A look at the International ACS Student Chapters

The American Chemical Society chartered its first ACS international student chapter in April 2014 at the Technical University of Munich. Now, the society has 26 international student chapters in 17 countries: Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates.

These chapters are growing in parallel with ACS International Chemical Sciences Chapters, which now number 16 (C&EN, June 22, 2015, page 43). To remain active, student chapters need to maintain a minimum of six paid ACS members and submit a report at least once every three years.

The student chapters give international student members of ACS an opportunity to learn more about the society and its resources, build a community around chemistry, and stay engaged with ACS, says Nicole Di Fabio, manager of undergraduate programs at ACS. It’s also an opportunity for students to gain cross-cultural experiences. Some of the student chapter members, for example, have attended ACS national meetings in the U.S., where they’ve presented their research.

Here is a look at what some of these international student chapters have been up to since their formation.