Greater Houston SectionEstablished in 1917, the Section serves about 2500 members, consisting of chemists, chemical engineers and professionals in allied fields. The American Chemical Society is recognized as a world leader in fostering science education and research, and promoting public understanding of science. The Greater Houston Section of the American Chemical Society is one of 189 local ACS sections across the nation. |
Renew your ACS Membership, Save 20%, and Get Involved in the Greater Houston Local Section
We are pleased to partner with ACS to offer you a 20% discount on your upcoming ACS Membership renewal. This discount may be applied to the Standard or Premium package and is only valid Sept. 9 through Dec. 11, 2026. To redeem your discount:
1. Visit https://membership.join.acs.org. You will be prompted to log in using your ACS ID (username/password). If you don’t have one or forget your login, click the appropriate link on the login page
2. On the Review step of the application, enter the following code to apply the discount to your ACS dues: CGW20
We hope you will take advantage of this discounted membership offer and to see you at one of our upcoming events!
Upcoming Events at the Houston Museum of Natural Science STEM Day and the GEMS (Girls Exploring Math & Science) Event are annual events for Scouts at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. 20-30 Community Booths engage the scouts and families from around the Greater Houston area to learn about all principles of science, from engineering to ecology. The ACS-GHS will participate with hands-on science celebrating NCW’s theme, Chemistry Under Construction. GEMS Event - Saturday, November 7, 2026
STEM Day - October 3, 2026 This event was a jammed packed day of hands-on experiments. The crowds were non-stop with eight stations which were filled the entire time. See photos from this event here! Volunteer Opportunity! The ACS Greater Houston Section is still looking for volunteers for the 2026 GEMS Event at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact us at: Melissa Ariza: m_arizag@outlook.com or Kerry Spilker: kkspilker@gmail.com Did you know? HMNS has chemistry demonstrations in the Matter and Motion Hall on Wednesdays from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm (schedule may vary). SPE Energy Professionals Hiring Event
The Society of Petroleum Engineers – Gulf Coast Section (SPE-GCS) is pleased to inform you that it is organizing the 17th semi-annual Career Advancement Network (CAN) Energy Professionals Hiring Event for professionals of energy and upstream oil & gas disciplines. The Fall 2026 Hiring Event will be held face-to-face on October 23, 2026, at the 2026 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition (ATCE) at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston. Friday, October 23, 2026 10:00 am - 2:00 pm George R. Brown Convention Center 1001 Avenida De Las Americas Houston, TX 77010 Instructional Assistant Professor - Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry
The Department of Chemistry at the University of Houston invites applications for a non-tenure-track Instructional Assistant Professor position for Organic Chemistry and General Chemistry. The position emphasizes excellence in undergraduate teaching, development of instructional materials and assessments, and collaboration with faculty and university partners that support the teaching of chemistry. STEM Day 2026 at the Houston Museum of Natural ScienceWe had another great adventure partnering with the Houston Museum of Natural Science on Saturday, October 3rd! Our STEM booth featured hands-on exploration of mystery materials in line with the National Chemistry Week 2026 theme, “Chemistry Under Construction.” Visitors discovered how chemistry plays a critical role in the strength, safety, and durability of the structures we use every day. They also learned how chemists and engineers work together to develop innovative materials that make buildings safer, stronger, and more sustainable.
We were thrilled to have so many volunteers come out to engage with the nonstop crowd of budding chemists of all ages. The ACS Student Chapter - St. Thomas University (below, left) and the Scholars Academy at the University of Houston-Downtown (below, right) joined us in delighting visitors, young and old, with hands-on chemistry experiments.
I am also incredibly grateful to the ACS members who volunteered their time and enthusiasm to help make the event such a success.
