LAKELAND, Fla. (April 25, 2006) — Eight Florida Southern College students presented their research at the 231st American Chemical Society (ACS) Conference in Atlanta, Ga. March 26-30. In addition, the FSC student affiliate chapter of the ACS was among 170 out of 970 chapters to receive a prestigious Commendable award for its chapter activities during the 2004-05 academic year. The chapter was also presented with the Green Student Affiliate Chapter distinction for practicing green chemistry principles that reduce or eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances.

“The conference was a tremendous experience for the students,” said Carmen Valdez Gauthier, associate professor of chemistry. “They competed against student chapters from much larger national universities, and had the opportunity to truly shine. These are some of our top students, and their work deserves the recognition they have earned.”

Student presentations were as follows:

Elizabeth Garcia Cardona, a senior chemistry major from Medellin Antioquia, Colombia, presented a poster on “Synthesis and Characterization of 1-D coordination polymers of [Cu(NO3)2(BPY)2]n and [Cu(NO3)2(BPY)2]n in the inorganic session. Her work was a result of a 2005 summer research project conducted at FSC under the direction of Dr. Gauthier.

Cathy Cherenfant, a junior chemistry major from Naples, Fla., and Bradley West, a junior chemistry major from Mulberry, Fla., presented a poster on “Design and synthesis of supramolecular compounds using copper (II) ion, 1,3-adamantanedicarboxylic acid and 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid and pyridine derivatives” in the inorganic session. Their work was a result of a 2005 summer research project conducted at FSC under the direction of Dr. Gauthier.

Courtney Baker a junior biology major from Clay, N.Y.; Jonathan Revels a sophomore chemistry major from Winter Haven, Fla.; Gary Kurtz, a sophomore chemistry major from Melbourne, Fla.; Bradley West; Cheryl Shaffer, a junior biology major and chemistry minor from Lakeland, Fla.; Elizabeth Garcia-Cardona; and Dr. Gauthier presented a poster at the sci-mix successful student affiliate session on “Community outreach to high schools.”

Cheryl Shaffer and Samantha Denstedt, a junior biology major and chemistry minor from Lakeland, Fla., presented a poster on “Decomposition via diesel engine combustion of 2-chloroethyl sulfide and dimethyl methyl phosphonate” in the environmental chemistry session.  Their work was a result of a 2005 summer research project conducted at FSC under the direction of George Maguire, associate professor of chemistry.

Dr. Gauthier was also an invited speaker in the symposium “Balancing research/teaching/outreach at four-year institutions” organized by the Chemical Education division of ACS and co-sponsored by the Women Chemists Committee (WCC) of ACS. Her paper was on “Combining high school and college chemistry summer research.”

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.