EOU Student Affiliates Chapter receives national recognition from American Chemical Society
By Laura Hancock | University Advancement | lhancock@eou.edu
Submitted photo
Members of the EOU Chemistry Club took
part in a Chem Demo while at the national
meeting of the American Chemical Society
in Atlanta last month.
Submitted photo
Student Julia Deutsch, right, president of the
EOU Student Affiliates Chapter,
accepts the
award from Etta Gravely of the ACS.
Thursday, April 27, 2007
LA GRANDE – The Student Affiliates of the American Chemistry Society at Eastern Oregon University received a national award from the American Chemical Society, (ACS), for the 2004-05 academic year.
Five members of the club attended a national meeting and exposition of the ACS in Atlanta in March. Etta Gravely, chair of the ACS Committee on Education’s Task Force on Undergraduate Programming, presented the award to EOU student Julia Deutsch, current club president.
The award recognizes the EOU Student Affiliates Chapter for commendable achievements, including the club’s involvement with campus activities, the community, and professional ties with the local Richland Chapter of the ACS. There were more than 50 chapters in the U.S. and Puerto Rico recognized at the awards ceremony. The University of Portland was the only other school from Oregon that received an award.
The five club members who attended the Atlanta meeting were Amanda Justesen, a sophomore, Ricard Tache, a senior, Matthew Bechaver, a junior, Tara Boethin and Deutsch, both sophomores. Anna Cavinato, chemistry professor and faculty advisor to the club, and Jeff Woodford, associate professor of chemistry, accompanied the students on the trip.
Submitted photo
The five students who attended the ACS meeting in Atlanta were Ricard Tache, Amanda Justesen, Matthew Bechaver, Tara Boethin and Julia Deutsch. Anna Cavinato, professor of Chemistry and Jeff Woodford, associate professor of chemistry, accompanied the students on the trip.
“It was quite exciting,” Deutsch said. “A ton of other schools were there.”
More than 1,000 undergraduates attended the 231st national ACS meeting and exposition, with more than 12,000 scientists giving presentations. It is an opportunity that students like Deutsch just can’t pass up.
“You’re networking with the people you’re going to be with in graduate school, and sharing what you’ve learned through student research,” she said. “I’d do it all over again.”
Although club members received some financial support from the ACS Richland Chapter and EOU student activities to help cover the cost of the conference, students were responsible for the cost of the trip, which they actively fund-raised for.
For the past 10 years, the EOU Student Affiliates Chapter, better known as the Chemistry Club, has received an award from the ACS, making it one of the more active student chapters in the country, Cavinato said.
“This is a remarkable achievement for us because we are a relatively small school,” Cavinato said. “They are a very dedicated group of students.”
The Chemistry Club was evaluated based on a submitted annual report detailing collaborative projects throughout the year. Working with the EOU music department, the club provided special effects for a musical performance of “Jekyll and Hyde,” transforming the stage of McKenzie Theatre into a mad scientist’s laboratory.
The ACS also looks at participation in the community at large, and EOU’s club is actively involved, giving magic shows for elementary school students, helping with programs at the Think Link Discovery Center, and assisting with the annual Girls in Science event.
Members of the club also participated in National Chemistry Week last October, bringing the theme of “Joy of Toys” to students at Think Link and Central Elementary School. Students devised hands-on activities introducing children to the science behind popular toys. Bouncy balls, soap bubbles, disappearing ink and slime were a few of the things children learned how to make.
The EOU students had a chance to share part of the magic of their “Joy of Toys” activities alongside clubs from other universities while at the conference in Atlanta. They chose to demonstrate how to make bouncy balls using typical household chemicals.
Deutsch, who moved to La Grande from a town near Seattle, is studying biochemistry at EOU and plans to go into pharmacy when she graduates. She said that she plans to remain a member of the Chemistry Club until she graduates. Currently there are about 15-20 active members of the club.
“I really enjoy it,” she said. “We all get along – there is a common likeness that we all share.”
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