ACS COMMENT
ACS Advances Collaboration MADELEINE JACOBS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND CEO
for the American Chemical Society (as well as a number of other societies, such as the American Cancer Society and the American Cetacean Society). But sometimes I like to tell people that our initials have two meanings: the name of our organization and an important aspect of our mission; that is, “Advancing Collaborations in Science.” That collaboration is our middle name comes as no surprise to the many hundreds of organizations with which we’ve worked over the years. To list a few examples, ACS is the coleader with the National Science Teachers Association of a huge coalition of organizations and individuals working to advance science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education; we are working closely with the Chemical Heritage Foundation and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) on plans for celebrating the International Year of Chemistry 2011; and we have a long-standing relationship with the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists & Chemical Engineers and other organizations dedicated to advancing underrepresented minorities in science and engineering. In August, the ACS Board of Directors voted on a memorandum of understanding between ACS and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) for collaborative activities to promote understanding of and to address issues related to sustainability. Closer to home, ACS is working with the American Section of the Society of Chemical Industry to launch the SCI Scholars program, a new initiative that will provide undergraduate chemistry and chemical engineering majors with summer industrial internships. Members of ACS and AIChE will serve on the selection panels for these prestigious internships, which will give students exposure to some of the exciting work that goes on in industry. And we routinely reach out to our sister societies around the world. For instance, the long-standing Transatlantic Frontiers of Chemistry meetings, which bring together young chemists to discuss cutting-edge
research, are a collaboration of ACS with Under the new three-year collaborathe German Chemical Society and RSC. tion signed this summer, ACS and SCI will Most recently, the ACS Board and staff cosponsor meetings on broad topics of have worked systematically mutual concern and offer to identify specific, strategic preferred nonmember rates opportunities for collaborato each other’s members tions with our international for products as well as for counterparts. One of those activities such as meetings opportunities came to full and short courses. In 2010, fruition in July, when the ACS will extend ACS-memchair of the ACS Board and I ber registration rates for signed a broad strategic alliselected meetings, includance with our counterparts ing the ACS national meetat the London-based Society ings in San Francisco and of Chemical Industry (SCI) Boston. Similarly, SCI will www.soci.org. (C&EN, July extend its member registra27, page 14). tion rates to ACS members It seems only natural that for conferences, including such an alliance would come The ACS-SCI its 2010 SCI Global Sumto pass. Both ACS and SCI mit meeting in Barcelona collaboration are membership organizaon May 20–23. ACS and extends the tions supporting chemistry SCI will also provide each and those working in related global reach of other reduced rates for use ACS and enables sciences on a global platof conference rooms and our members to form. Both were formed in offices at their facilities the 19th century and have a worldwide. In Washington, take advantage long, distinguished history D.C., ACS has also created of some of the of accomplishment. Both many outstanding a new members’ lounge in organizations currently orthe Othmer building where SCI programs. ganize conferences; provide ACS and SCI members can networking opportunities meet, relax, and do busifor scientists, especially ness. SCI has created a simchemists, involved in innovation; and pubilar space at its headquarters in London. lish scientific journals and magazines. I am personally very excited and enthusiastic about this collaboration because BOTH SOCIETIES believe that there are it extends the global reach of ACS and many significant issues with societal and enables our members to take advantage global impact that have chemistry as part of of some of the many outstanding prothe solution. Indeed, ACS Corporation Asgrams that SCI sponsors in England and sociates has had a collaboration for the past elsewhere in the world. ACS has more several years known as “Global Innovation than 1,500 members in the U.K., 6,200 Imperatives” (gii) whose mission is “to cre- elsewhere in Europe, and about 20,000 ate community and knowledge transfer to members internationally, including many stimulate global scientific innovations to in India, where SCI is especially active. meet societal imperatives.” The main outSCI’s 6,000 members—including its 750 put of this program to date has been ACSU.S. members who are business leaders SCI cosponsorship of scientific programs and members in 91 countries—will also around the world focusing on water and benefit from the alliance. In today’s global sustainability. Gii also has its own group on environment, it is hard to see how any one the ACS Network where people can discuss scientific society can thrive without these and share ideas (www.acs.org/network/gii). kinds of collaborations. ■
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PETER CUTTS PHOTOGRAPHY
NEARLY ALL OF US know that ACS stands
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