The Syracuse Chemist
On-line edition March/April 2006

Contents:
April  Meeting 
Greater Syracuse Scholastic Science Fair: 
Volunteer Judges Needed
US National Chemistry Olympiad Exam
Employment Workshop
Call for WCC Overcoming Challenges Award Nominations
Second Career Chemical Education Scholarships Available
CNY in running for new Bristol-Myers Squibb Plant
  Meeting Information | Publication Deadlines 
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  April Speaker
Dr. Peter Zugenmaier
Professor Emeritus
Clausthal Technical University, Germany

Abstract

Cellulose is a sustainable and biodegradable polymer produced in large quantities by nature. It has been used by mankind for centuries because of its favorable properties. The disadvantage lies in high production cost and its difficult processibility; that is, it cannot be melted and the solubility is limited to exotic solvents. Derivatization of cellulose increases the solubility. Some of the derivatized materials are thermoplastic and represent a solution to the problems in application. In this lecture we will focus on three features which enhance utility of cellulosics. (i) In recent years cellulose composites represent another way for facile processing by extrusion. These cellulose-polypropylene composites show enhanced properties as compared to neat polypropylene and may replace composites with glass fibers due to advantages in weight, recyclability and easier disposal. (ii) Progress has been obtained with cellulose esters such as the predictability of essential physical quantities and melt flow. (iii) Microcrystalline cellulose derivatives synthesized in a heterogeneous manner have been successfully applied as chiral recognition agents in liquid chromatography. The structural features of these materials are decisive for their use. A model is proposed for the morphology of the cellulosic fibrils.

Dr. Zugenmaier is currently a Professor Emeritus at Clausthal Technical University in Germany. His significant accomplishments in cellulose chemistry and physics are being recognized by the ACS Division of Cellulose and Renewable Materials at the 231st ACS National Meeting in Atlanta. He is the 2006 recipient of the Anselme Payen Award which celebrates "outstanding professional contributions to the science and chemical technology of cellulose and its allied products." Throughout Dr. Zugenmaier’s career, he maintained research collaborations with SUNY-ESF and he has spent many summers and sabbatical leaves in the Central New York area. His specific research interests include crystal structure determination and conformational analysis of carbohydrates and polysaccharides as well as the liquid crystalline phase of polymers. He also works in polymer composites with emphasis on those exploiting cellulose and its derivatives.

The Syracuse Section is again participating in the Chemistry Olympiad program, a chemistry competition for high school students. In the US, the program begins at the grass roots of ACS local sections, with a two-hour chemistry exam offered to high school students. In the Syracuse Section, this exam is open to any interested high school student, and the top scorers will be recognized at the May section meeting, "Education Night." The top scorers will also be invited to the next step of the competition, the US National Chemistry Olympiad Exam. This all-day test is administered to a limited number of students in each local ACS section. Because the 20 highest scorers in the nation will be invited to further prepare and compete for a place on the US team in the International Chemistry Olympiad, students taking the national exam must be US citizens. Those top chemistry students participate in a study camp in June at the Air Force Academy in Colorado. From that group, a team is selected to represent the US at the International Chemistry Olympiad in Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea.

In the Syracuse Section, the local exam will be offered in at least two locations during the first week in April. The national exam will be administered at Le Moyne College on Thursday, April 20th, starting at 9:30 AM. For further information, contact at giunta@lemoyne.edu or (315)445-4128.

The Syracuse Section presents a workshop on Effective Job Searching on April 8, 2006 at the Syracuse University Center for Science and Technology. Topics to be addressed include, targeting the market, resumé preparation, effective interviewing, and effective networking. The main workshop will run from 9 AM to 12:30 PM, after coffee and doughnuts that will be available from 8 AM. Individual Resumé reviews will be available in the afternoon from 1:30 PM. The workshop is free of charge. To reserve a place, contact Ms. Finnegan at (315)312-3048, finnegan@oswego.edu or Dr. Tess Freedman (315)443-1134, tbfreedm@syr.edu.

SUNY-Oswego chemistry professor Ray O’Donnell will lead the workshop. Dr. O’Donnell is an ACS Career Consultant, and in that capacity he has run workshops of this sort all around the US for several years. Dr. O’Donnell’s involvement with employment and other professional relations issues at ACS has been recognized by the ACS Division of Professional Relations, which presented its Henry Hill Award to him in 2004. Dr. O’Donnell is currently chair elect of the Division of Professional Relations.

The Overcoming Challenges Award (OCA) acknowledges the efforts of women and undergraduates who have overcome economic, personal, and/or academic hardships in pursuit of an education in the chemical sciences.  The award consists of a plaque, a $250 honorarium, and $1,000 for travel expenses to the fall ACS National Meeting where the award is presented.  Award candidates must be women matriculating as an undergraduate chemical science major/minor in a two-year program or at a four-year school not granting a doctoral degree in chemical-related disciplines.  Nominations are due May 1, 2006, and should be sent to:  Women Chemists Committee, American Chemical Society, 1155 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036.  For additional information, contact the WCC at wcc@acs.org or visit http://membership.acs.org/W/WCC.

The Hach Scientific Foundation would like to offer second career chemical education scholarships to chemists. Scholarship money is available for second career chemistry teachers! The Hach Scientific Foundation is a private multi-million dollar foundation dedicated to chemistry and chemical education. The Hach Scientific Foundation is providing scholarships across the country to chemists interested in pursuing a Masters in education and teachers certificate.  For more information, visit:  http://www.hachscientificfoundation.org/teachers.shtml.

Bristol-Myers Squibb announced on March 8 that its board approved a plan to build a $660 million plant to make biologic products. Four US sites are under consideration for the new plant. Site selection is anticipated by the end of June. Construction is expected to begin later in the year, and production to begin about five years later.

Sites in four states—Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island—are under consideration. The candidate site in New York is in Clay, in Onondaga county. The Syracuse Post-Standard reports that area members of Congress, economic development officials, and educational leaders are working to convince the company to site the new plant in Onondaga county. Economic incentives and the availability of a suitable work force are among the factors to be considered, according to Bristol-Myers spokesman Tony Plohoros.

Bristol-Myers Squibb has put considerable resources into the area of biologics, drugs made from animal or plant cells. Late in 2005, it received FDA approval to make and sell a rheumatoid arthritis drug, Orencia, a biologic developed to a large extent at the East Syracuse facility. Work on the drug was begun in the company’s Seattle facility, but work has been done on it locally since 1995. Over the last three years, the East Syracuse facility has been mass producing the drug for its clinical trials. Bristol has reportedly invested over $100 million over the last two years in upgrades to the Thompson Road site, adding warehousing and testing capabilities for biologics. It has also hired 365 people since 2002, mostly for biologics. The site currently manufactures Orencia, but it is not expected to be able to supply Orencia demand. Drug industry analysts say that the drug may eventually have annual sales of over $1 billion.

As this newsletter goes to press, several chemistry-related positions at the East Syracuse facility are posted on the Bristol-Myers Squibb employment site. For further information, see http://www.bms.com/career/data/.

ACS Syracuse Section Meeting Schedule

April Monday, April 3: 
Peter Zugenmaier (Clausthal Technical University, Germany),
"Materials of Cellulose Derivatives and Cellulose Composites: Characterization and Application,"  
SUNY-ESF, Moon Library Conference Room (Room 110).

May: Monday, May 8: Ralph Blomster, (University of Maryland at Baltimore), "Plants as a Source of Drugs"