does this mean I get a wyvern?

A little over a decade ago, for the 25th anniversary of being a brother, I became a member of the Order of Altotus with my chemistry fraternity, Alpha Chi Sigma.

That also granted me the status of Professional Brother for Life.

Periodically I've responded with money for various special events with them, but I have not been charged dues in all that time.

Now, post-pandemic, the semantics have changed.

"Can you help make Alpha Chi Sigma available to every qualified candidate?"

They even presented me the following numbers to plead their case.

962: Number of Initiates this year

1,942: Number of current collegiates

58: Number of current chapters

45: Number of New member Assistance Fund grants awarded in 2021

15: Number of professional Groups

77,875: Number of total initiates

125: Number of professional volunteers

200: Average Number of Conclave attendees in recent years

665: Number of donors last year

$99,612 Number of dollars given last year

120: Years of Alpha Chi Sigma providing brotherhood to those in chemistry

 

All they asked of me was to become an Active Professional.

 

All they asked of me was a fifty-dollar pledge, to help keep membership fees within reach for college students and recent graduates.

 

In return, I'll keep receiving The HEXAGON (our magazine), voting privileges, and the opportunity to serve in various positions.

 

So, did I help out?

 

Of course!

 

Maybe I'll even attend the next Conclave, if my health holds.

 

And I'll look forward to continuing to read Mitch Leving's historical bits in that magazine.

 

(smile!)

gifting science to a niece, a great-niece and one great-nephew

Once upon a time, I was in charge of sharing science with locals and those visiting Savannah during National Chemistry Week.

That seems like forever ago, though it was October 2019.

The pandemic has certainly changed how time is viewed.

I had already retired before that event, so I had time to do it up right - gathering materials from the City of Savannah Water Management team and from the American Chemical Society, test-driving experiments to find those that worked best in the allotted times, getting the right to perform the experiments in Morrell Park downtown, making sure the event found its way into the press and onto the airwaves.

I ended up overgathering, as it turned out.

The leftover chemistry materials and science activity books have been languishing in my living room closet ever since.

No more!

More than 25 sets of the two activity books, as well as 45 self-inflating balloons for one of the demonstrations, are on their way to Louisville, Georgia, where Ally lives.

That great-niece will be 13 years old on June 2nd.

I know she will be thrilled to share science with her 7th-grade class!

 

Another 25 sets of the two activity books, plus fifty sparkly pencils, as well as the kits and instructions to make uv-detecting armbands, are on their way to Sumiton, Alabama.

That's the home of the niece that shares my birthday of May 29th!

She'll be 10 years old and she loves science.

I'm sure her 4th-grade classmates will much appreciate the fun activities during these last two weeks of school!

That left me with about 40 of the "Saving Savannah's Water" activity books.

I had crammed the medium flat-rate boxes from the Post Office as full as I could get them - and they were so very heavy! - but these books would not fit.

Now what to do?

Then the idea popped into my head: why not give them to Sebi's school?

What a marvelous idea!!!

I even told the school secretary that I had been there recently for my great-nephew's first communion, making them top of mind.

She was thrilled to receive the books!

And I am thrilled to have all of that science into the hands of those who will use it.

 

Yes, this has been a very fulfilling day!

i thank You, God.

nothing like a little STEM to get ya goin'

As a long-time member of the American Chemical Society's ACT4CHEMISTRY group, I try to respond in a timely manner to their requests.

Today's email contained no fewer than five such.

 

* * * * *

Dear ACS Member:  
The House and Senate recently announced the Representatives and Senators who will go to conference over U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA)/the America COMPETES Act (COMPETES).
In their role, the conferees will resolve disagreements and differences from each chamber's bill into one combined final bill.
This process also brings the U.S. government closer to establishing its innovation priorities for the next decade.  
The conference committee is the final opportunity for constituents and organizations to advocate for priorities to remain included.
ACS has consistently advocated for several priorities focused on STEM education and workforce funding, sustainable chemistry, and helium conservation.  
Below you will find several broad issues with their specific act4chemistry alerts.  

