Creating a Successful ACS Student Chapter: The PCUPR Model

Chapter 10

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Creating a Successful ACS Student Chapter: The PCUPR Model Lizette Santos* Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico, 2250 Luis A. Ferré Blvd. Suite 569, Department of Chemistry Ponce, Puerto Rico 00717-9997 *E-mail: [email protected]

A successful chapter was born as a Chemistry Club in 1955 at Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico. On December 12, 1956 the Council of the American Chemical Society recognized the formation of the Catholic University of Puerto Rico Chapter of Student Affiliates. Since then, our chapter have received for several consecutive years’ recognition as an outstanding chapter for our commitment to the organization. Along these years, several advisors and student members have dedicated all their compromise to the chapter. Since the beginning of our chapter, members have been committed to bring the fun of chemistry to everyone. Letting people know that Chemistry is part of our daily life is one of our achievements. Recently, our chapter has been recognized as a Green Chemistry Chapter and for four consecutive years we have received this award. Commitment, dedication, compromise, leadership, empathy, and service are some of our qualities. These qualities have given the chapter the privilege of celebrating 60 years of success.

Introduction What is a successful chapter? For 60 years Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico (PUCPR) has been successful in having an Affiliate Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS). It all started when Dr. Fritz Fromm submitted to the ACS a registration form in order that our university have an ACS Affiliate Chapter. On December 12, 1956, the Council of the American Chemical Society recognized the establishment of the Chapter of Student Affiliates of what © 2016 American Chemical Society Mio and Benvenuto; Building and Maintaining Award-Winning ACS Student Member Chapters Volume 1: Holistic Viewpoints ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2016.


was at that time, the Catholic University of Puerto Rico. For several consecutive years since then our chapter has received recognition as an outstanding chapter for our commitment to the organization. Since the beginning of the Chapter, the people involved, the Institution, and the quality of the students, have been key values for it becoming a successful chapter. As human beings we deal with many changes through the years and we must adjust to these changes. We need to capture first the commitment of a great advisor. Then, we need to attract students who are really in love with chemistry and finally we need the community to get involved. As a chapter, members need to be focused on what they want to achieve and how they can make a difference in reaching out to others. It is important to develop activities that help all audiences understand chemistry in their daily lives. Activities that make the general public become aware of how science, and primarily chemistry, can help better or improve our world.

Advisors Let’s think about the key factors that have made it possible for our chapter to continue being a successful one all these years. First, excellent advisors that have become part of the chapter as facilitators. They allowed students to acquire the enthusiasm and commitment of being part of a prestigious organization. Second, advisors that have shown to have visionary minds and dedication to the work they realized. In 1954, Dr. Fritz Fromm started to work at PCUPR at which time he established the Student Chapter, known as the Chemistry Club at Catholic University of Puerto Rico. The Chapter’s first president was the late Dr. Roberto Marquez followed by Professor Julio Rivera. After a few years, Marquez became a PhD chemist in the industrial sector in Puerto Rico and Rivera later became dean of the College of Science at PCUPR. The love and passion of these people for what they believed in was key to the establishment of the Student Chapter at PUCPR. We lost Dr. Fromm as advisor in September 1960 when he passed away of a heart attack while attending an ACS National Meeting in New York. Professor Nylda Hatton then became the chapter advisor until 1970. She was part of our institution for many years. She went on to become the director of the Chemistry Department and in 1982 she was promoted to Vice-president of Academic Affairs. Unfortunately, she passed away on October 20, 2015. In 1970, Dr. Rafael Infante became the new advisor. He was a person highly dedicated to chemistry. Under his leadership our chapter kept receiving the outstanding mention award for several years. In 1984, Dr. Lizette Santos took on the Chapters’ responsibility and kept its outstanding record. Subsequently, other faculty members became advisors for a short time: Dr. Carmen Velazquez de Collazo, Dr. Jose Escabi, and Dr. Ivette Torres. In 2010, Dr. Lizette Santos returns as the Chapter’s advisor. The Chapter has continued to receive outstanding recognition since 2011. If we take a close look at these outstanding individuals, we reach the conclusion that being part of the Affiliate Chapter as an advisor requires commitment, dedication, passion, love, and enthusiasm. The love for chemistry 138

