The New York Section has another successful SEED I and SEED II program. The number of participants in Project SEED from the NY section is more than half the number of participants from the entire nation.  The magnitude and impact of this program is absolutely incredible.  This year, students did research at 25 institutions:  NYU,  St. John's University, Columbia Medical School, Albert Einstein Medical Sc hool, Hunter College, Fordham University, Brooklyn Institute of Technology, Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey City University, The Meadowlands Environmental Institute, Sloan Kettering Cancer Research, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rutgers University in Newark, The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Seton Hall University, Rutgers University College of Engineering, the CAIP Center, COOK College, Jersey City Medical Center, the Institute of Marine Science, Rutgers College of Pharmacy, the Medical Devices Concept Laboratories, Rutgers University Piscataway Campus,  the Ceramic Center, etc.  This year SEED was integrated with the Harlem Science Street Fair, described separately.  This year was unusually successful. Twenty students presented in Washington DC at the National Meeting of ACS. Many SEED students participated in several competitions.  At the Junior Science Symposium, half of the top ten in the state were SEED students and one made it to the national symposium sponsored by the AAAS. Students also participated in local science fairs and several of them made it to the international science fair.  More than half of the participants at the Seton Hall Science Competition were from the NY section and they received the highest awards.  Several students participated  in the  fifth annual Schering-Plough  competition and four of the five top awards were won by SEED students because the quality of work was so much superior to the rest of the presentations.  Three students from the NY section won the SEED scholarship and two won the  Bill Gates Millennium  Scholarship.  Project Seed Coordinator:  Ms. Nadia Makar
 
 

    In an event that is not only a premier annual section event, but one that is a very important event nationally, the 2005 William H. Nichols Medal awardee, Dr. Richard Zare of Stanford University was honored “For Pioneering Studies of Chemical Reactions on the Molecular Level.”  The event was held in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Pains, NY on April 1, 2005.   An outstanding symposium entitled “Shining a Light on Chemical Processes” was presented in his honor with additional lectures by Professor Mark Johnson (Yale), Professor Carl Lineberger (Colorado) and Professor John Brauman (Stanford).  A gala banquet followed including the awards ceremony and a special talk by Professor Paul Houston (Cornell).  The event was attended by over 200 people, including scientists from academia and industry, as well as many graduate and undergraduate students (many of whom were treated to free dinner at the banquet).  The event was attended by ACS President William Carroll, who had also visited at least 4 different sites in the NY section during the 24 hours leading up to the symposium.  This medal is the nation’s oldest award for chemistry.  The Nichols Medal Award was established in 1902 by Dr. William H. Nichols (ACS president in 1918 and 1919), and the New York Section was honored that Mr. David Nichols and Mr. Charles Walter Nichols III, members of the Nichols Foundation and Nichols family members, were guests at the banquet along with several other Nichols family members.  The Nichols banquet is an excellent opportunity for chemistry students to interact with industrial chemists, learn about cutting-edge research, and participate in recognizing achievements in original research.  Students were allowed access to Dr. Zare after the banquet for personal greetings and autographs.  Donations from the Nichols family plus local industry were used to supplement the generous support provided for this event by the Nichols Foundation.  The Nichols Medal awardee is selected from many excellent nominations at an annual June meeting by the Nichols Medal Jury.  The Nichols Medal Jury Chair for the 2005 Nichols Medal was Dr. David Rahni.        PHOTOS             BROCHURE
 

