ACS launches webinar series on improving the culture of chemistry

Beginning Nov. 10, ACS Publications will introduce a series of webinars aimed at improving chemistry’s culture and making workplaces more diverse, safer, and more sustainable. A new webinar will be introduced every month through April 2021 and will feature conversations on topics such as work-life balance, mental health, diversity and inclusion, mentorship, career planning, and laboratory safety.

The first webinar will be “Changing the Culture of Chemistry: Race and Diversity in the Lab” and will take place at 11:00 a.m. (EST) Nov. 10. Topics include understanding the scope of racial challenges in the lab; creating an inclusive environment of excellence through recruitment, retention, and career advancement; and working to ensure that colleagues feel safe and respected.

Speakers are Edgar A. Arriaga, chemistry professor at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and chair of the American Chemical Society Committee on Professional Training; Ann C. Kimble-Hill, assistant research professor in biochemistry and molecular biology at the Indiana University School of Medicine and chair of the ACS Committee on Minority Affairs; and Steven D. Townsend, assistant professor of chemistry at Vanderbilt University and editorial advisory board member of ACS Central Science. Carlos Toro, senior managing editor at ACS Publications, will moderate a discussion after the presentations.

The webinars are free to the public. To register for the Nov. 10 webinar, visit connect.acspubs.org/changingchemculture_diversity.