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Connect with ACS Leadership
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Dorothy J. Phillips
President听
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Presidential Events and Symposia at ACS Spring 2025!
ACS meetings have been important to me since college, throughout my career as an industrial scientist, and as an ACS governance volunteer. As a member, ACS meetings provide us with the opportunity to learn, hear innovative ideas and approaches, network, and collaborate, all while having fun with our ACS Community!
Join us for several exciting and engaging events being hosted in San Diego. Our divisions and committees have assembled an outstanding array of over twelve thousand papers and posters that will be presented! There are also education-focused programs for middle and high school teachers, undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and other chemistry professionals. They include a range of professional development courses, as well as programming and networking opportunities for our industrial chemists.
The Global Virtual Symposia and the Virtual Graduate Students Symposium in the Asia-Pacific Region will also provide researchers with an opportunity to present their work virtually at times that are convenient within their local time zones and much more! Every effort has been made to schedule these sessions and events for your maximum convenience whether you are participating in-person or virtually.
If you don鈥檛 know where to start, check out my Presidential symposia and recommended events at www.acs.org/Pres.
Finally, I am excited to lead the Committee on Council Policy (CPC) and Council at the ACS Spring 2025 meeting with the newly elected CPC Vice-Chair, Matthew Grandbois.
I look forward to seeing you in beautiful San Diego!
Dorothy Phillips
2025 ACS President
Rigoberto Hernandez
President-Elect
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I would like to suggest that advocating for science broadly through nonpartisan approaches is one way to make a difference.
In these uncertain times, it may be difficult to know what to do to ensure that a scientific infrastructure will persist. I would like to suggest that advocating for science broadly through nonpartisan approaches is one way to make a difference.
Please take a look at my Comment in C&EN (March 17th issue). Therein, I advocate for the essential work that ACS members can do to advocate for sustainable chemistry, and to advance science generally. My remarks were driven by the stakeholder event held at the White House in December 2024 as reported in C&EN (). Also notable was the heavy presence of ACS members among the panelists and attendees, suggesting that science-driven approaches are of interest to the public, and that we are integral in guiding this bipartisan plan forward.听
Can you really make a difference to ensure that science continues to be a driver for improving all lives?
Yes! In the US, the most important thing you can do right now is to reach out to your representatives in Congress. The key to successful conversations with your representatives is to stay on message鈥攕haring your passion for science and reminding them of the economic benefits generated by science both within your district and statewide. This is a nonpartisan position! Let them know that science is important to you, your students, your city, and all that profit from the innovation engine that is your college, university, company or whatever your industry is. And don鈥檛 forget that you are representing yourself, not ACS or any of those institutions.
Outside the US, there remains much value in advisory roles where you can help your fellow citizens and your government learn about chemistry and the possible solutions it offers. Here again, you can stay out of politics while helping politicians appreciate the value of science and the need for their citizenry to be informed.听
Returning to advocacy in the US, if you do wish to partner with ACS in support of our policies, please reach out to us at our units鈥痩ike鈥痶he ACS鈥疧ffice of鈥疓overnment Affairs and the Committee on Chemistry and Public Affairs (CCPA), or鈥痡oin our member advocacy volunteer program,听Act4Chemistry.听听
I look forward to hearing from you about how we can together鈥�ACS Together鈥� best advance science advocacy and advisory through ACS First. I鈥檓 also open to other ideas and directions. Please reach out to me at ACS meetings or e-mail me at鈥�acs-hernandez@jh.edu.
Mary K. Carroll
Immediate Past President
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Global advocacy for chemistry
Discussion at the fall 2024 IUPAC Presidents鈥� Forum led to the drafting of a proclamation, that was signed by me, by 2025 President Dorothy Phillips, and by leaders from dozens of chemical societies from around the world. This proclamation aligns with the ACS Policy Statement on Science and Technology in the Budget. All three current members of the ACS presidential succession participated in the February 2025 meeting of the IUPAC Presidents' Forum, at which chemical societies鈥� leaders discussed several topics of mutual interest and concern.
Wayne E. Jones Jr.听
Chair of the Board of Directors, and Director-At-Large
Priestley Medal Award and Board Open Meeting
It is my great pleasure to invite you to join the ACS Board of Directors as we host the Priestly Medal Award and Board Open Meeting featuring 2025 Priestly Medalist and Nobel Laureate Dr. Frances H. Arnold. She will be presenting her Priestley Medal address entitled, 鈥淎 Random (Mostly) Uphill Walk.鈥澨齌his听ACS Board Open Meeting听is a wonderful opportunity for ACS meeting attendees to engage with the Board of Directors. We hope to see you there!
