National Historic Chemical Landmark honors
Dr. Marie Maynard Daly
Dr. Marie Maynard Daly, the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. in Chemistry, was honored with an ACS National Historic Chemical Landmark at her alma mater, Columbia University, on May 19. 2023. 

Over 200 people ranging from High School and Project SEED students to professional chemists to the CEO of the American Chemical Society attended the dedication ceremony.  The event included a distinguished symposium, the premiere of a video about Dr. Daly and her legacy, and the dedication of the landmark - all in celebration of Dr. Daly's singularly significant achievement.  The talks of the symposium speakers were, as follows:

Dr. Linda Meade-Tollin
Dr. Sibrina Collins
Dr. Mandë Holford
Dr. Marc Walters

This distinguished symposium was followed by the premiere of the short film, Dr. Marie M. Daly: Chemistry Pioneer, and dedication of the National Historic Chemical Landmark Plaque.  This landmark celebrates Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Respect, a core value of the ACS. 
Thank you!
The New York ACS gratefully acknowledges  financial support for our programs honoring Dr. Marie Maynard Daly from the following individuals and corporations:

Mary Virginia Orna           Hiroko Karan        Robert Hoyte         Gerard Parkin         Ping Furlan         Barbara Hillery       Brian Gibney
Rita Upmacis                    John Sharkey       Kathleen Kristian   Deborah Shanks    Lisa Balbes        Joseph Serafin        Maria Contel
C. Michael Greenlief        Paris & Soraya Svoronos                     Neil & Marilyn Jespersen                  Albert Horvath       Kevin Kolack
Pamela Kerrigan              Duncan Quarless                                  Peter Corfield
Creme of Nature
Platinum Level Sponsor
ACS Division of History
Gold Level Sponsor
ExxonMobil
Gold Level Sponsor
Merck Process Chemistry
Gold Level Sponsor
Shell Global
Gold Level Sponsor
DuPont
Gold Level Sponsor
Agilent Technologies
Silver Level Sponsor
Pepsi
Silver Level Sponsor
4imprint
Silver Level Sponsor
Schrödinger
Bronze Level Sponsor
The Committee on the New York Section History
 The New York Section was chartered on September 30, 1891, as the second local section of the American Chemical Society.  From 1876, when the society itself was founded, until 1891, the society itself was very much a New York organization. The society was founded on April 6, 1876 in the lecture room of the College of Pharmacy of the City of New York, now New York University. The society was incorporated in the State of New York in 1877, and its Charter required that its Board of Directors, the legal representatives of the society, to be residents of New York State. The society would remain so until 1938, when it received its Federal Charter, and moved its official headquarters to Washington D.C. Read a brief history of the New York Section assembled for its 125th Anniversary in 2016.

The Committee on the New York Section History records and celebrates the historical impact of chemistry in the New York region. It maintains the historical record of the New York Section, including past issues of The Indicator.  It maintains a strong working relationship with the Science History Institute.  

