Greetings and welcome to the newly launched Capital Chemist! The Chemical Society of Washington has been working for a year to bring you this resource, and I’m thrilled to announce its launch. As the Editor-in-Chief, I am very excited for this new phase of CSW, and I hope you will enjoy communicating and connecting with your fellow members as much as we’ve enjoyed building this forum.
Experienced members of CSW will remember that The Capital Chemist has been around for a long time. As the newsletter of CSW, it has gone through many iterations, from production on a typewriter to the website you’re now reading. As times – and the needs of CSW members – have evolved, so too has The Capital Chemist. Today, the internet is more important than ever. It connects scientists all over the world, and is empowering a whole new age of scientific and economic opportunity for all. The site you’re now reading represents the next evolution of The Capital Chemist into the digital world!
As scientists living, working, and learning in the Nation’s Capital, we are part of a unique society. Being a scientist here means much more than just working in a laboratory. CSW scientists are communicating new ideas and thoughts, creating new technologies, discovering new truths, changing national laws, and advising the world every single day. It is my hope that this website will provide a forum for CSW membership to talk to each other and learn from each other on all the issues facing the scientific community today.
One of the features I’m most excited about is our Original Article series. CSW members and scientists in the region will be regularly contributing articles, op-eds, and more on topics important to them and you. In the coming months, you’ll see articles on the interconnections between science and religion, education, national policy, law, and careers, just to name a few. There will be much more than that. I hope that these unique voices will spark your interest and make you think, just as they have for me.
Additionally, one of the ways CSW serves its membership best is when we marshal our collective financial resources to provide opportunities to you all. You’ll be hearing from fellow chemists who are taking advantage of those programs, such as travel grants to ACS National Meetings, and learning to be a researcher through Project SEED. The stories from these members provide a great insight into how they are taking advantage of these opportunities to build their own bright future as scientists.
It is clear to me more than ever that we scientists need to be more engaged in the world. I became a scientist because I was fascinated by the world around me, and because I wanted to make the world a better place. I’m sure many of you have a similar story. Living in the Washington, DC area has made clear to me that there are many, many ways to do that. It is my hope that this site can showcase all the amazing things we can do as scientists, from fundamental research to government and everything in between. The totality of all that work is why science is so important to making a better world.
But we need your help to do it!
Have you ever wanted to write? Pen an op-ed? Publish a white paper or essay from a class? Reach out to us at [email protected], and we can work with you to make that happen!
Have you published a research paper recently? Let us know, and we can feature it!
Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter. Tell us about what you’re doing and how we can help you do more.
Participate in the conversation. Everyone’s voice is important. Help us make this site into what you want and need it to be.
We want The Capital Chemist to be a forum for you to learn, grow, and make your voice as a scientist heard. This can be whatever you want it to, so please join us and help make The Capital Chemist a unique space for scientists to grow, thrive, and contribute.
Welcome to The Capital Chemist. I can’t wait to see what you all have in store.
Photo credit: chicagobart
