Candidates for Office

Prior to his retirement in 1998, Dimitri Gorjestani was Director of Analytical Services and Quality Management for COOK COMPOSITES & POLYMERS (FREEMAN CHEMICAL), having been associated with the company since 1966. Before FREEMAN CHEMICAL, he was engaged in the R&D work at ALLIS-CHALMERS MFG. CO. (1963-1966), THIEM CORPORATION (1961-1963) and ALDRICH CHEMICAL (1960). Since his retirement, Dimitri has been consulting manufacturers of reinforced plastics and coating resins materials. As a member of the ACS since 1960, Dimitri has held the offices of Program Chairman, Chairman and Past Chairman in the Milwaukee Section, and presently holds the office of Councilor. He was also the winner of the MILWAUKEE SECTION AWARD in 1988. At the national ACS level, he served the Chemical Abstract Services as a translator and abstractor of the Russian scientific journals and patents. Dimitri received a B.A. degree in Chemistry from Oberlin College in Ohio and a Doctorate degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Tehran, Iran.

Thomas Thornton is a senior development engineer with Aladdin Engineering.. His academic background includes a BS in Biology and a BS in Chemistry from Bradley University in 1976, an MS in Chemistry from DePaul University in 1983, and an MS in Material Science & Engineering from the University of Virginia in1993. His career activities involve chemical and material analysis, material and product R&D, material and manufacturing process development, manufacturing processes, and equipment trouble shooting and improvement. He has been an ACS member since 1976.

Need to give your job search a shot in the arm? Visit chemistry.org/careers and explore Advanced Career Tools (ACT), a new Department of Career Services program that offers a range of ways to help you manage your career.

For example, if you are considering changes in your career, planning the next steps in your career, or just feeling stuck in your current role, take advantage of the Behavioral Style Inventory and get a one-paragraph summary analysis at no charge. This assessment takes just 10 minutes to complete. Understanding your strengths provides you with greater confidence in interviews and enhances your ability to communicate in the workplace.

The fee-based tools are discounted for members. They include personal career coaching that can provide one-on-one assistance in areas such as: learning to succeed in performance reviews, developing skills in negotiating salary, and obtaining a detailed, online analysis of how you typically react to problems and challenges at work.

These career tools include career frequently asked questions (FAQs), a free searchable database of nearly 300 articles on job search and career development. Explore the database to inquire about resume writing, interviewing, legal issues, stock options, salary negotiations, and more. Other benefits to members are e-mail access to a career expert for prompt answers to career issues. ACT also provides automatic e-mail alerts on topics of specific interest to the member.

Whether you're facing a career transition, interview, performance review, relocation, pending retirement or other life-changing career challenge, ACT will help you understand the issues involved.

The Illinois Heartland Local Section of the ACS will be hosting the 36th Annual Great Lakes Regional Meeting at the Père Marquette Hotel in Downtown Peoria, Illinois starting on Sunday, October 17 and continuing through Wednesday, October 20. We hope to see you there!! http://membership.acs.org/g/glrm04/

• Pre-Registration will open April 26th
  
  
• Submission of abstracts will open April 26th 2004
  
  
• Special Events
  • Sunday Evening -- Riverboat Cruise & Awards Banquet, $35.00
  • Tuesday Lunch -- Illinois Women of Science (WCC) Luncheon, Ann Nalley Guest Speaker, $20.00
  
  
  
• Free Events
  • Sunday Afternoon -- Opening Ceremony featuring Intersociety Cooperation (ACS, AOCS, NOBCCHe, AICHe)
  • Monday Morning -- Director's Breakfast
  • Monday Evening -- YCC/Student Affiliate Networking at INPLAY
  
  
  
• Free Tours
  • Sunday Afternoon -- Bradley University Olin Hall of Science
  • Tuesday Afternoon – Caterpillar
  • Tuesday Afternoon -- NCAUR-USDA
  
  
  
• Never to late to volunteer to help
  
  • Please contact Steve Cermak at 681-6233 or cermaksc@ncaur.usda.gov if you are interested in helping out. Organizational meetings are being held every month. Organizing the regional meeting is an enormous undertaking, and we would appreciate any help that you could provide.

The following members of our section have been members of the American Chemical Society for 50 years. They will be honored at the September meeting. Please congratulate them.

• Norman Paul Loire
• Calvin Oscar Huber
• Norman Arthur Jacobson .

ACS Webcast Short Courses Provide Convenient, Interactive, State-of-the-Art Training for Chemistry Professionals.
Enrollments are limited.

• Basic Statistical Analysis of Laboratory Data - October 1-29
• Chemical Engineering Fundamentals-Matters of Size and Scale - Oct. 20-Nov 17
• Effective Technical Writing - October 18-November 15
• Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy - September 8-17
• Gas Chromatography Basics - September 22-October 20
• Infrared Spectral Interpretation, I - September 8-17
• Interpretation of Mass Spectra - September 14-October 28
• Leadership in Science: Managerial and Technical Skills - Sept. 14-October 12

http://chemistry.org/elearning

or call (800) 227-5558, ext. 4508
or (202) 872-4508
or shortcourses@acs.org

ACS industrial members age 45 and over who have lost their jobs, or have been given notice that they will become unemployed by December 31, are eligible for a pilot program that aims to assist them to return to work.

Five mid- and late-career members will receive financial subsidies to receive professional career coaching and to participate in the Chemjobs Career Center at the Spring 2005 National Meeting in San Diego. The new program, "Member Career Outreach," was launched this fall by the ACS Department of Career Services with the support of Corporation Associates.

Data show that mature chemists (age 45+) face very different challenges in securing employment than younger chemists. Not only are older workers more likely to be unemployed and to experience lengthy periods of unemployment, but they also may lack recent experience in looking for a job, face greater family and financial responsibilities than younger candidates, have outdated skills, bring unrealistic expectations to the job search, and suffer age discrimination.

The "Member Career Outreach" program will help grantees in four essential ways:

• It will provide financial support to receive professional career coaching, purchased online and delivered via telephone and e-mail. This personal, one-on-one assistance can help members refine their job-search strategy.
• It covers travel expenses to attend the Spring 2005 National Meeting in San Diego. This will enable grantees to participate in Chemjobs Career Center, including taking interviews with prospective employers and attending workshops and technical sessions.
• A reception for mid- and late-career job seekers and selected employers will be held at the San Diego National Meeting. This will afford grantees an opportunity to interact informally with other chemists, including prospective employers. Networking is known to be one of the main mechanisms by which job seekers learn of job opportunities and eventually secure positions.
• Each participant will receive a career transition workbook developed by the Department of Career Services. The workbook will guide ACS members through the stages of the career transition process as well as provide a record-keeping system for tracking the progress of their job search.

After advertising "Member Career Outreach" in Chemical & Engineering News, DCS will select awardees by a combination of lottery and evaluation of their application materials with the assistance of the Subcommittee on Professional Services of the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs (CEPA). (CEPA reviews ACS career programs and services.) Those selected for the program will be notified in early January.

To apply for the program or for further information, contact Elaine Diggs - e-mail: e_diggs@acs.org