At the 233rd ACS National Meeting in Chicago, the Council approved the formation of the 190th ACS local section, the Snake River Local Section. Recently, during the 62nd Northwest Regional Meeting in Boise, ID, ACS President Katie Hunt welcomed the nearly 100 members of the Snake River Local Section to the Society. This section, with headquarters in Boise and covering much of central and southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon, was a result of a group of local chemists coming together to connect chemistry and the community. The formation of this section will give a focal point to the members’ individual efforts to enhance the chemical enterprise and the public in their region through formalizing and centralizing their activities. They will bring the strength of the Society to bear via their local section activities.

The Snake River Local Section gives us pause to reminisce about local sections and their place in the Society. In 1891, a group of chemists in Rhode Island and New York must have been sharing their passion for chemistry and determined that by formalizing their relationship through a local section, they could better serve their membership. The formation of these two sections was followed two years later, in 1893, by the formation of the Chemical Society of Washington and Lehigh Valley. And throughout the next 108 years, another 185 local sections followed suit including Middle Georgia which was formed in 2001. Local sections, the grassroots wing of ACS, have the power to tailor their activities to meet the individual needs of their community and members. Thus, no two local sections are alike—and after reading annual reports for the past eight years, I can attest to that. Local sections are local, and as such they can reach out to the individual to provide opportunities that may not be available otherwise. For the individual member, this includes community building and networking opportunities, leadership opportunities, professional development, and continuing education, all custom-built to the needs of the local economy and environment. Further, sections empower chemists to reach out to the public and enhance the public’s perception of chemistry as well as advocate for our discipline through local and national channels. Contrary to some beliefs, the Local Section Activities Committee and the Society do not have “cookie cutter” requirements for local sections—one size does not fit all. In fact, the individuality of the local sections should be continuously encouraged and embraced so that each can respond to their community and meet the needs of their members. That can mean an abundance of technical programming, an industrial focus, or outreach to the public through activities such as National Chemistry Week or Chemists Celebrate Earth Day. It can also mean a strong focus on Student Affiliates, younger chemists, or senior chemists activities. Or, it can mean _____________________ . You fill in the blank!

The point is, no two sections of the Society are the same, nor should they be. As the grassroots arm of ACS, this individuality is what makes local sections a strength of the Society and what makes each one unique and valuable to the membership. So, welcome Snake River. The Society and your 189 sister sections look forward to your contributions to the chemical enterprise in your community in the future.

Will Lynch, Chair
ACS Committee on Local Section Activities

Back to Top Return to Newsletter