and Safety
Environment, Health and Safety
are key parts of every chemist's job.
LVACS supports development of
safe practices and teaching tools
for all of our community outreach activities.
Our Local Environment
Lehigh Valley section members are active in providing chemistry knowledge and analysis to address the environmental challenges we face in the Lehigh, Susquehanna and Delaware valley areas. One specific example is the assessment and clean-up associated with zinc production in the Palmerton area.
This special symposium focused on sustainability of new technologies and their impact on the environment and was co-hosted by the Lehigh Valley Section of the ACS and the ACS Division of Environmental Chemistry. The symposium took place Saturday, April 22, at Cedar Crest College. Specific topics included renewable fertilizers, climate change modeling, community engagement for environmental justice and the future impact of nanotechnology on environmental issues. The speakers were: Sherine Obare, Dean of Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering, University of North Carolina— Greensboro and Chair of the ACS Environmental Chemistry Division; Jonas Baltrusaitis, Associate Professor, Dept. of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Lehigh University; Laura McBride, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Albright College and Karen Pooley, Professor of Practice, Director of Environmental Policy Design Program, Lehigh University. The Symposium was organized and hosted by Lindsey Welch, Associate Professor, Dept. of Chemical, Physical and Forensic Sciences, Cedar Crest College. The Symposium received local media coverage through Lehigh Valley Live and a spot on Channel 69 TV!
CCEW 2020
Chemists Celebrate Earth Week was virtual in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Take a look at some of our Zoom webinars:
CCEW Teach-In: Earth Day 50
CCEW Paper Science & Recycling
CCEW in the Lehigh Valley Area: Review of Zn Smelting History
CCEW 2021
Still virtual in 2021, we had a panel discussion to address "Reducing our Footprint with Chemistry" (see below).
CCEW 2021: Members tell their sustainability stories
CCEW 2022
Emerging from the pandemic in 2022, We celebrated CCEW with an outreach event at Da Vinci Science Center. The theme, "The Buzz about Bugs: insect chemistry" focused on the importance of insects as pollinators.
CCEW 2023
featured "The Curious Chemistry of Amazing Algae" with an outreach event at Da Vinci Science Center. Seaweed was everywhere!
CCEW 2024
featured “Get a Charge out of Chemistry.” This year was all about batteries.
- Mount Pocono West High School's Night of STEAM on Monday, April 22nd. The celebration was open to all K-12 students in the Pocono Mountain school district.
- Reading Science Center's "Celebrate Science Day" held on the campus of Drexel University College of Medicine, West Reading Campus on Sunday, April 28th 1-5 pm which hosted a huge and diverse crowd totaling 792 (wow!).
- Southern Lehigh Middle School for their 2nd annual STEAM Expo 2024 as we rounded out CCEW 2024 here.
CCEW 2025
featured “Glaciers: Hot Topic, Cool Chemistry”
- Reading Science Center's "Celebrate Science Day" Year 2 was again held on the campus of Drexel University College of Medicine, West Reading Campus on Sunday, May 4th 1-5 pm which hosted another huge crowd totaling 569.
CCEW 2026
invited us to go Into the Woods with Chemistry. There were 3 outreach events this year:
- Palmer Township Celebrate Earth Day April 18th
- Da Vinci Science Center April 19th
- Celebrate Science Day Year 3 at Reading Regional Airport May 3rd
LVACS Safety Committee
Contact us if you have questions about safety around chemicals or health/environmental issues in our community.
