Tag Archive for: chemistry

2026 James Flack Norris Awardees Announced

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Professor Christina Goudreau Collison, Ph.D.

to receive the 2026 James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding

Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society (NESACS) will present the 2026 James Flack Norris Award to:

Christina Goudreau Collison, Ph.D.

Professor of Chemistry

School of Chemistry and Materials Science

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rochester, NY

The award is for work revolutionizing the teaching of organic chemistry by pioneering the use of Sign Language Incorporation in Chemistry Education (SLICE) and implementing it in both lecture courses as well as in her novel guided-inquiry lab curriculum, REActivities. The SLICE project is a research effort that aims to improve cognitive gains for not only Deaf/Hard of Hearing (D/HH) students but for all students in organic chemistry courses. Professor Collison will be recognized at the upcoming NESACS Awards Banquet on Thursday, November 12, 2026, at Simmons University in Boston, MA. This recognition celebrates Professor Goudreau’s outstanding achievements in the teaching of chemistry and its impact across communities.

Using sign language to convey a concept is a powerful way for students to think about the electron pushing formalisms we write on paper and recognize mechanistic trends. Using our hands as models transforms the two-dimensional static framework of writing symbolic drawings on our page into 3-D opportunities for students to conceptualize a molecule or even a transition state. The Sign Language Incorporation in Chemistry Education (SLICE) project was initiated by a group of faculty and D/HH students at the Rochester Institute of Technology to address the language vacuum of STEM signs in organic chemistry. The result of this work has had a positive impact on the classroom culture and performance gains of D/HH students taking organic chemistry courses. Now, efforts have begun to explore the impact of universal design across all students in the organic chemistry curriculum.

These efforts have demonstrated a substantial and sustained impact across organic chemistry and STEM communities and are worthy of recognition with the 2026 James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry.

The James Flack-Norris Award is the first national award to recognize outstanding achievement in the teaching of chemistry. Established in 1950 by NESACS to honor the memory of James Flack Norris, Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a teacher of great repute, the award recognizes dedicated teachers of chemistry at any level whose efforts have had a wide-ranging effect on chemical education.

For further information on the James Flack Norris Award, contact the Norris Award Committee Chair, Mark Tebbe (tebbe.mj@gmail.com). Additional details will be available on the NESACS website, www.nesacs.org.

NESACS has approximately 3,600 members. The mission of the Northeastern Section of the ACS is cultivating and celebrating an inclusive chemistry community by supporting outreach, education, safety, and collaboration for a sustainable future. More information on NESACS initiatives can be found on our website, www.nesacs.org. For additinoal inquiries about NESACS, contact the NESACS Administrative Coordinator at admin at nesacs.org.

NESACS and Act4Chemistry

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By Doris Lewis

The summer has been an eventful time for government relations in science, both on the national and the state level. New government policies that strip the finding from science research have had massive effect on research and particularly on students on the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral level. NESACS members are encouraged to participate in the ongoing ACS Act4Chemistry outreach and our committee activities. Of particular concern is the proposed OMB rule changing the decision basis for grant finding from peer review to government review that could withdraw funding at any time. According to ACS Act4Chemistry,

The Senate passed the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027 (CR), to temporarily fund the government through December 11th. Included in this CR is language to temporarily block implementation of the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) proposed rule regarding federal grant funding, which if finalized could go into effect October 1st.

The House of Representatives must now take the proposed CR and vote for it before the September 30th deadline for fiscal year 2027. Currently, Representatives are on recess and back in their districts until August 31st.

Earlier this summer, the ACS community joined thousands of scientists in submitting public comments to OMB outlining how the proposed rule would impact them and weaken federal research funding.

 We ask you to take this opportunity to email your Representative and ask them to support this CR and its temporary block for the OMB proposed rule. Passage of this CR is an important next step in protecting U.S. scientific competitiveness.

Temporarily blocking the proposed rule would allow continued conversations within Congress on its potential impact and could allow this rule to either be withdrawn or significantly amended before its implementation.

 If you have suggestions, feedback, or requests for assistance, you can contact us at act4chemistry@acs.org.