The New York Section also designates the location of historical achievements in chemistry as New York Section Historical Landmarks.  These include:
  • The Chemistry Building at Brookhaven National Laboratories (Upton, NY) for the synthesis of the positron emission tomography tracer 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (18FDG)
  • The Chemist's Club at 41st St. in New York, NY
  • The IBM Watson Research Center in Westchester, NY
  • The New York Hall of Science in Queens, NY
Meetings and social events of the committee are open to the public. 
For more information, e-mail inquiries to the Chair Neil Jespersen
National Historical Chemical Landmarks nominated by the New York Local Section
  • The Bakelizer, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC (Jointly with the ACS North Jersey Section) 
    Citation:
    The National Museum of American History houses the original Bakelizer, the steam pressure vessel used by chemist-entrepreneur Leo Hendrik Baekeland to commercialize his discovery of Bakelite - the world's first completely synthetic plastic. Phenol and formaldehyde reacted under pressure at high temperature in this sealed autoclave to form the thermosetting resin Bakelite. Versatile and readily molded, Bakelite found wide use in the expanding consumer economy and opened the door to an era of synthetic materials.
  • Foundations of Polymer Science: Herman Mark and the Polymer Research Institute, New York, NY
    Citation:
    The Polymer Research Institute was established in 1946 by Herman F. Mark, a pioneer in the study of giant molecules. The Institute brought together a number of polymer researchers to create the first academic facility in the United States devoted to the study and teaching of polymer science. Scientists associated with it later went on to establish polymer programs at other universities and institutions, contributing significantly to the development and growth of what has become a vital branch of chemistry, engineering, and materials science.
  • Havemeyer Hall at Columbia University, New York, NY
    Citation:
    Havemeyer Hall was built between 1896 and 1898 under the leadership of Charles Frederick Chandler. It provided research and teaching facilities for faculty and students specializing in industrial, inorganic, organic, physical and biological chemistry. Pioneering research done here led to the discovery of deuterium, for which Harold Urey received the Nobel Prize in 1934. Six others who did research here subsequently received the Nobel prize, including Irving Langmuir, the first industrial chemist to be so honored, in 1932. The grand lecture hall in the center of Havemeyer remains the signature architectural feature of Charles Follen McKim's original design.
  • John W. Draper and the Founding of the American Chemical Society, New York, NY
    Citation:
    On this site, 35 chemists formed the American Chemical Society, intending to stimulate original research, awaken and develop talent throughout the United States, provide fellowship, and ensure a better appreciation of the science by the general public. The Society's first president, New York University Professor John W. Draper, was noted for his pioneering work in photography and photochemistry, as well as his writings in history and education. In his inaugural address, Draper challenged his chemical colleagues to "deliver unflinchingly to others the truths that Nature has delivered to us." In the 125 years since its founding (in 1876) the Society has grown to more than 163,000 members.
  • Penicillin Production through Deep-tank Fermentation, New York, NY Citation:
    In the early 20th century Pfizer developed innovative fermentation technology, applying it first to the mass production of citric acid. In subsequent years, under the direction of James Currie and Jasper Kane, Pfizer perfected deep-tank fermentation, as aseptic process for growing large quantities of microorganisms which require oxygen for survival. When scientists in England were unable to produce penicillin on a large scale during World War II, Kane suggested trying deep-tank fermentation. In a major feat of chemical engineering, the company rebuilt an old ice plant, which had the refrigeration machinery required for submerged fermentation, and opened the world's first large-scale penicillin facility on March 1, 1944. Pfizer manufactured other antibiotics, notably Terramycin, and vitamins using deep-tank fermentation techniques.
  • NMR and MRI: Applications in Chemistry and Medicine, Stony Brook, NY
    Citation:
    On this site, in the early 1970s, Paul C. Lauterbur demonstrated that nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) could be used to generate images of macroscopic objects. In the years following, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been refined as a technique for the detailed resolution of internal structures. Lauterbur’s invention thus created a powerful diagnostic tool for the non-invasive examination of body tissue such as the brain, heart, and muscles. It allows for the early detection of cancer and other diseases. Lauterbur shared the 2003 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his role in the development of MRI. (The development of the Varian A-60, the first commercially successful NMR instrument, was designated a National Historic Chemical landmark on April 8, 2011, at Agilent Technologies in Santa Clara, California.)
  • Nucleic Acid and Protein Chemistry Research at Rockefeller University, New York, NY
    Citation:
    For more than a century, scientists at Rockefeller University have enhanced our understanding of the chemical basis of life - specifically the relationship between the structure and function of nucleic acids and proteins. They showed that DNA transfers genetic information, and that the sugars ribose and deoxyribose are the key building blocks of the nucleic acids RNA and DNA. Furthermore, Rockefeller University scientists extablished that enzymes are proteins, crystallized the enzyme ribonuclease, determined the sequence of its amino acid building blocks, and then chemically synthesized it.