Nominations Open for 2022 Outstanding High School Chemistry Teacher Award
Nominations are now open for the 2022 ACS Sacramento Outstanding High School Chemistry Teacher Award. The Award is presented annually to a high school chemistry teacher who has demonstrated an excellent ability to teach and inspire students to pursue careers in science within the Sacramento Section of ACS. The Sacramento Section of the ACS will present the winner with a certificate and a check for $500. In addition, the winner’s...
Robert Fendall wins 2019 High School Teacher Award
The Sacramento Section of the American Chemical Society is proud to announce Robert (Bob) Fendall as the winner of its 2019 Janan Hayes High School Teacher Award. He holds a B. S. in Biochemistry from CalPoly San Luis Obispo and a Single Subject Teaching Credential from Sacramento State. Mr. Fendall has taught chemistry at Sheldon High School since August of 2000. During that time, he has served as Department Chair of the Science...
2019 Janan Hayes High School Teacher Award
The American Chemical Society (ACS) Sacramento Section (map) is proud to announce the Fourth Annual award for high school teachers in our section, named for a Jan Hayes, a councilor, educator and ACS Fellow with over 40 years of involvement with the Sacramento Section. The 2019 Janan Hayes High School Teacher Award will be $500 in cash and $500 for chemistry supplies. Our Sacramento Section winner will then be...
Science Innovation Pipeline Program Application is Live
The Science Innovation Pipeline Program (SIPP) at Sacramento City College is a mentoring and summer research program that is designed to provide low income and minority high school students with early hands-on experience to help them develop a clearer understanding of what it is like to study science. The students who are selected for this program will: Get the opportunity to be mentored on interesting chemistry research projects Get...
Register for High School Chemistry Olympiad
The Sacramento Section of the ACS is proud to organize the 2019 High School Chemistry Olympiad. The Olympiad witll be held at Sacramento City College. Last year’s Olympiad was a big success! For more information, please click here. To register or if you have questions, please contact Mako Masuno. Students taking the local exam for the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad on March 24th at Sacramento City...
2017 Chemistry Olympiad a Huge Success!
By Mako Masuno The National Chemistry Olympiad was held, 4/22/2017 at Sacramento City College. A special thanks to the supporting parents, administrators and teachers, and a special thanks to Varnell Crankfield, who each year, tirelessly supports the lab portion of the exam. Please congratulate Fouab Alameddine (Folsom), Anish Adoni (Folsom), Zach Bergevin (Davis), Pranav Kodali (Mira Loma), James Yoon (Oak Ridge), Ethan Liu (Tracy),...
React! The New Organic Chemistry Game/Study Tool
By Daniel Rosenthal Organic chemistry is a leading reason students avoid STEM careers – from medicine to bioengineering to chemistry. Nationally, an estimated 30,000 would-be doctors do not get accepted to medical school, many because of organic chemistry. In fact, at UC Berkeley, organic chemistry has twice the fail rate compared to other courses. In their organic chemistry classes, UC Berkeley undergraduates Prerak Juthani and...
James Hill Wins Chemistry High School Teacher Award
The Sacramento Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) is pleased to announce that James Hill has won the Janan Hayes High School Teacher Award (HSTA) for 2017. Mr. Hill wins a $500 cash prize and $500 for classroom supplies. Additionally, he will be honored at the Sacramento Section’s awards ceremony on September 30th, 2017 that is part of the section’s “Flavors of Chemistry” event. Mr. Hill currently teaches Honors Chemistry...
2017 Janan Hayes High School Teacher Applications Due March 31st
The American Chemical Society (ACS) Sacramento Section (map) is proud to announce the Second Annual award for high school teachers in our section, named for a Jan Hayes, a councilor, educator and ACS Fellow with over 40 years of involvement with the Sacramento Section. The 2017 Janan Hayes High School Teacher Award will be $500 in cash and $500 for chemistry supplies. Our Sacramento Section winner will then be nominated to enter any...
