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SEACommunications Team

Editor in Chief

Takashi Ito
Kansas State University

 

 

 

Student Editors

Thomas Clarke
Purdue University

 

 

 

Regional Editors

Eric Bakker
Université de Genève

 

Francisco Ibañez
INIFTA, La Plata/Buenos Aires

 

Eiichi Shoji
University of Fukui

 

Alan Bond
Monash University

Website Team

Samuel Kounaves
Tufts University

 

Tim Paschkewitz
Pine Research Instrumentation

 

 

Table of Contents

Issue Details

SEACommunications. 2021, 37(3), October

Published Online: January 14, 2022

Articles in this issue hide
1. President's Message
2. Introducing the New SEAC Website
3. Digital SEACommunications
4. No PI's Allowed - Monthly SEAC Student Meeting
5. Pittcon 2022 - March 5 - 9, 2022
5.1. 2nd Annual SEAC Student Group Meeting (SEAC-SGM) - March 5, 2022
6. Travel Awards Sponsored by ACS-DAC
6.1. ACS YCC Travel Grants
6.2. I. M. Kolthoff Enrichment Awards for Undergraduate Students
7. Focus Issue on Women in Electrochemistry
8. In Memoriam - Janet (Osteryoung) Jones
9. Remembrances About Janet (Osteryoung) Jones
10. Future Electrochemists
11. Member News
11.1. Allen Bard
11.2. Lane Baker
11.3. Joseph Wang
11.4. Shelley Minteer
11.5. Peter Kissinger
11.6. Long Luo
12. Upcoming Meetings and Events
13. Job Openings
14. Membership in SEAC

President's Message

Carol Korzeniewski
Texas Tech University

Dear SEAC Members,

This is truly an exciting time for our organization as it advances on several fronts. To begin, I would like to extend sincere thanks to Bo Zhang for his enthusiastic leadership as SEAC has grown in new directions during the past two years. It is a tremendous honor for me to assume responsibility from him in guiding SEAC on a path forward. As many are aware, one project just coming to fruition is the new SEAC website (https://seac.online). Special thanks to Tim Paschkewitz and Samuel Kounaves for their tireless efforts to design and launch the site. Please visit, update your member profile and VOTE your preference for the format of future SEAC newsletters. Set a bookmark and visit often to stay connected with colleagues.

Also making great strides are the student members of SEAC. They have arranged a monthly ‘students-only’ meeting held via video conference and focused on sharing scientific ideas. Interest has been growing following their first activity in June. See details in the full article below by Junaid Ahmed and Milomir Suvira. The monthly student meeting was inspired by the SEAC Student Group Meeting (SEAC-SGM) first held at Pittcon in 2020. Many thanks to Lane Baker for shepherding the effort and to Lane and Ashley Ross for arranging the second annual SEAC-SGM in conjunction with Pittcon 2022.

Following up on recommendations from its annual meeting in March, the SEAC Board of Directors held its first mid-year meeting in August via Zoom. Suggested updates to award committee processes were discussed and approved. The possibility of holding a regular mid-year board meeting will be considered at the annual meeting in 2022.

In closing, I would like to acknowledge Maryanne Collinson (secretary), David Cliffel (treasurer) and Takashi Ito (newsletter editor) for their dedicated service to SEAC and constant attention to detail in managing day-to-day issues. We owe them much gratitude for their efforts to ensure SEAC stays strong and vibrant.

Finally, on a sad note, in recent weeks our community lost a pioneer and role model, Janet (Osteryoung) Jones. Janet was a founding member of SEAC. She served as the first secretary and soon after as president. The SEAC Charles N. Reilley Award in Electroanalytical Chemistry is among her many outstanding professional recognitions. The positive impacts of her creative scientific work and administrative achievements will be felt by generations to come and SEAC will continue to prosper from the indelible marks that she has left.

Sincerely,

Carol Korzeniewski
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Introducing the New SEAC Website

Article by:
 
Screenshot of SEAC Website Home Page

 

We are very excited to announce that the new SEAC Website has been launched. Our URL has changed (The old website and URL redirects to the new website): https://seac.online. The new website has several new functions. The site maintains our memberships (new, recurring, billing, etc.), gives all members their own profile (fresh and ready for you to update), and will eventually be the single conduit for things like election ballots, award nomination submissions, registrations, bookings, etc.).

We created a profile for all existing SEAC members, based on the details we had on file. By now, you should have received email(s) regarding your new account details and resetting your password. If you haven’t, contact admin@seac.online and we will help you get access to your profile. Once you can login, please take the time to update your profile (details, photos, etc.).

