Susquehanna Valley Section

May 2003 Meeting

The three hundred and forty second meeting of the Section will be the Annual Awards Banquet to be held at Magee's Main Street Inn, 20 W. Main St. in Bloomsburg at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, May 7^th, 2003. The program will include the presentation of awards to high school students, teachers, and college students. The talk for the evening is Chemistry and Biochemistry of Chocolate: A Guilt-Free Food? which will be presented by Dr. Joe A. Vinson.

The banquet will be buffet style and will include the following: An entree selection of fish, chicken or pasta dish plus baked potatoes, garden salad, and vegetables along with a desert table. The all-inclusive price is $18.00 per person. Reservations must be made by contacting either Dr. Tom Wood, or Helen Bogdon, by Friday May 2^nd.

Helen Bogdon at (570) 674-6378 hbogdon@misericordia.edu
Dr. Tom Wood at (570) 674-6245 twood@misericordia.edu

Directions to Magee's: Take I-80 to route 487A (Bloomsburg exit). Go south on 487 approx. 1 1/2 miles into downtown Bloomsburg. Take a right at Main Street (US-11 south). Magee's is on the left hand side in the center of town (across from the count courthouse). There is meter parking along Main Street or there is a Lot behind Magee's with an entrance into the Inn from the rear parking lot. To reach this parking lot, take the first left down the alley just beyond Magee's. Take a left at the first stop sign. The lot will be on the left after the large building.

Chemistry and Biochemistry of Chocolate: A Guilt-Free Food?

Do you like chocolate, if so you are not alone! Professor Vinson will take a look at the history of chocolate, how chocolate is made, the myriad of chemicals it contains, and its effects on the body and the mind. Is chocolate bad for you? Find out at the May Awards Dinner!!

Dr. Joe A. Vinson was born in Arkansas and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He attended college at the University of California at Berkeley where he received his B.S. in Chemistry in 1963. He received a joint Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry and Analytical Chemistry in 1967 at Iowa State University. After a stint in industry at J. T. Baker Chemical Company, he is now Professor of Chemistry at The University of Scranton in Northeastern Pennsylvania. His research interests are varied and include drug analysis in physiological fluids, and the effect of foods, vitamins and antioxidants on nutrition and health. Dr. Vinson is the author of over 70 publications and is a National Tour Speaker for the American Chemical Society.