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Chair's Message
for July
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Depending on when you read this, I hope
that you will have just come from our summer picnic, or be on your way
there. Either way, it’s a great event where we recognize our 50-and-above
year ACS members, as well as the special contributors to ACS from the past
year. We also have a great picnic and will taste some special wines.
As you know, we take a break from
dinner meeting seminars during the summer months. But our ACS activities
continue in different forms. Again this summer, we will be participating
in the Stanford Tech Trek. This is an annual program organized and sponsored
by the American Association of University Women for 8th grade girls. The
AAUW chapters raise money to sponsor girls who come and spend a week at
Stanford and participate in many different science explorations. The Santa
Clara Valley Section will conduct two workshops (Monday, July 13 and Wednesday,
July 22) in which we will teach the girls some basic pH properties as well
as demonstrating the practical application of the freezing point depression
of an ice/salt mixture as we make ice cream. Volunteers are always needed
and welcomed. Please contact me at 650 906 7831 if you would like to help.
The other exciting activity that is
going on this summer is Project SEED. Stanford University is mentoring
three Project SEED students. The three students are all seniors at Sequoia
High School in Redwood City and First Generation College bound. The students
are working on projects in the Chemical Engineering department at Stanford
under the direction of Drs. Andrew Spakowitz, Gerald Fuller and Eric Shaqfeh.
Their projects include:
• Helping to develop a science curriculum
for middle school and high school students being treated for childhood
cancer at the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital by implementing computer
models into the chemistry teaching modules, developing computer-based “laboratory”
protocols, and assessing the use of computer models as a teaching tool.
• Examining the dynamics of single
DNA chains and vesicles (fluid sacs surrounded by membranes) in a variety
of flow fields in the laboratory to be able to see the flow dynamics of
these molecules.
• Investigating the removal of particles
attached to solid, flat surfaces using polymer solutions to effectively
clean such surfaces without damaging delicate surface structures.
The Project SEED students, along with
other Stanford interns, will present their work at a Research Poster Session
and Reception at Stanford on August 4. Please mark your calendars for this
event.
Have a great summer!
Chair - 2009
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