High School Chemistry Olympiad
Organized by Mako Masuno of MicroMidas, Inc. and hosted by Sacramento City College (SCC), the Sacramento Section is proud to announce the 2017 United States National Chemistry Olympiad Local Exam will take place on March 11th at SCC. Last year’s Olympiad was the largest one ever for the Sacramento Section and we hope to keep growing! Please let Mako know as soon as you can if you, your child, or your students are interested in...
Flavors of Chemistry 2016 Brings Together ACS Local Sections
The 2016 Flavors of Chemistry: Wine and Cheese event brought together members of three local ACS sections to learn about and taste wine and cheese. District VI Director Paul David Jagodzinski gave introductory comments to open the event. Several members of the Sacramento section were also honored, including Steve Hummel, the inaugural winner of the Jan Hayes High School Teacher Award. Dr. Moshe Rosenberg, Professor and Specialist,...
60 Year ACS Member Rodney Sime
Rodney Sime was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1931, and entered the University of Wisconsin in 1949, majoring in Chemistry. Interrupted by two years in the US Air Force, he graduated in 1955 and became an ACS member. He then began grad school at the University of Washington (Seattle) and got his PhD in physical chemistry in 1959. His doctoral research was in high temperature thermodynamics. At Washington, he began a long love of...
Largest Local Chemistry Olympiad Yet
by Mako Masuno The Local Chemistry Olympiad in Sacramento had the largest showing yet, 63 students. On March 12, 2016, students from Mira Loma, Oak Ridge, Da Vinci, Davis Senior High, Folsom High, Vista Del Lago, and Sheldon high schools sacrificed their Saturday to compete in the event. Directly after the competition, the students enjoyed the annual ‘Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream’ party, which celebrated their dedication to science and...
Hummel wins High School Teacher Award
The American Chemical Society (ACS) Sacramento Section is pleased to announce that Steven Hummel of Oak Ridge High School in El Dorado Hills has one its inaugural High School Teachers Award. Hummel’s nomination packet, submitted by his student Dustin Nguyen, noted that, “Mr. Hummel teaches in a way where he wants to make sure that everyone understands. He always tries to help those that are struggling by offering help at lunch, after...
EPA Puts out Call for Environmental Education Grants
Under the Environmental Education Grants Program, EPA seeks grant proposals from eligible applicants to support environmental education projects that promote environmental awareness and stewardship and help provide people with the skills to take responsible actions to protect the environment. This grant program provides financial support for projects that design, demonstrate, and/or disseminate environmental education practices,...
Earth Day Materials For Schools
It’s not too early to start planning for Chemists Celebrate Earth Day in April. The Sacramento Section can provide student publications with short articles, experiments, and puzzles based on this year’s theme: “The Great Indoors – Your Home’s Ecosystem”. Take a peek at last year’s brochure to get a taste of what’s available. You, local ACS members, are the key to making the connection between the Sacramento Section and...
New Award for High School Teachers
The American Chemical Society (ACS) Sacramento Section is establishing a new award for high school teachers in our section (map). The award will be $500 in cash and $500 for chemistry supplies. Our Sacramento Section winner will then be nominated to enter any regional and national competitions for High School Chemistry Teachers. The application is due March 31, 2016. The application can be downloaded...
National Chemistry Week: October 18-24, 2015
ACS Sacramento Section is preparing to host events for the upcoming National Chemistry Week (NCW). Previous events have included outreach to K-12 schools through classroom visits and the NCW Illustrated Poem Contest. Interested in getting involved? Contact Bill Miller, NCW Coordinator.
Sacramento Section announces a program for AACT membership grants to local high school teachers of chemistry
ACS members who are or know K-12 teachers, particularly with science emphasis, your Sacramento Local Section has introduced a new grant program to support these individuals in their crucial profession. Last month we introduced the new American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT) program in support of K-12 teachers of chemistry. The grant will cover the annual membership fee of $50. Grants will be awarded to at least 5 high school...