Two UH Chemists Receive National RecognitionACS Fellowships Awarded to Advincula, Moy for Career Achievements
August 24, 2010-Houston-
Two University of Houston (UH) chemistry professors received one of their field’s highest honors for career achievements, joining an elite group that includes some of the nation’s leading chemists. 
Rigoberto Advincula and Mamie Moy are among the 2010 class of American Chemical Society (ACS) fellows and were honored along with 190 other inductees at a ceremony during the annual ACS meeting in Boston. With more than 150,000 members, the ACS is the world’s largest scientific society. The fellows program was started in 2009 to recognize outstanding contributions to science and the chemistry profession. Advincula and Moy are among 13 from Texas who received the honor this year. At 42, Advincula is one of the younger honorees, yet has already compiled an impressive record as a leading polymer and nanomaterials researcher. Moy, UH’s longest-serving tenured faculty member, has devoted her 55-year faculty career to teaching and cultivating a love of science – not just among the college students and UH alumni who fondly remember her classes, but also with Houston’s public school youngsters and teachers.
Advincula was nominated for the distinction by John Bear, fellow chemist and dean of UH’s College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics. Bear praised Advincula’s work as a renowned scholar and as a mentor to young scientists.
Advincula’s research involves the design and fabrication of polymers and nanomaterials that includes nanocomposites. These new hybrid materials could be used in a variety of applications, such as chemical sensors, improving LED display screens and better controlling energy transfer in solar cells. In past projects, he and his team have devised new polymer coatings that could improve the brightness and flexibility of display screens on cell phones, PDA’s and other devices. Recently, he was awarded a $400,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to experiment using lithography and “polymer brushes” to make unconventionally shaped colloids, which are particles dispersed in solution. The goal is to learn how to make colloids of any shape, size or composition. This would be a foundational breakthrough in nanomaterials, Advincula said, allowing scientists to create new types of microscopic particles.
In addition to his lab research, he has been active in ACS, giving presentations, organizing symposia and serving on the editorial advisory board of two highly regarded ACS peer-reviewed journals. He also has a strong record of mentoring young chemists and, as a research adviser, has supervised nearly three dozen Ph.D. students and 50 undergraduates.
“Professor Advincula has distinguished himself internationally as a creative, dedicated and highly renowned scientist and scholar with a commitment to service and mentoring,” Bear said.
In comparison to Advincula, Moy could consider the ACS honor a career capstone – except the longtime professor has no plans of slowing down. UH has changed a lot since Moy joined the chemistry faculty in 1955, but her passion for teaching science has not dimmed. In particular, she has sought to kindle an interest in science among Houston-area youth, giving lessons, presentations and hands-on chemistry demonstrations to local schools.
“It’s all about making science fun,” Moy said. “Being around young people keeps you young, so I plan to keep working as long as I can.”
She conducts science workshops for classroom teachers, sharing tips on how to make abstract scientific concepts interesting and relevant to their students. Moy also directs the Robert Welch Foundation Summer Scholars program that brings some of the brightest high school students to UH for a hands-on summer research experience.
She was nominated to be an ACS fellow by Carolyn Burnley, past chair of the Greater Houston Section of the ACS, in which Moy has long been active. Burnley lauded Moy’s service and leadership in the local chapter, including co-chairing a successful regional meeting of the ACS in 2006.
“Her long career and extensive contributions to chemistry and education exemplifies the spirit of this award,” said Kerry Spilker, a Chevron research scientist and chair of the local ACS chapter, who has worked with Moy on numerous outreach projects and wrote a letter in support of her nomination.
Moy also served as associate chair of the chemistry department in the 1970s and ‘80s, under then-chair John Bear, overseeing undergraduate and graduate programs. During this time, chemistry became one of UH’s premier departments through a significant increase in research funding, teaching fellowships and top faculty hires.
In 2008, she was honored for work as an advocate and trailblazer for women scientists and was named a “Texas Woman of Distinction” by the West Harris County Branch of the American Association of University Women.
Moy appreciates being recognized alongside such distinguished figures in chemistry, yet says it’s the enjoyment and fulfillment in her day-to-day work that keeps her going.
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NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: High-resolution photos of Rigoberto Advincula and Mamie Moy are available to media by contacting Lisa Merkl.
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