ACS-GHS 2026 Awards Banquet

Mark your calendars and plan to join us as we celebrate the best and brightest in the Greater Houston chemical community! Honorees include Greater Houston Section members of the American Chemical Society who have received local, regional and national ACS awards and GHS members celebrating 50 and 60 years of ACS membership. This celebration will be held as a hybrid (in-person and virtual) event.

Saturday, October 17, 2026

6:00 - 9:00 pm

St. John's School, Chao Assembly Hall

2401 Claremont Lane

Houston, TX  77019

OR

Virtual via Zoom

Tickets:

$60/person (in-person, includes dinner)

$15/person (virtual)

Purchase Tickets Here!

Dinner ticket sales close October 10, 2026, 11:59 pm

Diner attire is business casual. Self-parking is available at no cost.

Location and Parking Details

EWOC Journal Club - September 2026

The extended chemistry community are invited to participate in the EWOC (Empowering Women in Organic Chemistry) Journal Club for a discussion of feelings of shame in organic class, hosted by Houston’s EWOC Chapter, on Sept 24th, 8 PM EST. September's article for discussion is feelings of shame in a first semester organic chemistry course. (J. Chem. Educ. 2024, 101, 4136−4148, doi: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.4c00754)

Thursday, September 24, 2026

8:00 pm EST

via Zoom

Please sign up on this google form to receive the zoom link!

Please also consider submitting future articles for discussion and subscribing to our Substack to receive future updates!

ACS Graduate Student Success Grants - Renewed for 2026!

Help graduate students cross the finish line when unexpected circumstances put their future on hold.

ACS Bridge Program - GSR Boot Camp

Application Deadline: September 29, 2026

The ACS Graduate School Readiness (GSR) Boot Camp provides students with an opportunity to gain clarity about their academic and professional future while exploring graduate education in a supportive and engaging environment. Through guided reflection, mentorship, and meaningful conversations with peers and professionals, participants are encouraged to examine their strengths, interests, and aspirations as they consider the next step in their scientific journey.

Undergraduate students interested in pursuing graduate studies in the chemical sciences are encouraged to explore this pathway. This opportunity is open to all currently enrolled students at U.S.-based institutions. Applications from individuals whose pursuit of advance studies may encounter barriers are encouraged. All travel and accommodations will be covered by ACS for accepted applicants based in the U.S.

Bridge Program - GSR Boot Camp

January 29 - 31, 2027

Dallas, Texas

K-12 Teacher Day at ACS Fall 2026

Two of our GHS members were busy over the weekend at the start of the 2026 Fall ACS meeting in Chicago. After committee meetings on Saturday, including DivCHED ExComm and SOCED, Amiee Modic (below, center) and Roxie Allen (right) were a part of hosting and presenting for the K-12 Teacher Day. This was an all day event with breakfast, lunch, and presentations ranging from material science, ACS resources (such as ChemEdX and Chemistry Olympiad), artistic and creative assignments related to chemistry, lab safety and more. Amiee presented on using an inquiry matrix to help teach intermolecular forces and Roxie presented on how taking advantage of ACS opportunities and going to professional development can enrich your life as an educator and create lifelong friendships.

Additionally, this meeting was a bit of an anomaly because the fall meeting has become one day shorter and as a result there is usually not a teacher day; however, this meeting was in Chicago and there was an opportunity for us to honor a teacher from the area who single-handedly created teacher day, both spring and fall, for several years. Since the event was hosted by the Division of Chemical Education and Amiee and Roxie are both members of the Executive Committee, they did the honors of presenting Sherri Rukes (above, left) with a plaque of appreciation. It was a good day with a lot of variety and some excellent presentations.

ACS Greater Houston & Brazosport Local Sections Summer Social Brings Chemists Together

See more photos of this event here!

The ACS Greater Houston and Brazosport Local Sections came together for a successful Summer Social at Saint Arnold Brewing Company, bringing together members, friends, and families for an afternoon of networking, fun, and community.

The event saw an outstanding turnout, with attendees enjoying Saint Arnold's open buffet, brewery tour, and locally crafted beers while reconnecting with colleagues and making new connections. To encourage networking, participants completed Chemistry Bingo cards by meeting fellow attendees throughout the event. Those who completed their cards received ACS swag as prizes.

One of the highlights of the afternoon was a lively Beer & Chemistry Trivia competition, where participants tested both their chemistry knowledge and their understanding of brewing science. The friendly competition kept everyone engaged, and the winning participant took home a special ACS prize.

Events like this showcase the importance of building strong connections within our chemistry community in a relaxed and welcoming environment. We are grateful to everyone who attended and helped make the afternoon such a success. Your enthusiasm and participation truly made the event memorable.

A special thank you goes to the organizing team for their hard work in making this collaboration possible:

• Valerie Moore
• Kelly Nieto
• Keith Steelman
• Janece Potter
• Falonne Colbie

Their dedication and planning created a wonderful opportunity for members of both local sections to connect, collaborate, and celebrate our shared passion for chemistry.

We look forward to seeing everyone again at future ACS Greater Houston and Brazosport Local Section events!

