ACS Short Video & Flame Challenge

The American Chemical Society has produced two new short videos highlighting chemists that have changed the world and chemical insights to solving everyday challenges.  Enjoy taking a few moments during break or at any time to check them out on the ACS YouTube Channel or by clicking on the links adjacent to the descriptions.

Chemistry Life Hacks: One part Mendeleev, one part MacGyver, this video shows how to brew the perfect cup of coffee, clean stubborn skillets, and solve other dilemmas.  Click “subscribe” and you’ll have a new episode of this award-winning video series Reactions (formerly Bytesize Science) to share with friends each week.


Five Black Chemists Who Changed the World: Features contributions of Percy Julian, Mae Jemison and three other notable African American chemists.  It’s co-produced for Black History Month by ACS and the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE).

Are you a gifted communicator of science?  Test yourself and enjoy trying to provide a scientifically appropriate answer to the Flame Challenge question using vocabulary and ideas that an 11 year old can understand.  Check out the Chemistry Ambassadors link at the ACS to watch the video and see the descriptions of this unique program.

REU in Aquatic Chemical Ecology (ACE) at Georgia Tech

Aquatic Chemical Ecology (ACE) at Georgia Tech is a summer undergraduate research program that gives students the opportunity to perform research with our faculty in the Schools of Biology, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Civil & Environmental Engineering, and Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. 

Our program website is http://www.biology.gatech.edu/reu/

and includes program details, application process, and contact information.

The application deadline is February 15, 2014.  The full-time, 10-week program will start May 18 and run until July 25.  Participants will receive a stipend of $5000 plus accommodations with kitchen facilities in university housing, and help with travel expenses to and from Atlanta. Go to our website to get more information and to apply.  Any U.S. citizen or permanent resident who is currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree program is eligible, unless they have already been part of an NSF-REU program in Ocean Sciences or unless they will graduate before this summer.

Our research theme of Aquatic Chemical Ecology is broadly interpreted.  We have 3 core areas of research for students to choose from: Biological and geochemical transformations of chemicals in aquatic ecosystems; Sensory biology and ecology of aquatic chemical communication; Ecological roles and consequences of chemicals in aquatic environments.  This program is an excellent choice for undergraduates majoring in any field of biology, chemistry, earth/ocean science, civil engineering, environmental engineering, chemical engineering, and related bioengineering areas who want to apply their classroom learning to an interdisciplinary research environment to solve complex scientific problems and learn about the importance of chemically-mediated processes.  

Undergraduate Research at the Medical College of Wisconsin

The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Medical College of Wisconsin sponsors a 10-week paid internship program.  The Summer Program for Undergraduate Research (SPUR) www.mcw.edu/spur is accepting applications for SPUR 2014.  This program provides students with a hands-on intensive research experience.  If you are currently a sophomore or junior with an interest in a summer internship you are encouraged to apply http://www.mcw.edu/graduateschool/programsSPUR/SPUR-Application.htm

Minnesota Green Chemistry 2014: Connecting Policy, Technology, and Economy

Today (Thursday, 16 Jan 2014) I attended the Minnesota Green Chemistry Forum Conference in Minneapolis.  The program focused on connecting policy, technology and the economy, and the event featured prominent members of the green chemistry business community.  In the not too distant future, videos of the major plenary and panel sessions will be made available at the MN Green Chemistry Forum web site.  If you'd like to read some quick snapshots from the day's events, simply go to Twitter and search the hashtag, #MGC14.  Minnesota has tremendous potential to make even larger contributions to ecologically linked chemicals through its rich biological resources, including human capital.  Check out some Minnesota companies, such as Segetis, BioAmber, NatureWorks, and Aveda.