ACS New York Section

WESTCHESTER CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(NY Section Subsection)

2008 Annual Report
Officers:
Mrs. Jean Delfiner –Co-chair
Mrs. Joan Laredo-Liddell – Co-chair
Mr. Joseph Sencen – Vice-chair
Mrs. Carol Sencen – Secretary
Dr. Rolande Hodel – Treasurer

Directors:
Dr. Mary Cowman – Program Chair
Dr. Peter Corfield – College Awards Chair

The Westchester Chemical Society had  six varied and exciting programs, including its Distinguished Scientist Award and Achievement Chemistry Certificates for first year college chemistry students.  The meetings were held at Polytechnic Institute of NYU-Westchester Graduate Center , 40 Saw Mill River Parkway, Hawthorne, NY.  The Distinguished Scientist Award was held at the Butcher Suite of Pace University-Pleasantville and included Dinner.  The average attendance at the meetings was 20 – 30 people, with nearly 60 at the Distinguished Scientist. 

March 25, 2008:    
Dr. Boris Gorovits, director, Drug Safety and Metabolism, Wyeth Research, Pearl River, NY spoke on “Biopharmaceutical Drugs and Why They are Different.”  Biopharmaceutical based drug molecules have been gaining momentum and become a major focus of research and development effort for many small and large pharmaceutical companies.  These small molecule based drug molecules, should in the future be approved for use in various areas of medicine.

April 15, 2008:     
The topic “ Role of the Switch between 2 types of protein synthesis (cap-dependent to cap-independent translation) in Breast Cancer was discussed by Dr. Ksenia Karpisheva of the Weill Medical College of Cornell University.  Translational regulation plays a key role in cancer development and progression, impacting on tumor cell proliferation and growth, response to stress such as low oxygen (hypoxia) and stimulated by mitogenic signals and cell hormone receptors.  Dr. Karpisheva demonstrated that a majority of large advanced breast cancers over express transition regulatory protein – 4E-BP1 and initiation factor of eIF4G.  

May 7, 2008:        Distinguished Scientist Award and Dinner and College Student Awards
            


Dr. David Fairhurst (center) received the 2008 Distinguished Scientist Award
for the Westchester Chemical Society.

The Salutes to Excellence was given to Dr. Ellen Weiser (front left) of Pace University-Pleasantville
for her work in arranging the room for our Distinguished Scientist Award and Dinner
 
The Salutes to Excellence  was given to Dr. Peter Corfield (front right) of SUNY-Purchase
for organizing the college chemistry awards for the students.
 

Back row - WCS Officers: Dr. Mary Cowman (Program Chair), Mrs. Joan Laredo-Liddell (Subsection Co-Chair),
Mrs. Jean Delfiner (Subsection Co-Chair), Ms Rolande Hodel (Treasurer)




First year college chemistry students who received achievement awards and their instructors

Program



October 7, 2008:    
Dr. Rastislov Levicky, a Donald F. Othmer Assistant Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering of Polytechnic Institute of NYU discussed “Genetic Diagnostics at Interfaces: From Self-Assembled Monolayers to Self-Integrated Devices.”
His presentation included distinct , surface-specific behaviors that arise as a consequence, their implications for applications and approaches to resolving outstanding diagnostic challenges, considered from a molecular perspective.

October 28, 2008:    
Dr. Paul Dillon of Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics of Tarrytown, discussed  Serum Markers of Liver Fibrosis.”   He described the assays as examples of typical clinical immunoassays.  The approaches used to develop the score equation, to validate the analytical performance of the assays and the clinical performances of the score, and to ensure consistency over time both in the laboratory and in manufacturing.