Greetings! Last month, we announced that we are proceeding with plans for our 2021 annual picnic but will do things a little differently due to the on-going COVID-19 pandemic. As we emerge from over a year of unplanned hibernation, the leadership team has decided to celebrate this transformation with free admission to the picnic.
We invite you to join us for food, friendship, and camaraderie at our picnic! It is also an opportunity to recognize and honor our long-time ACS members. Our members have been at the forefront of scientific discovery over the course of their careers, working in labs, classrooms, and offices around the Bay Area and beyond. Their work has contributed to putting humans on the moon, the integrated circuit in the PC, genetic cloning for medical advances, and so much more. They’ve worked in clean rooms, wet rooms, and dark rooms; on the Bay’s mudflats, on planes, and aboard ships; in lecture halls and hallways; in offices and boardrooms. We honor our 50-, 60-, 65-, and 70-year members at the summer picnic as pioneers of their fields. The event makes for an interesting afternoon of personal successes and historical perspectives as we hear about their trials, tribulations, and accomplishments in their chemistry careers.
We will provide food from Armadillo Willy’s, wine, beer, soft drinks, and water along with an assortment of delicious desserts. Vegetarian options will be provided. Please sign up by Wednesday, July 14, 2021, to give us an idea about how much food to order.
On a separate note, I wanted to let you know just how much fun we had with textile chemistry this June. Dr Breslauer from Bolt threads gave a phenomenal talk about the potential of the spider and the mushroom to provide inspiration for making textiles sustainably in the clothing industry. In the Pop-Up Chemistry session for the month of June, our younger chemists, on the other hand, indulged in some tie-dye vibes. While tie-dyeing is an easy craft for creating unique designs in your favorite color palette, it helps to
understand what fabrics yield brilliant display-worthy results. The kids learned about chemical bonds in cotton and polyester fibers and how they play an important role in how and why dyes work. In the end, they made some beautiful tie-dyed t-shirts in red, white and blue to celebrate the 4th of July! I want to give a big shout out to Ninkung Wang, Elizabeth Migicovsky, Natalie McClure and Gianmarc Grazioli for putting together this wonderful experiment.
During the month of June, we celebrated Juneteenth and Pride month. C&EN marked this occasion by publishing LGBTQ+ Chemists You Should Know About and Black Chemists You Should Know About. As C&EN Editor Bibiana Campos-Seijo eloquently noted, “the last year and a half has taught us that life is short and full of unexpected turns that have the power to shape our lives. We have learned that every day is an opportunity to learn, grow, celebrate others, and become stronger and more grateful and compassionate human beings.”
With these words, I wish you all a happy 4th! Stay well and stay safe!
Jigisha Shah
