As the American Chemical Society celebrates its 150th, the Society Committee on Education (SOCED) and the Senior Chemists Committee (SCC) reflect on the role ACS plays in lifelong learning for our members, chemists, and the public. In the 1937 federal charter establishing ACS, the role of our society was stated plainly as “the improvement of the qualifications and usefulness of chemists through high standards of professional ethics, education, and attainments.” The activities of our committees, and ACS more broadly, represent our core value of lifelong learning, engaging the chemistry enterprise across many stages.
This learning often takes its most impactful form in connections embedded in community. In collaboration with the Younger Chemists Committee, the SCC facilitates a co-mentoring program that matches up a senior chemist with an early-career chemist according to shared interests. These pairs meet to talk through career decisions, navigate workplace cultures, and experience life as a working chemist. The SCC provides an additional opportunity for members to meet with younger chemists at its networking event during each ACS Spring meeting. Mentors learn as much from these conversations as their mentees do—about new tools, new ways of working, and the experiences of the younger generation of chemists. Similarly, connection also shows up in the American Association of Chemistry Teachers’ Science Coaches program. It pairs passionate volunteer chemists with an elementary, middle, or high school teacher in partnerships that offer tremendous value to everyone involved, which includes the teachers’ students.
Local sections are another catalyst for connecting ACS members with one another, as well as with the resources and programs of the society at large. SCC provides mini-grants to help local sections run mentoring events, recognition luncheons, and joint activities that connect senior chemists with younger ones. And at every national meeting, the Senior Chemists Breakfast provides an opportunity for all our members to connect. Notably, this event has sold out since its founding and has drawn Nobel laureates and ACS presidents.
Through its support for student chapters, SOCED and the Office of Student Communities enable connections involving local sections that promote lifelong learning. SOCED recognizes ACS local sections that contribute to the professional development of student chapters in their communities through the annual ChemLuminary Award for Fostering Interactions between Local Sections and Student Chapters.
ACS also delivers programs that connect our chemistry educators with one another and chemistry education researchers. The American Association of Chemistry Teachers provides interactive webinars that are “for teachers, by teachers” and works to cultivate an active community of practice among chemistry teachers. Faculty workshops allow early-career faculty at 2- and 4-year institutions to share evidence-based best practices in chemistry education and cultivate community.
Connection—and the learning that may result—does not just happen. It requires intention, planning, and training to be most beneficial. Groups like SOCED and SCC provide and promote frameworks in which these more informal mentoring opportunities can occur.
If you are considering more formal mentoring—either as a mentor or mentee, ACS offers a number of resources. Those include Mentorship for the Next Generation of Chemists, a 7-week guided email course that walks members through optimizing mentor-mentee relationships. as well as additional mentorship activities.
Over the past 150 years, ACS has evolved via its membership involvement and volunteerism to better serve our fellow ACS members and collaborators. SOCED and SCC celebrate the 150th anniversary and look forward to what learning and connecting will look like over our next 150 years.
To learn more about ACS opportunities for connection and networking, ACS mentoring programs, and professional development resources, reach out to us directly at [email protected] and [email protected].
Views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of C&EN or ACS.
