Buchner Bulletin
Seton Hill College
ACS-SA Chemistry Club
Spring 2001

  1. SERVICE
    1. Take The Day On: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
      2.

      On Monday, January 15, 2001, eight members of the Chemistry Club and Club Advisor Sr. Susan Yochum prepared a mailing for the Daffodil Days event sponsored by the American Cancer Society. This was just one of many service activities that SHC students participated in on campus and in the local community to celebrate the day and honor Dr. King.

    2. Admission Recruiting Calls
      3.

      In conjunction with the Admissions Office, five Chemistry Club members phoned prospective science majors currently in their senior year of high school. Club members talked with the students about majoring in the sciences, visiting the campus, and college life in general.

    3. Christian Fellowship Science Fair Judging

      4. On March 20, 2001, Club Secretary, Christin Hanigan; Club Historian, Tracey Harshberger; and Club President, Ann Marie Staub served as science fair judges for first through eighth graders at the Christian Fellowship school. Science fair projects included the effects of colored light on plant growth and the genetics of fruit flies.

    4. Women In Science Day
      5.

      The thirteenth annual Women In Science Day was celebrated on April 11, 2001 to acknowledge outstanding area high school female juniors for their excellence in math, chemistry and biology. Ten Chemistry Club and Biology Club members worked as tour guides for the event while four Chemistry Club members served as presenters of Infrared Spectroscopy and Molecular Modeling.

       





      Sophmores Tracey Harshberger and Sara Hileman
      teach the high school juniors
      and their parents and teachers
      how to build chemical structures
      using HyperChem molecular modeling software.









      These talented young women in science learn to make NaCI plates in order to run a sample in the FTIR spectrophotometer in our instrmentation lab.





    5. Adopt-A-Highway
      6.

Ten Chemistry Club members and two guests donned orange vests and hit the highway on April 22, Earth Day, for our third highway clean up of the year. Our 2.5 mile stretch of highway passes through Twin Lakes Park.

II. SCHOOL VISITS

    1. High School Recruitment Program

      2. **NEW PROGRAM DEVELOPED THIS YEAR**

      On Saturday, February 17, 2001, five high school junior and senior women arrived at Lynch Hall for a day of chemistry and biology activities. The goal of our program was to give high school female juniors and seniors the opportunity to experience the applied aspects of science in a college setting. The theme of the day was Chemical Detectives. The young women worked on a forensics project using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Horizontal Attenuated Total Reflectance (HATR).

      Sophomore Shelby Hott, Freshman Susan Gillenberger, and Senior Ann Marie Staub assist two students in preparing NaCl plates for FT-IR.

      Two high school students analyze their HATR spectrum of a fabric from the "crime scene."

    2. Mother of Sorrows School of Murrysville School Visit

On February 22, 2001, seven Chemistry Club members, the Club Advisor, and Dr. Frances Blanco-Yu assisted the seventh and eighth graders in chemistry experiments. We conducted experiments with red cabbage as an acid-base indicator, synthesis of nylon, and Molecular Modeling. The day also included lunch in Lowe Dining Hall, a campus tour, and a lecture on nutrition and dietetics by Dr. Janice Sandrick. This event was funded by a grant from the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh.

III. TECHNICAL MEETINGS

    1. The Pittsburgh Conference (PittCon) - New Orleans, LA

      2. This year four students, Senior Jennifer Wilson, Juniors Jessica Conlon and Kimberly Hart, and Freshman Susan Gillenberger served as Student Aides at the Pittsburgh Conference sponsored by the Society of Analyical Chemists of Pittsburgh, (SACP) and the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh (SSP). The students’ roles ranged from helping with the publicity office to career development. It was a great opportunity for the students to view current instrumentation used in research and industry.

