Message from 2011 Chair Jiwen Chen

Greetings!

I am truly honored to serve as the Chair of the North Jersey Section (NJ ACS) this year. I feel extremely fortunate to have worked with a number of officers and volunteers who have made our Section one of the most active within the ACS. It is truly remarkable that throughout the years NJ ACS has been carried forward solely by volunteers: a group of dedicated and highly energized individuals who have sacrificed their family time to serve the organization. Without them, none of the many wonderful activities organized by the Section would have occurred.

The year 2011 is designated as the International Year of Chemistry, a joint initiative between the IUPAC and UNESCO. It celebrates the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of mankind. For more than a decade, the NJ ACS has had several extraordinary public outreach programs. The National Chemistry Week is an annual event that takes place at the Liberty Science Center each October, where families in our communities enjoy hands-on science activities and students from grades K to 12 participate in poster contests. Project SEED, on the other hand, is designed to encourage economically disadvantaged high school students to pursue careers in chemical sciences. In additions, NJ ACS sponsors the biennial Sister Marian José Smith Award for Excellence in Education to recognize a college professor for inspiring students and launching them on successful careers in chemistry. Furthermore, the Section has been participating in the Chemistry Olympiad. In the last two years, students from our Section won Gold and Silver medals in this prestigious competition.

We have an exciting year ahead of us. In addition to the regular topical group meetings, several NJ ACS events may be of interests to you. In March, the Chemistry as a Life Science Symposium has an exciting lineup of speakers. In June, the National Organic Chemistry Symposium will be held at Princeton University with several Section members as key organizers. In November, the Baekeland Medal will be presented to an American Chemist under the age of 40 at the Baekeland Symposium where NJ ACS members come together and enjoy cutting edge science and an opportunity to interact with leading scientists.

Thank you again for supporting the Section. I look forward to meeting you in one of the NJ ACS events. Should you have any comments or suggestions, please do not hesitate to drop me a line at

Jiwen Chen, Ph.D.
2011 Chair, North Jersey Section ACS
2011 NJ-ACS Annual Report Highlights

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