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2026 Esselen Awardee Announced
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
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
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.
Call for Applications: 2026 NESACS–GDCh Student Exchange Program to Ulm, Germany
2026 NESACS–GDCh Student Exchange Program to Cologne, Germany
March 7-15th, 2026
Overview : 2026 will mark the 25th year of a chemistry student exchange program sponsored by the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society (NESACS) and the German Chemical Society ( Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh). A team of graduate and undergraduate students from colleges and universities in the Northeastern Section will present the results of their research at the 2026 Spring Symposium of the GDCh Jungchemikerforum (JCF) in Cologne (all presentations are in English). Delegates will also visit industrial and academic research facilities and engage in a variety of social events with students from across Germany and around the world.
In addition to the exchange, delegates are expected to present their research at the Northeast Student Chemistry Research Conference (NSCRC) on a weekend in April 2026 organized and hosted by the NESACS Younger Chemists Committee. NESACS/GDCh sponsorship covers conference cost, airfare, ground transportation, and accommodations while in Germany. For additional information about the exchange program, please go to www.nesacs.org/gex.html . Additionally, students are allowed to extend their stay if they decide, as long as the difference in airfare is covered.
Application Process : Applications must be submitted by October 24, 2025, and will be accepted by undergraduate and graduate students who are currently engaged in original research in chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, and related fields. Applicants must be enrolled at colleges and universities in the Northeastern Local Section, which includes the state of New Hampshire and the counties in Massachusetts east of Worcester.
Beginning in 2025, the German Exchange Steering Committee will be prioritizing applicants that are able to contribute funds (target $500) to offset the travel cost. This change in our policy and recruiting processes helps ensure the continuation of the German Exchange Program for years to come and the NESACS vision to promote and elevate students who wish to further advance their scientific career through this experience.
Applications must be submitted to: German Exchange Program Application Form .
Applications must contain:
- A completed applicant profile including a scan of your passport photo page.
- A one-page abstract of the presentation you would make at the JCF Spring Symposium in Cologne and at the NSCRC after your return. The abstract must be formatted in 12 pt font, no more than one page in length, and must include your presentation title and associated co-authors.
- A brief essay (no more than one page in length) on the relevance of the exchange program to your professional goals.
- A letter of recommendation from your supervisor or adviser in which they certify that you are currently engaged in original research under their supervision, and they express support for your participation in the trip to Cologne.
- A letter from the chair/head of your department, certifying that they approve your absence from your academic responsibilities for the period March 7 -15th, 2026.
Completed applications must be received by FRIDAY, October 24, 2025, at 11:59PM.
Notification : After an initial review of all applications, program finalists will be asked to make brief presentations of their research as part of in-person interviews to be conducted by the GEX selection committee on Saturday November 8th . The results of the selection process will be e-mailed to all applicants on Monday November 24. Written confirmation and detailed information about travel preparations will be sent to the delegates selected for the trip to Cologne.
Travel Documents Delegates’ passports must be valid through November 2026. If you hold an F-1 visa, it must be current and valid through your return date to the United States. Documentation of visa status will be required by mid-December if you are selected for the program. Send any questions about these travel document requirements to GEX@nesacs.org .
NESACS 2025 Election
NESACS Elections are open during May! Initial links to vote went out to members at about 12:00 am on Thursday, May 1. If you have not voted, a reminder email will go out several times during the month. Emails come from “NESACS Election Coordinator” (noreply@directvote.net) with the subject “NESACS Election – login information below.” Ballots close on Saturday, May 31 at 11:59 pm.
Candidate statements are available in the May Nucleus at: https://www.nesacs.org/May2025nucleus/
*If you are not receiving the election messages from directvote.net and you live within the NESACS region, your ACS membership may have lapsed.
Tag Archive for: NESACS
NESACS Meeting – September – Med Chem Symposium
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
Chembio in the Hub 2026
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.
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