Dr. Frances H. Arnold, ACS Priestley Medalist
鈥淎 Random (Mostly) Uphill Walk鈥�
Sunday, March 23, 2025
4:00 p.m. 鈥� 5:30 p.m. PT
San Diego Convention Center, Room 6A/B
Announcements
ACS Supports Science
The science landscape can be impacted by many factors. ACS is excited to announce the launch of a webpage听that spotlights ACS鈥檚 unwavering support for science. It highlights essential resources that may assist chemists who have been impacted by new directives and funding changes. Not only does ACS support science, but we want to know how . Tell us!
2025 Edition of ACS Governing Documents听
The January 1, 2025, edition of the ACS Governing Documents is now available. New petitions to amend the Constitution or Bylaws must be received by the Chief Executive Officer (bylaws@acs.org) by April 30 to be included in the Council agenda for the fall 2025 meeting in Washington, DC. ACS members are invited to attend the Committee on Consistution and Bylaws (C&B) open meeting on Sunday, March 23, from 1:30 鈥� 2:00 pm PT in San Diego.
Questions or comments may be sent to C&B at bylaws@acs.org.
A Closer Look at Our Commitment听
The ACS Strategic Plan 2025-2029 was unveiled on January 1. Among the strategic components of the plan was a new element: 鈥渙ur commitment.鈥� Our commitment to improve all lives through the transforming power of chemistry captures our dedication to supporting the pursuit of new knowledge and understanding, which in turn enables better lives and a healthier planet. This ideal is at the core of everything we do, providing a north star for all aspects of the organization.
Our commitment ties to our previous plan, providing continuity to our purpose. The decision to repurpose our former vision statement in this way underscores the importance of this ideal. It recognizes the profound and transformative power chemistry and its ability to touch all lives. It highlights chemistry鈥檚 central role in science. And most importantly, it clearly defines all that we are working towards. To put it in simpler terms, as we move forward keeping our eye on the prize, our commitment is 鈥渢he prize.鈥�
Through our commitment, we recognize the fundamental nature of chemistry and its power to impact everyone and everything. The rest of the plan flows from that ideal.
Questions about the ACS Strategic Plan should be sent to strategicplan@acs.org.听
ACS Committees Need You!
If you are interested in serving on an ACS Committee, the online committee preference form for committee assignments is the best way to let us know your committee preferences, your background and your interests. The is now open and closes July 3, 2025.
Your ACS membership must be in good standing to complete your committee preferences. You should submit your committee preferences only if you feel that you can attend and actively participate in a committee鈥檚 meetings either virtually or in-person. ACS committees are working committees; attendance (virtually or in-person) and participation at committee and subcommittee meetings are important.
If you experience any problems or need assistance, please contact the Office of the ACS Secretary.
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Highlighted Governance Meetings
Priestley Medal Award & Board Open Meeting
Join the ACS Board of Directors Open Meeting as they host 2025 Priestley Medalist Dr. Frances H. Arnold on Sunday, March 23, 4:00 p.m. 鈥� 5:30 p.m. PT in the San Diego Convention Center, Room 6A/B.
Frances Arnold is the Linus Pauling Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biochemistry at the California Institute of Technology and the first American woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (2018). Arnold pioneered directed enzyme evolution and has used directed evolution to optimize biocatalysts for applications in alternative energy, chemicals, and medicine. Her methods are used throughout the world to engineer enzymes and other proteins. The Arnold lab now focuses on expanding DNA-encoded chemistry by discovery and optimization of new-to-nature enzyme activities and developing methods for AI and machine-learning-guided enzyme evolution and discovery.听
Dr. Arnold will be honored as the 2025 Priestley Medalist on Tuesday, March 25 during the ACS National Awards Banquet and Ceremony at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego. This meeting is open to all ACS Spring 2025 registered meeting attendees.
Attendees are invited to the ACS Connect Happy Hour immediately following the meeting in the Sails Pavilion and Terrace from 6:00-7:00 p.m. Stop by the ACS Board of Directors table during the reception to meet them.
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Presidential Events and Symposia
Join us for several exciting and engaging events being hosted in San Diego. Our divisions and committees have assembled an outstanding array of more than 12,000 papers and posters that will be presented! There are also education-focused programs for middle and high school teachers, undergraduate and graduate students, postdocs, and other chemistry professionals. They include a range of professional development courses, as well as programming and networking opportunities for our industrial chemists. The Global Virtual Symposia and the Virtual Graduate Students Symposium in the Asia-Pacific Region will also provide researchers with an opportunity to present their work virtually at times that are convenient within their local time zones and much more! If you don鈥檛 know where to start, check out the Presidential symposia and recommended events at acs.org/Pres.
