Leading Together, Fall 2006

Leading Together

The Quarterly Newsletter for ACS Local Section Officers

An Innovation Invitation—Local Sections Connecting Chemistry and the Community
One phrase you will likely hear and see a lot in the near future is “ACS Local Sections: Connecting Chemistry and the Community”. This focus for local sections was developed at the Local Section Summit held last spring. ACS members and the Local Section Activities Committee (LSAC) came together to articulate a vision for local sections and prioritize directions for the future to best promote the Society and chemistry at the local level. Another important idea that we heard was that local sections are looking for increased opportunities for innovation. More>>

How I Became an ACS Volunteer
Having never organized any significant event (not even my own wedding), I collaborated with a colleague to organize Chemistry in the Mall for NCW. I admit I found the event to be stressful but I was so overwhelmed by the magnitude of its success -- dozens of volunteers (students, chemists, and educators) and THOUSANDS of children, parents, and other adults – that I could feel the excitement and wonder of chemistry and to my amazement the experience was worth more than the investment. More>>

Leading Together Survey Winner Receives Free ACS Merchandise
Congratulations to Charles Price, chair of the Oklahoma Local Section, for completing the recent survey on Leading Together. He will receive $100.00 of merchandise for his local section from the Local Section and Community Activities Catalogue. We want to thank all of you who took the time to complete the survey, especially for your suggestions and comments. Your feedback will help us make this electronic newsletter a better resource and help you in your leadership position of the local sections. Feedback is always welcome. Please send comments and suggestions to olsa@acs.org.

Speaker Planning Kickoff
Save the Date!
Please be sure that your 2007 chair-elect attends the ACS Leaders Conference in Baltimore, Md., on January 26–28, 2007. In addition to first-rate leadership development training, the ACS Leaders Conference serves as the traditional official kick-off for 2008 Speaker Service Planning. Chairs-elect will have the opportunity to network with their colleagues from nearby local sections, compare meeting calendars, and begin prelimary selection of speakers. Advanced registration will open in mid-November.

Quarterly Newsletter Fall 2006 Leading Together is published jointly by the Technology, Tools and Operations Subcommittee of the ACS Local Section Activities Committee and the ACS Office of Local Section Activities. Backissues Summer 06 Spring 06 Winter 06 2005-2003 Local Section Activities Committee Executive Committee Will Lynch, Chair Les McQuire, Chair Alliances and Partnerships Subcommittee Charlene Hayden, Chair Grants and Awards Subcommittee Wayne Jones, Chair Local Section Assistance and Development Subcommittee Victoria Finkenstadt, Chair Technology, Tools and Operations Subcommittee Mark O'Brien Staff Liaison ACS Office of Local Section Activities Cheryl Brown x4407 Senior Membership Associate Elaine Diggs x 6149 Senior Membership Associate Juanita Hampton x6096 Membership Assistant Debra McLaughlin x4613 Membership Associate Mark O'Brien x4611 Manager Important Dates Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting (RMRM) (Oct. 14-18, 2006) Southwest Regional Meeting (SWRM) (Oct. 19-22, 2006) National Chemistry Week (Oct. 22-28, 2006) Midwest Regional Meeting (MWRM) (Oct. 25-27, 2006) Southeast Regional Meeting (SERMACS) (Nov. 1-4, 2006) 1155 16th Street, NW Washington, DC 20036 800/227-5558 chemistry.org/localsections	*Leading Together*
	*The Quarterly Newsletter for ACS Local Section Officers*

