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. |
ACS Brazosport Section Awards Call for 2026 Chemical Technician Award Nominate a chemical operator, technician or technologist The Awards Committee of the Brazosport Section of the American Chemical Society is soliciting nominations for the 2026 Brazosport Chemical Technician Award, which will be presented to a chemical operator / technician / technologist who has demonstrated an extremely high degree of professionalism. Criteria used to judge the award include technical achievements, leadership, mentoring, contribution to safety, reliability, teamwork, publications, awards, and community service. A nominee must be a resident of Brazoria, Victoria, Wharton, Jackson, Calhoun, or Matagorda County or be employed within any of the listed counties. Additionally, the nominee must have worked as a chemical operator / technician / technologist for a minimum of five years to be eligible for this award. Nominees are not required to be a Technician Affiliate or an ACS member to be eligible for this award. The award consists of one-year membership in the American Chemical Society and a plaque presented at the Annual Brazosport ACS Awards Banquet. Nominations must be received by Praveen Boopalachandran as a single pdf file. The packet must include the following:
The ACS defines a chemical operator / technician / technologist as a person whose training includes successful completion of a two-year post high school level chemistry curriculum leading to an Associate degree, the equivalent course work in a Baccalaureate program, or the equivalent knowledge gained by experience. The primary work of a chemical operator / technician / technologist is conducting experimentation and/or correlating information to help solve chemical problems and/or discover new chemical knowledge. This work is not confined to a traditional laboratory setting. To be eligible, please submit the complete nomination package directly to pboopalachandran@dow.com by 11:59 PM CDT on August 14, 2026 (Friday). The winners will be announced about 3 weeks after the nominations are due. Please feel free to share this with anyone you know who might be interested in this opportunity. 2026 Celebration of Learning Safer Science Summit
FREE FOR TEACHERS! The K-12 STEAM Safer Science Summit is an immersive event focused on enhancing the understanding of government and state lab safety regulations and the compliance with and implementation of safety protocols within STEAM education environments. This program is offered by the Laboratory Safety Institute and two locations are available for summer 2026. Senior Chemists Committee Seeking Members Many senior chemists are looking for ways to be more engaged in ACS, in the profession, and within communities. In Houston, we are reactivating the ACS Greater Houston Senior Chemist Committee. This will be a great opportunity for senior chemists to assist with various programs and mentor students and younger scientists. The ACS Greater Houston Senior Chemist Committee hopes to work with area senior chemists to coordinate local activities. Working together, Senior Chemist committee members will volunteer and contribute their energy and talent to ACS initiatives that they propose and agree to support. The ACS Greater Houston Senior Committee may volunteer to: 1. Help mentor younger chemists and chemical engineers We
also have several up coming projects which will involve mentoring
college students via boot camps or performing demos for K-12 students
at area colleges. We are also introducing a new program that will
allow laboratory inspections for high school and university
laboratories in an effort to improve lab safety when needed. It is
hopeful that these services will improve relationships between ACS and
school teachers. If you are interested in joining this committee please complete this form to let us know. | Another Unbe-leaf-able CCEW for 2026!
The ACS-GHS once again joined the Discovery Green Earth Day in Downtown Houston on April 25, 2026, as part of Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW). This year’s theme was "Into the Woods with Chemistry", highlighting the chemistry of trees and forests. To help deliver and promote the theme, we had an informational section educating visitors about the importance of trees to our planet and human life. We also had an experiment for visitors to our booth where they could create their own tree using materials like moss and wooden sticks, and we handed out giveaway bags to visitors containing ACS educational materials and goodies. In addition, visitors were able to take their tree to go! Volunteers from the University of St. Thomas ACS group came to help at this year’s event. Huge thanks to Kiresha (Reese) Johnson for organizing the day, and to our event volunteers for helping make this a phenomenal event! Upcoming events
SCC Presents: "The Girl on the Train"
The ACS Greater Houston Senior Committee members and guests are invited to join us for “The Girl on the Train” performance at the Alley Theater on August 1, 2026, at 2:00 pm. We will enjoy pre-show appetizers at Birraporetti’s prior to the performance. More details to follow. May Science Demonstrations at HMNS ACS Fellow and long-time ACS Greater Houston Section member Kerry Spilker puts the spotlight on chemistry as the Docent presenting chemistry demonstrations in the Matter and Motion Hall at the Houston Museum of Natural Science (HMNS).
As Kerry reports: "HMNS guest, Gabriel, was on hand to help refine the Water Rise in a Vacuum Experiment. We tested multiple size candles, covers, food colors and containers to get the most dramatic results for the audience to see. This crowd favorite always gets a gasp once the candle flame slowly dims, goes out and the color water is drawn up by the vacuum made by the condensing gas."
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). ACS-GHS Awards: Call for Nominations Recognize your peers for their outstanding scholarship and service to the ACS-GHS and our chemical community by nominating them for an award!
Direct inquiries and submit nomination packets to acs-ghs@acs-ghs.org by the specified deadline. |
