The ACS-GHS held an awards luncheon on Saturday, January 18th to present ACS Regional awards to those that were unable to attend the Southwest Regional Meeting in El Paso, TX last November, and local awards to recognize some our outstanding volunteers.

• Mike Wong of Rice University was presented with the Southwest Region ACS Award which recognizes a person who has made meritorious contributions to the advancement of chemistry, chemical engineering, chemical education, either pure or applied, to the profession in general.

• Carolyn Burnley was presented with the E. Ann Nalley Regional Award for Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society which recognizes the volunteer efforts of individuals who have served the American Chemical Society, contributing significantly to the goals and objectives of the Society through their regional activities for her many years of service to the local section but especially to her 10 years of dedication to Project Seed.

• Sam Hernandez and Chelsie Lancaster of Elijah Rising. A 501(c)3 nonprofit committed to ending sex trafficking, accepted the Partners for Progress and Prosperity (P3) Award which recognizes partnerships among industry, academia, government, small businesses and/or other organizations that result in impactful outcomes. The partnership between Elijah Rising  and the University of St. Thomas allowed for an expansion of products to be sold in their storefront, Goods That Empower, which are made by trafficking survivors and sold to benefit this worthy cause.

Local awards included the following Salutes to Excellence:

• Amber Hinkle for her yearly facilitation of our strategic planning and active follow up to ensure we are on track. As a result of Amber's guidance, GHS active volunteers have increased, and communication improved.
• Museum Of Fine Arts Houston and Dr. David Bomford for partnering with GHS for a Science Café which consisted of a talk on conservation of the chemistry. The Museum staff publicized and handled all of the logistics as well as providing the venue for the Science Café. The Brown Auditorium of the Museum with a capacity of 300+ was filled. This lecture contributed to the greater public awareness of chemistry.
• Bob Botto for his continued leadership in our Kids & Chemistry efforts including organization of the National Chemistry event at the Children’s Museum and his individual demonstrations with pediatric patients at Texas Children’s Hospital.
• Lisa Houston for her leadership and organization in the GHS Awards Committee and High School Outreach efforts. Because of her persistent efforts, several GHS members were nominated for regional/ national awards and successfully awarded the respective awards. Due to her innovative outreach efforts, prominent GHS speakers from industry/academia are able to interact with High School students and share their career experience with the younger generation of STEM enthusiasts.

The GHS 2019 Volunteer of the Year Award was given to Catherine Faler for her active involvement in the Local Section’s outreach efforts for several years. Many of these events promote Chemistry and STEM to young kids. Catherine has dedicated her time and effort in celebrating the International Year of Periodic Table (IYPT) all year long in 2019 - she has organized several events which actively engaged all ages of children, teachers and general public.

Thank you all for your amazing leadership and dedication!