53rd Meeting in Miniature

The 53

rd

ACS DFW Meeting in Miniature

The 53rd ACS DFW Meeting in Miniature took place on May 01 in virtual format. The meeting was organized by the University of Texas at Dallas using the Blackboard Collaborate platform. A total of 108 undergraduate and graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows submitted abstracts ang gave presentations. The meeting had 7 sections that are: Organic, Polymer, Inorganic, Materials, Biochemistry/Biological Chemistry, Physical/ Computational, and Undergraduate. Each section gave 3 prizes (for a total of 21 prizes from 7 sections) sponsored by the ACS DFW local section. First prize winners will receive $250, second prize winners will receive $200, and third prize winners will receive $150. Students were also recognized with 12 special prizes ($150 each) for creativity. The special prizes were sponsored by the University of Texas at Dallas. The winners of the prizes are listed at https://sites.utdallas.edu/acsdfw2021/ schedule/ The winners of prizes for the 2021 Virtual Meeting in Miniature are listed below.

Organic Section

Melissa Anne Collini (University of North Texas) 1st prize Kara Kassees (University of Texas at Dallas) 2nd prize Moumita Singha Roy (University of Texas at Arlington) 3rd prize Shashini D. Diwakara (University of Texas at Dallas) Special prize

Polymer Section

Erika Lopez Calubaquib (University of Texas at Dallas) 1st prize John Michael Cue (University of Texas at Dallas) 2nd prize Alejandra Durand-Silva (University of Texas at Dallas) 3rd prize Jeri LaNiece Gill (Tarleton State University) Special prize

Inorganic Section

Kapil Sayala (Southern Methodist University) 1st prize Trent Kyrk (University of Texas at Dallas) 2nd prize Juan Vizuet (University of Texas at Dallas) 3rd prize Kurt Bodenstedt (University of North Texas) Special prize Marie Mortensen (University of Texas at Dallas) Special prize

Materials Section

Jacob Fripp (University of North Texas) 1st prize A K M Nur Alam Siddiki (University of Texas at Dallas) 2nd prize Jennifer England (University of North Texas) 3rd prize Yafen Tian (University of Texas at Dallas) Special prize Samia Rifat (University of Texas at Dallas) Special prize

Physical/Computational Section

Lama Abu-Amara (University of North Texas) 1st prize Leonel Varvelo (Southern Methodist University) 2nd prize Madison Brandi Berger (University of North Texas) 3rd prize

Sadisha Manendri Nanayakka-

ra (Southern Methodist University) Special prize

Biochemistry/Biological Chemistry Section

Fabian Castro Herbert (University of Texas at Dallas) 1st prize

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Hi fellow ACS DFW Chemists! This is a report of the Council meeting held virtually March 24. All of your Councilors were present (Linda Schultz, Tom Strom, Jason McAfee, and me, Mary Anderson). The meeting was busy and lasted almost all day! The Candidates for President-Elect for 2022 ballot are Judith C. Giordan and John C. Warner. The Candidates for Directors-at-Large are Rodney M. Bennett, Arlene Garrison, Natalie A. LaFranzo, and Lee H. Latimer. Two will be elected in Fall. The petition by Committee on Committees on “Harmonization of Committee Structures, Processes, and Terms was passed. Now there will a maximum of two terms of 3 years each on committees. There will no longer be any Councilor only committees, anyone can apply to serve; ConC will select membership; some term limits may be extendable. The petition by the Committee on Local Section Activities (LSAC) to allow LSAC to take action on behalf of a local section if there is a leadership lapse. The petition from the Membership Affairs Committee (MAC)—the committee that I have served on for 7 years—was approved. The new schedule of membership will have regular dues down to $160! There are several categories of membership. It has taken time, but we are happy to have a more dynamic dues structure. The Committee on Ethics has been continued. The Distribution formula for Division Allocations by the Committee on Divisional Activities was approved. The new formula for the 32 Divisions should provide a more stable base for funding. Budget and Finance reported that the Society finances have improved over last year and are strong. Nominations and Elections solicits input for qualified individuals for President-Elect and/ or Directors for future consideration. Please send suggestions to your councilors, who can then submit to N & E. The virtual National meeting was April 5-16. The registration fees were lower this year, and many reported that it was better organized than the Fall 2020 meeting. The Board of Directors evaluated executive compensation; appointed/reappointed Journal Editors; and screened nominees for the 2022 Priestley Medal and 2022 Award for Volunteer Service. The Chief Executive (Flint Lewis) reported on items related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Respect initiative, Membership 2.0 milestones, ACS finances. The Board confirmed the Council Actions approved above. To contact your Local Section officers and Councilors and get up-to-date info on ACS DFW events see DFWACS.org