The national meeting in Boston was another great event. The ACS is active in so many areas, striving to help chemists everywhere.
Dena Chubbic at the ACS National Meeting in Boston
Here are some of the highlights from the Council Meeting. There’s something for almost anyone!
- The ACS Committee on Chemical Safety helped coordinate the development of an extensive document on identifying hazards in research labs. You can download it at: acs.org/safety .
- The ACS Committee on Science has prepared a draft of an ACS policy on fracking.
- Councilors from the West Coast are making an impact in the ACS!
- Both of this year’s candidates for President of the ACS are from the West Coast: G. Bryan Balazs of the California Section, and Allison Campbell of the Richland Section in Washington state.
- Lee Latimer of the California Section is a candidate for Director-at-Large, and he has been elected to the Council Policy Committee.
- Dean Adams of the Salt Lake Section and Donivan Porterfield of the Central New Mexico Section both have been elected to the Committee on Nominations and Elections.
- PBS is broadcasting a series called “The Mystery of Matter: Search for the Elements.” Some ACS members appear in the program. Find out when you can catch the next episode at: http://www.pbs.org/program/mystery-matter/ .
- The ACS has developed some materials featuring scientists who made advances in their fields despite various handicaps. Did you know that Thomas Edison had a hearing disability and a learning disability?
- The emphasis on organic chemistry has been reduced in curricula and standardized tests. President-Elect Donna Nelson is planning a symposium to discuss this.
- The ACS now offers legal liability insurance for chemical educators. Information is available at: acs-aiche.haysaffinity.com .
- Green Chemistry Awards are now available for qualifying ACS student chapters. Here’s where you can download information: http://j.mp/greenstudentchapters .
I attended a joint meeting of the Committee on Community Activities (CCA) and the Local Section Activities Committee (LSAC). It looks like Chemists Celebrate Earth Day (CCED) for 2016 will have the theme, “The Great Indoors – The Home Ecosystem.”
As usual, there were so many fascinating presentations that it was impossible to attend them all. I went to several very interesting talks about forensic chemistry, and a debate about the best policy response to climate change. And I was able to attend a standing-room-only presentation about research opportunities in Germany. There are many! If you’re interested in doing scientific research in Germany, either short-term or long-term, here’s a good place to begin investigating your options: www.research-in-germany.org .
Let me sign off by leaving you with one last tip. An ACS Chemoji app now is available! So you can spice up your text messages with some chemistry-related icons. Check it out at http://bit.ly/ACSChemoji .
Chemoji!
Thank you so much for the opportunity to represent you on the ACS Council!
Sincerely,
Dena Chubbic, Councilor
