DED UN 18 O 98 F http://www.nesacs.org N Y O T R E I T H C E N O A E S S S L T A E A C R C I N S M S E E H C C T N November 2020 Vol. XCIX, No. 1 IO CA N • AMERI Photograph by Alfred Viola Alfred Photograph by Monthly Meeting Historical Notes A virtual Meeting with a webinar by Catherine Costello, Alfred Viola, Daniel S. Kemp and Dietmar Boston University School of Medicine Seyferth Medicinal Chemistry Report from Malta IX Webinar By Morton Z. Hoffman By Atwood Cheung, Novartis Institute for Biomedical Research Report from Malta IX Call for Morton Hoffman, Boston University, Treasurer, Malta Conferences Foundation Symposia: 2021 Northeast Regional Meeting by Hicham Fenniri, Northeastern Uni- versity, Conference Chair, NERM 2021 Photo courtesy of the Malta Conferences Foundation Symposium proposals are being ac- The Ninth Biennial Malta Conference maintaining contacts with their scientific cepted until December 18 for the 2021 (Frontiers of Science: Innovation, Re- colleagues in India. Northeast Regional Meeting (NERM search, and Education in the Middle In the opening ceremony, Zafra 2021) of the ACS, which is being organ- East; Malta IX), which was held in the Lerman, President of the Malta Confer- ized by NESACS. The conference Republic of Malta on December 8-13, ences Foundation <https://www. has a general theme of “Chemistry 2019, brought together 100 scientists, maltaconferencesfoundation.org/>, em- at the Hub” and will cover all as- entrepreneurs, postdocs, and graduate phasized the recognition and respect that pects of the chemical science and students from 15 Middle East countries the Conferences have achieved by intro- engineering fields. (Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jor- ducing the dignitaries, who then re- A number of social and net- dan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestin- mained to greet the participants and in- working events are planned, includ- ian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, teract with them. Present were George ing an awards banquet, networking Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates), Vella, President of the Republic of sessions, workshops on chemistry Morocco, and Pakistan, among whom Malta; Stuart Gill, OBE, British High and the law, a graduate school fair, were influential academic and industrial Commissioner for Malta; Fadila an undergraduate program, and a chemists, and environment researchers. Boughanemi, Deputy Head of Research program for high school chemistry Approximately 35% of the participants and Innovation of the European Union; teachers. In addition, the meeting were women, which is good for a sci- Roberto Tanzi-Albi, Senior Adviser at will include plenary lectures and ence gathering, in general, and signifi- the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Fin- poster sessions. cant for the Middle East, in particular. land; Mark Shapiro, Chargé d’Affaires The final program summary will The goal of the biennial conference at the American Embassy in Malta. be published in C&EN in the spring (and its eight preceding ones since Plenary lectures were given by of 2021, and the online program will 2003) was to serve as the facilitator of Nobel laureates, Ada Yonath (Weizmann be available May 14. A call for ab- the search for solutions to the scientific Institute of Science, Israel; Chemistry, stracts will be issued in January. To problems that face the region, and to do 2009) and Ben Feringa, (University of submit a symposium proposal, visit so in the absence of geopolitical con- Groningen, Netherlands; Chemistry, the NERM 2021 website at straints. The participants heard lectures 2016), and by internationally known 2021.nermconference.org. For more by Nobel laureates and other eminent chemists, Omar Yaghi (University of information, contact the conference scientists, participated in workshops, California, Berkley), Mohamed El-Nag- chair, Hicham Fenniri, at h.fen- made presentations, and engaged in net- gar (University of Southern California), [email protected]. working toward the establishment of and Omar Farha (Northwestern Univer- ACS continues to monitor the collaborations. At this time, more than sity), all three of whom were born and COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on 700 Middle East scientists and 16 Nobel raised in the Middle East. Anne Dare, in-person meetings. Please visit laureates are part of the Malta Confer- U.S. Agency for International Develop- acs.org for the most up-to-date in- u ences network. ment (USAID) Middle East Regional formation. The representatives from Pakistan Cooperation (MERC) Program, deliv- at Malta IX were particularly interested ered a keynote lecture. in exploring how the “Malta model” Malta IX introduced an important could be the basis for developing and continued on page 14 2 The