Nominee: Sarah Zimmermann
Bio: Sarah C. Zimmermann, Ph.D., is a Chemist at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. She received her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) with Dr. Katherine Seley-Radtke, with a focus on the synthesis of modified nucleosides as therapeutic agents. Following her Ph.D., Dr. Zimmermann continued her studies in Medicinal Chemistry as a NIH Ruth Kirschstein Postdoctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University as part of the Johns Hopkins Drug Discovery (JHDD).
Statement: During her time as a Postdoctoral Fellow Dr. Zimmermann became an active member of the Executive Committee of the Maryland Section of the ACS where she has served as an Alternate Councilor, Chair of Member Assistance Committee, and a Webmaster for the 2019 MARM. As Chair-Elect Dr. Zimmermann hopes to uphold the traditions the Maryland Section has maintained over its 100+ year history as well as promote the use of social platforms to keep the members of our local section involved and engaged.
Nominee: Louise Hellwig
Bio: Louise Hellwig graduated from Swarthmore College and earned her Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After short stints at the College of Wooster in Ohio and at Towson University, she has been teaching chemistry at Morgan State University for 28 years, where she mentors the Morgan State University’s Chemistry Club. She currently serves as the Secretary for the Maryland Section of ACS and chairs both the Braude Award Committee and the Student Travel Grants Committee.
Statement: I would like to continue to serve as Secretary of the Maryland local ACS section because we have a great section with many worthwhile projects and interesting meetings. I see the Secretary’s duties as keeping the section’s paperwork organized, representing the section well in any correspondence with outsiders, and providing clear communication with the national ACS. I have already demonstrated the necessary organizational skills as Secretary of the Maryland section, chair of the Braude Award committee, chair of the Student Travel Grants Committee, as liaison with the university Chemistry Clubs in the Maryland section, and as mentor for Morgan’s Chemistry Club. I attend all of the Executive Board meetings and most of the monthly general meetings; recording any business and keeping minutes gives me an even more complete picture of our section activities.
Nominee: Angela Sherman
Bio: Angela R. Sherman is a Professor in the Chemistry Department at Notre Dame of Maryland University. Dr. Sherman earned her B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and her Ph.D. from Purdue University. Dr. Sherman is a member of the Control Board for Arkivoc, an on-line journal of organic chemistry. She is also a Technical Editor for the journal. Dr. Sherman has been active in the Maryland Section of the ACS since 1996. Currently, she is the chairperson of the Section’s Maryland Chemist of the Year committee.
Statement: I am interested in continuing to serve as the Treasurer of the Section again because I enjoy participating in the Section activities. As Treasurer, it has been my responsibility to ensure accurate and timely financial transactions related to activities and events sponsored by the Section.
Nominee: Merle Eiss
Bio: Merle Eiss graduated from Purdue University with a degree in analytical chemistry. I recently retired after a career with McCormick & Co., Inc. My areas of work included analytical, food and flavor chemist, Project Management for the development of processes for cleaning spices and herbs, and Regulatory Management working with FDA, USDA, and foreign government regulators. For my work with FDA, I was awarded a US Vice Presidential Award. While at McCormick, I worked as a consultant/lecturer for the United Nations, giving lectures and short courses on food cleanliness and quality in various countries around the world. I was also Technical Director of the American Spice Trade Association. I was Chapter Chair, and held various other offices. Nationally, my ACS service includes vice chair Council Policy Committee, secretary of the Committee on Committees, Committee on Nominations and Elections, Member Affairs Committee, and the International Activities. Meetings and Expositions. I was a Trustee of the ACS insurance Trust.
Statement: I have served the Maryland Chapter ACS as a councilor since 1984. During that time, I have been a member of many national committees. My goal as councilor is to further the interests of our Chapter and to assist our members to achieve leadership roles on committees and in areas suited to their interests. Currently I am a member of the Meetings and Exposition Committee. The Expo at this recent meeting in San Diego was fully sold out with 280+ vendors. Unfortunately, attendance at the meeting was low, about 12,600. As part of my duties on my last committee, Membership Affairs, and as a Trustee of the ACS Insurance Trust, I worked to promote and enhance benefits for our members. One recent major achievement of the Insurance Trust was the Chemical Educators Legal Liability Plan to help protect our teaching members. The Plan underwritten by Lloyds of London, one of the world’s leading insurance companies, has been successful. If re-elected, I plan to continue my efforts on behalf of the Maryland ACS members.
