Greater Houston SectionEstablished in 1917, the Section serves about 2500 members, consisting of chemists, chemical engineers and professionals in allied fields. The American Chemical Society is recognized as a world leader in fostering science education and research, and promoting public understanding of science. The Greater Houston Section of the American Chemical Society is one of 189 local ACS sections across the nation. |
WCC 2027 Pfizer Emergent Leader Award
The ACS Women Chemists Committee (WCC)/Pfizer Emergent Leader Award will sponsor eight graduate student or post-doctoral researchers to present at an award symposium during the ACS Spring 2027 Meeting in New Orleans, LA. Awardees will receive a $1,500 travel stipend to cover expenses for the meeting. They will be invited to participate in networking activities with Pfizer and WCC at the Awards Symposium Reception, the WCC Luncheon featuring the 2027 Garvan-Olin Medalist, and the Just Cocktails Reception. For more information on the award, please visit www.acswcc.org or send an email to WCC@acs.org. The deadline for submissions is Friday, May 15, 2026. Yokogawa STEMpowerment Camp Calling all STEM students! Yokogawa Corporation of America is holding a free, 3-day STEM camp this July and encourages under-served students, female students, and those who do not usually have access to camps such as this to apply. Note, there is no cost to attend, and transportation is not provided by Yokogawa.
Application Deadline: May 31, 2026 Space is limited, so students focused on STEM education and careers are encouraged to apply early. Project SEED 2026 Seventeen Project SEED summer candidates have been selected to participate in this year’s program, which runs from June 8 through July 30 and culminates in a Celebration of Learning on July 31. Participants will engage in a structured, hands-on experience designed to strengthen their research skills and professional development. This year’s cohort is supported by mentors from the University of Houston, Sam Houston State University, and Houston Electron Microscopy, reinforcing strong academic and industry collaboration. Lab to Life: Finding the Chemistry Career that Suits YOU
The ACS Greater Houston Section Younger Chemists Committee successfully hosted “Lab to Life: Chemistry Careers in Action” on the evening of April 29th, an engaging virtual event designed to highlight diverse career pathways in chemistry and support students and early-career professionals. The event saw 80 registrations, marking a record for ACS-GHS YCC virtual programming, with over 50 participants actively engaged throughout the evening. This strong turnout reflects the growing interest in career development and community connection within the chemical sciences. Learn more about the event here! Looking for concrete steps you can take to prepare your career plan? Through the ACS Career Pathways program, ACS members (including student members) can take advantage of free on-demand (virtual) or select in-person career and leadership training, as well as engaging with personal career consultants for resume feedback, interview preparation/mock interviews, or answers to any other career questions you may have. Explore all the career resources and tools available to ACS members on the ACS Careers website, and let the ACS help you build the future you deserve. Passages - Saying Farewell to Valued Volunteers and FriendsWe are saddened to share with our members the passing of three long-serving former volunteers and Executive Officers of the ACS Greater Houston Section. Their participation and contributions to the Greater Houston and broader chemistry community will forever be cherished by everyone whose lives they touched. David (Dave) Singleton – March 6, 2026
Obituary: https://neptunesociety.com/obituaries/houston-tx/david-singleton-12780750 Dave Singleton received his BSc in Chemistry at the University of London (Queen Mary College) and completed his PhD in Chemistry at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario in 1965. Following a two-year fellowship in organometallic chemistry at Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, he embarked on a 37-year career as a research chemist with Shell Chemical Company in California, Houston, and Amsterdam. During his many years of volunteer activity with the Greater Houston Section of the ACS, Dave served as a Director (1995), through the Chair succession (1997-1999), and as a Councilor (2003-2020). Simon Bott – February 11, 2026
Obituary: https://funeral-notices.co.uk/notice/bott/5289776 Simon Bott received his BSc in Chemistry from Bristol University (1983), and his PhD in Chemistry under the guidance of Prof. J. L. Atwood from the University of Alabama in 1986. His academic career as a teaching professor included 8 years at the University of North Texas and 19 years at the University of Houston, where he was a student favorite. In 2016, Simon moved to Swansea University in the UK to found/reopen the university’s chemistry department. During his time in Houston, Simon was an active volunteer with the ACS Greater Houston Section and served through the Chair succession (2002-2004) and as a Councilor (2005-2016), while also running the section’s annual Scholarship Examination from 1998-2016 and organizing the Chemistry Olympiad competition from 2007-2016. Benjamin (Ben/Benji) Outlaw – July 2025
Funeral broadcast, July 20, 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or8it31UbMk Ben Outlaw did his undergraduate study at the University of Arkansas–Monticello and at the University of Memphis (BS, 1963) and completed his graduate studies at the University of Memphis (MS in Organic Chemistry, 1965). He was employed as an organic synthesis chemist in oilfield corrosion control technology at Petrolite Corporation in St Louis, MO from 1966-1997, and at Baker-Petrolite, a division of Baker Hughes, in Sugar Land, Texas from 1997 until he retired in 2002. During his time in Texas, Ben was an active member of the Greater Houston Section of the ACS, serving on the Executive Board as Director (1999), through the Chair succession (2000-2002), Alternate Councilor (2003), and Councilor (2004, 2006-2008). His volunteer service with the St. Louis ACS section was similarly notable both before his move to Houston and after he retired to Missouri. ACS-GHS Awards: Call for Nominations Recognize your peers for their outstanding scholarship and service to the ACS-GHS and our chemical community by nominating them for an award!
