Women Chemists Committee Takes Off In Midland

The Midland Section of the American Chemical Society launched its Women Chemists Committee on April 24 at an event held at Whiting Forest, in Midland, Mich. Spearheading formation of the group was Jaime Curtis-Fisk, with help from Wendy Flory, Michelle Cummings, and others. Curtis-Fisk is a formulation scientist at Dow Chemical and the chair of the new WCC. Flory is an analytical chemist at Dow Chemical, and Cummings is a development chemist at Dow Corning, as well as chair of the Midland Section.

Chemists and chemical engineers from Dow Chemical and Dow Corning, as well as chemistry professors and students from Central Michigan University attended the kick-off.

“The attendance and participation in the kick-off events reflects the high level of interest in the Midland section WCC,” says Janet M. Smith, a research technologist at Dow Corning and a member of the WCC steering committee.

The Midland Section WCC aims to support women scientists in the region through outreach, networking, and career development activities, Curtis-Fisk says. It will focus its outreach efforts on young girls and will highlight the roles of women in science. It intends to build networking connections between the two companies, as well as mentoring relationships with students in the surrounding universities. And it hopes to serve as a forum for discussing career development and professional training topics of broad interest.

“The WCC clearly is another way women chemists in our local section can further their careers,” comments Wendell L. Dilling, an adjunct professor at Central Michigan University and a director of the ACS Midland Section. “I support anything that can help women advance,” adds Dilling, who was one of several men at the WCC kick-off.