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By Ryan Schlosser, ACS GCI Intern
It is hard to believe it has already been a month since the ACS Green Chemistry Institute’s (GCI) 29th Annual Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference (GC&E) kicked off in Pittsburgh! This was an incredible week marked by outstanding technical programming, engaging events for students, and the voices of pioneers and emerging leaders in sustainable science and engineering. My time at this year’s GC&E was shaped by a unique blend of roles. As a student attendee, volunteer, student ambassador, and GCI’s summer intern, I got to experience the conference from many different angles and left with a deepened connection to green chemistry and the supportive community advancing its goals.
The first day of the conference began bright and early with the GC&E service project. At this event, over 60 volunteers gathered to give back to the community hosting the conference. With the leadership of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, volunteers beautified a North Pittsburgh neighborhood by planting perennials, removing weeds, and picking up litter. The hands-on and collaborative project was a grounding way to start the week, helping us to break the ice, build friendships, and feel instantly connected to the GC&E community.
In the evening, following an afternoon volunteering at the reception desk, I reunited with new friends and connected with new faces at the GC&E student reception. The event brought together students and leaders in the field for a night of networking and fun. Alongside three fellow student ambassadors, I helped lead a trivia activity at the reception, fostering the community of young researchers with friendly competition and sought-after prizes. The event also gave students the chance to chat with green chemistry leaders such as John Warner and Amy Cannon, as well as several GCI staff members, all in the setting of a vibrant rooftop bar. Looking back, the evening stands out as a moment of feeling inspired by and completely at home within the energetic and passionate student community.
The connections I made early in the week carried throughout the conference. I would constantly meet up with many of the new friends I made at the service project and student reception, whether to attend technical sessions, grab meals and coffee, or to sightsee and enjoy Pittsburgh’s energy after hours. This sense of community was amplified by GC&E’s student housing arrangements. Rather than staying on-site at the conference hotel, most students were housed on the University of Pittsburgh’s campus. Staying on campus created a natural sense of togetherness between the students, whether while traveling to and from the conference or hanging out into the night at venues near campus. Being a part of the lively and inclusive GC&E student community made the week truly special.
Other highlights included high-level oral and poster sessions from educators, researchers, and industry members alike, as well as an all-day workshop where teams of students and postdocs developed and presented alternatives to unsustainable practices in shoe production, learning critical green chemistry design practices such as life cycle analysis and circularity. Additionally, on the final day of the conference, attendees witnessed ACS president Dorothy J. Phillips signing the Stockholm Declaration on Chemistry for the Future and were invited to add their signatures to this monumental document, committing to advancing chemistry that is ethical, sustainable, and aligned with the well-being of people and the planet.
As I reflect on this unforgettable experience, I am reinvigorated by the energy, purpose, and people that form the green chemistry community. From hands-on service projects and conversations with pioneers in the field, to fun and laughter with friends, every part of the GC&E reminded me of why I chose this path, and of the vast potential scientists and engineers possess to shape a sustainable future. I leave this experience with new knowledge, connections, and mentors, as well as a renewed sense of responsibility and excitement for the future. I look forward to continuing to engage with this community and its goals throughout my career.