Our advocacy on the state level has centered on H.5259, legislation that would set aside $175 million for public universities and $25 million for private nonprofit institutions, to help offset their shortfalls in federal funds. Though this is a small amount of money compared with overall research funding, the certainty of its availability would help universities both public and private to be able to make commitments to young researchers. As Rep. Jake Auchincloss explained in a recent town hall meeting in Needham attended by Dr. Lewis, Congress restored the NIH funding cut by the administration in 2025, but the funds became available after graduate school admissions were announced. The issue is nothing less than the loss of a generation of scientists; hence our concern. Amy Sangiolo of the 11th Middlesex District had invited us to visit her at the Massachusetts State House, and on July 9 John-Hansen Machado and Doris Lewis were able to meet with her on H. 5259. The House has since passed the bill, and Doris has contacted her state senator Cindy Creem, majority leader of the Senate. The bill is strongly supported by the Governor, who originated the proposal, and by the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation, but has not been adopted into the budget.

Submitted by Doris Lewis, Chair, NESACS Government Relations Committee

Doris Lewis and John-Hansen Machado met with Rep. Amy Sangiolo at the Massachusetts State House

Abstract Submission of the Second Annual Battery Symposium

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We are excited to announce that we are now accepting poster abstracts for the Second Annual Battery Symposium.

Theme: Chemical Innovation in Battery Science: From Fundamentals to Scalable Technologies

This symposium brings together researchers across academia and industry working on next-generation battery materials, interfaces and manufacturing.

Submission Deadline: April 30, 2026

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-1fBNMXyDU2MlTpWv75iC9KmcZRSbA4qcQq1Vj7Ii4Xc9aA/viewform?usp=header

If you’re working in battery science and technology, we’d love to see your work!

ACS Spring 2026 Digital Professional Development Sessions

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Estimated reading time: 1 minute

Boost Your Career

Register Today!  

Stay on top of new technical and industry trends with career boosting courses offered through the ACS Spring 2026 Digital Meeting Professional Development Courses. ACS positions these as a core part of the digital meeting, designed to help you level up your skills and stay competitive in today’s chemical landscape. 

Featured sessions include:  

Monday, March 23  

  • ChemIDP: Planning for Your Career  

8:00–9:30 AM (ET)  

  • Infrared Insights: Turning Peaks into Practical Solutions  

9:00–10:30 AM (ET)  

Tuesday, March 24  

  • Finding Yourself: Identifying a Career that Matches Your Strengths and Values 

8:00–9:30 AM (ET) 

Wednesday, March 25  

  • Time Management for Academics  

8:30–10:30 AM (ET)  

  • Writing Excellent Grant Proposals  

9:00–10:30 AM (ET)  

Thursday, March 26  

  • Green Cards for Scientific Researchers  

8:00–9:30 AM (ET) 

  • Psychological Safety for All Levels  

9:00–11:00 AM (ET)  

These expert-led sessions are included with your digital meeting access — and for in-person attendees in Atlanta, digital access is automatically a part of your registration. 

Unlock HighImpact Learning with the ACS Spring 2026 Digital Meeting 

Whether you’re attending in Atlanta or joining from anywhere in the world, the ACS Spring 2026 Digital Meeting gives you full access to the ACS spring keynote addresses, technical sessions, and professional development — all streamed online. 

Explore the full digital experience and register today! Register>> 

2026 Esselen Awardee Announced

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NATIONAL AWARD FOR CHEMISTRY IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST HONORS ADVANCES IN ENERGY STORAGE AND POWER GENERATION

HÈCTOR D. ABRUÑA IS BEING RECOGNIZED FOR HIS GROUNDBREAKING WORK IN THE UNDERSTANDING OF ELECTROCHEMICAL SURFACES REVOLUTIONIZING BATTERY AND FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY.

Cambridge, MA — January 27, 2026 — Héctor D. Abruña, Émile M. Chamot Professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology; Director, Center for Alkaline Based Energy Solutions (CABES), Energy Materials Center at Cornell and Abruña Energy Initiative, Baker Laboratory, Cornell University is being presented with the Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest for his groundbreaking contributions to electroanalytical chemistry through the innovative integration of synthetic chemistry to create novel electrode materials with advanced spectroscopic methods to interrogate their behavior. His work has fundamentally transformed the understanding of electrochemical surfaces. The insights generated by these studies have led directly to significant advances in the performance and capacity of batteries and fuel cells. In parallel with his foundational research, Professor Abruña has translated scientific discovery into real-world impact, advancing technologies that will enable the next generation of electric vehicles and aircraft.