Direct inquiries and submit nomination packets to acs-ghs@acs-ghs.org by the specified deadline. | Another Unbe-leaf-able CCEW for 2026!
The ACS-GHS once again joined the Discovery Green Earth Day in Downtown Houston on April 25, 2026, as part of Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW). This year’s theme was "Into the Woods with Chemistry", highlighting the chemistry of trees and forests. To help deliver and promote the theme, we had an informational section educating visitors about the importance of trees to our planet and human life. We also had an experiment for visitors to our booth where they could create their own tree using materials like moss and wooden sticks, and we handed out giveaway bags to visitors containing ACS educational materials and goodies. In addition, visitors were able to take their tree to go! Volunteers from the University of St. Thomas ACS group came to help at this year’s event. Huge thanks to Kiresha (Reese) Johnson for organizing the day, and to our event volunteers for helping make this a phenomenal event! Upcoming events
Science Demo Day and Earth Day Celebrations at HMNS
The Houston Museum of Natural Science - Matter and Motion Hall hosted a Science Demonstration Day on March 28, 2026, bringing science to life. Demonstrations included investigations into the principles of magnetism, Faraday's Law, the plasma ball, white light, and others to the delight of the visitors which packed the hall. A volunteer from ACS (Kerry Spilker) was on site to provide demonstrations on the wonders of chemistry. Demonstrations included the chemistry and properties of carbon dioxide, vanishing colors, burning money and the crowd favorite, Elephant Toothpaste. None of this would have been possible without the chemist's Magic Pitcher. Kerry also participated in the HMNS Celebration: Earth - Safeguarding Our Planet on April 21, 2026. In keeping with the CCEW 2026 theme, Into the Woods with Chemistry, Kerry demonstrated Green Chemistry in HMNS Matter and Motion Hall Demonstration Station, discussing photosynthesis by which trees absorb sunlight and carbon dioxide and produce water and the oxygen we breathe, principles of light reflection and refraction, creating carbon dioxide gas and extinguishing a flame, chemiluminescence, capillary forces in plants and demonstrating the energy stored in nuts.
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)! Visitors in May can look forward to bubbles small and large, with demos on the subject of surfactants (surface active agents). High Marks for the the 2026 ACS-GHS Chemistry Scholarship Exam! The 2026 ACS Greater Houston Section high school scholarship exam took place on April 25, 2026, on the University of Houston campus. This year saw record high attendance with 91 students registered for the examination, including 49 in the first-year and 42 in the second-year categories!
Thank you to our ACS-GHS volunteers (L to R): Dr. Linda Wong, Mrs. Obiageli Nwosu, and Dr. Tai-Yen Chen. A special shout out to our ACS-GHS Senior Chemist Dr. Linda Wong for her help. See more photos from Exam Day by clicking here or on the photo above. To find out more about the ACS-GHS Annual Scholarship Exam, visit our Scholarship page. Congratulations to our 2026 Scholarship Award Winners!
"From PhD to Industry"with Yangwei Liu
ACS-GHS Director and Communications Committee member Yangwei Liu was recently invited to give a talk about his career journey at Texas A&M University. As Yangwei shared on LinkedIn after the event:
You can view the full presentation here, and thanks to Yangwei for sharing his experience with TAMU students and ACS-GHS members. Giving Back to the Next Generation of Chemistry Professionals
The ACS-GHS is proud to support the next generation of Chemistry Professionals through tutoring freshman chemistry students at San Jacinto College. Learn more about our efforts in our new STEM Bootcamp video on YouTube!
(Video/Editing: Ezenna Chukwujioke-Madu) Volunteer tutoring is a great way to give back by sharing your time and experience with young chemists. With our recent tutoring sessions, the content was provided by San Jacinto professors and was aligned with course curricula. Three hours of your day could mean the world to a student! Learn more about this and other volunteer opportunities on our Volunteer Page. |
