Call for contributions: Advances in Analytical Separations #ACSdc

SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS MARCH 31, 2017

STEM Journey IV: Mission to Mars

Learn more at http://fb.me/stemjourney

Ask Me Anything about starting a small chemical business

Science AMA Series: Hi Reddit! I am Jennifer Maclachlan, a small chemical business owner and science café founder. Ask me anything about entrepreneurial happenings or tips in the chemical sector. (self.science)

submitted 44 minutes ago* by AmerChemSocietyAMAAmerican Chemical Society AMA Guest

Hi Reddit! I’m Jennifer Maclachlan, and together with my father, Jack Driscoll, I own and operate PID Analyzers, LLC, headquartered on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. We are gas detection specialists credited with the commercialization of the world’s first hand-held photoionization detector. We manufacture and sell our technology worldwide as a stand-alone gas chromatography (GC) detector, also as a hand-held detector, and in complete fixed/continuous systems. This helps our customers, be they in the lab or out in the field, detect low level gas for various monitoring applications.

People ask me if I always knew I wanted to work in the family business and the answer is yes. After completing my education at Boston College in 1998, I began my full time employment at the company, which coincided with having to dramatically downsize from 200+ employees because of the devastating loss of a key client, termination of the Superfund Program and debilitating competition on our hand-held PID’s as our patents began to expire. This was followed by several tumultuous years of running like a start-up. These were the formative years in my entrepreneurial career where I learned all my business management skills and became proficient in all the aspects of our business: Customer service, sales/marketing, accounting, engineering, applications, production, QA/QC, and shipping; each of these tasks I either performed some function of or at one time or another, oversaw.

Over the last ten years I have been responsible for managing relationships with distributors and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) clients as well as the web-based marketing, and social and digital media initiatives at our small but mighty small chemical business.

In addition to all the many things I do for our company, I am very active in ACS committees and local sections. I’m in my second year as Chair of the ACS Committee on Public Relations and Communications after getting my volunteer governance start in the ACS Division of Small Chemical Businesses. I’m also active in the ACS Divisions of Analytical Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, and the Northeastern Section of the ACS (NESACS). A common thread in my ACS activities is promoting the use of social media for personal and professional branding.

With the help of NESACS’s connections, my father and I in 2011 started the Cape Cod Science Café, a local educational outreach program bringing together the scientific community and the general public in our home community. We hold events on interesting topics like the chemistry of wine and beer, alternative energy solutions, water quality, climate change and more.

Ask me anything about starting up a small chemical business. You can also ask me about hand-held portable GCs/automatic multipoint GC systems, volunteer service to the American Chemical Society, or science cafes.

SCHB is the home for entrepreneurs inside the ACS

For presentation at the Spring National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco, CA April 2-6, 2017. Learn more about the ACS Division of Small Chemical Businesses and the ACS National Meeting here.

Format is a poster and it will be featured at the Entrepreneurs' Poster Session Sunday evening from 6pm-8pm Moscone Center Halls B/C and at SCI-MIX on Monday April 3, 2017 from 8pm-10pm in SCHB Moscone Center Hall D.

The Small Chemical Businesses Division of the American Chemical Society is the home for entrepreneurs inside the ACS. When you join SCHB you become part of a powerful network of people from across disciplines and stages in their career. SCHB offers networking lunches at the National Meetings, in addition to partnering with other divisions for cross-divisional technical programming and social events. SCHB flagship programming at National, Regional and Local Section meetings includes true stories, resources for entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurs' toolkit. Get to know us better and join us at our Executive Committee meeting, our technical program and social events in San Francisco and Washington DC, and on the web, Facebook, Twitter, Linked-In and ACS Network. 

Leveraging social media for effective content marketing for corporate and non-profit entities in the chemical enterprise

Invited talk for presentation at the American Chemical Society Spring National Meeting in San Francisco, CA April 2-6, 2017. Learn more about the conference here.

