The Penn State Berks Chemical Society was honored for outstanding community outreach by the national office of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the worlds? largest scientific society. The 15th annual ChemLuminary Awards celebration was held in conjunction with the ACS National Meeting in Indianapolis, IN on September 8, 2013.
The Lehigh Valley Local Section of the ACS, which has 904 chemists and chemical engineers as its members, received two ChemLuminary Awards. One of these awards was for Best Student Member National Chemistry Week Event for which the Lehigh Valley Local Section partnered with the Penn State Berks Chemical Society to celebrate National Chemistry Week. A kick-off celebration at the Reading Public Museum was held where students and parents gathered to learn about nanotechnology and its many applications.
Penn State Berks representation in the Lehigh Valley Local Section includes Associate Professor of Chemistry Lorena Tribe, Immediate Past Chair; Research Support Technician Greglynn Gibbs, Public Relations Chair; Associate Professor of Chemistry Katie Amaral, Membership Chair; as well as Associate Professor of Chemistry Ike Shibley, Associate Professor of Chemistry David Aurentz and Associate Professor of Chemistry James Karlinsey, who have all served in multiple capacities as mediators and speakers.
The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 164,000 members, ACS is the world?s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.