American Chemical Society ACS Collaborative Chemistry Grant Texarkana College Partners: Sulphur River Basin Authority, SRBA Boy Scouts of America, BSA Airgas Corporation Pleasant Grove High School LeTourneau University East Texas Section of American Chemical Society Airgas Corporation The American Chemical Society Collaborative Chemistry Grant with Texarkana College hosted a reception and luncheon for members of the Airgas management team. Mr. Ray Howell, District Manager for the Mid South Region and Mr. Eddie Smith, Floor Sales Manager for Texarkana, represented the Airgas Corporation in our collaborative. Both made presentations to a group of twenty Texarkana College chemistry students and faculty. Mr. Howell described what it was like to work for a Fortune 500 company. Advantages not only included excellent salary and benefits, but the jobs were challenging and allowed both upward and lateral opportunities. Mr. Smith encouraged all the students to stay at Texarkana College and complete their education. The meeting was held in the Texarkana College Truman Arnold Center Patman Room, and a meal prepared by the Texarkana College Culinary Department was served. Both Mr. Howell and Mr. Smith are past students at Texarkana College. They gave each participant a multiuse pocket knife with an Airgas Corporation logo.
American Chemical Society ACS Collaborative Chemistry Grant Texarkana College Partners: Sulphur River Basin Authority, SRBA Boy Scouts of America, BSA Airgas Corporation Pleasant Grove High School LeTourneau University East Texas Section of American Chemical Society LeTourneau University The American Chemical Society Collaborative Chemistry Grant with Texarkana College supported a partnership with LeTourneau University at Longview, Texas. Texarkana College teaches organic chemistry but does not have an NMR for use in the laboratory. LeTourneau University partnered with Texarkana College by offering the use of their NMR for a laboratory experience. Texarkana College students and their professor, Mr. Mike Sheets, traveled to Longview for their visit on April 1, 2016. They met with LeTourneau University Professor Dr Bruce Hathaway. Dr Hathaway teaches organic chemistry and has management responsible for the NMR. He taught students how to prepare samples for the NMR and ran a variety of NMR spectrums. After completing the laboratory portion of the activity, the group plus a number of LeTourneau students went to a local Mexican restaurant for dinner.
American Chemical Society ACS Collaborative Chemistry Grant Texarkana College
Partners: Sulphur River Basin Authority, SRBA Boy Scouts of America, BSA Airgas Corporation Pleasant Grove High School LeTourneau University East Texas Section of American Chemical Society Pleasant Grove High School The American Chemical Society Collaborative Chemistry Grant with Texarkana College sponsored a chemistry demonstration activity for the four Texarkana College duel credit classes at Pleasant Grove High School. The class teacher was Ms Monica Smith, one of the best and most successful chemistry teachers in the area. She has taught at Pleasant Grove High School, Texarkana Texas High School and Texarkana College. The classes were treated to a variety of activities related to the gas, liquid and solid states. They were encouraged to take part in many activities and see firsthand a number of interesting and colorful reactions. Ms Lydia Knight of Texarkana College’s recruiting area helped with the demonstrations and described how duel credit courses help students achieve their goals. This collaborative activity gained a number of new partners during the year. DeKalb High School teacher Mrs. Lisa Trimm invited the group to work with her four high school chemistry classes. The same activities were very successful. Foreman High School teacher Lisa Walker has invited us to come in the future.
American Chemical Society ACS Collaborative Chemistry Grant Texarkana College
Partners: Sulphur River Basin Authority, SRBA Boy Scouts of America, BSA Airgas Corporation Pleasant Grove High School LeTourneau University East Texas Section of American Chemical Society Boy Scouts of America Sulphur River Basin Authority The American Chemical Society Collaborative Chemistry Grant with Texarkana College sponsored a unique outreach event. On April 2, 2016, Texarkana College and SRBA personnel partnered with Texas Parks and Wildlife, TPWD, personnel to present a Fish Kill Demonstration at Spring Lake Park in Texarkana, Texas. The event was held in conjunction with the 2016 Scout-O-Rama, a four states area Scout camp meeting attended by over one thousand Scouts. The demonstration was a hands-on activity that is used by the TPWD to train personnel in the methods used to access the dollar value of a fish kill. Six hundred fish placebos were scattered about Spring Lake, and teams of Scouts were given the opportunity to evaluate the kill. Each team was taught how to take a statistical sample so they did not have count all the fish. The teams used the SRBA’s nets and measuring tapes to retrieve and measure the fish. Using the data collected and TPWD forms they evaluated the fish kill. The results were spectacular. Ten teams of Scouts took part in the demonstration. Each team member and Scout leader received an official scout TPWD Fish Kill Demo badge for their effort, and the troop with the score nearest the known value for the kill received a winner’s trophy. TPWD produced a video of the event and may utilize it in their future public outreach campaigns. The TPWD is interested in being a partner in future events.
American Chemical Society ACS Collaborative Chemistry Grant Texarkana College Partners: Sulphur River Basin Authority, SRBA Boy Scouts of America, BSA Airgas Corporation Pleasant Grove High School Le Tourneau University East Texas Section of American Chemical Society Sulphur River Basin Authority The American Chemical Society Collaborative Chemistry Grant with Texarkana College supported a partnership with the Sulphur River Basin Authority. On March 15, 2016, Clean Rivers Program personnel utilized SRBA equipment to develop an activity for display in the annual Texarkana Texas High School Environmental Fair. Texarkana College was invited to participate in the fair which attracted thirty local vendors of environmentally friendly products. A large number of local citizens were on hand to view the exhibits. The SRBA exhibit included two display cylinders. One cylinder gave the students a view the latest technology for field collection of dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, and temperature data. The activity was interactive and the viewers could change the pH and conductivity by adding dilute acid and base and observing the results on the latest field computer output device. The second cylinder gave visitors the opportunity to measure the Secchi depth of solution containing a suspension of clay similar to that found in Sulphur River. The attendees also were given the chance to examine samples of sediment taken from the Sulphur River bottom. The Texarkana Texas Independent School District will be invited to become a partner in future ACS Collaborative Activity Grants.
American Chemical Society ACS Collaborative Chemistry Grant Texarkana College Partners: Sulphur River Basin Authority, SRBA Boy Scouts of America, BSA Airgas Corporation Pleasant Grove High School LeTourneau University East Texas Section of American Chemical Society East Texas Section of American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society Collaborative Chemistry Grant with Texarkana College supported a partnership with the East Texas Section of American Chemical Society. The section approved an additional payment of five hundred dollars to support the collaborative. In addition the section agreed to acquire 300 pairs of ACS glasses with transmission grading lenses. The glasses are used in demonstration programs that support the ACS theme of Color in Chemistry. Texarkana College students and faculty have done demonstrations using the glasses at Malta Elementary, St. James School, and Red Lick Elementary. Ruth Hathaway, member of the East Texas Section, has used the glasses for programs in Longview schools. Dr. Bruce Hathaway presented a check to Texarkana College Faculty at the Eastman Chemical section meeting.
