The Greater Houston section has concluded the ballot count for our elections and we are pleased to announce the new and returning elected board members of our Executive Committee for 2026.

Incoming Section Chair: Valerie Moore
Chair-Elect: Sunny Jacob
Past Chair: Richa Chandra
Secretary: Matthew Crosley (2026-2027)
Treasurer: Lynn Foster (2025-2026)

Councilors (3-year term):
Carolyn Burnley (2026-2028)
David Germack (2024-2026)
Amber Hinkle (2025-2027)
Reginald Dias (2025-2027)
Caol Huff (2025-2027)

Alternate Councilors (3-year term):
Dawn Friesen (2026-2028)
Obiageli Nwosu (2024-2026)
Kiresha (Reese) Johnson (2025-2027)
Bob Botto (2025-2027)
Tom Malloy (2025-2027)

Directors (1-year term):
Stephanie Daifuku
Elissia Franklin

Yangwei Liu
Falonne (Colbie) Moumbogno

All elected candidates will take office at the January 2026 Transition Meeting, details of which will be shared once confirmed.

Three ACS-GHS members volunteered at the Houston Food Bank on November 8th, preparing dry goods to be sorted for distribution to the community, offering an opportunity for members to network with one another as they served the community. Joining several community groups from a local high school, businesses, and sororities/fraternities, we contributed to sorting 21 pallets worth of goods (504 boxes, 12,153 lbs). Thank you to our volunteers for supporting and giving back to our local communities here in Houston!

2025 GHS Award Honorees

Back Row: Michael Reynolds, Omar Abdelrahman, Reggie Dias, Larry Dennis, Reese Johnson; Front Row: Claire Conboy, Roxie Allen, Yokabet Gedeon, Heather Burgess

On Saturday, October 25th, at St. John’s School, the ACS Greater Houston Section (ACS-GHS) honored members who have received local and regional ACS awards for 2025. At the local level, we honored Reese Johnson as the GHS Outreach Volunteer of the Year. Omar Abdelrahman received the Younger Chemist Award, Claire Conboy received the Excellence in High School Teaching Award, Yokabet Gedeon received the Two Year College Teaching Award, Kerry Spilker received the Mamie W. Moy Distinguished Service Award, and Michael Reynolds received the Joe W. Hightower Award. As the Hightower winner, Michael gave a short talk called “Soaring on Soybeans – Catalysis for Producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel”.

Several ACS-GHS members were selected for 2025 Southwest Regional Awards which were presented at the Southwest Regional Meeting in Orlando. Roxie Allen was honored for being named the ACS E. Ann Nalley Regional Award for Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society - Southwest Region. Heather Burgess was named the ACS CHED Southwest Regional Award for Excellence in High School Teaching. Naomi Halas was unable to attend the Orlando meeting but will receive the Southwest Regional Award at the Southwest Regional Meeting in Fort Worth.

GEMS is an inspiring outreach program that introduces young students to the exciting world of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Through hands‑on activities, interactive demonstrations, and presentations of their own research projects, the girls get to share what they’ve studied and discovered. Our team was proud to volunteer, together with the Brazosport Section, at this year’s event at the Houston Museum of Natural Science on November 8, from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM, helping make STEM accessible, fun, and engaging for all participants.

Our team hosted a table display with the theme “Water Wonders: Explore, Mix, and Discover,” leading hands‑on demonstrations for the kids. Participants tested water pH using special strips to see if it was acidic, neutral, or basic, explored how chemical reactions can make water hot or cold, and experienced color‑changing magic by mixing acids and bases with indicators to see solutions turn pink and then back to clear. The event also tied into a broader STEM‑pop‑up supported by TikTok and the Houston Museum, which highlighted interactive science activities and brought greater visibility to fun, learning‑driven experiences. Volunteering at GEMS was a wonderful opportunity to spark curiosity, share the excitement of STEM, and help the next generation of scientists explore the wonders of science firsthand.

San Jacinto College South Campus held its Annual STEM Expo on November 13, 2025. About 500 students participated. ACS-GHS representatives held a safety training and conducted experiments for students.

Special thanks to Dr. Connie Gomez, the Department Chair, Physical Sciences, and Interim Department Chair, Life Sciences San Jacinto College (South Campus), and Mr. Jeff Robison, Chemistry Lab Coordinator, San Jacinto College (South Campus).

