The Silicon Valley American Chemical Society (ACS) created the David Parker Award for excellence in middle school chemistry students to recognize 6-8th grade chemistry science fair presenters. Awardees receive $125.
David (Dave) Parker who was very active in public outreach for science and chemistry and was an active member of the Silicon Valley ACS Executive Committee, passed away in 2020. Dave’s passions within the SVACS Local Section included judging at our annual Synopsys Science Fair Championship, the South Valley Science and Engineering Fair, and the local Chemistry Olympiad competition.
His obituary included a request to donate to the Silicon Valley ACS Section to support educational outreach to young people pursuing the field of science. The funds from these donations are what inspired the creation of this award to support chemistry education for middle school students. Additional donations are welcome. Donors should send a check to the ACS Silicon Valley Section (noting purpose is for SVACS-David Parker Fund). Our address is Silicon Valley ACS Local Section, P.O. Box 395, Palo Alto CA 94302. These tax-deductible donations will be acknowledged in writing. Many thanks for considering this request!
A Ph.D. Chemist, Dr. Dave Parker worked for the City of Santa Clara from 11/1/1983 to 12/28/2012. He was chosen to lead the Hazardous Materials Division for the Fire Department. This innovative organizational model was first of its kind in the United States – and was eventually emulated by cities, counties, and states across the country. Dave wrote new codes and ordinances, assisted in the design of chemical distribution and processing systems, trained firefighters to safely deal with new dangers that had never been encountered, recruited additional chemists and scientists who would become Hazardous Materials Specialists for Santa Clara. He also wrote design specifications for hazardous materials response vehicles, which the city continues to utilize with the fire department’s HazMat 99 response vehicle.
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Dave Parker Award Recipients
| Year | Recipient | Grade | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-2024 | Mika Perl | 7 | Homemade stain removers or store-bought stain removers, which one is the most effective at removing dog accidents? |
| 2023-2024 | Aanya Kandala | 8 | Biodegradable Hydrogels. |
| 2022-2023 | Mridula Rajagopalan | 7 | Water as Energy Source: On-demand electricity using H2 from electrochemical electrolysis of water using GaAl electrodes. |
| 2022-2023 | Cynthia Wang | 7 | What is the effect of different temperatures and different chemicals on the setting time of concrete? |
| 2021-2022 | Atharva Manjunath | 7 | Investigating the Inhibitory Effect of Medicinal Plants on Alpha Amylase Enzyme. |
| 2021-2022 | Ashley Mo | 8 | The Effects of Different Nutrients Used in Ocean Fertilization on Growth of Algae. |
| 2021-2022 | Tiffany Zhu | 8 | The Effects of Different Nutrients Used in Ocean Fertilization on Growth of Algae. |
| 2020-2021 | Atharva Manjunath | 6 | Investigating the Inhibitory Effect of Trigonella foenum-graecum on Carbohydrate Digestive Enzymes. |
| 2020-2021 | Viraj Pandey | 7 | Investigating the Photoluminescence Signature of Graphene Quantum Dots in the Conservation of Endangered Species. |
Dave Parker Legacy Event
Led by Dr. Howard Peters, the SVACS Local Section has been working with the City of Santa Clara Fire Department to create a Dave Parker Legacy Event, where the annual Parker Awardees will have a special tour of the SCFD facilities each December and discuss the interactions of fires and chemicals. Carol Ann Parker, Dave’s wife, is pleased to take part in these events.
From left to right: Aanya Kandala (awardee), Carol Ann Parker (spouse), Susan Hines (SVACS), Phil Hines (SVACS), Mridula Rajagopalan (awardee), Viraj Pandey (awardee).
On August 19, 2024, the Santa Clara Fire Department held the inaugural special event to honor the prior 6-8th grade Dave Parker Awardees from 2021-2024. The student awardees and their families learned about the interaction of chemistry and fires — both how fires start and how to extinguish them. They experienced fire department operations and learned how the fire department responds to hazardous materials emergencies in the community.
Dave’s widow Carol Ann Parker attended the event at Fire Station 9 and showed the assembled students and their families Dave’s fire helmet with CHEMIST across the front.
Susan Hines, Silicon Valley ACS volunteer who led efforts to get judges for local science fairs, along with her husband Phil, also attended this inaugural event. Silicon Valley ACS Chemists Dr. Howard Peters and Dr. Mike Lepisto were the judges for Dr. Dave Parker Awards.