Are you a member of the American Chemical Society (ACS)? I’ve been a member for 10 years and currently serve as the Secretary for the local Portland Section. ACS is a scientific society of chemistry professionals that includes students, educators, and industrial chemists.

Each year ACS hosts two national meetings; one in the spring and one in the fall. The national meetings offer the opportunity to discover and share knowledge through posters, presentations, and training workshops. The expo features hundreds of exhibitors showcasing new technological developments. The ACS Career Fair at the national meetings offer access to ACS career consultants and a career fair for job seekers and employers. I found my current career here at Vernier Software & Technology through the ACS Career Fair.

There are also several regional meetings that are organized by ACS Local Sections. These meetings also feature technical programs on a variety of topics, poster sessions, expositions, and social events. The smaller size of an ACS regional meeting allows for a greater opportunity for interactions and costs less to attend than a national meeting. Take advantage of the opportunity to attend a regional meeting.

I attended the Northwest (NORM) Regional Meeting from June 24–27 on the campus of the Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, WA. The theme was Powering the Future: Energy, Environment, Education. I co-presented a talk with Prof. Karen Goodwin from Centralia College about Data Acquisition in the Chemistry Lab. It highlighted the benefits of using data logging for several common general chemistry experiments such as gas laws, acid-base titrations, and electrochemistry. Our goal was to show that using data-acquisition tools results in fewer possibilities of transcription errors and combines the power of graphical visualization and mathematical data analysis.


My next talk will be at the Fall National Meeting that takes place in Boston, Aug 19–23, 2018. I will be presenting a talk on using kitchen chemistry and technology to engage K–12 and college students. I hope to meet you there. If you are interested in attending, here are the details.

  • PAPER TITLE: Using kitchen chemistry and technology to engage K–12 and college students (CHED 137)
  • DAY & TIME OF PRESENTATION: Monday, August, 20, 2018 from 3:45 PM–4:05 PM
  • ROOM & LOCATION: Cambridge 1/2 – Seaport World Trade Center