The Chemistry Club at California State University, Fresno has gained national recognition from the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, and will receive two prestigious awards at the society’s 241st national meeting in Anaheim next March.

Fresno State will receive the National Outstanding Award, the highest honor bestowed upon student chapters nationwide, and the Green Chemistry Award. Additionally, the chapter will be recognized in two magazines, Chemical & Engineering News and inChemistry.

“We are very excited to be honored with these two prestigious awards from the American Chemical Society,” said Dr., Melissa Golden, assistant professor of chemistry and club adviser. “To our knowledge, this is a first for our chapter.”

For the award, the chapter was required to participate in such activities as field trips, community service and social functions. The students submitted a 41-page report based on their activities.

 

Steven Chabolla, Fresno State Chemistry Club president, and President-elect Alicia Alfter have fun while preparing for “Cabbage Chemistry,” a hands-on chemistry experiment for children who visit the Discovery Center in Fresno. This activity held earlier this year helped earn the club the American Chemical Society’s prestigious National Outstanding Award.

 

Golden said the judges liked the creativity of the club’s activities such as its “Kiss-a-Pig” fundraiser and re-using kitty litter buckets for hazardous waste spill kits. The Fresno State chemistry students also were praised for presenting activities and research at national and regional scientific meetings.

Part of getting the award was the high level of activity, the diversity of activities and a high level of participation from the chemistry students.

For National Chemistry Week in 2008, the chemistry students ignited hydrogen balloons in front of 34,000 fans at half-time of a Bulldogs’ football game in collaboration with the Fresno State Marching Band playing the 1812 Overture. This activity was published in the Journal of Chemical Education last October.

Another project was “Cabbage Chemistry,” a hands-on chemistry experiment earlier this year for children who visit the Discovery Center in Fresno.

Steven Chabolla, club president, said the Chemistry Club supports students, Fresno State and the surrounding community.

“We do this in many ways, but the most important thing is for us to keep building these relationships and helping to prepare students for their futures,” Chabolla said.