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Showing posts from February, 2012

An afternoon in the life of a chemistry ambassador

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Guest Blog post by: Dr. Jack Driscoll Today (Feb. 27, 2012) I visited the Cold Springs Elementary School in Plymouth, MA. I had met the Principal (Mrs. Laura Dolloff) at our 4thCape Cod Science CafĂ© in Dec. 2011. Two of the teachers were interested in starting a science club and my visit would kick it off. I brought a few slides to explain pH and three water samples (pH range 5-11) to provide a bit of color for the pH paper test. We had nearly 100 students from grades 2-5. When I asked for volunteers, everyone raised their hands. One of the teachers commented that some of those kids never volunteer for anything, I picked two boys and a girl who were very excited. About 10 children used the pH paper before  their buses were there.   I explained that science can be more difficult than geography but we live in a very technological society and it will be even more so in your generation. I mentioned a Dick Tracy comic strip in the 1950’s where his “TV watch” was used

How Can We Sustain Our Chemistry Outreach Beyond #IYC2011? With #IYCplus1

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Join us Tuesday morning March 13, 2012  in Room 311F  of the Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, FLA at our PITTCON Conferee Networking Session where the topic of discussion will be:   How Can We Sustain Our Chemistry Outreach Beyond the International Year of Chemistry?  Facilitated by: Jennifer Maclachlan and George Ruger.  Jennifer and George are both * Chemistry Ambassadors * and participated in several International Year of Chemistry community outreach events in 2011 including the Greater Boston Mass Spec Discussion Group Annual Family picnic. Read the press we got on this here . Science Cafes are a fantastic way to engage both your local scientific community as well the general public. Jennifer organized four successful science cafe events during the International Year of Chemistry: read more here . 2012 ACS-organized Chemistry of Food Science Cafes at the upcoming West Coast and East Coast Science Festivals: West Coast : San Diego Science Fest

ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry #pittcon Poster Session

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ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Poster Session Monday Afternoon March 12, 2012  Red Area on Exposition Floor, Aisles 1300-1500 All posters will be on display from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM with authors present from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM   Location of the posters is on the Exposition Floor – Red Area, Aisles 1300-1500 .  The Exposition Floor opens at 9:00 AM. (790-1 P) Developing a Fundamental Understanding of the Behavior of Porous Polymer Monoliths in Capillary Electrochromatography Systems TRISHA H PATEL, Trinity University, Douglas T Nolan, Jessica K Lam, Jing Liu, Nicholas J Kuklinski, Michelle M Bushey (790-2 P) Chemical Constituents of the Burmese Python (Python Molurus Bivittatus) Sexual Attractiveness Pheromone   ALLISON BALLOON, Malone University, Jeff Goff, Chris Carmichael, Skip Snow (790-3 P) Studies of Real-Time Changes in Electroosmotic Flow Under Dynamic Buffer Conditions   AARON OSHER, Skidmore College, Ryan Ahern, Kimberley A Frederick

Guest blog post: AAAS Annual Meeting & the chemistry connection

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The 2012 AAAS Annual meeting is taking place in Vancouver, Canada from February 16-20, 2012 #AAASMtg.  The AAAS contains members of the various scientific disciplines.  One of those is Chemistry.   Last year was 2011, The International Year ofChemistry !   Throughout the whole year, the accomplishments of Chemists and the field of Chemistry were celebrated at events nationwide and worldwide.  The four themes of IYC 2011, Environment, Energy, Materials, and Health, one for each quarter, were showcased by events and talks.  Scientists worldwide celebrated IYC 2011 and held events to teach the public about the importance of not just Chemistry, but all of the STEM related fields and the Natural Sciences.   The AAAS did their part by having posters and banners letting everyone who visited the meeting know what year it was.  There were IYC related activities worked into the meeting schedule.   NESACS demo of Global Water Experiment at Cape Cod Science Cafe event IYC Q

@pidguy's #pittcon 2012 schedule

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@pidguy a.k.a. Dr. Jack Driscoll is facilitating a conferee networking session on Sunday March 11, 2012 with @pidgirl a.k.a. Jennifer Maclachlan addressing the question  How can the modern analytical chemist overcome the barriers of new method introduction?  Click  here  for session info. Sunday Evening posters: Sunday March 11, 2011 Analysis of volatile and semivolatile VOC's in waste oils   Inexpensive Wireless Sensor Package for PPB Monitoring of Photochemical Smog Components VOC'S, O3, NO2 and Sunlight   Indoor Air Pollutant Monitoring in Classrooms & Laboratories (VOC’s, CO, CO2, & ventilation Rates)   Monday afternoon: American Chemical Society Analytical Division Poster Session: Advantages of a Hyphenated PID/MS Combination for GC Applications Click  here  for abstract     Tuesday morning  8:30am-10:

Fast GC-PID/FID Analyses using Resistively Heated Columns for Rapid Analyses in the Field

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Fast GC-PID/FID Analyses using Resistively Heated Columns for Rapid Analyses in the Field Oral presentation in Real-Time Detection Systems  Authors: John N.   Driscoll, PID Analyzers, Sandwich, MA 02653 Stan Stearns, VICI, Houston, TX 77055 Philip Smith, OSHA Labs, Salt Lake City, UT 84081 Objective - The analysis times for NIOSH ketone and aromatics methods (# 1301, 1501 & 2005) are between 25-35 minutes. The time consuming operations are the long ramping and cooling times required. The other difficulty is that if peaks are not adequately resolved, other components could interfere with the analysis. We will employ resistively heated columns to reduce the total analysis times by 50-60% to 12-15 minutes and use the PID/FID response ratios to enhance identification of components of interest. These ratios have been used previously (1) to identify the molecular structure of hydrocarbons.  Methods - A PID Analyzers compact GC (<20#) with an external laptop w

Best Practices for Entrepreneurs #ACSSanDiego

Scroll below for the *Chemical Entrepreneurship Council* write-up on this excellent panel discussion at #ACSSanDiego Divisions   SCHB Joseph Sabol   Tuesday, March 27, 2012   Oral Session Best Practices for Entrepreneurs - PM Session Location: San Diego Convention Center Tuesday March 27, 2012 Room: Room 26B Cosponsored by: BMGT, CEPA, COMSCI, PROF Organizers: Joseph Sabol Presiders: Joseph Sabol Duration: 1:15 pm - 3:00 pm Pres Time Pub # Presentation Title 1:15 pm Introductory Remarks 1:20 pm Statements from Panelists. P. Wyatt, W. F. Carroll, J. Giordian 1:40 pm Panel Discussion 2:55 pm Concluding Remarks Chemical Entrepreneurship Council Tuesday