The rejuvenation of the Silicon Valley ACS has been a driving interest in the past several years of my participation as Chair and Councilor. Newcomers to the leadership of our section bring an infusion of fresh energy and ideas. They have stepped up and recognize the value of in-person and local community. I see my role as supporting and inspiring their efforts to foster an organization relevant to the next generations. SVACS now reflects a broader cross-section of interests – a robust Younger Chemists Committee for early-career professionals and grad students, recognition of the networking needs of mid-career scientists, a Monterey Bay Area ACS subsection within reach of colleges and chemistry interests in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties and partnering with other local groups to broaden contacts as in the annual joint meeting with the Golden Gate Polymer Forum.
As Councilor, I will continue to foster the rejuvenation of the Silicon Valley ACS in its mission to serve a twenty-first century membership and community, and to use our success in transformation to serve as a model for the ACS at the national level.
My motivation: use science to do public good.
Biography
As a senior research staff member at the IBM Almaden Research labs, my atomic force laboratory was involved in a variety of collaborative academic and industrial programs in materials research including 3D nanoprinting, lithography, polymers, magnetics and biological nanostructures. My roles in the scientific community include: National Science Foundation panels and advisory boards in government and academia; guest professor on university faculties internationally; associate editor of the Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology; founder of STEM internship programs at IBM Research for California’s central valley community colleges and Brazilian universities; mentor of young scientists. I currently serve as a scientific advisor to Google.
BS Chemistry, Tufts University with biochemical research at MIT and Mass General Hospital. PhD in Organometallic chemistry, Caltech. A Fellow of the ACS and the recipient of the 2017 ACS National Industrial Chemist Award. In 2021 I was honored with the Perkin Medal in recognition of lifetime achievement in applied chemistry.