Nominee: Kelly Elkins
Bio: Kelly Elkins is an Associate Professor in the Chemistry Department at Towson University. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry and B.A. in Biology from Keene State College and her Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Clark University. She was a Cancer Research Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT and a Fulbright grantee in Germany. Prior to her current position she was Director of Forensic Science and Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Metropolitan State College of Denver. Cumulatively, she has taught for 15 years in five states during her spouse’s military service. Dr. Elkins has been active in the Maryland Section of the ACS since 2012 where she has been an Alternate Councilor since 2014. She is Co-Chair of the Women Chemists Committee and co-organized three events at MARM 2019 including a Leadership Symposium, Women Chemists Luncheon and Non-traditional Careers panel. Dr. Elkins is one of three founding Editors-in-Chief for a new journal, Journal of Forensic Science Education, an online journal for educators and a reviewer for ACS journals. Nationally, her ACS service includes service as member of the Committee on Ethics (ETHX) since 2016, Chair-Elect of the Ethics Subdivision of the Division of Professional Relations, and Secretary of the Division of Professional Relations (PROF). She was a member of the ACS Exams Institute DUCK 2017 Exam Committee. Prior to moving to Maryland, she was an active member of the Colorado section as an Alternate Councilor, Co-Chair of the Student Grants Committee, Project SEED student mentor, and Planning Committee for the RMRM meeting in 2012 and an active member of the Coastal Georgia section before that.
Statement: I have been a member of ACS since 2000 and have been involved in my local section in many states. I have remained a member and have been actively involved in ACS even as many midcareer professionals have not renewed their memberships. I am acutely aware of the issues facing this group and will work increase our membership and involvement. I have substituted for an ACS Councilor at the National meeting in my role as Alternate Councilor. More recently, I have been a member of an ACS National committee, a Division leadership team and an ACS Exams Institute committee. I would like to continue to serve our local section both locally as well as at the national level to promote chemical education and sharing of chemical research and advocate for our members nationally. I recently wrote the first ETHX Committee Handbook for new committee members. This summer, I participated in the Strategic Planning weekend session for the Committee on Ethics where we outlined many new initiative we are beginning to carry out. We are developing a list of ethics activities and programming for local sections and collaborating with several ACS Divisions to provide ethics-focused programming for their members. I have presented poster and oral presentation on ethics and data sharing and the importance of ethics education and recently collaborated to present a workshop at SACNAS. I was the co-author of a funded ACS IPG grant to support an upcoming Division of Professional Relations program I have co-organized for the Philadelphia meeting, “Inclusive Excellence in Chemistry Education.” I recently co-organized a PROF Ethics and Social Media program at the San Diego meeting. If I am elected as Councilor, I can be counted on to actively serve the section and its members and ACS.
Nominee: Beatrice Salazar
2021-2023 Councilor – Created an atmosphere of communication between councilors in the local section and the members of the Maryland Local section and the community. Since my first dayas councilor, I have been requesting reports of the duties, actions and experiences at all regional and national meetings. All has proven to be more informative and essential for all members that want to be councilors in the future, the reports have been written in the Chesapeake Chemist.
2022-Present Chair, Maryland Chemist of the Year Committee (since October 2022)
2020-Present Editor in Chief, Chesapeake Chemist – Look at the new and improved Chesapeake Chemist, a magazine that cover all news of the ACS Maryland Local Section plus scientific topics and award event lectures that will entertain the chemistry community of all ages.
2019 Immediate Past Chair, ACS Maryland Section
2018 Chair, ACS Maryland Section
2017 Vice-Chair, ACS Maryland Section
2016 Chair-Elect, ACS Maryland Section
2016-present Coordinator: Earth Day Events, ENVR Division, CHED Division, Outreach, ACS Maryland Section
2010-present Coordinator: US National Chemistry Olympiad (USNCO) CHED Division and outreach, ACS Maryland Section
Bio: Beatrice received a master’s degree in chemistry education from the University of Pennsylvania (UPENN) and a B.A. degree in mathematics and computer science from Eastern Connecticut State University (ECSU). She has 19 years of experience teaching chemistry, physics, mathematics, and technology in high school, first in Philadelphia school district and later in Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) where she has also served as Teacher-Mentor for 10 years. She has served the ACS Maryland local section as Chair, Vice-Chair and Chair Elect as well as Member-at-Large for several years and has served as coordinator of various outreach programs of the Maryland Section of the American Chemical Society. In addition to her education, Beatrice has placed emphasis on chemistry education by presenting posters at national meetings in an effort to bring awareness of the role of chemistry in public health and the role of ACS members in spreading the knowledge of chemistry to the community; her emphasis in education relies in the concept that chemistry can be taught in the context of multidisciplinary areas: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) with emphasis in helping high school and undergraduate students. In the past she has focused on spreading knowledge and understanding of the process of water purification and each poster makes emphasis in a particular discipline. She has also presented her work at the local section at various symposiums and Baltimore teacher panels. At the present time she is organizing webinars in the same areas with undergraduate students at nearby universities and colleges.
