2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium

It is our pleasure to announce the 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium, which is being organized jointly between ACS Connecticut Valley Section and ACS Central Massachusetts Section. This year’s symposium is conveniently located at Connecticut State Community College – Asnuntuck Campus (formerly known as Asnuntuck Community College) in Enfield, Connecticut, just off Interstate 91 (Google Maps link). The symposium will run from 8:30am–2:00pm on Saturday, April 26, 2025.

There will be opportunities for undergraduate students to present short talks (10 mins) or poster presentations, with multiple awards being presented for both! We will also offer networking and breakout sessions for participants on a number of topics between the poster and oral sessions. A list of tentative topics for the breakout sessions is provided in the registration link below. These sessions are a great way to showcase your research efforts during the year as well as meet with other researchers at nearby schools.

Click here to register

Please note, if you are interested in presenting your research as a poster or a talk, then please first download and fill out the abstract template. You can download it here, or using the download link within the registration form. Save your abstract as a one-page PDF and upload it during your registration.

The deadline to submit a talk or poster abstract is Friday, April 11 @ 5:00 pm ET. Further instructions will be sent to presenters after the deadline. 

We are looking forward to seeing all the great research happening in the Connecticut Valley and Central Massachusetts!

2024 NCW Illustrated Poem ContestPicture Perfect Chemistry

The Connecticut Valley Local Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) issponsoring an illustrated poem contest for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Contest Deadline: Sunday, October 27 by 11:59 PM ET

Prizes: Local winners advance to the national contest for a chance to win cash prizes. ACS will award $300 to first place and $150 to second-place national contest winners in each grade category!

Contact: Alfredo Angeles-Boza, alfredo.angeles-boza@uconn.edu

Click on flyer for more details.

Summary of Action Items for ACS Council, August 2024

ITEMS FOR COUNCIL ACTION 

Fall National Meeting 

August 2024 

1. International Representation on Council 

This allows for members who are not affiliated with a Local Section (including international) to have representation on Council. This petition would create Zones into which such members would fall. The ratio of Local Section Councilors to Division Councilors would be set at 4:1. The upper limits on the number of Councilors elected by these zones is the lesser of 10% of the number elected by Local Sections or 45. It appears the number of these new Councilors, subject to the previous cap, would be determined in a manner similar to how Councilors are currently apportioned. Committee on Nominations & Elections shall select the candidates for Councilors from a Zone, nominated by the members of that Zone, who shall be voted upon by the members of that Zone. 

2. Petition to Change the name of the Committee on Technician Affairs 

Change the name of “The Committee on Technician Affairs” to “The Committee on Chemical Technical Professionals.” The reason is that members serving nearly identical roles in different companies are often assigned different job titles, e.g., technician vs. technologist/specialist. This change would unite all chemical technical professionals under one group. 

3. Academic Professional Guidelines 

A new section of the Chemists’ Guidelines written with the academic chemical scientist as the focus. Applies the DEIR principles of ACS to academic chemical scientists, delineating rights and responsibilities of both the scientist and the employing institution across all levels, e.g., undergraduates, graduate students, post-doctoral researches, technicians and professors of all ranks. Suggests/requires gaining familiarity with the guidelines for baccalaureate and two-year degrees. Also spells out that student researchers should be aware of all the safety and ethical guidelines of ACS. 

4. Revised Chemists’ Code of Conduct 

Updating the 2019 Chemists’ Code of Conduct. Requires chemical scientists to act ethically, fairly, and honestly. 

5. New International Chemical Sciences Chapters 

Petition to charter three (3) new International Chemical Sciences Chapters (ICSCs): one in Bangladesh, one in East and Northeast India, and one in West India