The Abruña Energy Initiative (AEI) offers firsthand experiences in clean transportation to residents and visitors to the Ithaca campus. Through this initiative Prof. Abruña and his team provide an opportunity to experience clean transportation as part of daily life. They are establishing clean fleets with battery electric vehicles as well as hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles incorporating materials developed in the lab and providing a comprehensive infrastructure system to recharge and refuel this fleet. This living laboratory approach offers the researchers and the Cornell community real world experiences in clean transportation. In addition, AEI is working with the island community of Vieques, east of Puerto Rico, to establish a hydrogen-enabled clean power micro grid. The island, decimated by Hurricane Maria in 2017, has been without operational healthcare facilities since that time. This project aims to offer a stable electricity resource for critical infrastructure and to facilitate the island’s recovery and preparedness against future disasters. The success of this project could have wide-raging impacts for small or isolated communities around the world and provide a blueprint for scalable models.

Abruña’s basic research is being successfully commercialized through the formation of several startup companies including Factorial Energy, Ecolectro and Conamix. These companies are pushing the envelope in their respective specialties focusing on significant and scalable improvements in sustainable energy production and delivery. As Director of the Center for Alkaline-Based Energy Solutions (CABES)—a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional research program, Abruña continues to advance scientific understanding of the fundamental factors governing electrochemical energy conversion in non-acidic media, exploring all aspects of the process and providing a forum for information sharing.

The Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest honors outstanding scientific achievement in scientific and technical work which contributes to the public well-being and has thereby communicated the positive values of the chemical profession. The award is presented annually by the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society and has honored such publicly renowned chemists as F. Sherwood Rowland and Mario J. Molina (effect of chlorofluorocarbons on the ozone layer), Carl Djerassi (birth-control drugs), Kary Mullis (polymerase chain reaction), Jennifer A. Doudna (genome editing) and Carolyn Bertozzi (bioorthogonal chemistry). The Esselen Award is given to honor the memory of G. J. Esselen, past chair of the Northeastern Section and founder of the Esselen Research Corporation.

In recognition of his contributions, Prof Abruña will receive the Gustavus John Esselen Award for Chemistry in the Public Interest on Friday, April 17, 2026, in a ceremony at the Harvard University Faculty Club, Cambridge, MA at 8pm. Dr. Abruña’s award lecture, entitled “The Energy Landscape in the Age of Sustainability.” will follow the award presentation and is free and open to the public.

WCC 2026 Merck Research Award

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Application Deadline, November 15
The WCC Merck Research Award recognizes eight individuals who will present their research at a
Women Chemists Committee/Merck half-day symposium during the ACS Fall 2026 Meeting in Chicago
and be recognized at the Women Chemists Committee Luncheon. Applicants in their third and fourth
year of graduate school with a research focus in one or more of the following – Organic, Medicinal,
Analytical, Chemical Biology, Computational or Structural Chemistry, and related disciplines are eligible.
This award is open to U.S. citizens (studying anywhere) and non-U.S. citizens attending a graduate
program in the U.S. or Canada. The deadline for applications is November 15, 2025. Apply today! Further
information can be reviewed here. If you have questions, send an email to WCC@acs.org.

2025 James Flack Norris Awardees Announced

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Elizabeth Sterner, Philip Costanzo, and Dominik Konkolewicz to receive the 2025 James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society (NESACS) will present the 2025 James Flack Norris Award to:

Elizabeth Sterner

Professor of Chemistry

Lebanon Valley College, Annville, PA

Philip J. Costanzo

Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA

&

Dominik Konkolewicz

Miami University Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Miami University, Oxford, OH

The Macromolecular Alliance for Community Resources & Outreach (MACRO), a joint service committee of the ACS Divisions of Polymer Chemistry (POLY) and Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering (PMSE), will be recognized at the upcoming NESACS Awards Banquet on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at Simmons University in Boston, MA. This recognition celebrates MACRO’s outstanding achievements in the teaching of chemistry and its deep, sustained impact on the polymer education community.

Founded in 2019 by Drs. Elizabeth Sterner, Philip Costanzo, and Dominik Konkolewicz, MACRO has emerged as a national leader in developing freely accessible educational, outreach, and professional development resources for polymer chemists at all career stages. Through their coordinated efforts across Curriculum, Outreach, and Professional Development, MACRO has established a robust portfolio of high-impact initiatives—from modular teaching resources aligned with ACS certification requirements to national symposia, live webinars, and a widely used repository of instructional materials on their website, macro-poly-pmse.org.

