The 2021 GHS Executive Board, volunteers, and interested members met via Zoom on the afternoon of Saturday, January 16^th to review the section's strategic goals and annual plans, assign committee chairs and volunteers, and ensure a smooth transition between board members in new positions. We had a great turnout and are thrilled to welcome several new volunteers to our various committees! Great plans are in the works for 2021 despite the ongoing challenges of the COVID pandemic, so stay tuned…

Laura Smith Callahan is a Director of the Greater Houston Section and Chair of the Communications & Technology Committee, where she coordinates with our newsletter editor and website administrator to keep members up to date on important section news. Laura is also the powerhouse behind our social media accounts, sharing our section’s events and achievements along with a wide range of content to drive community interest and engagement in chemistry. She is instrumental in helping us welcome new section members and has been an active participant in several of our virtual program events during 2020. Laura, thanks for your hard work and congratulations on being named the GHS Volunteer of the Year for 2020!

Cats love me, due to my psychoactive effect on them. What compound am I?

Answer: It's nepetalactone!

I'm a dye, a stain, an indicator, and a drug. What compound am I?

Answer: It's methylene blue!

We are thrilled to share that the Greater Houston Local Section won three ChemLuminary Awards at the 22nd Annual ChemLuminary Awards Ceremony held virtually on December 9th, 2020. These awards are::

• Best Activity or Program Highlighting ACS Change Driver(s) or Strategic Planning
• Outstanding Performance by a Local Section (Large Size)
• Outstanding High School Student Program Award

Congratulations to everyone for their hard work and dedication to our section!

The ACS Greater Houston Section has concluded the ballot count for our 2021 elections and we are pleased to announce the following members have been elected to the Executive Committee: 

Chair-Elect: Eme Abu 

Treasurer: Sam Lewis

Councilors:

Valerie Lafitte and David Germack

Alternate Councilors:

Javoris Hollingsworth and Snigdha Chennamaneni

Directors:

Lynn M. Foster

Laura Smith Callahan

David E. Thompson

Errol (Loïc) L. G. Samuel

All elected candidates will take office at the January 2021 Transition Meeting.

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