The year 2009 certainly had its ups and downs, but within the ACS Office of International Activities the year was defined to a large extent by an event that took place in the final hours of 2008, when the UN designated 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry (IYC).
The goals of IYC include increasing public appreciation of chemistry as a solution to global challenges, increasing interest in chemistry, particularly among students and young people, and generating enthusiasm for the future of chemistry. These goals are very much inline with the goals of ACS in general…So the real challenge is finding ways to ramp up business as usual, in a way that creates excitement and enthusiasm… and reaches people outside of our usual audience.
How do we get the general public to realize what we already know – that chemistry is cool??
Well, I guess we can start by not using geeky purple font in our blogs. But aside from that, the ACS is looking for feedback from members around the country and around the world, to let us know how you are planning to celebrate IYC.
We’ll be creating a list of events taking place around the world, to highlight right here on our International Community page.
Are you planning, or thinking of planning, a great activity for IYC? Please let us know! We would love to add your event to our list!
Please feel free to comment here or send your ideas to: intlacts@acs.org