MACRO’s work is also reaching classrooms across the country. At the Spring 2024 ACS National Meeting in New Orleans, MACRO hosted a dedicated half-day session focused on K–14 education and provided funds to distribute over 100 activity kits to educators, helping bring hands-on science into classrooms. Their website continues to serve as a global resource, with more than 300 unique users in the past year, and much higher traffic during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Their national ACS symposia—now four in total—have featured over 40 oral presentations and brought together educators from K–12 through higher education, private industry, and ACS leadership. These efforts have demonstrated a sustained impact on the polymer science community and are worthy of recognition with the 2025 James Flack Norris Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Teaching of Chemistry.

The James Flack-Norris Award is the first national award to recognize outstanding achievement in the teaching of chemistry. Established in 1950 by NESACS to honor the memory of James Flack Norris, Professor of Chemistry at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a teacher of great repute, the award recognizes dedicated teachers of chemistry at any level whose efforts have had a wide-ranging effect on chemical education. This year’s award celebrates these three champions of chemistry education research who have had a significant impact on the advancement of student-centered, active-learning approaches for teaching in the chemical sciences and STEM more broadly.

For further information on the James Flack Norris Award, contact Lori Ferrins (l.ferrins@northeastern.edu). Additional details will be available on the NESACS website, www.nesacs.org.

The WCC Pfizer Emergent Leader Award Applications are open

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The WCC Pfizer Emergent Leader Award
recognizes eight (8) individuals who will present
their research at an awards symposium to be held
during the ACS Spring 2026 Meeting. Awardees will
be given a $1,500 travel stipend to cover expenses.
They will present their research at a WCC/Pfizer
half-day symposium and will be recognized at the
WCC Luncheon and Just Cocktails Reception. For
more information, please review the award page and
send any questions you may have to WCC@acs.org.

Apply Today!

Tag Archive for: chemistry

NESACS Meeting – September – Med Chem Symposium

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1049rd Monthly Meeting of NESACS

Med Chem Symposium

“Macrocyles In Drug Discovery Symposium”

This meeting will be hosted by Merck, 33 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115

Registration is required and ends at 11:30 PM on September 6, 2026 or when tickets are sold out

 

Agenda

Thursday – September 10, 2026

Agenda

1:00 pm – 1:15 pm Welcome & Introductory Remarks

Raj Rajur, Medicinal Chemistry Program Chair

Erin DiMauro Associate Vice President, Discovery Chemistry, Merck

1:15 pm – 2:00 pm Mattie Mitcheltree

Merck, Boston

Title: Strategies for the Design of Permeable Beyond-Rule-of-5 Modalities

2:00 pm – 2:45 pm Coming Soon

Affiliation

Title: TBA

2:45 pm – 3:15 pm Break

3:15 pm – 4:00 pm Coming Soon

Affiliation

Title: TBA

4:00 pm – 4:45 pm Sarah Kochanek

Novartis, Cambridge

Title: The Discovery & Optimization of Macrocyclic KRAS Inhibitors

4:45 pm – 7:00 pm Networking Reception

ALL ATTENDANEES ARE REQUIRED TO PRE-PAY. WALK-IN’s ARE NOT ALLOWED.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED

 

Please use google map: 33 Avenue Louis Pasteur, Boston, MA 02115.

MBTA closest stop is Longwood and Longwood Medical Area (~8-10 min walk) green line.

Parking: There is no free parking.  Park at your own expense.  Local paid parking may be available at local garages in this area.  There is also some street parking but time limits may be an issue.

Registration or other questions? Please contact: Raj Rajur rrajur@creageninc.com

Organizing Committee:

Mark Ashwell; Brian Aquila; Blaise Lippa; Andrew Scholte; David Candito; Esther Lee; Silvana Leit; Melissa Grenier-Davies; Paul Scola; Lara Czabaniuk; Paul Greenspan; Raj Rajur

Chemical Innovation in Battery Science: From Fundamentals to Scalable Technologies

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“Chemical Innovation in Battery Science: From Fundamentals to Scalable Technologies”

Date: September 16th, 2026

Time: 11:30 am – 6:00 pm

Venue: Simmons University Linda K. Paresky Conference Center, Boston, MA.

Abstract Submission:  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-1fBNMXyDU2MlTpWv75iC9KmcZRSbA4qcQq1Vj7Ii4Xc9aA/viewform

Abstracts for poster presentations are now being accepted – submit yours today! Please note that abstract submission closes on Sept 12th at 5 pm ET. Abstracts will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received.

