Four undergraduates, 13 graduate students and four faculty from the University of Maine attended the North East Regional Discussion of the ACS at Worcester State University on November 1, 2025. The students had a really good experience and came back excited about a wide range of things they learned and people they met - including Mary Carroll, the 2024 President of ACS! They attended presentations from industrial and academic chemists and talked with students and faculty at the poster sessions. The Plenary Lecture, Successful Medicinal Chemistry Strategies to Accelerate Drug Discovery by Dr. María-Jesús Blanco highlighted how past challenges, iterative improvements, and constant adaptation are essential to advancing drug discovery and delivery. Her emphasis on learning from failures, optimizing molecular design, teamwork and team building, and meeting patient needs underscored the complexity and responsibility involved in medicinal chemistry. Thanks to the UMaine College of Liberal Arts Event and Experiences Fund, the Department of Chemistry, and the Maine Local Section of the American Chemical Society for supporting the trip.
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On Saturday, April 5, 2025, the Maine Local Section of the American Chemistry Society hosted the national version of the United States National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) at the University of Southern Maine, Portland. As a result of their outstanding performance on local tests administered in March at area high schools, nine students qualified to take the test. Six of these students qualified to take the National test (seen in the picture left to right are Joshua Hontz, Yarmouth high school Chemistry teacher, Chris Irankunda, Christopher Augur, Emma Shannon, and Sabina Petrucci – all of Yarmouth high school; students Dash Young and Ezra Gabrielson of Cape Elizabeth high school, and Cape Elizabeth high school science teacher, Aysun Simpson). Students from across the country are also taking this exam and the results of this exam will be tabulated by the National USNCO Committee in Washington, D.C. The highest-ranking students from across the country will then participate in a summer study group, preparing them to take the international version of this test to be administered in Switzerland later this year. Congratulations to these students for their wonderful achievements thus far! We wish them the best of luck as they continue with this exciting venture. 2025 Chemistry Olympiad
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Maine Section of the American Chemical Society Student Awards Program 2025 Purpose: To recognize excellence in student achievement in chemistry at the undergraduate level. Eligibility: Nominees must be graduating with a BA or BS in chemistry/biochemistry from a department that has an approved major. Detailed criteria shall be left up to the faculty of each nominating institution but shall generally include scholarly achievement as evidenced by GPA and other measures and promise for research, teaching or other career in chemistry. Nominations: Up to one nominee per year will be recognized from each eligible 4-year program in the State of Maine. A nomination letter should come from the chair of the department and should give the name of the student and include information about the nominee and the reasons for selection. Award: The recognition award will consist of a certificate and a $150 cash award. The Maine Section asks the nominator to work with the nominee to supply a brief biographical sketch and statement of future plans that can be used in its newsletter and website. Dates: Nominations should be sent to the Awards Committee Chair by Friday, March 28, 2025. The nomination packets will be reviewed by the Awards Committee. It is preferable that nominations be sent electronically. We will make every effort to have certificates and award checks sent by April 25, 2025 in order to be available for distribution at graduation or other ceremonies. Please notify the Section of special needs with regards to timing if there is a ceremony for distribution of awards in advance of this date. Contacts: François Amar, Treasurer/Awards Committee Chair amar@maine.edu (207) 944-3151
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The Maine ACS Local Section would like to invite you to attend (in person or via zoom) a presentation at the UMaine campus, Orono, on Cobalt Disulfide Cathodes for Use in Thermal Batteries Christopher Apblett, Senior Scientist, Power Sources Technology Group, Sandia National Laboratories Friday, April 26, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at the University of Maine campus in Room 140 Williams Hall The talk will be available via zoom at the following link: https://maine.zoom.us/j/82911261247
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Maine Section of the American Chemical Society Student Awards Program 2024 Purpose: To recognize excellence in student achievement in chemistry at the undergraduate level. Eligibility: Nominees must be graduating with a BA or BS in chemistry/biochemistry from a department that has an approved major. Detailed criteria shall be left up to the faculty of each nominating institution but shall generally include scholarly achievement as evidenced by GPA and other measures and promise for research, teaching or other career in chemistry. Nominations: Up to one nominee per year will be recognized from each eligible 4-year program in the State of Maine. A nomination letter should come from the chair of the department and should give the name of the student and include information about the nominee and the reasons for selection. Award: The recognition award will consist of a certificate and a $150 cash award. The Maine Section asks the nominator to work with the nominee to supply a brief biographical sketch and statement of future plans that can be used in its newsletter and website. Dates: Nominations should be sent to the Awards Committee Chair by Friday, March 29, 2024. The nomination packets will be reviewed by the Awards Committee. It is preferable that nominations be sent electronically. We will make every effort to have certificates and award checks sent by April 15th, 2024 in order to be available for distribution at graduation or other ceremonies. Please notify the Section of special needs with regards to timing if there is a ceremony for distribution of awards in advance of this date. Individual letters to department chairs will be forthcoming soon.
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