Laura Sremaniak
If you could condense your vision for your presidency into one statement, what would it be?
My vision is to make the ACS the most welcoming, engaging, and relevant professional home for everyone in the chemical sciences.
What initiatives would you champion as part of the ACS Presidential succession?
I will support current initiatives that focus on efforts to provide unique value in these areas: communication, membership, and education, with the overarching goal of making ACS the go-to place for a thriving community of those working or studying in the chemical sciences.
I will also pursue new initiatives that will strengthen the above areas. We benefit by a member-first approach that includes input and assistance from a diverse set of current and emerging leaders and ACS staff.
In Communication, I will amplify efforts already underway to diversify our communication channels with imagination-capturing podcasts, blogs/vlogs, and other social media, and opportunities for our members to engage general audiences in the importance of supporting science. Key to these efforts is targeted support for telling our stories of the wonderful ways you all make a difference in your professional lives.
In Membership, I will advocate for better technological support for members and our volunteer activities. We need better ways for members, especially new members, to navigate the ACS as an organization and to find a professional home that is supportive and welcoming. The ACS can do more to provide the tools and resources for its local sections and divisions to more effectively engage with members. I would also welcome a discussion of how we can better utilize the role of Alternate Councilor.
In Education, I will promote greater adoption of the Graduate Student Organizations and exchanges between students of chapters based in different countries. The ACS should be at the forefront of assisting educators in AI-related materials as it will be transformational. We must also continually update and deliver high impact content to those preparing for their next career steps. I will focus attention on ways that college/university students can become more familiar with the roles of industrial chemists, or what it is like to work in an industrial setting.
The American Chemical Society is increasingly a global enterprise. How can globalization be harnessed as a positive force in the evolution of the Society?
In recent years, the ACS has responded to the globalization of the chemical enterprise, attracting more international members and providing ways for chemists to collaborate across borders. One recent example of this would be the scheduling of virtual symposia at our fall and spring meetings within business hours in distant time zones.
In addition, inclusion and belonging is a core value of the ACS, and one of its greatest strengths is the ability, and sincere desire to embrace the perspectives and contributions of all its members (and future members).
The recent addition of international representation on the Board of Directors and Council will help us to identify opportunities to connect and collaboratively work together to adapt and remain a trusted source of information in the global, chemical enterprise.
What do you feel is the biggest challenge for you if elected as ACS President?
The biggest challenge? Narrowing down what I can do to be most impactful within a 3 year Presidential succession. The central focus of my campaign, promoting community, is not an easy task, yet it is something that we need to do in order to stay relevant and to provide enduring value for our members.
There are literally hundreds of products, programs, and services that the ACS provides, but not all members know about them, or they may be difficult to access, especially for our members who live outside the United States. My experience as a local section Councilor and former Chair of the Committee on Membership Affairs has made clear the weak links, gaps, and communication challenges we must improve to make the ACS THE professional home for all who are studying or working in the chemical sciences. It is important to find solutions that are scalable and sustainable and meet the needs of our members.
The second challenge will be to correctly pronounce names in awards ceremonies.
Finally, if you check out my website, under the section “For Fun,” you will find my other challenges when I am travelling (hint: this involves pets!).
How would you address the representation of non-PhD chemists in the Society's membership?
Chemists can contribute in many ways and at all degree levels, and our suite of benefits, meetings, and our volunteer and other networking opportunities, must offer value for all of these members.
Since membership eligibility does not hinge on a particular degree (and work experience can count in place of a degree), then our membership demographics and those of ACS leadership should mirror the proportion of chemists with various degrees. Since membership tilts heavily towards PhD chemists, we need to be very intentional to attract and nurture members at all degree levels into positions of leadership to help us bridge this gap.
We also need to improve the retention of students as they move from learning to applying this learned knowledge and skills into careers, but unfortunately, our retention rates are lowest for this group. We need vibrant communities (in person and virtual ones) for students and a well-defined set of career services offerings that assist them no matter the type of position they are seeking.
New in 2025 was the Chemical Technical Professional (CPT) day, to recognize these professionals but also provide information about these career pathways to high school classrooms through the American Association of Chemistry Teachers (AACT). We can build on efforts like this one to become more relevant to these members and potential members of the ACS.
How do you plan to work with younger chemists during your term if elected?
I will advocate for ways our local sections, divisions, international chapters, and national committees can develop accessible onramps for younger members to be on committees or even just have some brief exposure to a leadership role (be that local, regional, or national) if their volunteer time is too limited to commit otherwise.
As mentioned above, I will support (in whatever ways are appropriate) growth in the graduate student organizations (GSOs). How can we make them indispensable for all colleges and universities? Might there be a way for GSO representatives from one school to be an “influencer/ambassador” to encourage the adoption of the GSO model at another?
I would like to support exchanges between YCC/student chapters that are in different countries.
I would look for opportunities to attend YCC events, leadership track training sessions, and local section meetings that have a particular emphasis on providing value to our younger members for the express purpose of learning from them. I would like to devise a “Presidential Challenge” (I am open to your ideas) at any of these events that could help promote an event or programming (there is already a mechanism to have a symposium be a Presidential symposium at a national meeting, so this is a takeoff on that idea).
How would you answer this question from a member: “Why should I join ACS? What does it do for me?”
Joining the ACS provides many benefits such as access to scientific content and awards, career services, lower prices to meetings, products like insurance and LinkedIn Learning, and many others, but most of all it provides access to networking with others you may otherwise not have the opportunity to meet. It also allows you to add your voice to the advocacy for solutions to grand challenges. And there are many ways one can volunteer to give back to your local community or within a division of the ACS, and skills learned in these roles can be helpful in your career.
Here is my personal ACS member story in a nutshell:
I have personally benefited from being a member of the ACS. I became a member as an undergraduate student but didn’t really access anything the ACS had to offer until a colleague invited me to run for an elected office in my local section. I have since been involved in leadership and this has benefited my career and me personally. Getting to know other members of the ACS, especially ones whose paths I would otherwise not cross, has been the best part!
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