Registration: https://BatterySymposium2026.eventbrite.com

Questions:  NESACS Batteries Subcommittee at battery@nesacs.org

 

Tentative Agenda:

11:30 – 11:45

Registration & Poster Setup

 

11:45 – 12:00

Welcome

NESACS Chair, Chair Elect

 

12:00 – 1:00

Session 1: Fundamental Interfacial Physics and AI-Driven Discovery

Chair: TBD

 

12:00 – 12:30

Multi-phase, Multi-physics Modeling of Interfacial Phenomena in Electrochemical Energy Storage

Prof. Emily Ryan, Boston University

 

12:30 – 1:00

Electrolyte Foundation Model for AI-Guided Battery Materials Discovery

Dr. Yunya Zhang, SES AI

 

1:00 – 1:45

Lunch and Networking

 

1:45 – 3:00

Session 2: From Chemical Innovation to Scalable Battery Systems

Chair: TBD

 

1:45 – 2:15

From Electrolyte Design to Manufacturing Scale: Factorial’s Solid-State Battery Platforms

Dr. Alex Yu, Factorial Energy

 

2:15 – 2:45

Aqueous Organic Flow Batteries

Prof. Michael Aziz, Harvard University

 

2:45 – 3:00

Flash talks

 

3:00 – 3:45

Poster session and coffee break

3:45 – 3:50

 

Keynote introduction

NESACS Chair, Chair Elect

 

3:50 – 4:45

Keynote: Novel Materials and Design for Li-S Batteries for the Next Generation of Energy Storage

Prof. Sanjeev Mukerjee, Northeastern University

 

4:45 – 5:15

Panel discussion with speakers

Moderator: TBD

 

5:15 – 5:30

Closing remarks and poster award ceremony

 

5:30 – 6:00

Networking

Chembio in the Hub 2026

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Chemical Biology in the HUB

Sept 30th, 2026

Broad Institute

415 Main Street

Cambridge, MA

 

This eighth-in-a-series of scientific talks will focus on cutting edge research in Chemical Biology from both academic and industry labs in the areas of translational chemical biology, machine learning, novel target identification and validation, chemical imaging, as well as new chemical modalities.

This day-long symposium will be followed by a reception with appetizers and refreshments for the symposium speakers and attendees.

We wish to thank all of the sponsors and volunteers from industry who are making this possible. Our organizers are pleased to continue this fall tradition this year and in the coming years; please be in contact with us if you are interested in participating in future symposia through volunteering, through sponsorship, or other means.

Chemical Biology Committee

 

Registration information:

Please note: we expect these tickets to sell out. Tickets are available in two waves (labeled: day 1 and day 2 – just denoting the day they go on sale). Wednesday, August 12 at noon and Thursday, August 13 at 5 pm. You may join the waitlist after the day 1 tickets sell out, but you should try to purchase in the second wave. If tickets are sold out after the second wave, you will find the waitlist under Day 1.

https://chem_bio_in_the_hub_2026.eventbrite.com

 

Registration is required and a ticket will be necessary for admission to the symposium and the networking reception.

THE PUBLIC IS INVITED – RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED

 

2nd annual AI Powered Protein & Antibody Therapeutics Symposium

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Join AIPAT 2026 to explore AI-driven breakthroughs in protein and antibody therapeutics with top experts from academia and industry.

Highlights:

-Oral Presentation Competition: Members can apply to present and compete to win up to $2,000. Abstracts are due by August 31st
-Expert Lineup: The event features 7 guest speakers, 8 oral presenters, and dedicated networking sessions.
-Early Registration: Members who register in August get a 25% discount.

Wicked Cool Autumn Adventure

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Saturday, October 17, 2026

1-4 pm

Camp Greenough

Calling all NESACS Volunteers: Come join us at camp for a Wicked Cool Autumn Adventure in celebration of National Chemistry Week on the Cape. This year we will transform the Welcome Center at Camp Greenough into a STEM Lab! Create your own activity (we will reimburse you for materials, or send us a list and we’ll have the activity ready for you upon arrival), or you can choose to run one of the activities we’ve got planned. You can also volunteer to help without being assigned a station in advance. Use this link to signup: https://bit.ly/WCAA26
If you have kiddos who want to participate in the event and you’d like to come as a participant, please do! Email Jen Maclachlan to request the registration link.
If you have questions, contact the organizer, Jen Maclachlan, at pidgirl@gmail.com
Let’s get ready for our Wicked Cool Autumn Adventure!

 

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