    The New York Chemistry Students' Association of the New York Section held its 53rd  URS on Saturday May 7, 2005, at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY.  Eighty-two papers from 17 different colleges were presented in twelve concurrent sessions.  Over 200 people attended the sessions. The event was co-sponsored by the New york Chemistry Students’ Association, which comprises student affiliate chapters from 32 area colleges and universities.  The areas covered were analytical, biochemistry, inorganic, organic, nano- & surface chemistry and polymer chemistry.  Attendees were formally welcomed by Dr. Michael White, the chair of the Chemistry Department at Stony Brook University, followed by Dr. Robert McGrath, Provost of Stony Brook University, Dr. James Canary, the ACS New York Section Chair and Jill Rehmann, Co-Chair, Students’ Association Committee.  Dr. Michael White introduced the keynote speaker Professor Stephen O’Brien from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Columbia University. The keynote presentation entitled “Scale Your Enthusiasm” was a wonderful introduction to the field of nanoscience.  The speaker discussed applications and future application of nanomaterials and devices in a variety of areas ranging from integrated circuits to medicine and diagnostics.  As a token of appreciation from the ACS-NY Section, the speaker was presented with an inscribed plaque commemorating the event.  The group picture was taken and then students, faculty and guests attended the student presentations taking place in twelve concurrent sessions.  The students gave either 15 or 10 minute PowerPoint Presentations.  The conference rooms were equipped with laptop computers and projection systems.  Student presentations were saved on either CD or flash and, for the first time, there were no computer compatibility problems. Representatives from OSI Pharmaceuticals (Radek Laufer, Ph.D., and Douglas Werner) and Prentice Hall Barry Harmon) attended the symposium.  Tables were made available for these representatives in the reception area and the OSI representatives spoke briefly about OSI and career opportunities at the luncheon.  The symposium concluded with a luncheon and presentation of Certificates of Participation and mementos to student presenters by Sharon Lall-Ramnarine and Jaimelee Cohen.  The event was sponsored generously by seven different companies. The co-chairs of this event were Dr. Raifah Kabbani (Pace University) and Dr. Jill Rehmann (St. Joseph’s College).     PHOTOS        FULL REPORT
 

    The First Annual National Chemistry Week at the New York Hall of Science (NYHOS) was held on Saturday, October 22, 2005.  The successful program involved 88 volunteers from industry, colleges and universities, and high schools.  On entering the Hall, each person and child was given a NCW bag with the NCW newsletter, a copy of ChemMatters, a mole, a toy (slinky, popper, spring up, etc), an evaluation form and a prize ticket.  A drawing was held, offering a choice of the gifts sent by National NCW.  The Hall was decorated with red, white and blue NCW balloons.  Each participating school received a large mole or the Periodic Table Key  Chain. The driving force behind this event was David Sherman of Pepsi-Cola. The group presented a number of experiments which intrigued both the children and adults.  We were very fortunate to receive donations from some of the scientific companies, e.g. Flinn Scientific and Sargent Welch.  Participating were NYU, St. John's, Manhattan College, College of Mt. St. Vincent, Hofstra, Adelphi, St. Joseph's College, STANYS (Science Teachers Association of New York State) and Manhattan Village Academy High School.  The evaluations were returned and unanimously the rating of the day was very good to excellent.  The volunteers (and their families) enjoyed a great day showing our next generation of scientists how much fun chemistry can be.  There were smiles and warm  feelings on both sides of the demonstration tables.  We conservatively estimate that 600 men, women, and children participated in this event.  Staff from the NY Hall of Science were amazed at the effectiveness of the interaction between students staffing the booths and guests.  Although some of the demonstrations were quite familiar to the staff, it was apparent that the public was remarkably engaged by the enthusiastic students staffing the booths.  The event was advertised by web postings at the NY-ACS and at NYHOS, by email announcements, and in NYHOS fliers.  In at least one case, a local high school teacher arranged to bring his class to the event in response to an email announcement.    PHOTO
 