The new site is full of new and exciting features. It starts by logging in, updating your profile, and checking out our news blog. We are creating an online community for SEAC members. Where we can go with this is limitless, so dig in and enjoy! We are very open to feedback including feature requests, changes/edits, bugs, etc. so if you find any, please Contact us.

A huge thank you is in order for Samuel Kounaves. Sam single-handedly kept electroanalytical.org up and running for years. Thank you very much, Sam!

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Digital SEACommunications

Thanks to Tim Paschkewitz, SEAC Communications is ready to move to the digital format. Tim has created a news article on the SEAC website so that SEAC members can vote their preference and give any feedback.

Please vote by December 31, 2021.  We will publish only digital SEACommunications from the first 2022 issue if SEAC members’ votes are consistent with this change.

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No PI's Allowed - Monthly SEAC Student Meeting

Article by:
and

We all know how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected our lives in many ways. Apart from our mental and physical health, one of the greatest challenges for students and educators are learning to move everything online quickly, as many had no or few experiences with the virtual platforms. When everything was nearly shut down, virtual communication was the only one left, especially thanks to Zoom. We were upset not to meet with our friends and colleagues in person, but one of the unseen advantages is we can zoom across the country. A group of students from several labs saw this as a unique opportunity and planned to meet once a month over Zoom, adapted from the SEAC student group meeting at the 2020 Pittcon conference. Peter Defnet, one of the committee members of this new SEAC student meeting, found the 2020 student meeting to be a wonderful and engaging experience that should be done more than once per year. The organizing committee consists of a diverse group of 9 students from 6 different labs with different areas of electrochemistry expertise. This monthly meeting aims to promote networking among the community to address ambiguous and confusing data to progress science. Milomir Suvira (Milo), another committee member, added that it is important to learn from other graduate students with expertise and perspective different from your own lab. He also noted that the meeting has provided a comfortable and friendly environment to ask questions and get feedback on various challenges and setbacks experienced in the lab. As planned, the students and postdocs started meeting on the 4th Wednesday of every month since June 2021. An email with a meeting link, some selected articles, and declared topics are sent out to the members. This meeting is strictly tailored for the student without influence from PI’s.

The meeting is divided into three segments: How To, Literature/Discussions, and Research. The “how-to” session aims to provide the audience with an in-depth and detailed explanation of a technique or process that is often omitted in general literature and learning from the experts. The following “Literature/Discussions” session aims to discuss the strengths, directions, and limitations of a particular subtopic in electrochemistry. Finally comes the exciting “Research” session where someone in the meeting shares their ambiguous, challenging, and troublesome data. Participants attempt to shed light on the insights, effectively analyze the data, and propose alternative methods if applicable. The main advantage of this session is that the feedback is coming from a diverse pool of students with many different backgrounds in electrochemistry. It gives the presenter an “out-of-the-box” outlook on their research progress.

Around 20-25 students and postdocs from several research groups join the meeting regularly. The meeting starts at 7:00 PM (EST) and usually lasts for 1 hour; however, enthusiastic discussions extend more than 1 hour in most cases. The June meeting was kind of an ice-breaker, getting to know each other and discussing science more generally. In the following meetings, more interactive and creative discussions were taking place that stretched the participants’ horizons on selected topics. Many participants adapted the discussed strategies to overcome the difficulties in their research. Md Shaful Islam, a regular participant in the meeting, mentioned how the discussion motivated him to learn python to rapidly analyze his data. He also revived one of his research projects that he was planning to leave off. To date, a wide range of topics in electrochemistry has been covered, including the integration of electrochemistry with microfluidics, nanoelectrode fabrication, nanoparticle collisions, amperometric data analysis, and more. The upcoming talks will cover topics in energy devices, enzyme electrochemistry, microbial electrochemistry, biosensing, and other biology-related electroanalytical techniques. The student section hopes to expand the discussion, include new participants in future meetings, and welcome any feedback to this seacstudents@gmail.com address.

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Pittcon 2022 - March 5 - 9, 2022

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2nd Annual SEAC Student Group Meeting (SEAC-SGM) - March 5, 2022

                                                                             

Students and Post-Doc electrochemical scientists: Come to Pittcon and attend the 2nd SEAC Student Group Meeting on March 5, 2022 in Atlanta, GA!

