DATE / TIME: September 18, 2025
6:00 p.m. Check-in / Networking
6:30 p.m. Dinner
7:00 p.m. Presentation
IN-PERSON – REGISTRATION REQUIRED – csw@acs.org
ACS Headquarters – Marvel Hall
1155 16th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20036
VIA ZOOM – REGISTRATION REQUIRED –
https://american-chemical-society.zoom.com/meeting/register/wBxY_kwvRx6912YaoPh4Jw?optimizely_user_id=505339e8402c48fd99af75ef45e27cd2
MENU:
Meal will be catered by W. Millar & Co. and will feature Chicken Fontina (grilled chicken breast served over a bed of green onion-parmesan orzo and
topped with Fontina cheese, sage, and roasted Roma tomatoes); with a melange of seasonal grilled vegetables, bread, and assorted cookies. Beverages will be provided. Vegetarian Option available only to those who request it: Crispy Tofu & Broccoli (Crispy tofu and broccoli served with white rice; paired with mango curry chutney).
COST:
$25 per person ($12 for students and high school teachers)
Bio
Dr. Wilton L. Virgo is a quantum physical chemist with decades of expertise in performing state-of-the-art research in laser spectroscopy and molecular theory at Princeton University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Arizona State University, MIT, Wellesley College, and Harvard University. His paperback at the Harvard Book Store, “Quantum Mechanics in Everyday Life” is an example of his ability to simplify complex ideas for audiences with little or no background in science.
Abstract
Basic chemistry courses often describe molecules in their lowest-energy electronic states as rigid structures vibrating around equilibrium bond lengths and angles. What happens when the familiar molecules you learned about in Chemistry 101 are far from equilibrium? That’s when chemistry gets really exciting! We will take a quantum tour of molecular excitation and decay, from “forbidden transitions” in laser-excited supersonic molecular beams, to the use of radical molecules as distant magnetic probes of stars, and discover how glowing jellyfish might help solve major crimes.