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Committee & Governance Meetings
Unable to find information in your inbox about your upcoming Governance meeting? All Governance Meetings can be found on the Governance Meetings page. Other questions?听Contact us for more information.
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Caucuses
The Councilor Caucuses will be held online, in-person, or by hybrid format, before the Council meeting on Wednesday, March 26.听
Orientation Program & Reception for New Councilors and Alternate Councilors
The 2025 New Councilor Orientation Program for all newly elected Councilors and Alternate Councilors will be held on Saturday, March 22 from 3:00-6:00 p.m. PT at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, Indigo Ballroom C in San Diego, CA. A networking reception with Committee Chairs, caucus leaders, and mentors will follow from 6:00-7:00 p.m. This is an excellent opportunity to meet with other ACS leaders, establish mentoring relationships, and learn more about the 中国365bet中文官网 and its committees. Special remarks will be given by the ACS President and other ACS leaders.听
If you are a newly elected Councilor or Alternate Councilor, please place this important date on your calendar and
Please join us in congratulating our new Councilors and Alternate Councilors for 2025:
Councilors
(A-Z)
- Dr. Kevin L. 听Armbrust, Division of Agrochemicals
- Dr. Natia Frank, Sierra Nevada Section
- Dr. Nadine Kabengi, Division of Geochemistry
- Prof. William E. Lipton, Rock River Section
- Ms. Rebecca A. Lucht, Connecticut Valley Section
- Mr. Anthony Mariniello, Rubber Division
- Prof. Lisa A. McElwee-White, Division of Organic Chemistry
- Dr. Nicholas Meanwell, Division of Medicinal Chemistry
- Dr. Meghan R. Porter, Southern Indiana Section
- Dr. Margaret E. Schott, Chicago Section
- Dr. Kevin H. Shaughnessy, Alabama Section
- Dr. G. Robert Shelton, San Antonio Section
- Dr. Jana Shen, Division of Computers in Chemistry
- Dr. Caroline Sloan, North Carolina Section
Alternate Councilors
(A-P)
- Dr. Sourav Chakraborty, Connecticut Valley Section
- Dr. Jarrod Cohen, Division of Business Development and Management
- Dr. Brian M. Eklov, Kalamazoo Section
- Dr. James G. Goll, Wisconsin Section
- Dr. Matthew D. Hammers, Northeast Wisconsin Section
- Dr. Daniel 听Jacobs, Trenton Section
- Dr. Young-Shin Jun, Division of Environmental Chemistry
- Dr. Keith M. Krise, Erie Section
- Dr. Yunxiang Li, Dallas-Fort Worth Section
- Dr. Thomas Mathew, Southern California Section
- Prof. Michelle A. O'Malley, Division of Biochemical Technology
- Ms. Katharine Orr, Central New Mexico Section
- Dr. Nichole L. Powell, Georgia Section
Alternate Councilors
(Q-Z)
- Dr. Lauren E. Ragle, Chemical 中国365bet中文官网 of Washington Section
- Dr. Jon Douglas Rainier, Division of Organic Chemistry
- Dr. Sushma Ramsinghani, San Antonio Section
- Mrs. Analice H. Sowell, Memphis Section
- Dr. Robert L. von Tersch, Maryland Section
- Dr. Zakiya S. Wilson-Kennedy, Division of Chemical Education
- Prof. Yang Yang, Division of Organic Chemistry
- Dr. Irene S. Yurovskaya, Rubber Division
Help New Councilors Get Connected with the Councilor Mentorship Program
Share your experience as an ACS Councilor by helping your newly elected colleagues. Please consider becoming a part of the Councilor Mentorship Program and volunteer to mentor at least one new Councilor during 2025. Your colleagues look forward to building these relationships with you and benefiting from your experience. Many thanks to the Councilors who have volunteered in the past and have contributed to the success of this program. If you are interested in being a mentor this year, please send an email to cpc@acs.org.
Committee Announcements
Unassigned Local Section Territory: An Update from Committee on Local Section Activities (LSAC)
As reported in a , there are approximately 1,000 members residing within the United States that do not belong to an ACS Local Section. These members reside in US counties that fall outside existing Local Section territories. An LSAC Working Group on Unassigned Territory was formed to review existing and unassigned territory and to make recommendations on assigning the currently unassigned territory to Local Sections. LSAC encourages all Local Sections to review the proposed assignments and invites Local Sections that wish to propose alternate assignments of territory to provide feedback by April 30, 2025. A petition for the assignment of any uncontested (and resolved) assignments will be presented at the ACS fall 2025 Council meeting for action.