    This year the Harlem Children Society's Second Annual Harlem Science Street Fair and Festival held on October 1, 2005 at 129th St. and 7th Avenue (Adam Clayton Powell BLVD.)  The festival and the summer-long outreach to disadvantaged high school students was organized by Dr. Sat Bhattacharya of the Harlem Children Society and was supported by a grant from the Local Section Activities Committee to the NY Section for this purpose.  The fair honored various outreach programs that aid youth in under-served and under-represented communities and school districts in New York City and New Jersey, and in our national venture.  The event took place in association with Rockefeller University Chapter of Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society, Salem United Methodist Church, the New York Academy of Sciences and the NY Section of the ACS.  Live entertainment was featured with an all-star international line-up, including King Clave, Cuban and Latin jazz ensemble, The Main Squeeze Orchestra - all female German accordion orchestra, Kibar, Turkish ensemble and Cheikh M'Baye & Sing Sing Rhythms, Senegalese drum and dance troupe.  There was a science poster competition by over 145 students, and attended by over 2000 people from the community.  Several universities were represented at the fair to vie into luring our brightest students to their campuses.  We can proudly say that the Science Fair was an immense success; and yet another successful experiment into the interaction between the scientific community and the general masses - thereby fostering a dialogue between science and society.  The NYC Board of Education honored the science street fair as one of the major science events in New York in bringing Science Education to the masses.  This event was part of 'Weekend of science" by the city.   PHOTOS

    The Nanotechnology Topical Group meets jointly with NYU’s Nanoscience Discussion Group.  The group meets four times per year, twice in the fall semester and twice in the spring semester.  The meetings take place at New York University on Tuesday evenings, beginning at 7:00 pm with greetings and refreshments, followed by science at 7:30 pm.  The science consists of three speakers, one each from chemistry/chemical engineering, physics/applied math, and biology/medicine. Modeled after the NY Structural Biology Discussion Group, this format is intentionally interdisciplinary; speaker order is not announced before the meeting to encourage attendance at all of the lectures.  Speakers have hailed from universities such as Columbia, Yale, Princeton, NYU and the California  Institute of Technology, as well as from research institutions and industry.  Departments represented have included, chemistry, physics, biomaterials and biomimetics, radiology and pathology, and chemical engineering.  Each speaker presents for 25  minutes and entertains questions for 5 minutes.  The atmosphere is informal and collegial.  A group of 10-15 people invariably get together informally after the scientific session for further discussion at a establishments in the Greenwich Village area.  In preparation, the schedule of meetings is set, a series of diverse stimulating panels is decided upon, invitations are extended to the speakers, and the event is promoted to an ever-growing list of 100 scientists in the tri-state area, as well as the 150 members of the NYU Department of Chemistry.  Sessions are announced by the NY State Office of Science, Technology andResearch.  Each evening is hosted by a member of the committee and guests are encouraged to arrive early to exchange ideas while enjoying a glass of wine and a snack before settling down to business.  There have been excellent feedback from all quarters.        PROGRAMS FOR 2005
 
 

    The 2005 General Meeting and Section-Wide Conference of the New York Section was held at Fordham University in Bronx, NY, on January 22, 2005.  Approximately 80 people braved an approaching major snow storm for this event.  The event began with welcoming remarks from the new 2005 Section Chair and a discussion of goals for the coming year.  New officers and committee members were introduced.  The annual section awards ceremony followed, with 2004 Chair Vijaya Korlipara receiving a service plaque, pin, and gift for her many contributions.  Professor Robert Beer was awarded the Outstanding Service Award. Richard Goodman received the Nichols Foundation Chemistry teacher Award of an ACS plaque and $1000 for outstanding qualities in high school chemistry teaching.  Salute to Excellence Awards were presented to Jean Delfiner and Joan Laredo-Liddell for major contributions to raising the profile of chemistry among high school teachers.    Another Salute to Excellence Award was given to the New York Academy of Sciences for advocacy of molecular science in New York City.  This was the first time that the NY Section had given one of these awards to an institution rather than an individual.  After this ceremony, Dr. Rashid Shaikh from NYAS presented a summary of new programming and initiatives at the Academy.  ACS staff member Michael Shea then presented a very informative and challenging talk on recent trends in chemical education and employment.  There was an exciting dynamic generated from his presentation and from interaction with the audience, including the three senior NYAS staff that were present.     PHOTOS
 
 

