The SERMACS 2025 scientific program will run all day Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
Keynote Speakers
Plenary Lecture
Kathleen Loftin, PhD
NASA Academic Research Program Manager
Title: “Chemists at NASA: from Environmental Studies and Instrumentation Development to the Chief Technologist”
Sunday, October 26 @ 5:15PM
Heritage Lecture
Gregory Eiden, PhD
Laboratory Fellow, Idaho National Laboratory
Title: “Reflections on an Analytical Chemistry Career (mostly) in the U.S. DOE National Labs”
Tuesday, October 28 @ 5:15PM
Schedule at a Glance
| Sunday, October 26 | |
| 8:00AM-12:00PM | Symposia/Oral Sessions |
| 8:00AM-10:00AM | Florida Local Sections Breakfast |
| 9:00AM-11:00AM | Workshop: ACS Career Pathways “Working for Yourself: Your Idea, Your Business, and Your Marketing Strategy" |
| 11:30AM-12:30PM | Workshop: NMR - Live Demo, Data Collection, and Problem Solving - Organized by Magritek Inc. |
| 12:00PM-2:00PM | Women Chemists (WCC) Luncheon |
| 1:00PM-4:00PM | Workshop: Chemical Patents Workshop: Intellectual Properties for Chemists – Organized by Ram Sabnis |
| 1:00PM-5:00PM | Symposia/Oral Sessions |
| 5:15PM-6:15PM | Keynote Lecture: Kathleen Loftin Title: “Chemists at NASA: from Environmental Studies and Instrumentation Development to the Chief Technologist” |
| 6:30PM-10:00PM | SERMACS/SWRM Opening Reception |
| All Day | Poster Sessions will be held throughout the day *Stay tuned for more scheduling details |
| Monday, October 27 | |
| 8:00AM-12:00PM | Symposia/Oral Sessions |
| 8:00AM-10:00AM | HBCU/SACNAS Breakfast |
| 9:00AM-4:00PM | Workshop: ACS Summit "Industry-Academia Summit on Preparing Chemists for the Private Sector” – Organized by Michelle Brooks |
| 12:00PM-2:00PM | Younger Chemists (YCC) Luncheon |
| 1:00PM-5:00PM | Symposia/Oral Sessions |
| 6:30PM-10:00PM | Chemistry in the Sunshine Reception |
| All Day | Poster Sessions will be held throughout the day *Stay tuned for more scheduling details |
| Tuesday, October 28 | |
| 8:00AM-12:00PM | Symposia/Oral Sessions |
| 8:00AM-10:00AM | Chemistry at Merck: Informational Breakfast |
| 9:00AM-12:00PM | Workshop: Career Pathways in Pharmacy – Organized by Vicki Mody & Yujin Kim |
| 12:00PM-2:00PM | Celebrating Chemistry Education Luncheon |
| 1:00PM-5:00PM | Symposia/Oral Sessions |
| 5:15PM-6:15PM | Heritage Lecture: Gregory Eiden “Reflections on an Analytical Chemistry Career (mostly) in the U.S. DOE National Labs” |
| 6:30PM-10:00PM | SERMACS/SWRM Awards Banquet |
| All Day | Poster Sessions will be held throughout the day *Stay tuned for more scheduling details |
| Wednesday, October 29 | |
| 8:00AM-12:00PM | Symposia/Oral Sessions |
| 8:00AM-12:00PM | Poster Sessions |
For accepted symposia, we are providing $500 per half day session (must include at least 5 outside (non-student) speakers) as seed money and will also match up to $500 for additional funds raised by the symposium organizers. Please see below for the final list of symposia:
| Symposium Title | Organizers | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Analytical Methods, Environmental Processes, and Remediation Strategies | Jianzhou He, Georgia Southern University Dengjun Wang, University of Florida |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Bioinorganic Chemistry in the Southeast and Southwest regions of ACS | Jonathan Caranto, University of Central Florida | Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Prof. Donald Kurtz Celebration of Retirement | Jonathan Caranto, University of Central Florida | Invited Oral Only |
| ACS ProjectSEED | Ajay Mallia, Georgia Gwinnett College Doug Masterson, University of Southern Mississippi |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| REACh: Rare Earths and Actinide Chemistry Symposium | Annie Gorden, Texas Tech University Katie Johnson, Oak Ridge National Laboratory |
Contributed Oral Only |
| Structures and Properties of Photoactive Materials | Dongmao Zhang, Mississippi State University Tom Hopper, University of Central Florida Shengli Zou, University of Central Florida |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Xray Crystallography - Solving Chemical Problems | Will Lynch, Georgia Southern College Clifford Padgett, Georgia Southern College |
Invited Oral Only |
| Ultrafast and Nonlinear Spectroscopy | Paul Ohno, Auburn University Bryan Kudisch, Florida State University Sean Roberts, UT Austin |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| How to Start a Startup | Bill Easter, Semplastics Michel Johnson, ACS Orlando Section | Contributed Oral Only |