    STEM Education and Workforce - ACS is asking for the inclusion of several STEM education and workforce provisions to promote equity and inclusion.  
        https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/policy/memberadvocacy/issues.html#/116

    Sustainable Chemistry and Advanced Energy Technology - ACS is asking for the inclusion of language authorizing sustainable chemistry programs at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE).   
        https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/policy/memberadvocacy/issues.html#/117

    Helium Conservation - ACS is asking for inclusion of helium conservation measures at the DOE and NSF
        https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/policy/memberadvocacy/issues.html#/118

    NIST Manufacturing Programs - ACS is asking for inclusion of provisions supporting NIST manufacturing programs from the House version of America COMPETES Act.
        https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/policy/memberadvocacy/issues.html#/119

    Combating Sexual Harassment in STEM - ACS is asking the conferees to include the House COMPETES provision to combat sexual harassment and discrimination in the scientific enterprise.
        https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/policy/memberadvocacy/issues.html#/120

We ask you to highlight these important priorities to your Representative and Senators as they forge a compromise legislative vehicle.
We also ask that you share this important advocacy effort with your fellow chemists.
For questions, please email us at act4chemistry@acs.org.

Warm regards,
Karen Garcia

* * * * *

 

Done, done, done, done, and done!

I even received a Thank-You email for my efforts on their behalf!

 

* * * * *

Thank you for your recent Act4Chemistry action.
Our members are a crucial element of our advocacy efforts and we appreciate your continued engagement.
Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns!
 

Messages were sent to the following recipients:
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA-01)
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA)
Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA)

 

* * * * *

 

Now, it's up to the politicians to do the right thing, as Spike Lee would say.

I'll be watching to see that they do.

After all, elections are coming up again.

Those that have not done in accordance with their constituents' wishes will have to get new jobs, won't they?

spending gary's money

This email says it all, so here it is!

*****

Alpha Chi Sigma national@alphachisigma.org
7:25 PM

Dear Faustina,

Thank you for your gift of $ 19.02  to our organization.  The advancements we have made can be attributed in many ways to people like you who have generously supported our mission.  We are grateful for your generosity and hope that you will take great pride in the important difference that your gift makes.

Since Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity is a nonprofit, 501(c)3 educational organization, the IRS allows your contribution to be fully tax deductible as permitted by law. Please retain this letter for your records.
 

*****

And here's the inspiration for me to give for the betterment of science!

This email arrived yesterday.

 

*****
Supporting Our Brotherhood
Fresh off the success of #GivingTuesday, we’re opening up one more chance to show your support and celebrate 119 years of Alpha Chi Sigma Brotherhood. We’re inviting all Collegiate Brothers (and Professionals, too!) to make a participation donation of $1.19 to recognize 119 years of our double bond.
Feeling generous? How about bumping that number up to $19.02 to commemorate our founding year? Gifts of any amount are welcomed and appreciated!
As an added bonus, all Founders Day gifts will be matched by Brother Gary Anderson, Alpha Eta ‘62, up to $6,000!

Founders Day Celebration
You are invited! Join Grand Historian Mitch Levings tomorrow night at 8:00 pm EST for a virtual celebration of brotherhood.
Mitch will regale us with stories of our beloved Fraternity and will be joined by other special guests during the 2-hour celebration. We can’t wait to see you tonight!
 

*****

That bold, italicized line has been highlighted by me!

Since Gary was in a mood to have others spend his money, I was certainly going to help a brother Altotus out!

Now, the meeting starts in fifteen minutes, so, I have to make like a wyvern and fly!

(smile!)