Statement: Beatrice wants to continue being part of the ACS Maryland section. She accepts with pleasure the nomination as 2022 Chair-Elect. “I believe I will have an opportunity to continue the initiatives I had in my first term in 2018; a second term will help to serve better all Maryland chemistry members and the community. As chair, I will make emphasis on the completion of all tasks the local section has started. This position will enhance the councilor position with ACS as well. I will continue to work for all ACS Maryland Members and pursue their professional interests.” Councilors voted for the opportunity to open ACS committee positions to all ACS members regardless of being councilors for a specific local section. The motion was approved! At this time all ACS members could apply to any division and be part of the committee they desire. It is important to have voice and vote and we as councilors have that opportunity to vote representing all members and push for actions that will benefit all. As Chair I will work with all ACS members in the Maryland area to advocate for their career advancement. I am very enthusiastic, and I will continue serving the ACS Maryland local section in different capacities. Thank you for your vote.
Please check the following websites for details of outreach work done in previous years. ACS-Maryland, Earth Day Events, USNCO, and Chemistry and the community.
Councilor records:
As councilor, elected in 2021, she has worked with ACS colleagues, students, and ACS staff to enhance opportunities to younger scientists and other committee members. She emphasizes three initiatives:
1. Strengthen the relationship between ACS local section and ACS at the national level
2. Provide strong support for members’ initiatives
3. Enhance our public profile and continue to advocate for science within the community
Teamwork is essential to make things happen and we are the pivot for success of ACS Maryland. Beatrice hopes you join her in this enterprise and have your vote to make it happen. As Ernest Hemingway said, “A man alone… ain’t got no chance.”
Nominee: Pumtiwitt McCarthy
Bio: Pumtiwitt McCarthy received her B.S. in Biochemistry in 2003 from Rowan University. As an
undergraduate, she had an opportunity to conduct research, which solidified her passion for science. She obtained her Ph.D. in Biochemistry in 2009 from the University of Delaware. For her thesis research, she investigated enzymes involved in oxidative protein folding. She was a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the FDA on the campus of the NIH from 2009-2013. With support from ORISE and NIH PRAT fellowships, her postdoctoral research focused on the development of a chemoenzymatic strategy to make glycoconjugate vaccine candidates against the pathogen Neisseria meningitidis, one of the leading causes of bacterial meningitis. She joined the faculty of the Department of Chemistry at Morgan State University as an Assistant Professor in 2013 and became an Associate Professor in 2019. Her research program investigates capsule -producing enzymes from Neisseria meningitidis with applications in vaccine development and bioremediation. She has supervised over 20 high school (through ACS Project SEED and other programs), undergraduate, and graduate students in research.
Statement: I have been an ACS member since I obtained my undergraduate degree in 2003 and began serving in various roles for the local section since 2015. I have served as Alternate Councilor (since 2015), Chair-Elect (2018), Vice-Chair (2019), co-Chair of Exposition and Sponsorship for MARM 2019, Webmaster and Editor-in-Chief of the Chesapeake Chemist (since 2015). I have been involved in ACS through attendance at local and national meetings. I look forward to continuing my support for ACS and its programs through service to the local section.
Nominee: Paul Smith
Bio: Born and raised in Rochester, NY, Paul received his B.S. in Chemistry and Biology from SUNY College at Brockport in 1988 and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1993, where he studied physical organic chemistry in the laboratory of Professor Craig Wilcox. He spent two years as an NIH Post-doctoral Fellow at Johns Hopkins University with Professors Craig Townsend and Tom Tullius, studying the ene-diyne antitumor antibiotic calicheamicin. In 1995, he joined the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UMBC, where he is now an Associate Professor. His current research in synthetic organic chemistry is focused on the identification of new anti-viral agents that inhibit viral DNA and RNA processing enzymes, with an emphasis on the hepatitis C virus. He is Undergraduate Program Director for Chemistry at UMBC and Associate Chair in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.
Statement: He is currently a Maryland Section Councilor. At the National level, he has been a Member and Chair of the Admissions Committee, a Member and Sub-Committee Chair of the Membership Affairs Committee and is currently a Member of the Local Section Activities Committee, serving on the Technology and Tools Sub-committee. He has been a member of the MARM Board since 2011, was Co-general Chair for MARM 2012, and General Chair for MARM 2019. He served as Chair of the Maryland Section in 2004 and 2016.
Nominee: Sara Narayan
Bio: Dr. Saraswathi (Sara) Narayan received her B.S, M.S., and Ph.D. from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore. She is a professor of chemistry at Stevenson University, formerly Villa Julie College. Her research interests are in medicinal chemistry and organic synthesis. She is actively involved with the MD local section of ACS for more than a decade in different capacities. She has been the Chair of the Women Chemists Committee in the Local Maryland Section for over 14 years and currently a co-chair and served as secretary for couple of years. Sara was a Chair elect in 2011, Vice- Chair in 2012 and the Chair of the Maryland local section in 2013. She continues to be a member at-large since 2013. She is a member if Sigma Xi Honor Society, ACS and Gamma Sigma Epsilon Honor Society.
