During IYC 2011, ACS successfully used a mixture of traditional and new, cutting-edge techniques to reach as broad an audience as possible to share the value of chemistry. One high-profile project was creation of a special chemistry issue of Kids Discover magazine, in print and online, which reaches more than 40,000 schools and 185,000 families.
ACS issued more than 1,000 print, electronic and social media news items in 2011, reaching an estimated potential audience of 3.5 billion people per month. In addition to a Press Blog, which highlights prominent research from ACS' more than 40 peer-reviewed journals and other interesting scientific developments, we expanded our Digital Services Unit. This unit created popular general audience videos about the Chemistry of Fireworks, the Chemistry of Cheese, Chemistry of Champagne, the Periodic Table Table and other topics. These videos received tens of thousands of views on YouTube and Vimeo, as well as coverage on Time, Wired, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, AOL News, Live Science and many other sites.
Video also had a prominent role in the Chemistry Ambassadors program, which had more than 7,000 members at year-end. Founded in 2009, the program helps connect our members and their messages with the people who live in their communities. It’s about encouraging our members to be compelling spokespersons and advocates for their profession, whether they have a lot of time, or a little. It’s about connecting ACS’ many and excellent resources with the audiences they are intended to serve. And doing it with a human face and voice.
To encourage that, we conducted more than 325 mini-media training sessions at ACS National Meetings in 2011. These 2- to 5-minute sessions helped members develop brief, effective “elevator” speeches they can use to describe their work to friends, neighbors and others. In many cases, the results as shown in this short video are truly remarkable.
In April, we continued the “Sparkle” communications workshops, which were a popular ACS fixture in the 1990s. This two-day seminar immersed local section volunteers in hands-on activities, including writing press releases and speaking with the media, that familiarized them with ways to work with the news media and build greater community awareness for the good works of their local sections. These workshops are scheduled to continue in 2012.
Good leadership begins with good communication. That’s what more than 300 ACS members learned in Fort Worth in 2011 at the ACS Leadership Training Institute. This comprehensive curriculum that provides practical courses, including developing communications strategies, will help these leaders of the future advance their careers, and equip them with tools to more effectively take charge of ACS volunteer initiatives.
ACS offers members many volunteer opportunities to share chemistry with their communities. They can get involved at the local, regional, and national levels. There are opportunities for everyone – from student to seasoned professional – to participate in annual programs such as National Chemistry Week (NCW) and Chemists Celebrate Earth Day (CCED).
The 2011 NCW theme was, “Chemistry – Our Health, Our Future!” Chemists and chemistry enthusiasts were encouraged to build awareness of chemistry at the local level. Local sections, businesses, schools, and individuals organized or participated in events in their communities with a common goal: to promote the value of chemistry in everyday life. Please join us in 2012 as we celebrate 25 years of NCW.
In recognition of Earth Day, CCED brought focus to environmental causes, such as clean air, water, energy and sustainability. CCED’s 2011 theme was, “Energy – It’s Everywhere!” ACS offered events, contests, and educational resources for members, chemical educators, and chemistry enthusiasts to illustrate the positive role that chemistry plays in preserving the Earth.
One resource ACS offers each year for NCW and CCED is Celebrating Chemistry, a newspaper designed to engage and educate children (Grades 4 - 6) in the basic principles of chemistry – available in both English and Spanish, and in print and online. It contains articles, experiments and puzzles.
Through all of these efforts, ACS helped members put a human face and voice on chemistry.