    Organized by Dr. Stephen Goldberg, this event is one of the most successful annual events of the NY Section and a paradigm for effective organization and recognition of volunteers.  Nationally, approximately 11,000 students took the local exam.  In the New York Section a total of 444 students from 67 different high schools registered to take the local exam.  The local exam was administered at 11 sites on March 5 (9 sites) and March 6 (2 sites).    Of the students who registered, 378 actually took the exam.  The high score on the exam was 56 (perfect score = 60), the low score was 10.  The average score was 34.43, with a standard deviation of 11.75.  The names, schools and scores for the students scoring 50 or above on the local examination are given on page 9 of Dr. Goldberg's report.  The National Exam was administered at two locations, Purchase College of SUNY on Saturday, April 17, and Adelphi University on Sunday, April 18.  Based on the size of the New York Section, 20 students were allowed to continue to the National Exam level.  In previous years the section had been allowed only 19 students.  Of the 903 students who took the National Exam 100 students attained honors and 50 attained high honors.  These numbers were established by the national ACS.  Of the 20 New York Section students who took the National Exam four obtained honors and one obtained high honors.  This was a rather weaker showing than in previous years.  However, Zachary Travis of North Shore High School, the one student who obtained high honors, qualified to participate in the National Study Camp.  Zachary Travis and Justin Quartararo had both qualified for the National Exam in 2004.  Justin, as he had in 2004, obtained honors in 2005.  
FULL REPORT
 

    The Biochemical Topical Group of the New York Section of the American Chemical Society had an exceptionally active and successful year.  Led by Dr. Barbara Petrack the group held eight symposia in collaboration with the Biochemistry Section and the Biochemical Pharmacology discussion Group of The New York Academy of Sciences.  The combination represents a diverse group of scientists interested in biochemistry, molecular biology, biomedical research, and related areas.  Members are from pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and from university and medical center research facilities across the Eastern United States.  The topics and speakers for these symposia are selected by vote of the membership from approximately 25 potential programs proposed by the Steering Committee.  The proposed programs are based on many more submitted (any scientist may propose a program).  The scientists who suggest the topic then chair that meeting, with support from the Steering Committee.  This selection process results in arranging programs of special interest to the membership, with shared responsibilities for their success.  The Programs are announced each month in The Indicator to ensure that all New York and North Jersey ACS members are informed.  The symposia were held at The New York Academy of Sciences, 2 East 63 Street.  An exception was the March full-day symposium on Statins, which was held at The Lighthouse International Auditorium, to accommodate a larger group.  Each symposium included 5-7 speakers and was attended by approx 100 scientists. The May symposium also was a full-day; the other six were half-day, with a coffee break in the middle providing opportunities for interactions.    PROGRAMS FOR 2005
 
 

    In 2005, the Organic Topical Group merged with the Chemical Biology Discussion Group of the New York Academy of Sciences.  The purpose of this merger was to re-invigorate the Organic Topical Group and to bring a contemporary, interdisciplinary group to the fore in the section.  The group focuses on increasing the level of dialogue between chemists and biologists.  This highly interdisciplinary group seeks to bring together chemists and biologists interested in exploring chemical approaches to probing biological and biochemical functions in periodic meetings that will include discussions of basic, clinical and translational aspects of this emerging field.  Meetings generally feature three main presentations followed by an extensive open discussion among participants.  Each meeting culminates with networking receptions enabling participants to meet and interact with their peers.  A total of 230 people attended the four meetings held by the Chemical Biology discussion group in 2005 for an average of ~57 attendees per meeting.  Some 56 % of the attendees at the four meetings were post-doctoral associates or graduate students. An online “channel” accessible via the Academy’s website contains information about discussion group activities including the speakers, abstracts, slides or power point presentation, and links to pertinent resources such as articles in leading journals or other websites.  A fundamental component of the web channels is the electronic briefings or “eBriefings” that are generated from the meetings.   These multimedia reports are prepared by experienced science writers who work with speakers to capture the central scientific themes generated from the meetings.  When available, the eBriefings are augmented by audio, video, photos, and slide shows from the events.  In 2005, 3 eBriefings were produced based on the Chemical Biology Discussion Group’s meetings.  Links to these eBriefings can be found at the Academy’s website - www.nyas.org.