| Revolutionizing Science Communication: Innovations, Insights, and Impact | H. N. Cheng, USDA Ron Hunter, FDA Gregory Wiedman, Seton Hall University |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Lessons and Inspiration from the History of Chemistry | Nicolay V. Tsarevsky, Southern Methodist University Christine Hahn, Texas A&M University - Kingsville |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Nanotechnology in Analytical Chemistry | Laura Casto-Boggess, University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Contributed Oral Only |
| Curricular Innovations in Chemistry Education: Integrating Professional Skills and Interdisciplinary Experiences | Ghada Rabah, North Carolina State University Jeremiah Feducia, North Carolina State University Michelle Brooks, ACS |
Contributed Oral Only |
| Chemistry Education Research in the South-East Region | Erin Saitta, University of Central Florida Christopher Randles, The University of Central Florida |
Invited Oral Only |
| Chemistry Education Research in the South West Region | Molly Atkinson, University of North Texas Christopher Randles, The University of Central Florida |
Invited Oral Only |
| Chemistry Education Research General Program Oral and Poster session | Tamra Rodriguez, University of Central Florida Christopher Randles, The University of Central Florida |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Chemistry Education Research: Undergraduate Student Research Symposium | Nicole Lapeyrouse, University of Central Florida Julie Donnelly, University of Central Florida |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| K-12 Science Education Research | Scott Hawkins, ACS DIVCHED strategic plan member & St. Ignatius HS in Cleveland, Ohio Christopher Randles, University of Central Florida |
Contributed Oral |
| Novel bioconjugation techniques - a melting-pot for nanomedicine, organic chemistry, and chemical biology | Qian Wang, University of South Carolina Jun Ohata, North Carolina State University |
Invited Oral Only |
| Plasmonic Nanoparticles and Applications. | Yongmei Wang, The University of Memphis Shengli Zou, University of Central Florida |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Recent Advances in Hybrid Semiconductors | Ioannis Spanopoulos, University of South Florida Vlad Klepov, University of Georgia |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Emerging Trends in Bio-based Polymers: A Pioneering Perspective and Advancements | Mayankkumar Chaudhary, Pittsburg State University Chandan Bodhak, Pittsburg State University Ram Gupta, Pittsburg State University |
Invited Oral & Poster |
| Innovations in Inclusive Introductory Teaching: Pedagogical Strategies to Improve Introductory STEM Courses | Brian M. Mosby, Rollins College Kasandra Riley, Rollins College |
Contributed Oral Only |
| Nucleic Acids and DNA/RNA Processing Enzymes | Yulia Gerasimova, University of Central Florida Dmitry Kolpashchikov, University of Central Florida |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Advancements in Catalysis for Sustainable Processes | Christopher J. Koch, Savannah River National Laboratory Houston Smith, Savannah River National Laboratory |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Medicinal Chemistry of Heterocycles and Natural Products: Driving Drug Discovery | Siva S. Panda, Augusta University | Invited Oral Only |
| Functional Polymers: Synthetic Methodologies and Applications | Nicolay V. Tsarevsky, Southern Methodist University Mihaela C. Stefan, University of Texas Dallas |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Atmospheric Chemistry and Dynamics: In-situ and remote sensing measurements, and Modeling, and Impacts on Human Health | Yasin Elshorbany, University of South Florida | Contributed Oral & Poster |
| AI Education and AI in Education | Hugh Broome, The University of Southern Mississippi Christopher Randles, The University of Central Florida |
Contributed Oral Only |
| Beyond Card Games – Active Learning Activities for General Chemical Education | Paula Nolibos, University of North Georgia Patricia Todebush, University of North Georgia |
Contributed Oral Only |
| Fluorescence and Therapeutics: Convergence of Science and Medicine | Maged Henary, Georgia State University | Contributed Oral & Poster |
| PMSE/POLY Symposia in SERMAC/SWRM 2025 Regional Meeting | Reza Foudazi, University of Oklahoma | Invited & Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Colloids, Surfactants, Interfaces and nanomaterials | Ajay Mallia, Georgia Gwinnett College | Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Effective Approaches in teaching Inorganic Chemistry | Carl Ohrenberg, University of North Georgia Bhawani Sigdel Regmi, University of North Georgia |
