The Anachem Board organizes monthly meetings in the Detroit area during the spring and fall. A typical meeting includes an invited speaker who lectures on a topic related to chemical analysis or a tour of a facility where chemistry plays an important role. Tours of the Glass Academy, The National Biofuels Energy Lab, and Rochester Mills Brewery are recent examples. Anachem enjoys a close connection with the Detroit section of the ACS and often schedules joint meetings with that organization. Each monthly meeting is usually followed by dinner at a local restaurant.
Anachem also works closely with the local section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy (SAS) to organize a one-day symposium and exhibit in late October or early November. In recent years the Michigan Mass Spectrometry Discussion Group has participated in the symposium by arranging one of the half-day sessions. Monetary awards for the best student papers have become an yearly custom. Another highlight of the fall symposium is the plenary lecture given by the previous year’s Anachem Awardee.
Each year the prestigious Anachem Award is presented to an outstanding analytical chemist at our annual symposium. The Anachem Award Session is held in honor of the Anachem Awardee. The list of Anachem Awardees is quite impressive and even includes one Nobel Prize winner (so far!). Rosalyn Yalow, the first female Anachem Awardee, received the Anachem Award in Detroit in 1973 and was later awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1977.
One of the spring monthly meetings is usually reserved for the Anachem Fellow Award dinner. At that social event the Fellow Award is presented to one of our dedicated volunteers for his or her exceptional service to the organization. The elegant Holiday Dinner in early December at the Detroit Yacht Club has become a memorable event and a great way to begin the holiday season.
You don’t have to be a member to participate in meetings or events organized by Anachem. However, for a nominal membership fee, you receive advanced announcements of coming events. You also help to support the organization that brings to southeast Michigan monthly activities, a regional symposium, internationally recognized speakers, and numerous opportunities for professional interactions. If you wish, Anachem can provide unique opportunities for volunteer service to the scientific community through positions on the Anachem Board, the Anachem Award committee, as a delegate to FACSS, etc. Your annual fee also entitles you to a discount when you register for the FACSS conference. Of course, we would certainly like to have you join us as a fellow member!
The Association of Analytical Chemists ("The ANACHEMS") was incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1942 to serve the professional needs of chemists in the Detroit Area. The Anachem award has been presented since 1953 to an impressive list of awardees. Anachem was a founding member of FACSS in 1972 and continues to be an integral part of that conference. Over the years the name and the focus of “The ANACHEMS” has changed with the times. However we still strive to be of service to the scientists and technical specialists who are concerned with the ever-changing challenges of chemical analysis.