  • Participation in this meeting is open to students (graduate, undergraduate) and postdoctoral associates, with minimal faculty oversight.
  •  The style of the meeting is that of a large group meeting with talks chosen from the students who attend.  Talks on half-baked, problematic, or poorly understood data are encouraged, a nd time will be dedicated to group-level discussion.  Please do not plan to bring polished, formal presentations to this meeting.
  • Student social activities will be planned Saturday night for the SEAC Student Group Meeting.
  • The meeting immediately precedes the Pittsburgh Conference on Analytical Chemistry.  Students are encouraged to attend the SEAC Student Group Meeting, and then stay to enjoy Pittcon and additional SEAC activities (SEAC Awards symposium and SEAC reception and dinner).
  • To facilitate attendance at both meetings, you may consider presenting a poster at a SEAC or ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Session.  (This will hopefully make attendance at the meeting affordable if you are attending Pittcon.)
Info and Registration

For more information, contact these SEAC Members:

Ashley Ross
University of Cincinnati
Lane Baker
Texas A&M University
 
 

Travel Awards Sponsored by ACS-DAC

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ACS YCC Travel Grants

The Division of Analytical Chemistry is offering travel awards for Younger Chemists (under age 35) to travel to a meeting to present the results of their research. Individuals who may not have previously been able to participate in professional meetings are particularly encouraged to apply. Applications are due Nov 1 for winter and spring meetings and May 1 for summer and fall meetings. More information and the application form are available on the Division website.

I. M. Kolthoff Enrichment Awards for Undergraduate Students

Sponsored by the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry (DAC), the Kolthoff awards provide up to $750 in travel funding for undergraduate students to present a poster on their research at the annual Spring ACS National Meeting & Exposition or PITTCON. Up to four awards will be available between the two meetings. Awarded students should plan to present their posters at the DAC Poster Session at either meeting. Preference will be given to undergraduate chemistry majors with strong academic records who have made significant research contributions in the analytical sciences and for whom this would be their first national meeting presentation and who have limited access to other support mechanisms. Learn more about the award here. The deadline for applications is January 10, 2022. Apply today!

With any questions, please contact:

Erin Gross
Creighton University

Focus Issue on Women in Electrochemistry

Accepting Submissions: August 5, 2021 | Submission Deadline: November 3, 2021

Women in Science graphic image

To celebrate and promote the many achievements of women investigating the myriad aspects of electrochemistry, the Journal of the Electrochemical Society is preparing a focus issue on Women in Electrochemistry, to be published in 2022. The Electrochemical Society (ECS) celebrates the achievements of women researchers from all over the world with the aim of reducing gender inequality in STEM.  Visit the ECS website for more details.

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In Memoriam - Janet (Osteryoung) Jones

Article by:
Janet (Osteryoung) Jones
Founding SEAC member, Janet (Osteryoung) Jones, passed away on September 21, 2021 following a long illness. She was well known within the scientific community for her impactful contributions to analytical chemistry and electrochemical analysis, particularly in the development of square wave voltammetry. She served as Founding Secretary and later, in 1987, as President of SEAC. She received the SEAC Charles N. Reilley Award in Electroanalytical Chemistry in 1999.
 
Among her other honors, Dr. Jones was awarded the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry Award in Electrochemistry (1996), the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh Analytical Chemistry Award (1998), the FACSS SciX Anachem Award (1990) and the Garvin Medal of the ACS (1987). She was a longtime faculty member at the State University of New York at Buffalo (1979-1992) before serving as Head of the Department of Chemistry at North Carolina State University (1992-1994) and as Director of the Chemistry Division at the National Science Foundation (1994-2001). She was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1984.
 
Dr. Jones completed her undergraduate studies at Swarthmore College and earned her Ph.D. degree from Caltech, where she was a graduate student with Prof. Fred C. Anson.
 
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Remembrances About Janet (Osteryoung) Jones

Edited by:
and Viola Birss

 

Janet was indeed a pioneer female electrochemist if the word female is not yet forbidden. She had a reputation among some people of being pretty tough…or maybe strident (a better word) with her opinions. She also had a twinkle in her eye and could be a lot of fun. She did not like BS that overhyped science achievements. More of that attitude could be good these days. 🙂 She was very accomplished in the science and had a great partnership with Bob Osteryoung. They were a unique couple, both contributing separately and together.

 

The last time I saw Janet was in 2001 when I was asked by her #2 in the Division of Chemistry at the National Science Foundation to be the speaker at her farewell party. After my remarks highlighting her many scientific contributions, including her leadership on improving inclusion of underrepresented groups in science, she thanked the NSF folk and then noted that she was going to step away from science for a while, but that she would be back. She never came back. I hope she found joy in the years that followed.

