WELCOME TO THE MINNESOTA LOCAL ACS SECTION WEBSITE

UPCOMING MEETING - CANCELLED

We have decided to postpone the awards banquet due to concerns with Covid 19. We apologize for the late notice. For further information, please contact Bruce Bear (link to email address found on "Officers" page). Those that have already paid will be contacted and issued refunds.

Come join us for our annual Awards Banquet on Tuesday, September 22nd! Learn a little bit more about our local section, who we are, and what we do. A BBQ dinner (partialy subsidized by the section) will be provided, the location is easy and conveniant, and the weather promises to be excellent!

​

Go to the "Meetings" link for more information.

ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHT

Register to attend Virtual ACS Career Day - Industry, a free event on Saturday, September 12th at 11am, designed with industry chemists in mind. Regardless of where you work, all chemists are invited to attend and network! Be sure not to miss the interactive career development workshops and a special career panel with ACS leaders. Register here to reserve your spot.

​

We are not planning a major library outreach event this year for National Chemistry Week, however, all ACS members can get a free slime kit! Order your free kit for "Slime" experiments, for use with your own kids, grandkids, and neighbor kids, for a fun way to celebrate National Chemistry Week. Go to www.acs.org/kidsandchemistry and scroll down for your free kit. Have fun!

​

Go to the "Activities" link for other activity information.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

We are currently seeking nominations for six open positions on the MN ACS executive committee available January 2021. The positions are open to all MN ACS chemists and chemical engineers at all degreee levels. Please read the description below for each position which briefly describes the opportunity and its responsibilities. If you feel strongly about the future of chemistry within our community, consider running for one of the elected positions. Nominate yourself or a fellow co-worker. Nominations must be received for consideration by October 15th. Elections will be held in late October/early November.

​

Treasurer: A two year term. In charge of the section's finances. Duties include writing checks for allocated funds, keeping track of deposits, and collecting payments for local section meetings. Each year the budget is set at a a budget meeting held in January. This meeting is run by the treasurer and the current chair. The treasurer is also responsible for filing annual financial reports to ACS National and the IRS. Filing can be done using an accountant, but it is the responsibility of the treasurer to arrange for it.

​

Councilor: Our setion has five councilors. Each councilor is elected to a three year term. Two councilor positions are currently open. Councilors represent the section at national meetings. ACS National holds two meetings each year, one in March and one in August. Councilors are expected to volunteer for local section committee and sub-committee assignments and serve on a national committee starting their second year of service. It is also their duty to report back to the executive committee all important actions and votes taken by the Council. Costs for attending national meetings are reimbursed.

​

Chair: The chair's primary responsibilities are supervision, coordination, and overall direction of section activities. The position rotates annually between members working in industry and academics. This year, we are seeking nominations with industrial experience. You do not have to be working to qualify. The term of chair is three years. The first year, the chair serves as chair elect. The chair elect is primarily a time for learning. The chair elect is expected to attend sectional events and meetings, and to help with committee with specific assigned projects. The section will pay to send the chair elect to the national ACS leadership training in January after their election. This training will highlight the structure of the ACS, the role of local sections, and how the national office supports the programming and outreach of local sections. The chair elect becomes chair the second year after election. The chair works with the executive committee to plan meetings and events for the calendar year. The chair is also responsible for submitting the annual section final reports to ACS National, makes committee appointments, and writes bimonthly updates for the MN Chemist publication. The final and third year, the chair serves as past chair. The primary responsibility is providing mentorship and guidance.

​

Nominations Committee: The nominations committee consists of three members with representation from both industry and academia. One member represents the University of Minnesota, one represents the additional regional colleges/universities, and one represents industry. We are currently seeking representatives for the University of Minnesta and the additional regional colleges/universities. The primary function of the committee is to locate and nominate section members for open elected positions. The committee compiles bios of candidates, reviews nominations with the executive committee, and prepares candidate bios for publication and distributions prior to the election. There is no set term length for this position. 

​

If you are interested in running for one of the positions or have further questions, please contact William Pomerantz (Nominations Committee Chair) or Bruce Bear (Chair) - email addresses can be found on the "Officers" page.

2021 GREAT LAKES REGIONAL MEETING

The MN ACS will host the 2021 Great Lakes Regional Meeting June 6th-9th, 2021 at Augsburg University. More information can be found at http://www.glrm2021.org/.

​

 We are currently looking for volunteers to do the following:

1. Undergraduate program coordinator - will coordinate undergraduate events and poster sessions for the meeting.

2. Program chair - will help put together the program. This person will also assist in recruiting session chairs and making sure all sub-disciplines of chemistry are represented. This volunteer would serve on the executive planning board for the meeting.

3. Session chairs - will run sessions based on certain topics. These volunteers will then solicit people to register for the meeting and contribute papers on the session topic.

4. Logo design - will design a logo for the meeting to help advertise. The logo should reflect the Minnesota local section.

​

If you have interest in volunteering, please contact James Wollack.