A bunch of members of the Student Affiliate chapter of the American Chemical Society recently planned and executed projects with outstanding professionalism.

These projects – Chemistry Merit Badge Clinic for Boy Scouts, participation in the national meeting of ACS in Anaheim, and the 27th Annual Area Collegiate Chemistry Meeting were some of the best performances "in my 30 years association with this chapter," said chapter adviser Dr. S. K. Airee. President Minesh Patel and a group of “firecracker SAACS” got the projects clicking with professional finesse.

Fifteen SAACS helped 27 scouts from five troops/towns with meeting the requirements for chemistry merit badges. Scouts performed hands-on experiments and watched a set of interesting pedagogic demonstrations presented by SAACS. The clinic was executed flawlessly by SAACS members Katie Allen, Shanna Baker, Jennifer Beckman, Emily Bethart, Andy Bernard, Dan Comer, John Mancell, Meera Patel, Minesh Patel, Emili Reeves, John Rippy, Rhea Sammons, Ali Smith, and Kala Smith.

Seven SAACS members – Allen, Baker, Bernard, Comer, Rippy, Patel and Sammons, – attended the 227th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society at Anaheim, Calif., recently. SAACS President Minesh Patel and I made a presentation: "A Course and a Set of Activities Focused on Green Chemistry" at the Initiatives in Green Chemistry Education symposium.

At an Awards Ceremony, UTM SAACS officers received a plaque and a certificate for Outstanding rating and for designation as a Green Chemistry Chapter. SAACS helped with hands-on activities for Kids and Chemistry that was organized at the Science Discovery Center, presented "Using Turmeric as Indicator for Titrating the Acids in Tart Candies with Drano as Base" at the ChemDemos with Household Chemicals, displayed an activities poster, " SAACS Pioneer and Sustain Green Chemistry Projects," networked with other chapters, visited the Expo, attended lectures and paper presentations, etc. The trip was supported by the office of assistant Vice Chancellor David Belote with a grant allocated from Student Activities Fund.

The latest project was the 27th Annual Area Collegiate Chemistry Meeting hosted by UTM SAACS. More than 90 students and faculty from 14 colleges in a five-state area attended. Twenty-two research papers were presented by students including two by UTM SAACS members Minesh Patel and John Rippy.

The keynote speaker was Dr. William F. Carroll, president of the American Chemical Society. Two presentations were made by Green Chemistry pioneers – Dr. Paul Anastas of the Office of Science and Technology at the White House and Pfizer Vice President for Global Research and Development Dr. Berkeley Cue. The chapter members networked with SAACS chapters from different colleges to emcee various sessions and conduct the meeting in a highly professional manner. Help from the Chemistry Department and its secretary Lana Ferrell, Dean Doug Sterrett and Vice Chancellor Tom Rakes is appreciated.

Thanks also to Dave Hinman of WLJT-TV, who conducted an interview with distinguished guests Anastas, Carroll and Cue for a broadcast on "West Tennessee Journal" in early June.

The activities for the year are finished. The above are only three of several this spring and last fall. A report with full documentation of all the activities will be prepared and sent to ACS.