Comment: Professional and member relations and you

As the chair of the American Chemical Society Committee on Professional and Member Relations (P&MR), I would like to make the case that P&MR is for all of us. By the time you read to the end of this Comment, you might agree.

The core mission of P&MR is to “advance through Board-level policy recommendations the professional and economic interests and stature of ACS members worldwide.” Great! But what exactly does this mean?

Professional development. Ask yourself: Am I looking for a job? Am I fulfilled in my career? How might I be more effective in my day job or volunteer work? How do I prepare for retirement? What’s the ACS Institute? (See what I did there?) The ACS Institute offers an array of in-person and online courses to help people in the ACS community learn new skills, develop competencies, and excel in their careers. Here are a few courses that have caught my eye: “Finding Yourself: Identifying a Career that Matches Your Strengths and Values,” the “ACS Essentials of Lab Safety” series, “Engaging and Motivating Volunteers,” and “Skydiving into Retirement.” P&MR informs the strategy of ACS resources for professional development, including the ACS Institute.

Membership. What does it mean to be a part of the ACS community? What does membership in ACS mean to you? What would add to the value of ACS membership or increase your engagement with ACS? These are big questions. P&MR is responsible for helping ACS members understand ACS objectives and programs related to professional and member relations. P&MR has provided strategic recommendations to help recruit, retain, and engage industry members. I have benefited professionally and personally from being an ACS member and active volunteer. Please share your feedback with me on what you would like to find in the areas of professional and member relations and what would make you more engaged as an ACS member.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect (DEIR). These are core values of ACS, and it is fitting that P&MR is responsible for assessing and facilitating the progress of ACS in these areas. P&MR supports the ACS DEIR roundtable and helped refine the ACS statement on DEIR that was approved by the Board of Directors in August 2024. You can read it online at www.acs.org/about/diversity.html. The statement ends with this call to action: “We call upon every leader and member of the global chemistry community, from students and educators to researchers and professionals, to actively engage with and advocate for an environment where everyone can thrive and reach their fullest potential.”

ACS National Awards. Admit it: When the list of winners of ACS National Awards is published in Chemical & Engineering News, you have scanned the list and thought, Cool, I know that person! Or perhaps, Why isn’t (insert name) on this list? What can you do about the latter? Submit a nomination. Nominations generally require a recommendation letter and up to two letters of support, a biographical sketch, and a list of the nominee’s selected publications and patents. ACS National Award nominations are due on Nov. 1 of each year. More information may be found at www.acs.org/funding/awards/national.html. Any questions about the awards may be directed to awards@acs.org. P&MR guides oversight of and the selection process for ACS National Awards through the ACS National Awards Advisory Board and supports the framework for funding of these awards. If you are interested in serving on an ACS National Award canvassing or selection committee, please tell us by filling out a response form, which can be found online at cenm.ag/acs-committee-self-nom.

ACS Fellows. ACS Fellows is a special program that was created by the ACS Board of Directors in 2008 to recognize ACS members for their contributions to science, the profession, education, or management, and their exemplary volunteer service to ACS. How does one submit a nomination? Nomination packages include a nomination letter and two supporting letters; up to six short descriptions each of the impact that the nominee has had to science, the profession, education, or management and as a volunteer serving the ACS community; a résumé; and a short list of the nominee’s honors and awards. Packages are due on April 1 of each year. More information can be found online at www.acs.org/funding/awards/acs-fellows.html. And any questions may be directed to fellows@acs.org. P&MR guides the selection process through the ACS Fellows Oversight Committee.

Thank you to all of you for your involvement in ACS, and a special thank you to those who serve to advance the areas we support in P&MR.