Contributed Oral Only |
| Nanoformulated Agrochemicals for Crop Management | Swadeshmukul Santra, University of Central Florida Dr. Jorge Pereira, University of Central Florida |
Invited Oral Only |
| Advances in Electrochemistry and Bioelectrochemistry | Olja Simoska, University of South Carolina Sanela Martic, Trent University |
Contributed Oral Only |
| Advances in Microscale Bioanalysis | Laura Casto-Boggess, University of North Carolina at Charlotte Christopher Baker, New Mexico State University |
Contributed Oral Only |
| Chemical Biology Innovations for Therapeutics | Yousong Ding, University of Florida Y. George Zheng, University of Georgia |
Contributed Oral Only |
| Florida Organic Faculty | Brett Hemric, University of Tampa Ralph Salvatore, Southeastern University Ed Turos, University of South Florida |
Contributed Oral Only |
| Advancements in Nuclear Chemistry | Deborah Penchoff, University of Central Florida Vasileios Anagnostopoulos, University of Central Florida |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Women in STEM | Anne Gorden, Texas Tech University Cristopher Chouinard, Clemson University Vasileios Anagnostopoulso, University of Central Florida |
Invited Oral Only |
| Recent Advances in the Chemistry of Multinuclear Transition Metal Complexes | Michael Stollenz, Kennesaw State University | Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Frontiers in Nucleic Acids | Jessica Siemer, Georgia State University Markus Germann, Georgia State University |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Advancing Extraction and Separation Techniques for Food and Environmental Analysis | Ngee Sing Chong, Middle Tennessee State University Yong Foo Wong, Universiti Sains Malaysia |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Fun in the sun with light absorbing and emitting molecules and materials | Daniel Harrison, Virginia Military Institute Caleb Brown, Virginia Military Institute |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Chemistry and Geochemistry of Marine and Coastal Systems | April Abbott, Coastal Carolina University Angelos Hannides, Coastal Carolina University |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Forensic Science | Matthieu Baudelet, University of Central Florida Candice Bridge, University of Central Florida Erin Hanson, University of Central Florida Tamra Legron-Rodriguez, University of Central Florida |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Innovations in Inorganic Materials from Nanocrystals to Bulk Crystal Growth | Vladislav Klepov, University of Georgia Tina Salguero, University of Georgia |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry: New Frontiers in Structural Analysis and Separations | Christian Bleiholder, Florida State University Francisco Alberto Fernandez-Lima, Florida International University Theresa Evans-Nguyen, University of South Florida |
Contributed Oral Only |
| Mass Spectrometric Techniques for Biomarker Discovery | Ngee Sing Chong, Middle Tennessee State University Yong Foo Wong, Universiti Sains Malaysia |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| SERMACS: Hosting, Planning, Best Practices and More | Brent Feske, Georgia Southern College | Invited Oral Only |
| Glycomaterials for a Sustainable Future | Alan Esker, Virginia Tech Maren Roman, Virginia Tech |
Contributed Oral & Poster |
| The Chemistry of Space Exploration | Joel A. Olson, Bennett Aerospace, Inc./Kennedy Space Center | Contributed Oral Only |
| Undergraduate Research at SERMACS | Christopher Chouinard, Clemson University | Contributed Oral & Poster |
| General Topics in Environmental Chemistry | Christopher Chouinard, Clemson University | Contributed Oral & Poster |
| General Topics in Analytical Chemistry | Christopher Chouinard, Clemson University | Contributed Oral & Poster |
| General Topics in Organic Chemistry | Christopher Chouinard, Clemson University | Contributed Oral & Poster |
| General Topics in Inorganic Chemistry | Christopher Chouinard, Clemson University | Contributed Oral & Poster |
| General Topics in Biochemistry | Christopher Chouinard, Clemson University | Contributed Oral & Poster |
| General Topics in Physical Chemistry | Christopher Chouinard, Clemson University | Contributed Oral & Poster |
Please contact Vasileios Anagnostopoulos (Vasileios.Anagnos@ucf.edu) with any questions. Thank you for supporting the meeting!