Co-Chairs:

Dr JaimeLee Rizzo, Pace University
Dr. Sharon Lall-Ramnarine, Queensborough Community College
Dr. Alison Hyslop, St. John's University

Committee Members: Alison Hyslop (Co-Chair), Sharon Lall-Ramnarine (Co-Chair), JaimeLee Rizzo (Co-Chair), Sharokh Saba, James Caiccio, Richard Cassetta, Neil Jespersen, Sasan Karimi, Pamela Kerrigan, Yorke Rhodes, Nanette Watcher, Raifah Kabbani, Jill Rehmann.

Number of Attendees: Estimated at 260 students, faculty, family and friends.
Number of Presentations: 104

College Students Presenting
Adelphi University 3
Baruch College - CUNY 1
Borough of Manhattan Community College 1
Brooklyn College 2
City College of New York 1
College of New Rochelle 1
CUNY College of Staten Island  2
Fairleigh Dickinson University 2
Fordham University 10
Hofstra University 2
Hunter College 3
Iona College 5
John Jay College 2
Lehman College 1
Manhattan College 4
Medgar Evers College 2
NewYork City College of Technology  1
Pace University 7
Polytechnic University 3
Purchase College 4
Queens College 4
Queensborough Community College 20
Ramapo College of New Jersey 11
St. John's University 4
Stony Brook University 4
York College, CUNY 3
Unknown 1
Total Students Presenting 104
 
 

The New York Chemistry Students' Association of the New York Section held its 55th URS on Saturday, May 5, 2007, at Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY.  One hundred thirteen papers from 26 different colleges were presented in twenty-one concurrent sessions.  The areas covered were analytical, biochemistry, chemical education, environmental/green, inorganic, organic, nano- and surface chemistry, physical and polymer chemistry.

Attendees were formally welcomed by Dr. JaimeLee Rizzo, Co-Chair, Students’ Association Committee, who introduced Dr. Joseph Capitani, Chair of the Chemistry Department at Manhattan College, Dr. Joan Laredo Liddell, the ACS New York Section Chair.

Dr. Sharon Lall-Ramnarine, Co-Chair, Students’ Association Committee then introduced the keynote speaker Dr. Spiro Alexandratos, Department of Chemistry, Hunter College, CUNY.  The keynote presentation entitled “The Earth in Crisis: Pollution of Water in the Biosphere - Current Status and Steps Toward Renewal” was a wonderful introduction to the field of synthetic organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, inorganic chemistry, an environmental chemistry.  As a token of appreciation from the ACS-NY Section, the speaker was presented with an inscribed plaque commemorating the event. The group picture was taken and then students, faculty and guests attended the student presentations taking place in twelve concurrent sessions.

The students gave 15 minute PowerPoint Presentations.  The conference rooms were equipped with computers and projection systems. Student presentations were saved on either CD or flash and, for the first time, there were no computer compatibility problems.  An IT person was hired for the day (Manhattan College paid for half of the fee of the total $280.)

Representatives from McGraw Hill, Wiley, Pearson/Prentice Hall, Thomson, BNL, Brooklyn College, Pepsi, Ciba, OSI, and On Assignment Lab Support attended the symposium.  Tables were made available for these representatives in the reception area.

The symposium concluded with a luncheon and an Award Reception where students were presented with Certificates of Participation and mementos (padfolios) were distributed by Sharon Lall-Ramnarine, Alison Hyslop and JaimeLee Rizzo, including an “ice cream social”.  Student moderators were also presented with padfolios for their participation. A slide show presentation featuring the student presenters working in their laboratories was shown during the ice cream social.
Symposium Preparations

Announcements for this event were made electronically by e-mail as well as advertising in the Indicator issues of February, March and April. Submission of abstracts was done using e-mail and web technology.  The program for the day and a complete listing of all student abstracts were published in the book of abstracts which was distributed to all attendees and can be found at http://www.newyorkacs.org/urs.html. The website for submission was developed and maintained by Paul Tukey the Web Master for the ACS-NY section.  In addition to the registration of presenters we added two other categories, one for the registration of mentors and another for the registration of guests to help us estimate the number of attendees to the program.  Receipt of the abstracts online, collation and organization of the abstract booklet was performed by Sharon Lall-Ramnarine and Alison Hyslop.  Printing of the abstracts was carried out at the copier used by Pamela Kerrigan at Manhattan College.

The arrangements at Manhattan College were overseen by Pamela Kerrigan. These arrangements included planning the breakfast and lunch (Sharon Lall-Ramnarine, JaimeLee Rizzo, and Alison Hyslop were involved in this as well), scheduling the moderators, staffing the reception area, arranging for AV support, converting the program to PDF and hiring a printer, printing the badges and making sure signage was in place to direct the symposium participants.

Fund raising was managed by JaimeLee Rizzo. JaimeLee Rizzo also ordered the padfolios from Executive Decisions which were presented to the students and moderators as mementos. Neil Jespersen made the certificates and Marilyn Jespersen ordered the plaque for the speaker. The photographer was hired from Queensborough Community College.

Thanks to the generous support of local industrial donors and for publishing companies, participants of this year’s symposium received an abstract booklet, a memento, and a copy of the group photo taken on the day of the symposium.

$4000.00 was allocated by the ACS- NY section; the following institutions made monetary donations in the amount of $8620 (including guest and on-site registration of $420).

SPONSORSHIP LIST

Organization
Merck
CIBA Specialty Chemicals
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Anasazi Instruments
Wyeth Research
Pepsi Cola Company
Pearson/Prentice Hall
OSI Pharmaceuticals
CUNY Louis Stokes AMP

Wiley Publishing
McGraw HillThomson

Guests and onsite registration
 $420
TOTAL RAISED $8620.00
 

VENDER Paid by EXPENSE (amount)
Executive Decision (Lisa Hall) gifts for presenters ACS $2284.75
Laser Pointers ACS ~$250
Flowers for tables ACS $48.74
Lunch/ice cream social ACS $4695
IT person ACS $90
Coffee Break Manhattan College ~$800
Breakfast Manhattan College ~$800

Program Book  ACS $1035

Photographs ACS $1309
Facilities Manhattan College ~$2200.00
Mailing ACS ~$200

TOTAL ACS Expense ~$10,000

URS fundraising reduced the local section contribution from the allotted $4000.00 to $~1900.00. Note: fundraising this year has increased by ~150% ($3000 raised in 2006; $8620 in 2007)!

JaimeLee Rizzo sent all sponsors official thank you letters and an abstract book the week following the URS. All sponsors and mentors will be mailed photographs of the event.

Under the direction of the Students’ Association Committee, plans for the 56th URS to be held at Queensborough Community College, May 2008 are currently underway.

Due to the very large contingent from Queensborough Community College (QCC), in the future, the host institutions should have at least 25 AV equipped rooms.
Try to avoid having more than one student presenter per talk.  The registration should have “Presenters”, “Mentors”, “Moderators”, “Guests” and “Sponsors” in order to avoid non-presenting students from registering as presenters.
Acknowledgements

The committee wishes to extend its warmest thanks to the following individuals for their generous help with the 55th URS: Prof. Neil Jespersen (St. John's University, ACS NY Section), Marilyn Jespersen (ACS NY Section) Paul Tukey (Web Master) and the students and staff of the Chemistry Department at Manhattan College.

Copies of the 55th URS abstract booklet and the group photo will be sent to the ACS-NY office.

Respectfully submitted,

Alison Hyslop
Sharon Lall-Ramnarine
JaimeLee I. Rizzo