The LCGC Blog: ACS SCSC: What We Do and Who We Are

This blog is a collaboration between LCGC and the American Chemical Society Analytical Division Subdivision on Chromatography and Separations Chemistry.

In this month’s blog, we provide information about the Subdivision on Chromatography and Separations Chemistry (SCSC) of the Analytical Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS), sharing our main goals and introducing our newly appointed executive board members.

ACS SCSC

The Subdivision on Chromatography and Separations Chemistry (SCSC) of the Analytical Division of the American Chemical Society (ACS) strives to foster a community around separation science. As our mission statement reads, “We continue to grow a network of separation chemists through social media engagement, sponsor separation chemistry-related conferences, provide learning tools on relevant topics, and share career opportunities to our members.” Our latest election left us with some exciting additions to our executive team, and I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you not only about the SCSC and our goals, but also about this powerhouse group of separation scientists.

What We Do

The SCSC was formed in 1985, and has over the years, been able to provide conference symposia on a wide range of chromatographic and separation science topics, and connect separation scientists from academia, industry, and government research laboratories. Since 2014, we have been involved with the Satinder Ahuja Award for Young Investigators in Separation Science, aimed to recognize and encourage outstanding contributions to the fields of analytical chemistry by a young analytical scientist. If you know a promising young investigator, be sure to nominate them for this distinguished award. This year’s award will be presented to Professor Jim Grinias of Rowan University at Pittcon 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia. Congratulations to Jim for this well-deserved honor!

Over the past several years, we have become even more invested in giving back to our members. We instituted a Conference Grants program to help support separations science programming at local and regional meetings or for networking or other outreach events. And we continue to find ways to connect with our members at conferences, as we presented a Pittcon 2021 session titled “Virtual Teaching and Lab Technology in the Time of COVID-19”. We hope to start making even more connections between members via virtual networking opportunities. You may also have noticed the presence of many different faces on this blog, faces who are members of the SCSC, hoping to share expertise and connect with our separations community. You will continue to see our contributions here, so let me take the opportunity to introduce our executive team!

Our membership comprises analytical chemists who work in academia, government laboratories, contract laboratories, and industry.

I am Amber Hupp, an Associate Professor and Department Chair of the Chemistry Department at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, and the newest Chair of the subdivision. My students and I use gas chromatography along with chemometric methods to analyze biodiesel-diesel blended fuels, and more recently we have started investigating fragrances. I teach a variety of courses from general chemistry to instrumental analysis and am really excited to teach a senior-level Environmental Forensics course this spring.

Jim Grinias is an Associate Professor at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ, and the new SCSC Chair-Elect for the 2021-2023 biennium. His research program focuses on fundamental aspects of liquid-phase separations, the development of capillary liquid chromatography (LC) analysis techniques, and the creation of low-cost measurement devices using open-source electronics.

Mark A. Hayes is a Professor at Arizona State University specializing in microfluidic, bioanalysis, and separations science. He enjoys the fantastic team that makes up the SCSC community while his research is currently focused on ultrahigh-resolution gradient separations for cells, viruses, and biomolecules. Mark is our most recent past chair of the SCSC.

Emanuela Gionfriddo is an Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry of The University of Toledo (Ohio, USA). Research work in Dr. Gionfriddo’s laboratory focuses on the development of advanced microseparation tools for the analysis of complex biological and environmental samples, with emphasis on alternative green sample preparation methodologies. Emanuela serves as the secretary of our subdivision.

Jonathan Edelman is the OEM business development manager at Restek. He is committed to and serves the separations community through leadership within its nonprofit space. Most notably, this includes aiding in the organization of various regional chromatography groups, conferences, as well as founding and running the Separations Community Mixer, now in its seventh year. Jonathan has served in various capacities for the subdivision and most recently has taken on our newly anointed treasurer position.

Jonnie Shackman works for Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) as an Associate Scientific Director in Chemical Process Development. This department supports pharmaceutical advancement for both small molecule and biologics from pre-clinical through marketed products. The evolution of a drug out of R&D to a commercialized product is a long journey, but separation science is a constant companion on the entire journey! Jonnie has served several terms on our executive board.

André M. Striegel is a Scientific Advisor at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with previous experience in both industry and academia. His research interests lie principally in the area of macromolecular separation science, both fundamental and applied. André was elected as an executive committee member this fall.

Katelynn Perrault is an Associate Professor of Forensic Sciences and Chemistry at Chaminade University of Honolulu in Hawaii. Her research focuses on odor analysis using multidimensional gas chromatography and her teaching focuses on analytical chemistry and instrumentation using practices such as culturally sustaining pedagogy and course-based undergraduate research experiences. Katelynn is a newly appointed executive committee member in the SCSC.

Robbyn Anand is an Assistant Professor in Chemistry at Iowa State University, where she has been since 2015. The goal of her research is to broaden access to cancer diagnostics, especially in point-of-care and resource-limited settings. Her group develops bioanalytical methods for electrokinetic separations, electrochemical sensing, and single-cell analysis that are integrated into microfluidic platforms. Robbyn is the founder of the Midwest Retreat for Diversity in Chemistry - an annual event aimed at the retention of underrepresented groups in chemistry and their advancement into leadership roles. Robbyn is beginning her first term as an executive board member.

How You Can Get Involved

If you are interested in becoming more involved with any of the subdivision’s efforts, please let me know, and join our LinkedIn Group! We are very excited to expand our membership and introduce new programming for our members. For even more information, please navigate to our website. We look forward to hearing from you!

Amber Hupp

Amber Hupp is an Associate Professor of Chemistry at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. She earned her B.A. from Kalamazoo College and her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Michigan State University, under the guidance of Professor Victoria McGuffin. Amber enjoys teaching a wide range of courses including Environmental Chemistry, General Chemistry, and Instrumental Analysis. Her research group utilizes gas chromatography and a range of chemometric methods to understand the fatty acid methyl ester content in biodiesel produced from different feedstocks as well as in biodiesel diesel blended fuels. She has served as an executive board member of the ACS Subdivision on Chromatography and Separations Chemistry (SCSC) for several years and is the current chair elect.

This blog is a collaboration between LCGC and the American Chemical Society Analytical DivisionSubdivision for Chromatography and Separations Chemistry (ACS AD SCSC). The goals of the subdivision include:

1. promoting chromatography and separations chemistry
2. organizing and sponsoring symposia on topics of interest to separations chemists
3. developing activities to promote the growth of separations science
4. increasing the professional status and the contacts between separations scientists.

For more information about the subdivision, or to get involved, please visit https://acsanalytical.org/subdivisions/separations/.