PAPER TITLE: Leveraging social media for effective content marketing for corporate and non-profit entities in the chemical enterprise

DIVISION: Division of Small Chemical Businesses
SESSION: Chemists and Writing for Fun and Profit: Write Your Own Career
SESSION TIME: 8:00 AM - 11:50 AM

PRESENTATION FORMAT: Oral
DAY and TIME OF PRESENTATION: Tuesday, April, 04, 2017 from 10:50 AM - 11:20 AM
ROOM and LOCATION: Nikko Ballroom I - Hotel Nikko San Francisco

Leveraging social media for effective content marketing for corporate and non-profit entities in the chemical enterprise 

As a marketing and public relations professional for a small analytical instrumentation manufacturer, written skills are an asset. Typical tasks include writing instruction manuals, brochures, advertising copy, blog posts, newsletters, emails and social media updates. This presentation will focus on crafting compelling social media posts that yield high-click through rates and deliver measurable results. Examples and best practices for the management of a social media marketing plan for both corporate and non-profit entities in the chemical enterprise will be discussed. There will be an emphasis on writing, developing, and/or sourcing reputable  scientific content and the subsequent social media sharing of the content which requires written skills and not just a 'share-this' button.

Author: Jennifer L. Maclachlan, PID Analyzers, LLC Sandwich, MA

Screening and on-site identification of accelerants for arson investigations

ACS National Meeting Information available here: www.acs.org/meetings

DIVISION: Division of Analytical Chemistry SESSION: Advances in Separations SESSION TIME: 8:00 AM - 11:40 AM PRESENTATION FORMAT: Oral DAY & TIME OF PRESENTATION: Sunday, April, 02, 2017 from 10:35 AM - 10:55 AM ROOM & LOCATION: Franciscan D - Hilton San Francisco Union Square

TITLE: Screening and on-site identification of accelerants for arson investigations

AUTHORS (FIRST NAME, LAST NAME): Jennifer L. Maclachlan1, John N. Driscoll2

INSTITUTIONS (ALL): 1. PID Analyzers, LLC, Centerville, MA, United States. 2. PID Analyzers, LLC, Sandwich, MA, United States.

ABSTRACT BODY:  Abstract: The photoionization detector (PID) consists of a short wavelength lamp adjacent to an ionization chamber. The UV lamp will ionize hydrocarbons that could be encountered at an arson site and have ionization potentials (IP) greater than 10.6 eV. The major components in air have high IPs and are not ionized by the UV lamp. The PID is very sensitive analyzer for common accelerants. It can detect trace (ppb) levels of hydrocarbons such as gasoline, kerosene, diesel fuel, lighter fluid etc. This analyzer has a rapid response and can quickly identify areas where pockets of accelerants are located and samples are taken. Our PID’s have been used for decades by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, German Criminal Police Office, The Bundeskriminalamt (BKA), the Indonesian National Police (POLRI) and many US fire marshalls and state police.  A new tool to speed up investigations has been developed by coupling the PID with a compact field portable gas chromatograph (GC). This provides identification of the type of accelerant used at the arson scene. Gasoline contains aromatic hydrocarbons used for increasing the octane number while diesel fuel has many high molecular weight and cyclic hydrocarbons so they can be easily distinguished. By obtaining that information in the field, two to four weeks can be saved because samples do not have to be sent to the laboratory to keep the investigation going. This same equipment (PID and GC/PID) can also be used for first responders when there is a spill of hazardous chemicals or a need for detection and identification of explosives and/or chemical warfare agents.

Personal brand development and social networking strategies for professional chemists

This invited presentation has been scheduled for the technical program of the 253rd ACS National Meeting in San Francisco, California, on Wednesday April 5, 2017 in the afternoon session on the ACS Division of Professional Relations program track.  DIVISION: Division of Professional Relations SESSION: Looking Beyond Your Current Boundaries: What's the Next Step? SESSION TIME: 1:30 PM - 4:20 PM PRESENTATION FORMAT: Oral DAY & TIME OF PRESENTATION: Wednesday, April, 05, 2017 from 2:35 PM - 3:05 PM ROOM & LOCATION: Monterey I - Hotel Nikko San Francisco

TITLE: Personal brand development and social networking strategies for professional chemists

AUTHORS (FIRST NAME, LAST NAME): Jennifer L. Maclachlan1

INSTITUTIONS (ALL): 1. PID Analyzers, LLC, Sandwich, MA, United States.

ABSTRACT BODY:  Abstract: This presentation will illustrate how to develop your personal brand as a chemist and to craft a social media strategy for effective integration of social media networking and traditional networking practices for real career advancement in the chemical sciences. Emphasis will be given to maintaining professionalism across the various social media platforms including best practices and short cuts for efficient time management.