	Innovative Project Grants Lead to ChemLuminary Award! What do a Science in the Cinema program in Southern California and a Careers in Chemistry event in Central Texas have in common? Both projects were funded by Innovative Project Grants (IPGs) from the Local Section Activities Committee (LSAC) in 2004 and both won ChemLuminary Awards in 2005! More>> Board Oversight Group Leadership Development Phase One implementation of the ACS Leadership Development Learning System (LDLS) is moving along right on schedule, under the direction and coordination of the ACS Board Oversight Group for Leadership Development (BOG). This key underpinning of the ACS’ transformed training program for all Society volunteers is designed to prepare ACS members for current and future leadership roles with training on appropriate competencies useful not only in their ACS volunteer positions but valuable in the work world as well. More>> If You Build It, Will They Come? In the film Field of Dreams, an Iowa farmer builds a baseball diamond in a cornfield all because a mysterious voice tells him, “If you build it, they will come.” And people do, by the thousands. But in real life, building “it” often isn’t enough. In fact, it is not uncommon for an outstanding, well-planned activity or event to have a lower than expected turnout! What can a local section do to improve the situation? Well, as the movie also suggests, “ If you believe the impossible, the incredible can come true.” More>>
	Chair's Column
	An Innovation Invitation—Local Sections Connecting Chemistry and the Community One phrase you will likely hear and see a lot in the near future is “ACS Local Sections: Connecting Chemistry and the Community”. This focus for local sections was developed at the Local Section Summit held last spring. ACS members and the Local Section Activities Committee (LSAC) came together to articulate a vision for local sections and prioritize directions for the future to best promote the Society and chemistry at the local level. Another important idea that we heard was that local sections are looking for increased opportunities for innovation. More>>
	Featured Volunteer
	How I Became an ACS Volunteer Having never organized any significant event (not even my own wedding), I collaborated with a colleague to organize Chemistry in the Mall for NCW. I admit I found the event to be stressful but I was so overwhelmed by the magnitude of its success -- dozens of volunteers (students, chemists, and educators) and THOUSANDS of children, parents, and other adults – that I could feel the excitement and wonder of chemistry and to my amazement the experience was worth more than the investment. More>> Leading Together Survey Winner Receives Free ACS Merchandise Congratulations to Charles Price, chair of the Oklahoma Local Section, for completing the recent survey on Leading Together. He will receive $100.00 of merchandise for his local section from the Local Section and Community Activities Catalogue. We want to thank all of you who took the time to complete the survey, especially for your suggestions and comments. Your feedback will help us make this electronic newsletter a better resource and help you in your leadership position of the local sections. Feedback is always welcome. Please send comments and suggestions to olsa@acs.org.
	*Tools and Tips for Success*
	Leveraging Your Budget for Goals and Activities How can you leverage whatever budget you have to accomplish your section’s goals? The more limited your resources, the clearer your goals and action plans must be and the more creative you’ll need to be. Start by thinking about and discussing your section’s goals for the year. Identify the most important ones. Determine the easiest goals to achieve. Focus on the goals that will make the biggest impact on the section, its members, and the community. Don’t give into the temptation to spread your energy and your money too thinly. Don’t placate the biggest complainers. Set clear objectives, and figure out how to measure the success as well as the failure of an activity. More>>
	*Assistance and Development*
	Alternate Councilors: A Hidden Resource? We elect them for a 3-year term, then we forget them, or at least that is what some sections seem to do. In a section with conscientious councilors, alternate councilors may never have an opportunity to substitute for councilors at an ACS national meeting. They have shown an interest in being active, so how can you use this valuable resource in your local section? More>>
	*Alliances*
	Communicating via the International Language of Chemistry Working with other scientific associations or groups can be educational and fun. An experience with the Chinese American Chemical Society (CACS) is an example of how a successful alliance with an associated group can be beneficial to your local section. More>> National Chemistry Week—a Great Opportunity for Partnerships National Chemistry Week (NCW) provides an excellent opportunity to develop relationships or partnerships with various organizations in your local community. Your section and your NCW committee could benefit in many ways, such as having a venue for some of your NCW events, audiences for your activities (reaching more of your public), publicity for the events, etc. And your partners could benefit from a long-term relationship with their local sections by providing events for their customers (patrons, students, etc.), contacts for future events or programs, or sources for scientific or chemical information when needed. More>>