ACS-GHS volunteers Dr. Micheal Henk, Mrs.Obiageli Nwosu, and a cross section of the students 

Dr. Henk giving a safety training to the students.

National Chemistry week is a public awareness campaign that promotes the importance of chemistry in everyday life, particularly to children. This year the theme was "The Hidden Life of Spices," chosen to demonstrate the chemical properties of spices. Spices are used for many things in our day-to-day life including foods, aromatherapy, making perfumes, health benefits, and more! We partnered with the Children's Museum of Houston to host our event with dedicated volunteers.

Our volunteers in the Matter Factory!

The activities included secret messages with spice, hydrophobic properties of cinnamon and wax paper, cooking spices, Play Doh, and a History of Spices: Earth's Edible Treasures.

The secret messages with spice activity demonstrated the chemistry behind turmeric. Turmeric contains the chemical curcumin, which appears a different color to our eyes depending on the nature of the medium in which it is mixed. An acid would make it turn yellow and a base would make it turn red. When painting a tumeric mixture over a message from a baking soda mixture, the parts that contained baking soda turned red, revealing the message.

The cinnamon activity showcased how wax paper and the essential oils in cinnamon are hydrophobic. The children were given pipettes and observed how water doesn't absorb into the wax paper, but does on the hydrophilic paper towel fibers. When they dipped their fingers into a water cup with a cinnamon layer on top, the cinnamon coated their fingers and kept it dry, while an already wet finger had less cinnamon stuck to the wet surface. Robbyn Pope also brought common household spices for children to smell and learn about.

Our volunteers were very proactive and engaging teaching the chemistry behind these spices. The event started at 9 am and ended at 2 pm with many kids and families visiting throughout the day.

We had another great year hosting this event and look forward to National Chemistry Week 2026!

The ACS-GHS Awards Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 2025 Local Section Awards. The awards will be presented at our annual awards banquet on Saturday, October 25, 2025.

L to R: Mike Reynolds, Hightower Award; Omar Abdelrahman, Younger Chemist Award; Yokabet Gedeon, Two Year College Award; Claire Conboy, Excellence in High School Teaching Award; Kerry Spilker, Mamie W. Moy Distinguished Service Award

We are also proud to share that three Greater Houston chemists have been announced as ACS Southwest Regional Award winners, and will be recognized at the joint SERMACS/SWERM meeting in Orlando, Florida.

L to R: Naomi Halas, Southwest Region ACS Award; Roxie Allen, E. Ann Nalley Regional Award for Volunteer Service to ACS; Heather Burgess, Southwest Regional Award for Excellence in High School Teaching

The Greater Houston Section was pleased to host a seminar and panel discussion on the topic of Careers in Chemistry, with a focus on the outlook for PUI and Community College students. Aidan Looby (Ph.D. Candidate, University of Houston) kicked off the session with a presentation outlining the various career paths open to new chemists with different levels of education, and his presentation was followed by an open panel discussion featuring Dr. Yagmur Yegin (Research Engineer) and Thanh Nguyen (Graduate Student, University of Texas at Austin), answering questions from attendees.

If you weren’t able to join the conversation live, or want to catch up on what you missed, the recording is now available to watch on our YouTube channel!

Download presentation slides here

2025 Project SEED student Hieu Huynh capped off a successful summer project with Dr. David Thompson at Sam Houston State University by presenting a poster at the ACS Fall National Meeting in Washington, DC. Hieu reports:

"Going to the ACS National Meeting was such a fun and eye-opening experience. It was my first time ever being at a conference on such a huge national scale, and I was honestly amazed by how many scientists, students, and professionals were all gathered in one place. From presenting my own poster to walking around and seeing all the different talks and exhibits, it felt exciting and inspiring. I got to meet people from all over the country, hear about their research, and really feel what it’s like to be part of the larger science community. Overall, it was an unforgettable first experience that made me even more motivated about pursuing chemistry.  

Thank you Dr Thompson and his team of graduate students from Sam Houston State University, ACS National and ACS Greater Houston Section for giving me this awesome opportunity!"

We're proud to share that the ACS Greater Houston Section received a ChemLuminary Award for Outstanding Performance by a Local Section (Large Size Category) at the Fall 2025 ACS National Meeting in Washington, DC!