SWRM highlights.

I promised updates about the Southwest Regional ACS meeting.   I unfortunately missed a lot of sessions that I wish I could have made it to, due to being lost, and a resume review session, but I did get to see some.
My favorite research by far was looking at air mixing by radioactive isotopes, coming out of Arkansas.   They found troposphere and stratosphere mixing, and looked at things like time to see results from Fukishima.  Interesting stuff.   Also, some good green chemistry overview, but much of it seemed like just that-an overview, not new knowledge.   An interesting model of toxicity studies-preliminary at any rate-to be done on the computer.  
I did a lot of career events, because in part I was there looking for a job.  I heard excellent panelists talk about things that you can do with a chemistry degree other than labwork, which I'm looking hard at right now.  And about people's individual stories.   I heard about being the only woman at a water treatment plant.   I still hope to hang out with that speaker-she sounded very interesting.
I love getting to hang out in Austin, especially now, because I love warm weather.  It's cold outside.  

Another meeting. Minnesota Chromatography Forum

On October 19th, I attended the meeting of the Minnesota Chromatography Forum(MCF). I had heard of this group-I know the secretary, and a past secretary-but never made it before. Part of why I felt I had to quit doing roller derby was not having time to do this sort of networking much. Which was fine, until I got laid off. The meeting schedule is still available online. Dr. Stevens was a very dynamic and interesting speaker, and I always like learning new widely applicable techniques. QuEChERS, Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe methodology does sound like a very widely applicable dream come true for a lot of industrial scientists. I won't go into the details of the chemistry here as I didn't get a chance to ask exactly what I can and can't put out in public. The method is relatively new-this millenium-but seemed to be very widely applicable, and very accurate. You can use a variety of types of analysis, mostly GC, LC or mass spec. There were some different formulations for different specific instrumental or sample conditions. The environmentalist in me always gets a little nervous when I see packs recommended with disposable reactionware, but I know that is an easy way to make things cleaner and to have less variation in cleanup and sample prep, so I can see why that was done. I have to admit, overall, I felt a little like I had come for a talk, and gotten a commercial, in a way that I usually don't even at other mostly industrial meetings, like the Society for Cosmetic Chemists. I am still very interested in the MCF though, and looking forward to taking a class from them in early December about HPLC.

Twin Cities Society of Cosmetic Chemists Meeeting

I had this post worked up in my drafts folder, but was unhappy with it. Well, seeing a new issue of C&E news, I'm adding it in.
C&E news did a piece on plasticizers, particularly pthalates, and some of the negative press they've been getting. Do they deserve that bad press? The article implies no, and I do generally support the ACS in saying that no, not everything "chemical" or made in a lab is dangerous, and plant derived compounds can kill you just as well. But, here is the link
though you have to be a member.
However, bad press leads to interesting new discoveries
A bit over a month ago I went to a meeting of the Twin Cities Chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists.
The talk was about a company, Segetis. They make a variety of levolinic acid ketals. They make a variety of compounds that can be used for plasticizers and solvents. They do not make them through fermentation, as many green companies do, they make them through thermochemical conversion. This allows a much simpler scale up process, and generally a cleaner distribution of products. Their process creates an alternative to petroleum products.
This chemistry is green, and hopes to replace some toxic plasticizers like pthalates.

American Chemical Society meeting

so I said this blog would be about chemistry and attempting to get myself set up as such. Yesterday was the Minnesota section of the American Chemical Society meeting. First off, there was a crap accident on I-94 on Hennepin. which made me late. grr. . . I missed a lot of "How to be a Chemistry Ambassador". Most of which seemed to boil down to "look on the national ACS webpage" and "talk about interesting applications of chemistry." Good ideas, though I wasn't sure how to use that to take any kind of steps. Maybe I'm not in a position to be a chemistry ambassador. then there was dinner and talking. Most people seemed to be really nice. I got to talk to a couple of other job seekers, and at least one lady who knows her husband's company is looking for a chemist. Is this the "networking" they speak of? okay, sarcasm done. but that was good. There seemed to be a lot of teachers there too. an interesting social interaction mode that reminded me of both my high school chemistry teacher and a couple of professors at the U of I. very . . . distinctive, though I'm not sure I could really describe it. But it made me giggle. I also might have volunteered to judge for a science fair on Friday. They seem to be looking for working chemists, but hey, I've got time. It'll be good for me. Making a name as a chemist and all that. Then there was a presentation about biobusinesses. If I was looking to make a start-up, I'd have been fascinated, though apparently Minnesota doesn't have all that good of an outlook for startups. Not enough capital and support. Hmmm. . . If I was an investor I'd see what I could do, because I do actually want to take chemistry knowledge and make it useful-to see products that make someone's life better as a result of my research.