Comment: Community—highlighting the power of ACS divisions

“The scientific community is smaller than you think.” We have all probably heard this sentiment before at our jobs, with colleagues, or even at an American Chemical Society meeting. This notion highlights the increasingly interconnected world we live in, where communities and networks bring us closer than ever before. For a professional society like ACS, the power of community and belonging not only provides value to our members but also fosters collaboration, innovation, and personal growth. A powerful sense of community enhances your professional relationships and career development and cultivates an environment where individuals feel valued and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives. When members of ACS come together with a shared purpose, we create a network of trust, increase our ability to influence society, and allow for the advancement of science in ways we could never achieve on our own. I believe that our divisions are paramount to making these actions a reality.

ACS understands the importance of communities and achieves community through regional engagement: our local sections and international chapters, and topical areas: our divisions. ACS has 32 divisions focused on providing communities that have shared professional interests. We have over 200,000 members in the society, with divisions for everyone, whether their interests are a central chemistry discipline, like analytical or organic chemistry; an application science, like polymers or agriculture; or career-aligned, like chemistry and the law or health and safety. Within ACS, there is a home for everyone. Our divisions truly demonstrate that we are all part of a world built on science.

While many of you are already members of one of our divisions, many of you are not. I know what you are thinking: “I am already a member of the ACS. Why should I bother joining a division?” Well, I am glad you asked because I am here to highlight what these communities can do for you!

▸ Networking and community. We have all had a point in our careers when we went to a colleague for advice or needed help learning about a company where we were interviewing. Divisions facilitate connections among their members, unifying us around a specific field or professional area within chemistry. Even better, divisions often provide programming that brings their members together at our spring, fall, and regional meetings—or at more focused conferences.

▸ Educational resources. Are you considering a career change, or do you want to understand an area of chemistry new to you that your research has led you to? Divisions can connect you with top scientists in a given field, provide courses and workshops on various topics, and host webinars that display the latest and greatest in specific fields.

▸ Professional development. Mentorship, skills building, technical training, and scientific sharing all contribute to the professional success of scientists.

▸ Advocacy and representation. Our divisions ensure that ACS continues to highlight critical areas of science that have a high impact in our society. In a time when trust in science is waning, our divisions advocate for scientists, promote scientific successes, and communicate to the public the value of their field.

▸ Programming at meetings. Most recognizable, our divisions are the foundation of our fall and spring meetings. If you have attended one of these meetings, you know that the programming is a product of countless volunteer hours of developing robust and high-quality programs for all those who attend.

Now that I have convinced you of the value of divisions, it is time to become a part of what makes ACS great and find your community. Division membership brings you a more intimate community and a sense of belonging at a time when it is needed most. As we continue building on the success of divisions from the last 100-plus years, we aim to adapt to the changing landscape of chemistry. When you define yourself as a chemist, you most likely are not a fit for only one division. For example, you may be a materials scientist or a pharmaceutical scientist. You may be part of the energy community or a food scientist. The interdisciplinary nature of science means we can reach new heights as a society through collaboration. I am happy to say that our divisions are more collaborative than ever, and we hope to continue to bring our divisions together to provide these interdisciplinary communities for our members.

So, what can you do to help? The answer is simple: we are strongest when we are working together, so join divisions at www.acs.org/technical-divisions and get involved because, together, we truly can realize a world built on science.

Views expressed are those of the author and not necessarily those of C&EN or ACS.