AOCS Division Newsletter




	printer-friendly version . send feedback on this newsletter Surfactants and Detergents Division web page AOCS Surfactants and Detergents Division Newsletter December 2007 News from the Chair George Smith There has been lot of change in the S&D Division over the past year. Mike Showell and Mark Nace have resigned from the S&D Board. There was a special election at the last S&D Division luncheon in Québec City and the new board is as follows: Chair George Smith George_A_Smith@Huntsman.com Vice Chair Warren Schmidt warren.schmidt@shell.com Secretary Treasurer John Billman john.billman@us.henkel.com Technical Program Chair Steve Bolken Steve.Bolkan@churchdwight.com Members at Large Terri Germain t.germain@mcintyregroup.com Edgar Acosta acosta@chem-eng.utoronto.ca Mike Robbins michael.robbins@clorox.com The Board would like to thank Mike and Mark for all their hard work and wish them well in their new assignments. I urge you to contact one of the new Board members if you have any questions or ideas on how we can better serve the S&D Division. Over the past year, the S&D Division team has accomplished a number of things including: Contributing $5,000 to the AOCS Campaign for Technology; Offering a CSPA Short Course at the 2007 AOCS Annual Meeting on Intermediate Detergent Formulations; Sponsoring the World Detergent Congress in Montreux; Organizing the 2007 AOCS World Congress in Québec City with the Japan Oil Chemists' Society (JOCS); and Organizing a session at the 2007 AOCS World Congress with the Biotechnology Division on Bio-Based Surfactants We are also busy with other projects including: Working on an on-line training module on surfactant science and technology. The course is geared to people new to the industry who need an intro course on surfactant science. Updating the "Who's Who" (a historical view of the mergers and acquisitions that have occurred within the S&D industry) for the 100-year anniversary of AOCS in 2009. Making electronic copies of talks given at the AOCS Annual Meeting available on CD. Organizing a session at the CSPA New Horizons conference in 2008. Organizing a Hot Topics session with IOP for next year's AOCS meeting on New Uses of Glycerin. Organizing the 2008 SODEOPEC conference to be held in Orlando, Florida. Organizing a short course on Analytical Instrumentation for the 2008 Annual Meeting. There have been many changes in the surfactants and detergents industry over the last five years. Escalating raw material prices and commoditization of the industry have squeezed margins for both surfactant producers and detergent manufacturers. At the same time, increasing concern with product safety and sustainability of raw materials has increased the pressure on our industry. I am convinced that innovation is the key to our industry's future success. AOCS plays an important role in our industry and is one of the few organizations where industry and academia come together to tackle problems. I urge everyone in the S&D Division to help recruit new members for our division. Also in this newsletter: New Horizons Conference S&D Meeting Calendar Junior Faculty Travel Grant Hosts for the Mixer Rosen and Travel Awards 98th AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo, by George A. Smith Journal of Surfactants and Detergents (10:4) Contents AOCS, 2710 S. Boulder, Urbana, IL 61802-6996 USA	Division Officers Chairperson George Smith phone: 1-281-719-7463 Vice Chairperson Warren Schmidt phone: 1-281-544-7750 fax: 1-281-544-8687 Secretary/Treasurer John Billman phone: 1-480-754-6355 fax: 1-480-754-7448 Member-at-Large Edgar Acosta phone: 1-416-946-0742 fax: 1-416-978-8605 Member-at-Large Terri Germain phone: 1-708-534-6200 fax: 1-708-534-1898 Member-at-Large Mike Robbins phone: 1-770-426-2491 Member-at-Large / PC rep. Steve Bolkan phone: 1-609-497-7420 fax: 1-683-497-5092 SDA Representative/ Corresponding Member Rich Sedlak phone: 1-202-662-2523 fax: 1-202-347-4110 Immediate Past Chairperson Mike Showell