St Louis Chemists
in the News
Arch Paper Company featured in “green” reportTed Gast, president of Arch Paper Company in St Louis and former Chair of St Louis Section–ACS, told St Louis News 4 today (December 4, 2008) about making paper entirely from discarded cotton garments: “no trees, no chlorine, no bleach, no dyes” ... and of course, reduced demand for landfill volume. Does anyone else remember when “20% rag content” was the mark of fine writing or typing paper?
A brief video clip is available here.
Andrew Liu, Parkway Central High SchoolAndrew Liu, a top finisher in the Advanced Division of the local high school chemistry contest for two straight years, has gone all the way. He is one of the four-chemist team who represented the USA at the International Chemistry Olympiad in Budapest, July 12–21.
The road to the final four is an arduous one. Around the country, about 10,000 students participated in local contests; 900 qualified for the national exam; only 20 were invited to the Olympiad “boot camp” organized by national ACS at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Finally, the four primary representatives and two alternates were chosen to represent the USA in Budapest.
Andrew graduated from Parkway Central High School this year, and will attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the fall.
July 22, 2008. Results just in. A total of 172 students from around the world competed. The four members of Team USA scored three Bronze Medals and one Silver in the competition.
| Name | Home | Score | Place | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andrew Liu | Chesterfield, MO | 46.0161 | 137 | Bronze Medal |
| Jenny Lu | East Brunswick, NJ | 46.9420 | 132 | Bronze Medal |
| Yuxin Xie | Southbury, CT | 55.4705 | 89 | Bronze Medal |
| Jonathan Lee | Northridge, CA | 57.9731 | 70 | Silver Medal |
Full results for all competitors are available here (xls, 40 kb). Our heartfelt congratulations to Andrew and his high school chemistry teacher, Ken Greathouse, and to the three other Team USA members.
Shelley Minteer, Saint Louis UniversityThe award citation refers to Dr Minteer’s research on immobilized dehydrogenase enzymes at the anode of biofuel cells. Her work has resulted in enzymes stable at the bioanode for over a year, but she and her research group are working on improved immobilization membranes that can tolerate higher concentrations of biofuels such as glucose, methanol, and ethanol.
Further projects are under way on direct electron transfer involving electropolymerized dyes (methylene green, methylene blue, azure C, etc.) as mediators, along with binding of the mediator dye to polymeric backbones.
The award will be presented formally at the Pittcon Young Investigator Award Symposium, Wednesday, March 5, 2008, at Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, LA. The full citation and a brief professional bio are posted on the Pittcon Awards page.
Saint Louis University ACS Student AffiliateThe Saint Louis University ACS student affiliate group has been declared an “Outstanding” chapter by National ACS, one of only 28 chapters nationwide to be so honored. The section was cited for its activities during the 2006-2007 academic year. Congratulations to faculty advisor Brent Znosko and then-chapter officers Anne Blackwell and Michelle Watt.
Shri Thanedar, Chemir Analytical ServicesThe November 13, 2006, edition of Chemical & Engineering News featured a very complimentary full-page write-up (login required) on the entrepreneurial success of Shri Thanedar. It’s a story of ambition, hard work, and likely not just a little talent. From 18-year-old Bachelor’s chemist in India, he is now CEO of Chemir Analytical Services in St Louis, now at $24M/yr in revenues.
It’s an interesting and satisfying story of “local” chemist makes good. Worth a read if you didn’t catch it in the hardcopy.
Shelley Minteer, Saint Louis UniversityShelley Minteer, professor of chemistry at Saint Louis University, is the winner of the 2005 Innovation Award, presented by the Academy of Sciences of St Louis. The award recognizes a scientist or engineer under age 40 who has demonstrated unusual potential for future accomplishments in a branch of science or engineering based on exceptional initial contributions. Shelley was recognized for her research in alternative energy sources.
From the award citation: “Over just four years, Dr. Minteer’s research in biofuel cells has resulted in the formation of a start-up company in St Louis, while at the same time her research in magnetically-modified electrodes has resulted in the development of several industrial partnerships with outside companies. Her new biofuel cells can produce energy densities nearly 100 times larger than any previously reported systems, making these systems the first viable biocell replacements for currently-used chemical batteries.”
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