by Lily Moseley, Economics and International Affairs, 2017
This year has been extremely exciting for Northeastern’s chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS), which was awarded the “Outstanding” honor for its club activities and events during 2015-2016. The honor, the highest presented by the ACS’s national chapter, is an acknowledgement of the growth and expansion of the Northeastern chapter’s activities and its dedication to making chemistry more accessible.
The honor takes into account the club’s innovative approach toward fulfilling aspects of the society’s mission to make chemistry more inviting and applicable. Components of accomplishing this vision include community service and volunteering in the Boston community, such as at the Museum of Science and the Boston Children’s Museum, hosting chemistry-centered professional development and networking events, and conducting outreach for chemistry education. The club serves as a hub for extracurricular engagement and interaction with chemistry by presenting the discipline through a fun and novel lens. Chapter events have featured speakers from food chemists and beer brewers, to forensic chemists, displaying the versatility of the field.
Jane Compton, NUSAACS president, described the club as aiming to show that everyone can learn and enjoy chemistry. This message is central to the club’s events, whether in the form of encouraging young girls and teaching them that they can be successful in the field, connecting with freshman students on the various career paths possible with a background in the discipline, or collaborating and sharing insights with other university chemistry clubs in Boston.
The club has a strong membership, with about 40 to 60 members in attendance of weekly meetings and a greater community of approximately 200 people. The board and regular club members alike dedicated a great deal of effort to expanding the club’s activities this year. Members at all levels are highly incorporated in the decision process for determining the vision for the chapter, and the club also acts as a setting for mentoring among chemistry-focused students. Additionally, the chapter works closely with and receives strong support from College of Science staff, including COS Dean Kenneth Henderson and Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Chair Mike Pollastri.
Compton expressed elation at the club receiving the honor, and noted its significance to all involved:
“It means a ton and really shows how hard we’ve worked in all different aspects across the club and in chemistry. All members were really excited, not just the E-board, which shows that everyone is really invested.”
Compton and other members are looking toward continuing the chapter’s track of excellence this year, and hoping to take efforts even further by connecting with other disciplines across the COS and increasing interaction between graduate and undergraduate chemistry students.