Statement: I have been a member of ACS for over 30 years. I would like to serve as member at Large and continue as co-chair of the Women Chemists committee to bring Luncheon and Dinner speakers. I also volunteer for K-12 activities and National Chemistry Week activities and Earth Day activities when time permits. I attend and participate in almost all the board meetings and monthly dinner meetings.
Nominee: Rose Pesce-Rodriguez
Bio: B.A. in Chemistry and Russian from Queens College of the City University of NY; Ph.D in Chemistry (Polymer sub-discipline) from the CUNY Graduate Center. Army Research Laboratory employee for 25 years; elected as an ARL Fellow in 2010. Expertise is in the area of chemical analysis of energetic materials.
Statement: I have been an ACS member for 35 years, my main contribution to the American Chemical Society has been to promote awareness about chemicals, chemistry, and the ACS through my educational outreach programs. I am part of several programs through ARL, but also run National Chemistry Week and Chemists Celebrate Earth Day programs for children and adults in public libraries in Howard County, Carrol County and Baltimore City, as well as through various programs at elementary schools in Howard, Harford, and Baltimore Counties, and Baltimore City. At these programs, students do hands-on experiments related to the themes selected by the ACS for NCW and Earth Day. Parents are always encouraged to attend my library sessions, and are given handouts to follow-up on the materials covered in the library sessions. Over the 16 years that I have been running the library program, I have gotten to know many families in the community. Many of “my kids” are now college age and making decisions about future careers. Some are picking STEM fields and have told me that my programs had a real influence on their decision.
Nominee: James A. Saunders
Bio: Received BA in Zoology from University of South Florida and PhD in Botany with an emphasis of plant biochemistry from Miami University and did a Post doc at University of CA, Davis. Worked 26 years as Research Biochemist with USDA in Beltsville, MD and eight years academic positions including Director of Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Bioinformatics at Towson University. Research Interests in plant biochemistry of secondary natural products, plant/insect interactions, subcellular localization, enzymology of drugs of abuse, smoking and tobacco issues, the chocolate industry and medical Marijuana; Expertise in molecular biology with emphasis on DNA fingerprinting, gene transfer and gene expression methodology.
Statement: I have served as Chair of the Maryland Section, developed multiple workshops and served on many committee, enjoying membership in the society for many years. As a retired consultant, I continue to be active in mentoring programs and programs of related to plant biochemistry and secondary natural products including developments in the medical marijuana arena. I would be happy to represent the society as a Member at Large.
Nominee: George Farrant
Bio: I graduated Oberlin College (BA, 1962 and Case Western Reserve University (PhD Organic Chemistry 1968. After two postdoctoral positions (U. of Cologne & U. of VA) and Year of teaching at Washington and Lee U., I taught Chemistry for 35 years at CCBC Catonsville and 20 years as an adjunct at Towson U. I retired from teaching in 2006 but have been active as a member of the Maryland Section since 2004 and a 54 year member of the ACS. I have been chairperson of the Student Awards Committee for the past 15 years in which the top chemistry students at each of our twenty universities and College in our section are recognized for their academic achievements.
Statement: I am interested in continuing my service to the ACS as a Member-at-Large. As a member at large, my main responsibilities will be to continue spreading the word about chemistry through outreach activities and to make the leadership of the Maryland Section aware of membership needs and concerns. I can best do that if the membership keeps in touch. Is there something the ACS can do for you as an ACS member? If so, please let me know.
Nominee: Jennifer Schmitt
Bio: Jennifer Schmitt received her B.S. in Chemistry from Stevenson University in 2010. She received her Ph.D. in 2016 from the University of Reno, Nevada. During her time there she focused on metallopeptide chemistry specifically with the enzyme superoxide dismutase by building peptide biomimics and probing the electronic properties and structure through different techniques. After completing her degree, she moved back to Baltimore to work at an emerging pharmaceutical company, Rapafusyn. Rapafusyn is developing a macrocyclic library to target unmet medical needs. She has been there for the last two years.
Statement: I joined ACS during my graduate career and believe it is instrumental to educate our younger chemist both in and out of the lab. My first introduction to ACS was attending a national meeting, this led to me to apply and be accepted for the leadership development institute that ACS puts on every spring. I then applied to be on the national committee of the younger chemists committee (YCC). I have helped plan and organize different events targeting younger chemist and look forward to getting more involved in our section as well as having more events targeting younger chemists. I also would like to see more outreach to high school and have our section take advantage of the different grants that ACS provides. If elected councilor, this would give me the opportunity to help further these goals.