Mio and Benvenuto; Building and Maintaining Award-Winning ACS Student Member Chapters Volume 1: Holistic Viewpoints ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2016.

and the commitment to let others know about the importance of chemistry in our daily lives is a common denominator among these advisors. Along with these qualities, we need to include the love for students, the university, and the community. An advisor needs to be a friendly companion but also a leader capable of showing initiative and discipline. An excellent advisor must love teaching, but also love communicating their knowledge to others.


Students The second key point is our students. Our institution is proud to have great students. These students are committed to their goals. Students that became members of our chapter showed the leadership and enthusiasm to promote chemistry in our daily life. They became and are involved in community service, outreach programs, and career development activities. Students that decide to be part of our chapter remained affiliated during their academic years at the institution. Becoming a member changes their lives and makes them leaders. Membership helps them learn to communicate their ideas, and become aware of how they can change the world. They continuously have shown great enthusiasm in visiting schools (K-12) to illustrate the importance of chemistry to those students. Our students are leaders, have shown commitment, discipline, and passion for what they do as members of the Chapter.

Advisors and Student Leaders The third key point is the combination of a great advisor with great students that allowed the organization to develop great activities for every academic year. One of the objectives of our chapter has been to allow K-12 students get involved in the sciences from pre-school through high-school. Every academic year, our chapter visits from eight or ten schools to attract students to science through knowledge of chemistry. Our chapter reaches out to preschoolers, elementary, intermediate, and high schoolers. Schools that are visited are allowed to be involved in the magic of doing chemistry through chemical demonstrations and/or a chemistry show. Hands-on demonstrations are part of these activities allowing kids to be part of this wonderful world. Another great activity is allowing the general public to become aware of chemistry in our daily life. For four consecutive years, we have had a twelve-hour marathon of chemical demonstrations in Plaza del Caribe Mall, a large shopping center in our community. Demonstrations related to materials, environment, health, acid-bases, and general topics are performed from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm. Every two hours, the theme is changed which allows the public to better understand the importance of chemistry in our daily lives. People of all ages are attracted to our demonstrations. They receive orientation and information about how chemistry is helping them every day. To help attract students to our institution and allow networking between school teachers and our faculty, we organize two chemistry competitions during our academic year. During the fall semester we invite fifth graders to the 139

Mio and Benvenuto; Building and Maintaining Award-Winning ACS Student Member Chapters Volume 1: Holistic Viewpoints ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2016.


University for a Science Competition and during the spring semester we do the same with high school students for a chemistry competition. These competitions allow students from different schools to interact. Also, while the competitions are taken place, a workshop for their teachers is offered. Household materials are utilized during the workshop so that presentations can be easily performed at their different schools. Another great activity is the celebration of National Chemistry Week. We initiate the week with an opening of a social activity with music and a presentation of a video from the previous year’s activities. Every day of the week we organize an activity which includes conferences, an open-house, and the Chapters’ initiation ceremony. During this week we also celebrate the fifth grade competitions and the Plaza del Caribe chemical demonstrations marathon.

Summary Finally, the chemistry department director and the chemistry faculty have to commit to help the Chapter and support us in all our activities. Our human resources are what makes us undistinguishable. Being a successful chapter is the responsibility of our chapter advisor, students and chemistry faculty that have taken the involvement of such a prestigious organization very seriously. Sharing the wonders of science in our community is memorable to us and to the general public. Our chapter is involved in the biggest challenges of improving people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry. Every day is different! And we can help in making every day different. We are the difference!

140 Mio and Benvenuto; Building and Maintaining Award-Winning ACS Student Member Chapters Volume 1: Holistic Viewpoints ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 2016.

Creating a Successful ACS Student Chapter: The PCUPR Model

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