Committee on Women Chemists (WCC) Highlights Women Across the Chemical Enterprise in San Diego
On March 24, WCC and the ACS Division on Chemical Education will host a symposium featuring the 2025 ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences winner, Rachel Mamlok-Naaman at the San Diego Convention Center. WCC will also host its Women in the Chemical Enterprise Breakfast with Vanessa Rosa, Founder of Cuvette Collective, as the keynote speaker. The Women Chemists of Color 鈥淪weet Treats鈥� networking event will take place later that afternoon with Zaida Morales-Martinez, Retired Professor Emerita, Florida International University as the featured speaker. On March 25, the WCC Luncheon will feature the 2025 Garvan-Olin Medal Winner, Jean Chmielewski, as the keynote speaker. Winners of the WCC Rising Star Award, the Pfizer Emergent Leader Award, the Eli Lilly Travel Award, and the 2024 Priscilla Carney Jones Scholarship will be recognized. Later in the afternoon, WCC, in partnership with the Senior Chemists Committee, will host its 鈥楯ust Cocktails鈥� Reception in honor of Elizabeth Ann Nalley, ACS President 2006. The breakfast, networking, luncheon, and reception will be held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel. The WCC breakfast and luncheon are ticketed events. For more information, check out the or send an email to WCC@acs.org. We hope you will join us in San Diego!
Advancing Chemistry Education Collectively
Join the 中国365bet中文官网 Committee on Education (SOCED) in considering opportunities for increasing the effectiveness and impact of the rich collection of educational resources and programs across ACS at the SOCED open meeting on Wednesday, April 9 from 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET .
Committee on Professional Training (CPT) to Host Unique Symposium-Workshop
Join CPT and the ACS Green Chemistry Institute庐 (GCI) for an innovative symposium-workshop event. Markers of Excellence in ACS Approved Programs: Integrating Green Chemistry into the Curriculum. This event will take place on Monday, March 24, 2025, from 2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. PT in Room 2 at the San Diego Convention Center. Six speakers will share how they successfully integrated green chemistry into their classes followed by an interactive workshop-style session from 4:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., where attendees will work with speakers to explore ways to include green chemistry concepts in their own courses.
Committee on Ethics (ETHX) Open Meeting
The ACS Committee on Ethics Spring Open Meeting will take place in San Diego, California and virtually on Sunday, March 23, 2025, from 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. PT. All are welcome to attend. Send an email to ETHX@acs.org or l_rembertlang@acs.org for additional details.
Chemists with Disabilities (CWD) and Professionals with Disabilities Panel on March 23
The Committee on Chemists with Disabilities鈥� mission is to promote educational and professional opportunities in the chemical sciences and in fields requiring knowledge of chemistry for persons with disabilities by championing the capabilities of those persons to educators, employers, and peers. Join us in-person in at ACS Spring 2025 Meeting in San Diego on Sunday March 23, from 8:00 a.m. - 10:20 a.m. PT for 鈥淐hemical Technician Professionals with Disabilities: A Panel Discussion with Successful Chemists.鈥� This event is hosted by the ACS Committee on Chemical Technical Professionals and the Division of Professional Relations. For more information, contact cwd@acs.org.
National Awards Banquet and Ceremony
The 2025 National Awards Banquet and Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 in conjunction with ACS Spring 2025 meeting in San Diego, CA. It will be a hybrid event (in-person and virtual) at the Manchester Grand Hyatt on 1 Market Place and online. The in-person ceremony will begin at 6:30 p.m. PT with a reception, followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. PT. The ceremony will begin at 8:30 p.m. PT with remarks from the Priestley Medal recipient, Dr. Frances Arnold (California Institute of Technology) beginning at 9:30 p.m. PT. Tickets can be purchased via the ACS Spring 2025 meeting registration page.
Nominations Open for 2025 ACS Fellows
Nominations for the 2025 Class of ACS Fellows are open from February 1 to April 1, 2025. The ACS Fellows program recognizes ACS members for both their outstanding contributions to science and the profession and for their exemplary voluntary service to the ACS. Nominations can be submitted on behalf of Committees, Divisions, International Chemical Sciences Chapters, Local Sections, or by individual ACS members. Visit ACS Fellows or contact fellows@acs.org for more information.
Symposium Coming Soon: ACS Guidance on Reproductive Health Update
The Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS) and the Committee on Women Chemists (WCC) are sponsoring a symposium on reproductive health and safety at ACS Fall 2025 meeting in Washington D.C. More information about the symposium will be announced soon.
