We may never see another year like 2008.

We have never seen such fluctuations in the world economy. The year started with the Dow Jones Industrial Average close to its record high. Gas prices rose rapidly, reaching record highs around the Fourth of July. Then multiple bubbles started to burst, and the global economy has been sorely tested since. The end of the year brought a U.S. presidential election that was closely watched around the world for a multitude of reasons.

The collapse in financial markets and ensuing dramatic downturn in world economies in the latter half of 2008 eroded consumer confidence, sapped buying power, and led to drastic cutbacks by virtually every chemical, biotech and pharmaceutical company. Universities and colleges, on which we rely to educate the coming generation of chemical scientists, weren't immune either. As state revenues and endowments dropped, hiring of new faculty was frozen and many part-time adjunct professors and lecturers were laid off.

As a nation, as a professional Society and as chemists, we haven’t faced a crisis like this since perhaps the Great Depression. During the Depression and in the 12 recessionary periods that have followed it over the past 75 years, the American Chemical Society has risen to the challenge every time: helping its members emerge stronger and better prepared to improve people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry.

Now, as we yet again face a time of great economic uncertainty, we are here for our members.

Now more than ever, ACS offers resources, programs and services that can make a difference. Now more than ever, ACS binds our scientific community together in a common cause. Now more than ever, ACS is Chemistry for Life™.