Knox Chemistry Club Affiliates With ACS

Knox College students have founded a Student Affiliate Chapter of the American Chemical Society. The chapter's charter was presented recently by ACS representative Dr. Victoria Finkenstadt to Knox College President Roger Taylor, and students Toshia Zessin and Patrick Cavins, members of the Knox College Chemistry Club. Zessin, a senior from Glasford, Illinois, is the liaison between the club and the ACS. Cavins, a senior from Jerseyville, Illinois, is the club's secretary/treasurer.

A total of 17 Knox College students are now junior members of the ACS, the professional organization for chemists.

"ACS is actively reaching out to students to develop the next generation of scientists and chemical engineers. At Knox, students worked hard over the past year to earn their affiliation with ACS, the world's largest scientific society with more than 160,000 members worldwide," Finkenstadt said. "I look forward to helping them take advantage of all the benefits the ACS offers."

Finkenstadt is a research chemist at the United States Department of Agriculture's National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, in Peoria, Illinois, and councilor for the Illinois Heartland Local Section of the ACS.

"We will be able to apply for grants to support activities, like community service projects or presentations to ACS conferences, where students can meet faculty from graduate schools and others in the field," Zessin said. "It's a great way to start your professional life, if you're planning a career in chemistry."

Knox College Chemistry Club activities this year have included demonstrations of basic experiments for elementary students, both in Galesburg and during visits by groups to the chemistry department at Knox.

Knox's chemistry department ranks in the top 1% of colleges and universities in the proportion of graduates who complete a Ph.D. The department's research-intensive curriculum focuses on laboratory experience with sophisticated instrumentation from the introductory through advanced levels.

Founded in 1837, Knox is a national liberal arts college in Galesburg, Illinois, with students from 47 states and 48 countries. Knox's "Old Main" is a National Historic Landmark and the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Knox College Chemistry Club and student members of ACS:
Aaron Barnett, social activities chair
Patrick Cavins, secretary-treasurer
Edward Dale, community outreach chair
Toshia Zessin, ACS liaison
David Barton
Michael Burt
Michele Darrow
Shirley Dehn
Claire Doskey
Effie Fayer
Anne Heberle
Jun Liu
Akina Nagata
Justin Newman
Tara Orech
Kathleen Podlipni
Helen Reynolds

Photo: Victoria Finkenstadt, representing the American Chemical Society, presents charter of the new Knox College student chapter of the ACS to students Toshia Zessin and Patrick Cavins, members of the Knox College Chemistry Club.