ACS Fall 2021 meeting will be hybrid

The ACS Fall 2021 meeting will go ahead in a hybrid format, with both virtual and in-person sessions. The in-person segment of the meeting will take place in Atlanta Aug. 22–26.

In deciding whether to go forward with the hybrid meeting, ACS considered input from the more than 7,000 presenters who submitted abstracts. Preferences were split, with about half indicating they wished to present in person and half choosing to present virtually.

“With nearly 50% of papers elected to be presented in person, and the ability to safely conduct a limited in-person meeting for the first time since the start of the pandemic more than a year ago, it is clear ACS members are eager to gather in person in a safe way to share their science,” Paul Jagodzinski, chair of the ACS board of directors, says in a press release.

It will be the first ACS meeting with an in-person component since the ACS Fall 2019 meeting in San Diego. The ACS Spring 2020 meeting, planned for March 2020, was canceled due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic, and ACS’s Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 meetings were virtual due to continuing safety concerns.

ACS acknowledges in a press release that the recently passed voting law in Georgia, criticized by many as restricting residents’ voting rights, is “extremely concerning.” They note that government officials are making attempts to mediate and overturn the law, and that former Georgia congresswoman Stacey Abrams has called on organizations to not withdraw their business because it could hurt Atlanta’s local workers.

“ACS holds the belief that voting rights are fundamental to our U.S. democracy and is hopeful that all states and the federal government will ensure all of its citizens are permitted the right to vote without barrier or limitation,” Jagodzinski says in the press release.

During the meeting, ACS will also hold additional outreach activities geared toward the local community, specifically students from underrepresented populations. The aim of this outreach will be “to increase awareness, excitement and understanding of chemistry, and to attract greater diversity to the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) pipeline and the chemistry enterprise,” the press release states.

The theme of the meeting will be “Resilience of Chemistry.” Abstract submission is now closed, and registration information and the final technical program will be available in the coming months. To view the planned symposia topics and access more information about the meeting as it becomes available, visit bit.ly/36uzyHf.