The Union College Chemistry Club was recognized as a Commendable Student Affiliates Chapter (the second highest honor) of the American Chemical Society (ACS) at the society’s national meeting. This marks the 14th straight year the club has received an ACS award.
Laura Castellano ’09, president, accepted the award on behalf of the club’s officers.
Eight Chemistry and Biochemistry students and two Chemistry Department faculty members attended the meeting in New Orleans; they gave eight research presentations.
Travel funding for the students came from grants from Union’s Internal Education Fund, the American Chemical Society’s Women Chemists Committee (WCC), the National Science Foundation and departmental support.
Emily Green ’08 (Chemistry/Mechanical Engineering), who received a competitive travel award from the WCC, was recognized at a luncheon. She presented her poster, “Characterization of Hydrophobic Silica Aerogels Prepared Via a Rapid Supercritical Extraction Method,” in the Division of Inorganic Chemistry’s Synthesis and Characterization of Materials Poster Session. Co-authors were Jason Melville ’07 (ME), Michael Bono’09 (ME), Prof. Ann Anderson (ME) and Prof. Mary Carroll (Chemistry).
Prof. Laura MacManus-Spencer gave an oral presentation, “Investigation of the Binding of Perfluorocarboxylates to a Model Serum Protein: A comparison of Analytical methods.” Co-author was Monica Tse ’08 (Chemistry).
Justin Blau ’08 (Chemistry/Arts) presented a poster on his thesis research titled, “Paint Media Analysis by Gas Chromatography Mass Spectroscopy and Infrared Spectroscopy.” Co-author was Prof. Seyffie Maleki (Physics and Astronomy).
Sadie Gorman ’08 (Biochemistry) presented a poster on her thesis research, “Bioaccumulation of Ultraviolet Filter Chemicals in Lumbriculus Variegatus.” Co-author was Prof. MacManus-Spencer.
Tse presented a poster on her thesis research titled, “Photochemical degradation of UV Filter Chemicals in Surface Waters.” Co-author was Prof. MacManus-Spencer.
William Hoek ’08 (Chemistry) and David Karlin ’08 (Chemistry) co-presented a poster titled, “Laponite Nanohybrid Films for Solar Cell Applications” in the Division of Inorganic Chemistry’s Inorganic Materials in Nanoscience – Synthesis Poster Session. Co-authors were Profs. Joanne Kehlbeck (Chemistry) and Michael Hagerman (Chemistry).
Shazia Baig ’09 (Chemistry) presented a poster on “Preparation and Spectroscopic Characterization of Silica Aerogels Doped with Metal Porphyrin Complexes.” Co-authors were Caleb Wattley ’08 (ME) and Profs. Anderson and Carroll.
Castellano (Chemistry) presented “Union College Chemistry Club: Forming Bonds with the Local Community” in the Division of Chemical Education’s Successful Student Affiliates Chapters Poster Session. Co-authors were Christopher Backlund ’09, Daniel Bailey ’09, Amanda Barrow ’08, Alexander Carrese ’08, Olga Davydenko ’08, Gorman, Green, Fariha Ramay ’09, Tse, and Profs. Carroll and Laura MacManus-Spencer.