my invention proceeds forward, with a little help from my friends

Last month, I signed a contract with Montgomery IP Associates.
The total sum I had needed for them to represent me during the patent application process had been daunting:
sixteen thousand, fifteen dollars.
For those who prefer it in numbers, that's $16,015.00, or more than I've made in a year since 2013.
I had not known how to proceed with my invention since November of last year.
That's when that price-tag had been told to me.
True, it would include their handling all of the legal documents needed for both the provisional patent and the industrial patent applications to the United States Patent and Trademark Office. It would also include their handling of the legal paperwork for the copyright for my invention, as well as the search required prior to a trademark application. Their firm would create brochures and marketing materials to bring my invention to the attention of a multitude of businesses, to help find manufacturers and distributors on my behalf. Plus, they would create a website to bring more attention to my invention.
Even so, as elated as I had been back in October, I was quite downcast by the money that would be needed to make my invention public and protected.
The representative I had been talking to, Jim Jackson, suggested I offer shares in my invention, as a fundraising tool.
He told me the standard investment was $500 per share.
I was free to sell however many shares I wanted, he said, but remember that the total available was 100.
In other words, I'd be offering folks one percent of any future monies I might receive for marketing my invention.
I certainly had no problems with doing that... but who would take me up on the offer?
Almost everyone I know works for a living and certainly have other uses for that kind of money.
How could I even ask them to help fund my dream?
My unending gratitude to my dear friend, Cathy Weaver, in California. When I was talking to her during our holiday call in December, I spoke about my dilemma. Justthatfast, she offered to purchase five shares from me! She had just received the windfall as an unexpected bonus and had not earmarked the funds for anything she and Paul needed. She would prefer to know she had helped me in my quest to help students to further their knowledge of chemistry.
She is amazing!
Her belief in me encouraged me to believe, too.
In February, I had four more investors who believed in my invention. My brother, Harvey Smith, and his son, my nephew Zachary Smith, each purchased one share. Later in the month, my Aunt, Linda Walker, and her daughter, my cousin Penny Bos, also each purchased one share.
I gained self-confidence in telling others about my invention and asking them to invest.
Last month, Jeffery Secrest, my physicist bfe, purchased two shares.
Then, my ex-husband, Jeff McDermott, not only purchased two shares, but convinced his girlfriend, Amy Schmitt, to do the same! Then she convinced her roommate, Radonna Winters, to purchase two shares. Then, the roommate's brother, Craig Davis, purchased five shares!!! All because of the good word from my ex-husband.
I am truly touched.
Twenty-two shares had been sold, to ten investors, with three of those being people who had never even met me or spoken to me.
I am truly blessed.
I promise to continue to give this project my heart and my time to make good on your incredible faith in me.
Now, to get started on the copyright and the provisional patent!

atomic size matters to me!

Truly, I had meant to write last summer.
I truly did.
But I would get a few pages into the book and realize that I wasn't following her train of thought. I was rolling off the track like oranges off a messy stack.
Perhaps it was because I was on vacation.
But no, I don't think that was it.
Perhaps it was because I was busy with weddings in South Carolina and Tennessee.
Then again, I doubt that would have deterred me for this long.
No.
The true reason is this: I allowed the words to get in the way.
But I finally saw through the smokescreen that language can impose.
After all, re-purposing of language is not a new concept. Every field of study, every career, every line of work in the world has its own set of jargon.
But once I recognized that the Old French were correct in their assessment of jargon as "chatter", I embraced the new words Veronica was using. After all, the words themselves were not new, simply the way in which the words were used.
"Bigga bada boom," as Leeloo would say.
In other words, I caught the gist of what Veronica Berns was saying.
What a success!
That's all she was trying to accomplish with the book!
I encourage you to get your own copy of "Chemical Pressure and Its Applications to the Tsai-Type Quasicrystal, or... Atomic Size Matters" here.
Surely that title is no more daunting than "The Effect of Molecular and Morphological Structure on the Tensile Properties of the Linear Polyethylenes".
That was the handle I gave to my doctoral thesis, en route to my Doctorate of Philosophy in Analytical Chemistry.
"Molecular Shape and Size Matter" would have been more friendly.
But our actual titles had to have the jargon added for the sake of our peers, to make us sound smarter, to make us sound like we belong in that particular club or career or trade or ivory tower.
Clearly, she and I are both real people, living in a real world, and trying to communicate our passions to all and not just to a select few.
Good for her!
Even so, here are some words of advice for future readers of the book.
"Chemical Pressure" refers to the strain caused by atoms being too close together or too far apart for optimal (i.e., "low") bonding energy.
(Try to remember that nature loves low energy states, just like we do.)
When the atoms are too close together, the chemical pressure is positive and causes a spring-like effect to force the atoms away from each other. In other words, positive chemical pressure blows the atoms apart.
When the atoms are too far apart, the chemical pressure is negative and causes a vacuum-like effect to bring the atoms closer. That means that negative chemical pressure sucks the atoms together.
There.
Now you're ready to read, and enjoy, her entertaining comic approach to chemistry!
(smile!)