GREENVILLE, S.C.—Furman University chemistry professor Tim Hanks has received the E. Ann Nalley Award for Volunteer Service to the American Chemical Society, Southeastern Region.
The award recognizes the volunteer efforts of individuals who have supported the ACS by contributing significantly to the goals and objectives of the organization through their regional activities.
Hanks is a strong supporter of the Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society (SERMACS). His students have presented their research at every meeting since 1990, and, since 1995, he has filled the post of Western Carolinas representative to the SERMACS board.
Hanks has served SERMACS as chair of the Executive Committee, as well as Program Chair in 1996 and as General Chair of the 2007 meeting, which won a ChemLuminary award from the ACS for Best Regional Meeting.
In 2004-2005, Hanks served as Southeast Region representative on the Regional Activities Coordination Team (ReACT), which created a set of key recommendations, templates, and tools for use by regional boards and meeting organizers. ReACT helped to strengthen the organizational structure of the regions, to protect them from liability, and to promote regional meetings throughout the chemical community.
Research in Hanks’ laboratory focuses on design and synthesis of supramolecular systems. Particular areas of interest include theoretical and structural aspects of halogen bonding, polydiacetylene-based sensors, and electronically conducting polymers.
He is spending the first six months of 2011 at the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute in Wollongong, Australia as a Fulbright Senior Scholar. Hanks will be developing conducting polymer/hydrogel composites for use in neural implants that serve as the interface between the brain and prosthetic devices.
For more information contact the Furman News and Media Relations Office at (864) 294-3107.