Join ACS GCI in Denver: Workshops, Symposia, Networking and More

[ACSGCI]

Contributed by the ACS Green Chemistry Institute

Are you attending ACS Fall 2024? It’s time to build your schedule and boost your green chemistry connections. Take advantage of our free workshops, connect with ACS GCI staff, and don’t miss all the excellent green chemistry symposia at the national meeting.

Are you attending ACS Fall 2024? It’s time to build your schedule and boost your green chemistry connections. Take advantage of our free workshops, join us for a networking evening, and don’t miss all the excellent green chemistry symposia at the national meeting.

1. David Laviska will be leading a workshop for educators looking to start implementing greener undergraduate laboratory experiments or protocols. Join David as he guides you through practical steps to identify and implement changes. Register for “Greening Undergraduate Laboratories: A Step-by-Step Guide to Success” held on Tuesday, August 20th from 1-4 p.m. in Room 303 Colorado Convention Center. Pre-register for this event through the ACS Fall 2024 registration form.

2. Isamir Martinez and members of the ACS GCI Pharmaceutical Roundtable will be leading a workshop Tuesday morning covering tools developed and used by the pharmaceutical industry to achieve more efficient and less wasteful synthetic processes. Join, “Practical Green Chemistry Tools and Techniques for Research and Development Scientists” August 20 from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. in Room 302 (Colorado Convention Center). Pre-register for this event through the ACS Fall 2024 registration form.

3. ACS GCI’s Natural Polymers Consortium (NPC) members will be hosting two symposia on natural polymer applications, “Global Collaborations on Natural Polymers as Substitution of Synthetic Materials”, on Monday August 19, 1-3 p.m. MDT in the Plaza/Exhibit Foyer of the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel and on Tuesday, August 20, 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 2-6 p.m. MDT in Tower Court B of the Sheraton. Look for staff members Edmond Lam and Isamir Martinez at these events to learn more about the NPC.

4. The ACS and NSF Chemistry Division are holding a joint symposium to explore the challenges and opportunities in advancing sustainable chemistry through data sharing and partnerships across sectors, as well as workforce development. Join the “ACS-NSF Innovative Symposium: Sustainable Chemistry” on Tuesday, August 20 from 2-4 p.m. in the Bluebird Ballroom 2A (Colorado Convention Center). The panel discussions will feature thought leaders from academia, industry, government, and non-governmental organizations, including ACS GCI Director Adelina Voutchkova, who will provide insights on how the chemistry community can capitalize on the increasing federal emphasis on sustainable chemistry and partnerships, highlighting current programs, funding mechanisms and resources of the NSF and ACS relevant to sustainable chemistry.

5. ACS GCI is organizing a gathering for alumni of two important graduate student initiatives—the ACS LEADS Conference and the ACS GCI Green and Sustainable Chemistry Summer School (formerly ACS Summer School for Green Chemistry and Sustainable Energy). Alumni of either event are encouraged to attend this reception and educational gathering where leaders from different sectors will discuss the connection between sustainable chemistry and environmental justice. Contact ACS GCI  to learn more.

6. ACS GCI staff Christiana Briddell and Sederra Ross will be present at the ACS booth in the Expo Hall through much of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. New this conference, we will be sharing our booth with members of ACS Division of Scientific Advancement. Come and learn more about the division ACS GCI is part of, and all the synergistic efforts to advance the chemical sciences. Learn about ACS’s largest grant program, national award opportunities, chemical safety, the future of meetings, and, of course, green chemistry and sustainability. We will also be hosting a Kahoot trivia game in the ACS Theater (located in the ACS booth in the Expo Hall) on Monday at 12:30 p.m. and Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. Try your luck for a chance to win cool prizes.

7. Join ACS GCI at our annual networking event on Tuesday, August 20th from 5-7 p.m. Please join us for food and drinks, chat with your colleagues, and learn more about the ACS Office of Sustainability and ACS Green Chemistry Institute! Space is limited. RSVP to attend.

8. There are many, many other symposia ACS GCI staff will be involved in, and others we recommend going to. Here is a selection:

• Infusing Green Chemistry & Sustainability into the Undergraduate Curriculum: 8:00 - 11:40 a.m. MDT - August 21, 2024 | Location: Room 401 (Colorado Convention Center) (CHED) (David Laviska presenting)

• Green Methods & Syntheses: Multi-day symposium 2-5:15 p.m. MDT Aug. 18, 2024 | Mile High Ballroom 4D; 8-11:35 a.m. MDT Aug. 20, 2024 | Hall D - Room 7 (Colorado Convention Center); 7-9 p.m. MDT Aug. 21, 2024 | Location: Hall A-C (Colorado Convention Center)
• Valorization of Biomass to Advanced Fuels & Chemicals: Multi-day symposium 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. MDT and 2-6 p.m. - August 18, 2024 | Location: Room 506 (Colorado Convention Center); 12 – 2 p.m. August 19, 2024 | Hall A-C (Colorado Convention Center) (ENFL)

• Green Chemical Synthesis & Process Intensification for Enabling New Chemical Pathways: 8 – 11 a.m. and 2-5:40 p.m. MDT - August 18, 2024 | Location: Room 502 (Colorado Convention Center) (ENFL)

• Women in Science & Engineering (WISE): Organics & Biologics: 2 – 6 p.m. MDT - August 18, 2024 | Location: Room 110 (Colorado Convention Center) (ENVR)

• 25th Anniversary of ACS Biomacromolecules Journal: Biodegradable, Biobased, Biohybrid Polymer Engineering: 8 - 11:30 a.m. EDT - August 18, 2024 | Location: Grand Ballroom I (Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel) (POLY) (One part of a multi-day symposium)

• Adelina Voutchkova will present, Facilitating collaborations across sectors and disciplines to accelerate innovations for sustainable development: 10:35 - 10:55 a.m. MDT - August 18, 2024 | Location: Bluebird Ballroom 3B (Colorado Convention Center) (PRES)

• Undergraduate Research Posters: Green & Sustainable Chemistry: 12 – 2 p.m. MDT - August 19, 2024 | Location: Hall A-C (Colorado Convention Center)
• Achievements in Elevating the Chemistry Enterprise: Advancement of Energy Transition & Smart Materials: 4:20 p.m. MDT - August 21, 2024 | Location: Bluebird Ballroom 3B (Colorado Convention Center) (PRES)

We hope to see you there!