-Kerry Spilker ACS Fellow, HMNS Chemistry Docent, and ACS-GHS Member Interested in volunteering for a similar event? We have more 2026 National Chemistry Week outreach events on October 18 and November 7, or check out our Volunteer page for other opportunities! | Announcing the 2026 ACS-GHS 2026 Local Section Award Winners! The ACS-GHS Awards Committee is pleased to announce the winners of the 2026 Local Section Awards. The awards were presented at our annual awards banquet on Saturday, October 17, 2026.
L to R: Angel A. MartÃ, Joe W. Hightower Award; Lihong Zhao, Younger Chemist Award; Carrie Owens, Two Year College Award; Eric Oblinger, Excellence in High School Teaching Award; Thomas Malloy, Mamie W. Moy Distinguished Service Award Upcoming events
EWOC Journal Club - October 2026 The extended chemistry community are invited to participate in the EWOC (Empowering Women in Organic Chemistry) Journal Club for a discussion of professional culture in chemistry. A quote from our article for this month, which seems suitable for introducing this topic: "beginning doctoral studies also involves navigating opaque expectations, unspoken norms, and complex power dynamics." Let's get together to talk about these unspoken norms! This meeting will be on Oct 22nd, 8 PM EST. October's article for discussion is The challenges of transgender and nonbinary graduate students in chemistry. (PLoS One. 2025, Apr 4; 20 (4): e0320493. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0320493) Thursday, October 22, 2026 8:00 pm EST via Zoom Please sign up on this google form to receive the zoom link! Please also consider submitting future articles for discussion and subscribing to our Substack to receive future updates! ACS-GHS November 2026 Seminar Judith C. Giordan
Thursday, November 12, 2026 6:30 - 7:30 pm University of St. Thomas Center for Science and Health Professions Room 251/252 4102 Yoakum Blvd. Houston, TX 77006 or Via Zoom This seminar is co-sponsored by the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of St. Thomas ACS Brazosport Local Section Call for College Student Scholarship Nominations The ACS Brazosport Section is calling for nominations for two $500 scholarships to Community College students from Brazoria, Victoria, Wharton, Jackson, Calhoun, or Matagorda County. ​The scholarships are awarded to students who have demonstrated satisfactory academic achievement (minimum of 2.5 GPA) and are currently enrolled at least part-time (at least 3 credit hours or one course) at a community college in Brazoria, Victoria, Wharton, Jackson, Calhoun, or Matagorda County. ​For more information, download the eligibility criteria and complete the nomination package and email the completed document to pboopalachandran@dow.com before November 30th, 2026. Find more information on the ACS Brazosport Local Section website. Tactile Periodic Table Project at Houston City College
(L-R): C. Dr. Karen Fortune, Arya Fakhroshoara, Dr. Cary Supalo, Dr. Dalton McWhinney, Dr. Senta Eastern, EdD, LPC-S, NCC (ADA Counsellor) Houston City College (HCC) participated in a broader ACS-supported effort to make chemistry more accessible through tactile periodic tables. During the Spring 2026 STEM and ADA awareness symposium, students worked with faculty, ACS Division of Professional Relations (PROF), Dr. Cary Supalo, Dr. Michael Fricke, and the HCC makerspace to create a laser-cut periodic table with braille elements. The project reflects the larger 50-50-50 initiative, which aims to place tactile periodic tables in all 50 U.S. states by the 50th anniversary of the ACS Committee on Chemists with Disabilities (CWD) in 2030. Dr. Margaret Faul Women in Chemistry and Women in the Chemical Industry Awards The call for nominations for the 2027 Dr. Margaret Faul Women in Chemistry and Women in the Chemical Industry Awards to recognize the outstanding achievements of women in organic chemistry is open. Nomination deadline is December 11, 2026.
Every two years, Thieme and the editors of the reference work Science of Synthesis (SOS) present the Dr. Margaret Faul Women in Chemistry and Women in the Chemical Industry Awards to young female chemists in recognition of outstanding achievements. Since 2025, two separate prizes have been awarded to women working in academic and industrial research.
|
