The keynote speakers this year are ACS Directors Glenn Ruskin and Mary Kirchhoff. They will focus on activities in Washington D.C. with the Obama administration in terms of science education, how ACS is assisting with those efforts, and what we can do locally to support those efforts. This will also be a good opportunity for local teachers, students, and others to share their thoughts with these ACS directors so the speakers can take feedback to Washington D.C.
“The Chemistry of Advocacy”
Glenn S. Ruskin; Director of Office of Public Affairs, American Chemical Society
The ACS Congressional charter passed in 1937 and signed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, calls upon the ACS to “encourage in the broadest and most liberal manner the advancement of chemistry in all its branches; increase the diffusion of chemical knowledge, …promote scientific interest and inquiry, …foster public welfare and education, aiding the development of our nation’s industries, and adding to the material prosperity and happiness of our people.”
This presentation will examine how ACS fulfills its Congressional charter through the advocacy efforts of members, governance and staff. At the core of ACS advocacy are the members of the Society – without them there would be no ACS positions or advocacy. The members decide through the ACS committee structure what the positions and priorities of the Society shall be and government relations staff in the ACS Office of Public Affairs, joined by members of the ACS Legislative Action Network and local section Government Affairs Committees and ACS governance, communicate those priority positions on Capitol Hill, with the Executive branch and other interested organizations.
The presentation will pull together all the various pieces of ACS advocacy to give participants an overall understanding of how ACS policies are created, communicated and advocated, and the presentation will explain how the ACS priorities fit into the larger legislative environment in Washington, DC.
ACS: Serving Learners and Educators
Mary Kirchhoff; Director of Education, American Chemical Society
Education features prominently in the charter of the American Chemical Society, a charter that promotes the education of both citizens and professional chemists. Education equips professional chemists, as well as all members of society, to advance in the new millennium, developing 21st century solutions to complex problems. In fulfilling its Congressional Charter, the Society has created a number of long-standing, dynamic education programs. At the same time, ACS must be responsive in meeting the needs of the changing chemistry enterprise. This presentation will examine the challenges and opportunities facing science education today and will highlight the education resources of the American Chemical Society using the five goals of the Education Division strategic plan as a framework.
FMS Links
