followed by the poster presentations.  The hour and a half allotted to posters flew by with wonderful conversations amongst the presenters and attendees.  The oral presentations ranged from polymers to nanoparticles and were equally enjoyable.  Dr. Ronald Breaker, Henry Ford II Professor and a Howard Hughes Investigator at Yale, graced us with his presence as the plenary speaker of the day with his seminar on "The Complex Functions of Metabolite-sensing Riboswitches".  If the students lining up to speak with Dr. Breaker after his talk was any indication of its success, then the talk was a big hit.  The day ended with lunch and the awarding of ACS outstanding chemistry student awards by Dr. Richard Hartmann.  The energy and excitement of the day was a delight for the host, and we, the chemistry department of RIT would like to thank everyone who presented or attended this year. -Dr. Suzanne O'Handley

Note: More photos (courtesy Joe Lanzafame) from the Undergraduate Symposium can be viewed here.

RIT Undergraduates Josh Thomson and Sarah Denial were awarded travel grants from the Rochester Section to help defray expenses associated with their attendance at the 2007 national meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

In accord with the travel grant guidlines, both Josh and Sarah have submitted reports describing their meeting experience. The reports have been posted on the Rochester Section's website, and may be accessed by following the links below.

Josh Thomson's report

Sarah Denial's report

Joan Williams has provided several photos from last month's joint meeting between the Rochester and Western New York ACS Sections. Highlights from the May 8 luncheon and trip to the Niagara Power Vista facility can be viewed by following this link or by clicking on the accompanying picture.

Nominations are currently being accepted for the 2007 Rochester Section Award for Volunteer Service to the
American Chemical Society. The purpose of this award is to recognize significant volunteer efforts of individuals who have served the Rochester Local Section of the ACS and who have contributed significantly to the goals and objectives of the Society through their activities.

The award consists of a plaque to be presented at the Section's Recognition Banquet in the fall.  Dinner is offered free of charge to the winner and a guest. The winner of the Rochester Section Volunteerism award will also be nominated for the Northeast Region Volunteerism Award and, potentially, for the National ACS Volunteerism Award,

To be eligible for the award, a nominee must be:

• A member of the ACS who resides in the Rochester Local Section
• A member who has made significant contributions to the ACS including, but not limited to, initiation or sponsorship of a singular endeavor or demonstration of exemplary leadership within the Rochester Section or at the Regional and National ACS levels
  

Past and present members of the ACS Board of Directors and ACS staff are ineligible for this award.

A nominating form is available on the Rochester ACS website. Nomination forms and seconding letters should be sent to Mark Heitz, Chair of the Awards Committee:

Mark Heitz
Department of Chemistry
SUNY Brockport
Brockport, NY  14420-2803    
mheitz@brockport.edu

The deadline for nominations is June 15, 2007.

Nominations are still being accepted for the 2007 Rochester Section election. Positions that will be on this year's ballot are:

* Chair-Elect (3 year commitment - one year each as chair-elect, chair and past-chair)
* Treasurer (2 year term)
* Councilor (3 year term)
* Alternate Councilor (3 year term)
* Three positions for Member-at-Large (2 year term)

All candidates must be members of the ACS.
According to the Rochester Bylaws (Bylaw V Sec. 2.), candidates for the office of Chair-Elect should have been active within the Section in some form of elected, appointed, or volunteer role.

Please send any nominations to this year's Chair of the Nomination and Election Committee (Joan Williams, joan.williams@kodak.com) no later than September 11, 2007. It would be helpful to discuss your nomination with the potential candidate before submitting their name. Along with their name, please provide a phone number or e-mail address.

Duties associated with each of the offices up for election are described in detail on pages 5-11 in the latest Rochester Section Handbook (PDF File).