ACS Launches Spanish-language Webinars

ACS has launched a series of ACS Webinars presented entirely in Spanish. The first of these webinars took place on March 18 and focused on energy topics, including alternative renewable energy sources and the development of solar cells.

ACS Immediate Past-President Tom Barton, who initiated this Spanish-language series, says that one of the goals of his presidential term has been to “establish strong and sustainable relationships with our sister chemical societies in Latin America.” The webinars are jointly produced with the Chemical Society of Mexico.

The speakers for the March 18 webinar were Luis Echegoyen, professor of chemistry at the University of Texas, El Paso, and Héctor D. Abruña, professor of chemistry and chemical biology at Cornell University.

“I am very excited about this new initiative,” says Ingrid Montes, a chemistry professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, who is an organizer and moderator of the webinars. “Through this initiative, ACS will increase its visibility in Latin America and Spain. At the same time the Spanish-speaking population will have the benefit of learning in their native language about important topics related to chemistry,” Abruña says.

“The Spanish-speaking constituency is one that’s growing very rapidly, so trying to make them feel engaged and part of the larger family of chemists and chemical practitioners is a great idea.”

Three more Spanish-language webinars are being planned for later this year. For more information, visit www.acs.org/acswebinars.