Contributed by Joe Antonucci, Chair, Senior Chemists Committee
As you may know, the Retired Chemist Group (RCG) was established in 1988 to provide social and professional engagement for CSW members who are retired. Recently, the RCG has been unable to adequately serve this population due to several factors, including the limited number of members willing to serve on the RCG Executive Board. In September, after discussions with in the RCG and the CSW Board of Managers, the RCG Executive Board agreed to dissolve the group. At the September Board of Managers meeting, the Board agreed to establish a Senior Chemists Committee to serve the members who were previously served by the RCG. Additionally, this Committee would serve all chemists within CSW who identified themselves as senior chemists. The Committee will operate within CSW, as all other committees do, and have the support of the CSW Board as well as other appropriate committees. These changes to the organization structure will reduce the management for the operation of the group, which previously included a separate treasury and administration officers, and will streamline the organization within CSW. This will reduce the number of committee members needed to ensure that the committee’s activities continue and serve the members of CSW for years to come. The Committee will have the same mission as the Senior Chemists Committee of ACS (see below) and will be able to utilize the resources available to it from that committee.
The new Senior Chemists Committee will sponsor the CSW luncheon on Saturday, December 9th to honor the 50, 60 and 70 year members of ACS. The luncheon will be held at Alfio’s in Chevy Chase, so mark your calendars now.
About the ACS Senior Chemists Committee
The establishment of the Senior Chemists Committee (SCC) of ACS was approved as a Joint Board-Council Committee effective January 1, 2013. The age demographics of the ACS powerfully illustrated the need for a Senior Chemists Committee. Of its more than 158,000 members, 34% are over the age of 50, which is one of the fastest growing segments of the Society.
The mission of the SCC:
- To share with ACS members of all ages a rich variety of personal experiences and expertise gained over many years of professional service.
- To foster interest and participation in the science of chemistry through community outreach, especially in grades K-12.
- To act as science advisers/ambassadors for the purpose of cultural exchange at home and abroad.
- To provide senior ACS members with challenging, diverse, and enjoyable professional experiences that enable them to contribute to the cultural experiences of their communities.
- To recommend policies that address issues of interest to senior chemists.
The Committee serves two constituencies within the ACS: (1) seniors who are still active either as full-time or part-time employees, consultants, or those who still wish to stay closely connected to the ACS and its spectrum of activities; and (2) younger members and students who have questions about a chemistry-based career or who have started careers but are looking for guidance in how to progress. Examples are mentoring, career guidance and counseling, job training seminars and webinars, alternate career selection, problem support, workshops, and tutorials.