Nucleus November 2020 The Northeastern Section of the American- Chemical Society, Inc. Contents Office: Anna Singer, 12 Corcoran Road, Burlington, MA 01803 (Voice or FAX) (781) 272-1966. A Report from Malta IX __________________________________2 e-mail: [email protected] Call for Symposia: NERM 2021 2 NESACS Homepage: ___________________________ http://www.NESACS.org AUTM COVID-19 Licensing Guidelines ______________________4 Officers 2020 By Katherine Ann Rubino, Caldwell Intellectual Property Law Chair Anna W. Sromek Monthly Meeting _______________________________________5 115 Mill Street Belmont, MA 02478 A ZOOM Meeting on Nov. 12, 2020 featuring Catherine E. Costello, [email protected] Center for Biomedical Mass Spectrometry, Boston University Medical Chair-Elect School and Presentation of 50-, 60- and 70-year NESACS Members Raj (SB) Rajur Creagen Inc. Dorothy Phillips Receives NOBCChE Lifetime Achievement Award 6 299 Washington St, Woburn, MA 01801 (781)-938-1122 Team USA wins multiple Golds at Chemistry Olympiad__________6 [email protected] Immediate Past Chair MEDCHEM Webinar _____________________________________7 Andrew Scholte Atwood Cheung, Novartis to speak on Nov. 12 at 4 pm. Sanofi-Genzyme 153 2nd Ave. Councilor Talking Points _________________________________8 Waltham, MA 02451-1122 Secretary Governance Actions at the 260th ACS National Meeting Virtual Michael Singer Historical Notes 10 Millipore-Sigma ______________________________________ 400 Summit Drive, Burlington, MA 01803 Remembrances of Alfred Viola, Daniel S. Kemp and Dietmar Seyferth (781)-229-7037 [email protected] NESACS Volunteer Opportunities _________________________12 Treasurer Wildlife Photos by Alfred and Joy Viola 13 Ashis Saha ____________________ 67 Bow St. NESACS Election Results 14 Arlington, MA 02474-2744 _______________________________ (978)-212-5462 Business Directory ____________________________________15 Archivist Ken Mattes Calendar ____________________________________________16 Trustees Ruth Tanner, Peter C. Meltzer, Dorothy Phillips Cover: Pictured is an African Saddle-billed stork (Ephippiorhyncus senegalen- Directors-at-Large sis) taken by Alfred Viola. Alfred was a long-time NESACS Board Member and David Harris, June Lum, Mark Tebbe, John M. Professor Emeritus at Northeastern University. The entire collection of over Burke, James U. Piper, Ralph Scannell 6000 wildlife photos of Alfred and his wife, Joy, are available through the Councilors/Alternate Councilors University of Georgia’s Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at Term Ends 12/31/2020 Michael P. Filosa Patrick Cappillino https://www.forestryimages.org/wildlife.cfm Carol Mulrooney Raj (SB) Rajur Editorial Deadlines: Patricia Mabrouk Lori Ferrins January 2021 Issue: December 1, 2020 Anna Sromek Steve Canham February 2021 Issue: January 1, 2021 Patrick M. Gordon Doris Lewis Term Ends 12/31/2021 Catherine E. Costello Kenneth Mattes Ruth Tanner Joshua Sacher Andrew Scholte Mariam Ismail June Lum Dajit Matharu The Nucleus is published monthly, except June and August, by the Northeastern Section of the American Morton Z. Hoffman Katherine A. Rubino Chemical Society, Inc. Forms close for advertising on the 1st of the month of the preceding issue. Text Term Ends 12/31/2022 must be received by the editor six weeks before the date of issue. Tom Gilbert Jens Breffke Editor: Michael P. Filosa, Ph.D., 18 Tamarack Road, Medfield, MA 02052 Email: Malika Jeffries-EL Hicham Fenniri Lisa Marcaurelle Mary Mahaney [email protected]; Tel: 508-843-9070 Sofia A. Santos Michael Singer Associate Editors: Myron S. Simon, 60 Seminary Ave. apt 272, Auburndale, MA 02466 Mary Jane Shultz Ashis Saha Morton Z. Hoffman, 23 Williams Rd., Norton, MA 02766 Sonja Strah-Pleynet Kap-Sun Yeung Board of Publications: Katherine Lee (Chair), Ajay Purohit, Mary Mahaney, Brian D’Amico, Kather- ine Rubino, Craig Sergeant All Chairs of standing Business Manager: Vacant: contact Michael Filosa at [email protected] Committees, the editor of THE NUCLEUS, and Advertising Manager: Vacant: contact Michael Filosa at [email protected] the Trustees of Section Calendar Coordinator: Samurdhi Wijesundera, Email: [email protected] Funds are members of the Photographers: Brian D’Amico, Morton Z. Hoffman Board of Directors. Any Coun cilor of the American Chemical Society Proofreaders: Donald O. Rickter, Morton Z. Hoffman residing within the section area is an ex officio Webmaster: Roy Hagen, Email: [email protected] member of the Board of Directors. Copyright 2020, Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society, Inc. z The Nucleus November 2020 3 AUTM Publishes Licensing NESACS Sponsors Platinum $5000+ Guidelines to Promote Boston Foundation Esselen Award SK Life Science Collaborations for COVID- Amgen, Inc Johnson Matthey Vertex Pharmaceuticals