    2. American Chemical Society National Meeting - San Diego, CA

Seven club members traveled to San Diego, CA to participate in the American Chemical Society National Meeting in San Diego. Aside from benefiting from the workshops and expositions, four students presented a workshop, three students presented their research posters, and all seven helped present the club poster. The club was also presented the Outstanding Chapter Award for the 1999-2000 school year. This is the seventh consecutive year the club has been honored with this award.

Club advisor, Sr. Susan Yochum, Treasurer Angela Yurcevich, Secretary Christin Hanigan, President Ann Marie Staub, and Vice President Kate Shane proudly display their award!
    1. Workshop: The Club received a competitive grant to present a workshop titled: "Women in Science Outreach at Seton Hill College: A Closer Look." The workshop included a Powerpoint presentation, handouts and a panel discussion. The goal was to address the issue of women not being encouraged to pursue majors and careers in the science related fields. The presenters shared the details of the successful outreach programs sponsored by the SHC Chem Club.

      Presenters field questions from the audience





      2. Workshop presenters pose with their Microsoft Power Point title slide.
      (l-r)Emily Matz, Ann Marie Staub, Kate Shane, Christin Hanigan, Susan Yochum, SC.











    2. Research posters: Senior Ann Marie Staub presented her summer research at Miami University, Oxford, OH.

















    Ann Marie Staub stands with her poster

    Senior Jennifer Cipollini presented her research on the Kinetics of Bovine Catalase. Dr. Cramer served as her research mentor.

    Junior Christin Hanigan presented her summer research project at the University of Pittsburgh, Mechanistic Analysis of Human Eg5 monomer, Eg5-367.


    Christin Hanigan stands beside her poster

    3. Club poster

    This year the club poster was entitled, Journey to an Excited State: Feel the Energy of Seton Hill.

    C. ACS Meeting in Miniature at Duquesne University

    Three students attended the Student Affiliate ACS Meeting in Miniature at Duquesne University. Christin Hanigan presented her research poster, while Kimberly Hart and Susan Gillenberger presented the club poster. This was an opportunity for both those who attended the National Meeting and those who were not able to share their research.


    Christin Hanigan, Kimberly Hart, and Susan Gillenberger
    present the club poster at Duquesne

    D. 2001 Annual Awards Dinner: Ann Marie Staub, Kami Carrera, Susan Gillenberger, and Susan Yochum,SC attended the Pittsburgh Section, American Chemical Society and the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh Annual Awards Dinner on May 14. The Club was recognized for earning the ACS Outstanding Chapter Award.

    IV. Fundraising and Awards (Spring 2001)
      1. $400 Travel Grant

        2. The club was awarded a $400 travel grant sponsored by the American Chemical Society to present their workshop entitled "Women in Science Outreach at Seton Hill: A Closer Look"

      2. Sarris Candy Easter Sale

        3. The club raised $800 in profit during their Easter Sarris Candy sale.

      V. Chemistry Club Spring Picnic

      The Chemistry Club spent an evening together for some food and relaxation at Twin Lakes Park for the end of the year picnic. During the picnic, the senior chapter members were recognized, and the officers for the year 20001-2002 were announced.

      VI. Summer 2001 Interns: Congratulations to the Chapter Members who will be working as interns this summer:

      Juniors

      Demetra Chengelis - Carnegie Mellon Research Institute, Pgh. PA

      Jessica Conlon - Bayer Corporation, Pgh. PA

      Christin Hanigan - University of Iowa Summer Undergraduate MSTP Research (SUMR) Program sponsored by the Medical Scientist Training Program

      Kimberly Hart - PPG Industries, Pgh. PA

      And Freshman Susan Gillenberger - Bayer Corporation, Pgh. PA

      VII. Congratulations to the following graduating senior chemistry club members: Kami Carrera, Jennifer Cipollini, Christie Maher, Emily Matz, Sheetal Patel, Alexis Pleva, Kate Shane, Ann Marie Staub, Jennifer Wilson, and Angela Yurcevich. Good Luck in all of your future endeavors.