American Chemical Society Lowering Activation Energy for ACS Student Chapters Recruiting Members.

American Chemical Society

Lowering Activation Energy for ACS Student Chapters

Recruiting Members

American Chemical Society 3

Starting a student chapter

• Contact ACS (undergrad@acs.org; 1-800-227-5558, ext. 4480)

• Develop the chapter

– Identify faculty advisor(s)

– Secure funding

– Recruit members

– Develop bylaws

– Elect officers

– Set goals

• Submit application to ACS

• Submit annual report

American Chemical Society 4

Student recruiting

• A chapter must have at least 6 ACS student members in good standing.

– A chapter may also have students who are not ACS members.

– A chapter may incorporate dues into its budget.

• Recruit from

– Chemistry classes

– Other science programs

– Campus-wide club recruiting

– Outreach events

American Chemical Society 5

Recruiting tips

• Distribute chapter information at all recruiting and outreach events

• Establish a website and/or social media group

• Publicize all events

– Campus publications

– Internet

– