| WCC Annual Report |
| |
| Goals of the LSWCC Annual Report |
The purpose of LSWCC
Annual Reports is to summarize and highlight the achievements
of Local Section (LS) WCCs every year. This accomplishes
several objectives:
(1) continuity within each LSWCC to
use for future reference and succession planning;
(2)
increased awareness of LSWCC programming to share with the LS
ACS and the National WCC;
(3) conveyance of event ideas
with other LSWCCs. Along those lines, Annual Reports are used
to select LSWCC award winners. | |
| Submission of the LSWCC Annual Report |
| This form must be
completed if you wish to be nominated for a LSWCC award. If
you do not wish to be nominated for an award or do not have a
LSWCC, this form is optional. | |
| I. Overall Evaluation |
| Provide a brief, general
overview of the LSWCC. Reflect on the state of the committee
-- if the goals of last year were accomplished, possibly
commenting candidly about the activities. |
ACS Women in Chemistry (WiC) was founded at Michigan
State University in 1997 to address the needs and
concerns of women who have or are pursuing advanced
degrees in chemistry and related fields. WiC
provides opportunities for women chemists to interact
with one another, and establishes programs which are
designed to facilitate both professional and personal
growth. Opportunities are also available for network
building and for establishing mentoring relationships
among members. Our members consist of graduate
students, postdocs, specialists, and faculty members
in the MSU Department of Chemistry. This year has
proven to be quite successful both in terms of
outreach and educational opportunities, as interest
in WiC events increased. While our mission remains
the same, we continue to hold a variety of new
activities which we hope will appeal to a variety of
different audiences. The specific goals of 2006 were
to maintain a strong outreach program, provide
opportunities for networking, and to increase
participation in WiC activities. | | |
| II. Officers and Members |
| Provide a list of
current LS officers and committee members. Note who is writing
and submitting Annual Report. It is strongly suggested that
this list contain contact information, e.g. email addresses,
phone numbers, and mailing addresses, for the: |
| LSWCC Officers |
Amber Hupp (ambermhupp@chemistry.msu.edu) and Thu
Nguyen (nguyent@chemistry.msu.edu). Mailing Address:
Department of Chemistry, Michigan State University,
East Lansing, MI 48824
This report was submitted by the WCC officers. | |
| WCC Mentor |
Dr. Kathryn Severin (severin@chemistry.msu.edu) | |
| WCC Members |
Steering Committee Members: Jaime Curtis, Monika
Dominska, Samantha Frawley, Kelly Greenough, Nileena
Job, Monique Lapinski, Maricris Lodriquito, Audrey
Martin, Elizabeth McGaw, Melissa Meaney, Amanda
Palumbo, Jill Pinter, Sarah Stevenson, Ruth Udey, and
Ruth Waddell. | | |
| III. Activities |
| This section highlights
each LSWCC activity in more detail, such as: a description of
the event, how many people attended, what did and did not
work, obstacles encountered, photographs, websites, etc. |
In 2006, Women in Chemistry had the opportunity to
host a luncheon at the ACS Central Regional Meeting
in Frankenmuth, MI. Our guest speaker was Patricia
Moore, a chemist from Dow Corning in Midland, MI.
With over 50 attendees, Ms. Moore discussed what it
means to be a member of the chemistry community and
how she feels it is important to Touch a life and
leave a legacy . Women in Chemistry was pleased with
the turnout of the event and was happy to have the
opportunity to host such a function.
In an effort to sustain a variety of networking
opportunities, WiC continued to host Meet the
Speaker events. In these meetings, graduate
students informally talk with women seminar speakers
visiting the Department of Chemistry to find out
about their experiences as a woman with an advanced
degree in chemistry. During 2006, we held four Meet
the Speaker events, with attendance ranging from 4
to 8 graduate students and postdocs.
Our outreach program focused on encouraging and
sustaining the interest of young people in the
sciences. First, WiC held the 3rd and 4th annual
Scout Chemistry Merit Badge Day for middle school-
aged boy and girl scouts. This event allowed area
scouts to earn a Chemistry merit badge (boys) or
Interest Project Patch (girls) through participation
in several activities and experiments throughout the
course of the day. Over 40 girl and boy scouts
attended the each event. Second, WiC participated in
the Girls Math/Science Conference (GMSC) held at
Haslett High School. WiC members provided Solving
Murder with Makeup and Chemical Properties of Soil
hands-on demonstrations for the GMSC. Participants
included young girls who had expressed an early
interest in math or science. Also, WiC designed and
monitored the Chemistry Laboratory event for the
Michigan Science Olympiad held at Michigan State
University. Responsibilities included writing and
testing a laboratory experiment, and proctoring high
school students during the test. WiC also
participated in Science Fun Day held at Okemos High
School. WiC members demonstrated Invisible Ink
and Screaming Gummy Bears. Last, members of WiC
presented three hands-on demonstrations as this
years Chemistry Day held at Impression V Museum in
Lansing. These demonstrations included Invisible
Ink , Marshmallow Monsters , and Oobleck.
Participation among WiC members was high for this
event, and the activities were a hit with the kids.
WiC also provided activities which offered a
supportive environment within the community and to
increase participation. In the spring, an end-of-the-
semester barbeque was held at the home of Dr. Kathryn
Severin for women in the department, while a fall
welcome lunch was offered to incoming women graduate
students in the Department of Chemistry. In
addition, 16 WiC members again participated in the
American Cancer Societys Making Strides Against
Breast Cancer walk by raising over $3800 towards the
fight against breast cancer. WiC raised money by
holding the annual ice cream social, making personal
donations, and through the sale of pink ribbons and
pins, the symbol of breast cancer awareness.
Photos from each event are available on our website:
http://www.chemistry.msu.edu/ACSWIC/ | | |
| IV. Budget |
| Itemize each event with
the cost, and acknowledge the source of funds. |
New Graduate Student Luncheon $100
Girls Math Science Conference $20
Scout Merit Badge Day $200
Michigan Science Olympiad $30
All funding was provided by the ACS Local Section.
Supplies for outreach activities are generally
provided without cost to Women in Chemistry by the
MSU Dept. of Chemistry. | | |
| V. Future Plans |
| State the short-term
objectives such as brain-storming ideas and point-people for
specific projects. Also, state the long-term goals, e.g. the
purpose of the LSWCC. |
Plans for 2007 include maintenance of the past
outreach activities, continued involvement in Meet
the Speaker events, and increased participation in
activities devoted to establishing mentoring
relationships among members. We also plan to host
past MSU Women in Chemistry members as speakers in a
10 year Anniversary seminar series. | | | |