Section News & Happenings

Get to Know A Member – Edward P. Zovinka, Ph.D.

Jan 25, 2023

Get to Know A Member – Edward P. Zovinka, Ph.D.

 

 

1. What is your work and ACS (if applicable) title?

Professor, Inorganic Chemistry, Served as Councilor, Chair-Elect and 2023 Chair

2. How many years have you been in the ACS?

35 years!

3. What is the biggest benefit of ACS Membership?

Meeting so many great people!

4. What did you want to be when you were a child?

A baseball player and a veterinarian

5. What made you fall in love with Chemistry?

Great Teaching by my General Chemistry professor, Dr. Ben Huddle!

6. What is your favorite part of your career?

Learning new science with amazing students and colleagues

7. Which chemist, part or present, would you like to meet and why?

Svante Arrhenius! He discovered ions, acids, global warming, had to fight for his PhD, and the list goes on! Plus, what a great name! Although if you look at pictures, he appears a bit of a stern sort of person…

 

Fun fact about Ed: He is a published author! Real Chemistry Experiments: 40 Exciting STEAM Activities for Kids (Real Science)

Two Pittsburgh Local Section Members Win National ACS Awards

Jan 25, 2023

Published in the January 2 issue of Chemical & Engineering News, 2023 ACS National Award winners—Part I

Neil M. Donahue

2016 Pittsburgh Award Winner and Lord University Professor of Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University Neil M. Donahue won the 2023 National ACS Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science and Technology. This award is sponsored by the Aerodyne Research and the ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry and will be presented for the inception and development of the volatility basis set to represent organic particulate matter in the atmosphere.

From C and E News:
Donahue on his scientific hero: “My father, Thomas Donahue, was a real rocket scientist who started the use of sounding rockets with leftover ordinance. He ultimately discovered that ‘Venus was all wet,’ and this was the title he wanted for the article describing findings of the Pioneer Venus Multiprobe.” What Donahue’s colleagues say: “Neil has been a principal player in virtually every important intellectual development in the field of atmospheric chemistry and aerosol formation over the past 2 decades. His work has consistently shifted the paradigms of atmospheric chemistry.”—John Seinfeld, California Institute of Technology

Peter Wipf

2012 Pittsburgh Award Winner and Distinguished University Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Peter Wipf won the 2023 National ACS Award for Creative Work in Synthetic Organic Chemistry. The award is sponsored by MilliporeSigma and will be presented for the discovery of innovative methods in heterocyclic and strain-release chemistry and the development of novel strategies to synthesize complex natural and unnatural molecules.

From C and E News:
Wipf on his most memorable project: “Two of my students discovered serendipitously an early-transition-metal-mediated cascade reaction that introduced nine new C–C bonds. When we thought about possible mechanisms, we speculated that a bicyclo[1.1.0]butane might serve as a key intermediate. Amazingly, this actually turned out to be the case, and it started a still ongoing, most stimulating research effort on the chemistry of bicyclobutanes in my lab.”
What Wipf’s colleagues say: “Peter’s work has contributed significantly to virtually every aspect of modern organic synthesis. He is one of the scientific leaders in this field, and dozens of his novel small molecules are used as probe molecules for biological pathways and as therapeutic lead structures.”—Dennis Curran, University of Pittsburgh

Congratulations to the 2022 Distinguished Service Award Recipient – Dr. Matthew Price

Jan 25, 2023

Matthew is a Professor of Chemistry and Department Chair of the Chemistry Department at PennWest University (California campus). Matthew has served in multiple elected officer positions during the last decade. In 2015, Matt served as the Secretary of the local section. After serving in this role, Matt continued to stay involved in the section and was chosen as Chair-elect during 2019. Matthew’s term as Chair was during 2020. This was an extremely challenging year to serve as Chair as there were many routine programs and events that no longer took place or were completely reimagined. During this time Matt exhibited the ability to stay very positive and keep the local section active during this extremely difficult time.
He pivoted to virtual meetings and did everything he possibly could to keep the local section vibrant. Based on Matt’s completion of the Local Section annual report for 2020, Pittsburgh was nominated for and received the ChemLuminary Award for Outstanding Performance in the Medium-Large Sized Section category in the following year (2021). After Matt completed his three-year term in the Chair succession roles, he ran and was elected to his current role as Treasurer. He started his term strong in the beginning of 2022, with updating and publishing the Warrant for processing business transactions. He also updated the codes for tracking expenses and has worked with our accountant Mark Juzwa to stay compliant with local section business practices.
He is a selfless colleague who devotes hours of time volunteering because he enjoys it, and he likes to use his skill set to help solve problems. He doesn’t do this work to be in the spotlight or to gain accolades or recognition.

This biography was provided by Kimberly Woznack of PennWest.

2022 Pittsburgh Award and Distinguished Service Award Banquet

Jan 15, 2023

2022 Pittsburgh Award and Distinguished Service Award Banquet
Click here to download event flyer. Dinner registration below.

ACS Pittsburgh Section Award Banquet

Congratulations to the 2022 Pittsburgh Award Winner – Dennis Simpson

Jan 10, 2023

Mr. Dennis Simpson began his career in 1981 after graduating with his B.S. in chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University. He transitioned to working in an industrial setting with exemplary speed, achieving significant milestones very early in his career and initiating an innovation track record that continues to this day. Dennis would later earn a M.S. from Carnegie Mellon University while working full time at PPG.
He has had a tremendous impact on the chemical industry and garnered numerous achievements during his 41-year career. Dennis possesses encyclopedic chemical knowledge and is able to translate that knowledge into novel and innovative technical solutions, yielding products and processes that have fundamentally changed the automotive coatings industry. Dennis approaches challenges holistically and with determination. He is a named inventor or co-inventor on 41 granted U.S. patents.
An ACS member for over 40 years, Dennis has advised dozens of scientists as they entered industry. Dennis has cultivated the talent of present and future leaders through his mentorship, thereby proving his additional value to PPG. His demeanor invites others to seek him out and request his counsel for any number of technical challenges and intellectual property strategies. Additionally, he has actively displayed his community outreach by participating in chemistry discussions and demonstrations through PPG at the Carnegie Science Center.

This biography was provided by Leigh Ann Humbert of PPG.

Pittsburgh Section Announces New Vision and Mission Statements

Dec 17, 2022

The Executive Committee has voted upon new vision and mission statements for the Pittsburgh Local Section.

 

Vision

A vibrant and sustainable community through the power of chemistry

 

Mission

Engage and inspire members to unite the diverse chemistry community and share knowledge to benefit our region and its people

Congratulations to the Newly Elected Officers of the 2023 Executive Board!

Dec 17, 2022

Congratulations to our 2023 Officers!

 

Thank you to everyone who participated in the voting process! We are pleased to announce our new officers and wish them the very best in their new role!

Chair-Elect

Alysia Mandato 

Secretary-Elect

Samuel Leung

Treasurer-Elect

Niharika Krishna Botcha (Term ends 12/31/2025)

Directors

Toby Chapman (Term ends 12/31/2025)

Ronghong Lin (Term ends 12/31/2025)

Councilors

Rich Danchik (Term ends 12/31/2025)

Kimberly Woznack (Term ends 12/31/2025)

Alternate Councilor

Kevin Noonan (Term ends 12/31/2025)