Highlights from the Fall 2005 ACS National Meeting

The Committee on Local Section Activities (LSAC) has had a successful year so far and has completed much work in the area of providing services and assistance to local sections in 2005. The fall national meeting is always a culminating point in the year and a time to reflect on some of the great work that local sections carry out annually. It is also a time to reflect on some of the new items of interest that LSAC and the Office of Local Section Activities (OLSA) provide to streamline our volunteer commitment. I would like to call your attention to a few items of interest to local sections.

At the fall national meeting each year, a signature event of the ACS is the annual ChemLuminary Awards . This event recognizes outstanding volunteerism and activities by ACS members and, in particular, local sections. I would like to recognize the winners in the Outstanding Performance Category by section size. These awards recognize outstanding yearlong efforts by local sections to serve their membership and communities.

Single-event awards for a local section activity included: "Best Activity or Program Stimulating Membership Involvement" presented to Delaware ; "Most Innovative New Activity or Program" awarded to Southern California ; and “Best Activity Involving a Local Section-Division Interaction” presented to the Brazosport Local Section and the Division of Chemical Technicians. Congratulations to these local sections for their work to serve the membership over the course of 2004. Finally, thank you to all local sections for all the wonderful activities that each of you perform on a daily basis for our Society.

LSAC and the OLSA have released the 2004 Statistical Review of Local Section Activities. The information provided gives local sections an opportunity to review not only their activities but also to compare their activities to those of others in their section size category or any size category. Take a few moments to look it over and see all the great activities that our sections are carrying out throughout the country.

eRosters are now available. This is an important step forward for the ACS and local sections. This electronic database (updated monthly) provides local sections with the same information as the former bi-monthly rosters, but in a much timelier, user-friendly format. The power of this database is significant: 1) Approved local section officials have instant access to their membership; and 2) The eRosters can be sorted in any number of ways through the use of electronic spreadsheets. For example, you want to do some targeted technical programming, sort by division membership. Interested in starting a Silver Circle or YCC? Sort by years of service or birth date. How about a WCC? Sort by sex. Event targeting bachelor's level chemists? Sort by degree. You get the point. If your local section hasn't looked into eRosters, contact Mark O'Brien to get the ball rolling on this valuable new tool available to you!

LSAC continues to reach out to sections through the Assistance and Development Subcommittee. This year, 29 peer-to-peer local section contacts were made and visits to six local sections are in the planning stages. These visits are designed to re-energize and refocus the local section to improve services to its members, and they involve a member of LSAC as well as an ACS staff member. In Washington, DC , the subcommittee hosted a breakfast for invited local sections to discuss ways to enhance member services. Plans are to continue this activity at future national meetings.

The LSAC Subcommittee on Grants and Awards has finished reviewing proposals for the 2005 Innovative Projects Grants funding cycle. LSAC received 64 proposals in 2005, requesting $170,000. Forty-nine proposals were approved, and $115,000 in funding has been awarded which is the complete allotment for 2005. It is great to see all the activity that the Petition to Increase Local Section and Division Funding, passed some two years ago, has created. LSAC plans to place further information (including funding ideas and final reports) on the Website to assist local sections with ideas to consider for future projects. The deadline for 2006 proposals is March 1, 2006, so start thinking now about future projects for your section.

LSAC has virtually completed its fifth year of the online annual report process (SOLAR). SOLAR has become part of the local section culture and expedites the reporting process greatly for our sections as well as the committee. Also on the technology front, LSAC will launch in the future improved Web templates for local section Webmasters to use—so keep your eyes open for this valuable new feature in the short term.

Well, enough for now. I will close by thanking each of you for the great work that you carry out on behalf of the Society. Your service is a cornerstone of the Society. As you can see it has been productive year for the Committee on Local Section Activities as well as the Office of Local Section Activities. I trust our work has helped to meet our mission of providing programs, products and services to enhance the activities at the local level.

Will Lynch, Chair
Local Section Activities Committee

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