Summary

Houston City College (HCC) participated in a broader ACS-supported effort to make chemistry more accessible through tactile periodic tables. During the Spring 2026 STEM and ADA awareness symposium, students worked with faculty, ACS Division of Professional Relations (PROF), Dr. Cary Supalo, Dr. Michael Fricke, and the HCC makerspace to create a laser-cut periodic table with braille elements. The project reflects the larger 50-50-50 initiative, which aims to place tactile periodic tables in all 50 U.S. states by the 50th anniversary of the ACS Committee on Chemists with Disabilities in 2030.

Student Arya Fakhroshoara adding braille balls to the periodic table

Houston City College Project

In the Spring 2026 semester, Houston City College (HCC) hosted a symposium on STEM and ADA awareness. The American Chemical Society’s Division of Professional Relations (ACS PROF) connected HCC with Dr. Cary Supalo, PhD, a blind chemist who spoke with HCC students about navigating academia and earning a BS, MS, and PhD in chemistry while blind. His speech focused on resilience and determination in pursuing science.

Dr. Cary Supalo presenting at HCC

In honor of Dr. Supalo’s visit, students in Professor Karen Fortune’s class were assigned a project to recreate the periodic table in braille. ACS PROF also connected the class with Dr. Michael Fricke, PhD, who was working on a project to place tactile periodic tables at colleges. In collaboration with Dr. Fricke, and with significant support from Israel Garza, manager of HCC’s makerspace and Innovation Lab, students were trained to use the laser cutter and helped produce a laser-cut periodic table with braille holes.

Arya Fakhroshoara hard at work placing in braille balls

The students painted the table and glued braille balls onto the periodic table. By the time of the symposium, the first two periods had been completed. Dr. Supalo was able to read the braille, which was encouraging for both students and faculty. The plan is to complete the project with the incoming class in Fall 2026.

(L-R): C. Dr. Karen Fortune, Arya Fakhroshoara, Dr. Cary Supalo, Dr. Dalton McWhinney, Dr. Senta Eastern, EdD, LPC-S, NCC (ADA Counsellor)

Arya Fakhroshoara, Dr. Dalton McWhinney, Dr. Cary Supalo, and Dr. C Karen Fortune

(L-R): Arya Fakhroshoara, Dr. Dalton McWhinney, Dr. Cary Supalo, and Dr. C. Karen Fortune

All pictures from the HCC ADA & STEM awareness symposium.

Links

1. https://cen.acs.org/acs-news/ACS-committee-crafting-tactile-periodic/103/web/2025/10
2. https://www.thetactileperiodictable.com/houston
   

You can follow along with the placement of tables online at www.thetactileperiodictable.com.

L to R: Amiee Modic, Roxie Allen, Caol Huff, Dawn Friesen, Falonne Moumbogno, Yangwei Liu.

The Greater Houston section Executive Committee showed up Houston Strong at the 2026 ACS Fall National Meeting in Chicago! The meeting kicked off with K-12 Teacher Day with Amiee Modic and Roxie Allen as part of the hosting and presenting committee - read more about Teacher Day here!

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!

The Greater Houston Executive Committee would also like to congratulate our colleagues and neighbors in the Brazosport Local Section for winning the ChemLuminary for Outstanding Performance by a Local Section (small size category), as well as a second ChemLuminary award for Most Creative National Chemistry Week Celebration Using the Yearly Theme for featuring spice chemistry exhibits, interactive demonstrations, and a career panel inspired by the talk show Hot Ones.

L to R: Caol Huff, Dawn Friesen, David Germack, Lisa Houston

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

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 (above, left) 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.

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!

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.

The 2026 ACS GHS Celebration of Learning ceremony took place on July 31, 2026 at St. John’s School. Participants included the Project SEED Summer Research interns as well as the ACS-GHS High School Scholarship winners.

ACS-GHS Scholarship Winners, L to R: Smrithi Gudetti (1st year, 3rd place), Mrs. Obiageli Nwosu, ACS-GHS Education Committee Chair, Karen Wang (2nd year, 2nd place), Nash Patel (2nd year Honorable Mention).

We were also pleased to recognize Dr. Eric Oblinger of Concordia Lutheran High School as the 2026 winner of our award for Excellence in High School Chemistry Teaching.

L to R: Lisa Houston (Awards Committee Chair), Dr. Eric Oblinger

Congratulations to Eric Oblinger of Concordia Lutheran High School on receiving the 2026 ACS-GHS Award for Excellence in High School Chemistry Teaching!

ACS Fellow and long-time ACS Greater Houston Section member Kerry Spilker puts the spotlight on chemistry as the Docent presenting chemistry demonstrations in the Matter and Motion Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS).

As Kerry reports: "HMNS guest, Gabriel, was on hand to help refine the Water Rise in a Vacuum Experiment.  We tested multiple size candles, covers, food colors and containers to get the most dramatic results for the audience to see. This crowd favorite always gets a gasp once the candle flame slowly dims, goes out and the color water is drawn up by the vacuum made by the condensing gas."

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. 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!

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.