Allergies got you down? I can help! What compound am I?

Answer: It's Loratadine!

We are happy to share that the Greater Houston Local Section has been selected as a finalist for the following six ChemLuminary Award(s):

• Best Activity or Program Highlighting ACS Change Driver(s) or Strategic Planning
• Outstanding Continuing Public Relations Program of a Local Section
• Outstanding Performance by a Local Section (Large Size)
• Outstanding Engagement with K-8 Students
• Outstanding High School Student Program Award
• Outstanding Local Section YCC

The ChemLuminary Awards ceremony will be held virtually on Wednesday, December 9, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. To register for the event and for more information, please see the ACS ChemLuminary Awards page.

The GHS had a wonderful virtual awards ceremony on Saturday, October 24th. Approximately 45 people logged on via Zoom and the evening started with a social networking session. We celebrated our ACS Fellows, Regional Award winners, Local Section award winners, our Houston area Chemistry Olympiad team members, P3 Salutes to Excellence awards, our 50 and 60 year ACS members, and our local section volunteers. The evening was capped off with a keynote presentation by our Joe W. Hightower Award winner, Roxie Allen (pictured above).

For those who missed the event, a recording of the awards ceremony is available on the ACS Greater Houston Section's YouTube channel.

Darren Williams (left); Barbara and Ed Kanegsberg (right)

We are thrilled to share that Darren Williams of Sam Houston State University and Barbara and Ed Kanegsberg of BFK Solutions LLC received the Partners for Progress and Prosperity (P3) Award from the Southwest Regional Awards Committee. The P3 Award recognizes partnerships among industry, academia, government, small businesses and/or other organizations that result in impactful outcomes. The partnership between Professor Williams' Cleaning Research Group and BFK Solutions LLC provides opportunities for students to investigate the science and art of critical and relevant industrial cleaning topics while maintaining contact with industrial cleaning users, and the suppliers of industrial cleaning equipment and chemicals.

L-R: Ethan DeBrosky (student member), Barbara Kanegsberg, Darren Williams, and Ed Kanegsberg

Congratulations to GHS member Amber Hinkle for receiving the 2020 E. Ann Nalley Southwest Region Award for volunteer service to the American Chemical Society! This award 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.

I have a variety of oxidation states. I am inert under biological conditions, which allows me to be useful in a variety of sources. What compound am I?

Answer: It's iridium(IV) oxide!

The second video in our "Meet Your ACS-GHS Leaders" series is now available on our YouTube Channel! This series focuses on short interviews with members of the Greater Houston local section leadership to provide insight into the different career paths available to chemists in the Houston area, as well as the impact that the ACS can have on its members, both personally and professionally.

Our October video is an interview with Kevin Ramirez, a chemist, chemical engineer, and computer scientist by training, and the 2020-2021 ACS-GHS Secretary and YCC Chair. Kevin's experiences highlight how the American Chemical Society and Younger Chemists Committee can benefit its members as chemists, while also providing opportunities to connect with professional organizations in other scientific disciplines.

Congratulations to the Greater Houston Section Award winners for 2020, and thank you for your hard work and continuing service to the ACS and our local chemistry community!

L to R: Sunny Tang, Mamie W. Moy Service Award; Roxie Allen, Joe W. Hightower Award; Laimutis Bytautas, Two Year College Award; Adrian Villalta-Cerdas, Younger Chemist Award;  and Jennifer Notz, Excellence in High School Teaching Award