The Silicon Valley American Chemical Society (ACS) created the David Parker Award for Excellence 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.
A Ph.D. Chemist, Dave worked for the City of Santa Clara Fire Department from November 1983 to December 2012 when he retired. Several years after he started working at the SCFD, he was chosen to lead a new Hazardous Materials Division. 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.
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. Donations are still being received to support student interest in science. Donors should send a check to: ACS Silicon Valley Section, Re: David Parker Fund, P.O. Box 395, Palo Alto CA 94302. These tax-deductible donations will be acknowledged in writing.
David 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. |