Dr. Margaret Faul Women in Chemistry and Women in the Chemical Industry Awards

The call for nominations for the 2027 Dr. Margaret Faul Women in Chemistry and Women in the Chemical Industry Awards to recognize the outstanding achievements of women in organic chemistry is open.

Nomination deadline is December 11, 2026.

Every two years, Thieme and the editors of the reference work Science of Synthesis (SOS) present the Dr. Margaret Faul Women in Chemistry and Women in the Chemical Industry Awards to young female chemists in recognition of outstanding achievements. Since 2025, two separate prizes have been awarded to women working in academic and industrial research.

• Each prize is awarded to a young woman of any nationality within the first 15 years of her independent career in chemical research.
• The prizes will be awarded in recognition of the candidates’ outstanding achievements in organic chemistry, broadly defined to include medicinal, biological, organometallic, or materials chemistry, and related areas.

ACS Brazosport Section Awards

 Call for 2026 Chemical Technician Award 

Deadline Extended!

The Awards Committee of the Brazosport Section of the American Chemical Society is soliciting nominations for the 2026 Brazosport Chemical Technician Award, which will be presented to a chemical operator / technician / technologist who has demonstrated an extremely high degree of professionalism. Criteria used to judge the award include technical achievements, leadership, mentoring, contribution to safety, reliability, teamwork, publications, awards, and community service.

A nominee must be a resident of Brazoria, Victoria, Wharton, Jackson, Calhoun, or Matagorda County or be employed within any of the listed counties. Additionally, the nominee must have worked as a chemical operator / technician / technologist for a minimum of five years to be eligible for this award. Nominees are not required to be a Technician Affiliate or an ACS member to be eligible for this award. 

The award consists of one-year membership in the American Chemical Society and a plaque presented at the Annual Brazosport ACS Awards Banquet.

Nominations must be received by Praveen Boopalachandran as a single pdf file. The packet must include the following:

1. The completed nomination form. The application form can also be found on the ACS Brazosport website.(Note: Please do not send anything marked proprietary or confidential)
2. At least one letter of recommendation from someone familiar with the candidate’s work.

To be eligible, please submit the complete nomination package directly to pboopalachandran@dow.com by 11:59 PM CDT on September 18, 2026 (Friday). The winners will be announced about 3 weeks after the nominations are due.

Please feel free to share this with anyone you know who might be interested in this opportunity.

ACS Brazosport Awards Banquet 2026

Showing up Houston Strong at the 2026 ACS Fall Meeting in Chicago!

The Greater Houston section Executive Committee showed up Houston Strong at the 2026 ACS Fall National Meeting in Chicago!

See more photos from ACS Fall 2026

L to R: Christina (Chris) Bodurow (ACS President Elect), Lisa Houston, Dawn Friesen, Luke Roberson (ACS Committee on Local Section Activities Chair)

We were proud to receive the ChemLuminary Award for Outstanding Performance by a Local Section (large size category) at the annual ChemLuminary Awards Ceremony held on Sunday, August 23. This award was in recognition of the excellent programming and outreach work put on by the Greater Houston section in 2025, and we look forward to continuing that tradition in 2026 and beyond. Thank you to all the board members and volunteers for their hard work to make these happen. Way to go!

We also had good in-person representation at the ACS Council Meeting on Wednesday morning before finishing out the conference and returning to Houston.

Another Successful Summer for Project SEED and the GHS!

The Greater Houston Section of the American Chemical Society recently concluded another successful Project SEED Summer Program, led by Eme Abu!

This summer, 16 students completed research experiences at the University of Houston, Sam Houston State University, and Houston Electron Microscopy Laboratory. The program culminated in a Celebration of Learning at St. John's School in Houston, where more than 100 attendees gathered to recognize the students' achievements and the impact of the program.

The event also recognized this year's scholarship recipients which was led by Tai-Yen Chen. In addition, our local section's Excellence in High School Chemistry Teaching award recipient, Dr. Eric Oblinger, and our dedicated Project SEED mentors were honored for their outstanding contributions.

We wrapped up the summer on a high note! Congratulations to all of our students, scholarship recipients, mentors, and award winners on an outstanding summer of discovery, learning, and achievement.

See more photos here!

Upcoming Events at the Houston Museum of Natural Science

STEM Day and the GEMS (Girls Exploring Math & Science) Event are annual events for Scouts at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. 20-30 Community Booths engage the scouts and families from around the Greater Houston area to learn about all principles of science, from engineering to ecology. The ACS-GHS will participate with hands-on science celebrating NCW’s theme, Chemistry Under Construction.

STEM Day - Saturday, October 3, 2026

GEMS Event - Saturday, November 7, 2026

Volunteer Opportunity!

The ACS Greater Houston Section is looking for volunteers for the 2026 STEM Day and GEMS Event at the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us at:

Melissa Ariza: m_arizag@outlook.com or

Kerry Spilker: kkspilker@gmail.com

Did you know? HMNS has chemistry demonstrations in the Matter and Motion Hall on Wednesdays from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (schedule may vary).