Programming Ideas
Public Outreach
Earth Day
Help out with a Chemists Celebrate Earth Day event
National Chemistry Week
Help out with a National Chemistry Week event
Host a Program-in-a-Box
The Program-in-a-Box kit has everything you need to host your event. Treat your attendees to valuable networking activities, an informative live webinar broadcast, and an opportunity to be part of a live Q&A with the webinar presenters. Don’t forget to order some treats to enjoy during the viewing!
Professional Development
Plan a symposium
Organize a scientific symposium or poster session featuring research done by chemists in your section
Organize a career seminar or panel discussion
Invite ACS Career Services to give a career seminar on resume preparation or interviewing, or invite diverse panel speakers to share their paths to traditional and alternative chemistry careers
Tips for organizing a panel
- Start planning early, the first people you invite may not be available for the event.
- Make a list of different people from each branch of chemistry. This way, if the first industrial chemist you invite cannot attend, you have a list of other industrial chemists as backup.
- Contact the panel members a week or two before the event to confirm. Make sure they are ready to attend the event, and that they know what time the event is.
- Make sure at the event there is a moderator with questions ready. If the audience doesn’t ask questions, someone needs to.
Industry or government lab tour
Tour a local company or plant, or check out the action at a government lab. Don’t have a government lab in town? Visit a local art museum and couple the visit with a talk on art preservation, restoration, or authentication.
Social Events
Tour local breweries and wineries
Hold a meeting at a local brewery or winery and have the brewer/vintner talk about the chemical process of making beer/wine
Sporting games
Organize a social event centered on sports, such as holding a golf tournament, ice skating outing, or a friendly game of soccer, volleyball, or softball. You can also plan an outing to see a professional sports team in your area!
Trivia nights
The Northeastern Local Section YCC and the Philadelphia Section YCC put together AWESOME trivia nights! Download their materials and tailor the slides/flyers/questions to your Section.
Local social mixers
Plan a social mixer at your favorite local watering hole or beat the heat with an Ice Cream Social