 

A tremendous loss to be sure. She was a significant role model for me in the early days of my career and I missed her when she left science. Truly one of a kind.
~Jeanne Pemberton

 

Fall, 1995, my younger brother had relapsed with leukemia and was given 2 to 6 weeks to live. He was 32. I was due to speak at a meeting Janet had organised and I asked her if I could cancel at the last minute. She agreed. After he died, I met Janet at the GRC and she gave me a huge hug and said, never worry, family is always first. I never forgot. She was tough as well as smart, but she was a gem of a human being inside! I admired her until the end.

 

Janet was a forceful voice for women in science. I cannot even imagine how much crap she had to put up with during her career. I remember visiting her and Robert at Buffalo many years ago. They had painted the forward, reverse and difference current functions on the wall in their office. Hard to miss! I wonder how many people use “Osteryoung Square Wave” and know nothing about her. I also remember having a great dinner at their house. I hope her current function will always be positive!

 

She was chair of the Department of Chemistry at NCSU at the time I graduated. There were not too many women electrochemists at the time, and I will always remember being impressed by what she had accomplished, which I know was not easy. I also remember her asking me a question at my final research seminar that I knew the answer to but in my moment of panic could not get it out. It was so embarrassing, but she came up afterward and we had a great conversation and she congratulated me.

 

Even though she probably never knew this, Janet was a great role model for me, especially in the early days of the Electrochemistry GRC, where she would be one of the few women in attendance and one of the very few women speaking on the stage and speaking rigorously and confidently to boot.
~Viola Birss

 

In summer 1997, I just finished my Ph.D. with Dr. Bruckenstein at Buffalo and attended my first ACS national meeting at Las Vegas. That year, there was a dinner party for Dr. Bruckenstein who won the ACS electrochemistry award. I was by chance sat next to Janet in the dinner table. She was very kind and taught me the etiquette of American dinner. She also spent time asking me about my career plans and gave me some very good advice. At that time she was NSF program officer and I felt so honored she spent time taking with me. She has been a role model for me since then.
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Future Electrochemists

William Heineman‘s grandkids enjoy an electrochemistry textbook!

Heinemann Grandkids with Electrochemistry Text

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Member News

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Allen Bard

Allen Bard
University of Texas at Austin

The first Reilley Award winner in 1984, retires after a 63-year career from the Department of Chemistry at The University of Texas at Austin. An article, which is very enjoyable to read, has been published by the University of Texas.

News Article

Lane Baker

Lane Baker
Texas A&M University

Reports that, after 15 great years at Indiana University, the bakergrp will be relocating to Texas A&M University in early 2022. In addition, he was elected an ACS Fellow.

Article

Joseph Wang

2019 Reilley Award winner, University of California, San Diego, is the recipient of the inaugural 2021 IUPAC Analytical Chemistry Medal.

Article

Shelley Minteer

Shelley Minteer
University of Utah

2020 Reilley Award winner, University of Utah, has been awarded the prestigious Bruno Breyer medal from the Electrochemistry Division of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. Alan Bond explains that the Breyer Medal is the highest award made by the Australasian electrochemistry community. The Breyer Medal and Lecture commemorates Dr Bruno Breyer (1900-1967) who was born in Czechoslovakia, educated in Germany, and later became a pioneer of AC polarography in Australia. The medal is awarded for internationally recognized contributions in the field of electrochemistry.

Peter Kissinger

Peter Kissinger
Phlebotics, Inc.

Purdue University and the Founder of Inotiv Inc., is the recipient of the 2021 August M. Watanabe Life Sciences Champion of the Year Award.

Article

Long Luo

Long Luo
Wayne State University

Wayne State University, received the NIH Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) and the Wayne State University Academy of Scholars Outstanding Junior Faculty Award.

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Meetings of interest to our SEAC members abound during the coming year, with symposia being organized by some among us.  Make sure to check out the Events Calendar on the website.

No Events
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Job Openings

With the new website, we have created a membership value-added section for opportunities (job postings, research opportunities, etc.).  Members, logged into the website, can access Opportunities in the Members Only Section now.  We will no longer print the list in SEACommunications.  Do you have an opportunity you want to list?  Advertise to a selected group, only SEAC members, by submitting the position details to us online (select “I would like to post a job opportunity”).

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Membership in SEAC

Any individual with an interest in electroanalytical chemistry is invited to join SEAC. Regular one-year membership dues are $30. Student dues are $10 (with their first year free). Dues are payable on January 1 of each year. A lifetime membership option is available for $300, payable either as a lump sum or in three annual, nonrefundable installments of $100.

Simply fill review the membership options and check out online.  Once your payment is processed you can update your profile, print out your membership card, and begin socially engaging with other SEAC members on the site.  We no longer accept checks and all membership dues must be paid online with a credit card.

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