Macon- Mercer University’s student chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS) recently was one of only 29 chapters in the nation to receive an Outstanding award. The award was based on its chapter activities during the 2002-2003 academic year.
The 2002-2003 Mercer ACS student chapter president was Kelly Wade of Colquitt, and the vice president was Sean Lynch of Fayetteville. Both Wade and Lynch are now seniors at Mercer. Natasha Lee, a Jonesboro resident who graduated in May and is a first-year student at the Dental School of Medical College of Georgia, served as treasurer. Kinjal Vakil, a Martinez resident who also graduated in May and is a first-year student in Mercer’s Southern School of Pharmacy, served as secretary. Faculty sponsors were assistant professors of chemistry Dr. P. Elaine Butler and Dr. Nancy Dopke.
Every student-affiliate chapter of the ACS is required to submit an annual report of its activities. Based on these reports, chapters are selected by the Society Committee on Education for recognition as Outstanding, Commendable, or Honorable Mention chapters. With more than 950 chapters, 158 awards were presented, and only 29 of them were Outstanding.
Among its many activities, Mercer’s 54-member ACS student chapter aided in hands-on chemical activities in various elementary schools, helped eight boy scouts earn their Chemistry Merit Badge, donated gifts at the Salvation Army Safe House and hosted lectures on campus.
“The Outstanding award recognizes the success of our year as an organization. Our members introduced new activities and we had great participation from our membership and the campus as a whole,” Dr. Dopke said. “The students worked hard throughout the year to promote chemistry, help the community, and have fun.”
This year marks the Mercer Chemistry Department’s 20th anniversary of continuous certification by ACS. Mercer’s undergraduate chemistry program is one of only 12 chemistry departments in Georgia with this prestigious certification.
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