	*Awards and Recognition*
	2006 Innovative Project Grants Awarded The Local Section Activities Committee has awarded $74,000 in funding to 33 local sections that submitted proposals for Innovative Project Grants (IPGs). These awards were made on the recommendation of the Grants and Awards Subcommittee, which received a total of 36 proposals by the August 1, 2006, application deadline. IPGs encourage innovative programming for which a local section needs financial support to undertake. Local sections wishing to apply for a 2007 IPG should go to http://chemistry.org/localsections and review the grant requirements by clicking on the “Improve Your Finances” link. The next deadline to apply for an IPG is March 1, 2007.
	*News From the Office of Community Activities*
	Gearing Up for National Chemistry Week 2006, “Your Home— It’s All Built on Chemistry” Next week, thousands of chemists from all over the country will participate in National Chemistry Week (NCW). This year’s theme, “Your Home—It’s All Built on Chemistry” will be celebrated October 22-28. This is the time of the year that members and non-members alike unite with the common goal of spreading the word about the positive contributions of chemistry in their everyday lives and within their communities. More>>
	*Spotlight On ACS*
	ACS Careers Book Club ACS is offering interested members an opportunity to expand their horizons in their career development by participating in a book club: read a book, share your thoughts, and discuss it online with other readers. Discussions are led and facilitated by Dorothy Rodmann, an ACS Career Consultant, who responds to posted comments each evening during the first week. You can post your comments on these books anytime on the book club site. More>> Apply for a YCC Leadership Development Award Today!! Are you taking on or pursuing a position of leadership? Would you like to develop the skills needed to be successful? If so, you should apply for a YCC Leadership Award!!. YCC awards 15 younger chemists with the opportunity to participate in the annual ACS Leaders’ Conference. These awards cover the expenses of attending a leadership development workshop held in conjunction with the American Chemical Society’s Leaders Conference in Baltimore, MD, January 26 – 28, 2007. Participants will explore the behaviors and characteristics exhibited by effective leaders at any level. Potential leadership opportunities, both within and outside the workplace, will be discussed and personal plans for improving leadership skills will be developed. Participants will also work along side other ACS local, regional, and national leaders who are looking to strengthen their own leadership, management, and communication skills. This is an excellent chance to network and witness first hand the qualities successful leaders possess!! The application deadline is Friday, December 01, 2006. Application forms and further information about the awards are available at chemistry.org/ycc.Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the YCC Staff Liaison, Ivan Suleiman at i_suleiman@acs.org.
	*Innovative Event*	*Featured Technology*
	Neighboring Local Sections Sponsor a Successful Joint Event! It was a beautiful summer evening: sunshine and a brief shower, followed by a spectacular rainbow that stretched across the sky from the Green Mountains to the lake. Twenty chemists sat in a vineyard, on an island in the middle of Lake Champlain , drinking wine and enjoying a selection of local foods. More>>	Did You Miss the Last Brown Bag Teleconference? The Office of Local Section Activities and the Local Section Activities Committee hold teleconferences periodically to provide ongoing training and support for local section officers in leading their local sections. The audio transcripts of these conferences are available for those who were unable to listen to them in real time, or for those who participated in the teleconference(s) but would like to review all or some of the topics discussed in the respective calls.
	*Featured Resource*	*Featured Product*
	Speaker Planning Kickoff Save the Date! Please be sure that your 2007 chair-elect attends the ACS Leaders Conference in Baltimore, Md., on January 26–28, 2007. In addition to first-rate leadership development training, the ACS Leaders Conference serves as the traditional official kick-off for 2008 Speaker Service Planning. Chairs-elect will have the opportunity to network with their colleagues from nearby local sections, compare meeting calendars, and begin prelimary selection of speakers. Advanced registration will open in mid-November.	NCW Gator Clips (10/pk) These large-mouth clips are equipped with magnets on the back and are great for posting the latest news about your celebration. Clip it and stick it to every refrigerator in the building to let others know what’s in store for NCW! Packs of 10 are available in assorted colors of blue, red, or yellow can be purchased through the ACS Online Store for $12/pack (N5606).
	FEEDBACK? We welcome your feedback and questions regarding Leading Together. In order to ensure a timely response to your inquiry, please e-mail your feedback and questions to OLSA. TELL A FRIEND Leading Together is sent to all local section officers. Please feel free to forward this to others whom you think might be interested. SUBSCRIBE YOURSELF If this message was forwarded to you by a colleague and you'd like to receive this information directly, click here to register. Copyright © 2006 American Chemical Society. All Rights Reserved.