Celebrating strong relationships

At every scientific conference, professionals come together to network, learn, and exchange ideas. The rich spectrum of experiences, expertise, and perspectives in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) was on full display at three conferences this fall.

The conferences, which the American Chemical Society sponsors, showcased how advances in STEM are informed by the intersection of identity, culture, and heritage of the students and professionals in each of these fields.

The conferences were hosted by AISES, the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE), and the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS). Each conference is in its 5th decade of convening scientists from Indigenous, Black and African American, and Chicano and Hispanic communities.

ACS has long-standing partnerships with these three organizations, and we share a goal of fostering inclusion and equity in STEM fields. Innovation flourishes when scientists from different backgrounds, identities, and experiences come together.

ACS participated in the conference expos as a sponsor to meet with attendees and connect them with ACS resources. Popular topics included chemistry education materials and student opportunities such as Project SEED and the ACS Scholars Program. ACS staff also hosted hands-on activities to engage local K–12 students at the AISES STEM Activity Day and the NOBCChE STEM Fest.

ACS collaborates with these organizations to build a stronger chemistry community. For example, ACS offers student travel awards so that talented undergraduate and graduate students from the three organizations have an opportunity to experience a spring or fall ACS national meeting.

As in previous years, these conferences celebrated scientific innovation and community leadership through their sessions, keynote presentations, and prestigious awards. Several ACS members were among the awardees.

At the 2024 AISES National Conference in San Antonio, Texas, Jani Ingram of Northern Arizona University received the 2024 Ely S. Parker Award, AISES’s highest honor. Her work as an analytical chemist focuses on translating environmental chemistry research into tangible benefits for at-risk populations.

Mary Jo Ondrechen of Northeastern University won the AISES Technical Excellence 2024 award for her development of partial order optimum likelihood (POOL), a machine learning method designed to predict biochemically active amino acids within protein structures.

Jesse Peltier of Northeastern University won the 2024 Most Promising Engineer or Scientist award in recognition of his research and innovation in sustainability, including work on hydrogen storage materials, a critical area for reducing fossil fuel dependence and mitigating climate change.

At the NOBCChE annual conference in Orlando, Florida, Guillermo Ameer of Northwestern University received the Percy L. Julian Award, NOBCChE’s highest honor, for his pioneering work in regenerative medicine, including his work in bionanotechnology for improved therapeutics and diagnostics.

Sibrina Collins of Eastern Michigan University was honored with the Henry McBay Outstanding Educator Award for her work inspiring the next generation of future scientists, including her leadership in using chemistry stories as a tool for classroom engagement.

Shana Stoddard of Rhodes College won the Lloyd N. Ferguson Young Scientist Award for her research designing tools to improve patient outcomes with autoimmune disorders.

At the NDiSTEM 2024 Conference hosted by SACNAS in Phoenix, Arizona, Eugene S. Mananga of The City University of New York received SACNAS’s Distinguished Mentor Award. His research spans a range of topics in condensed matter physics, materials science, and computational science.

If you are interested in making STEM more inclusive and diverse, consider attending an event or national conference with one or more of ACS’s partners. AISES will hold its next national conference Oct. 2–4, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOBCChE will hold its annual conference from Sept. 22–25, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia, and SACNAS will host its conference Oct. 30–Nov. 1, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio.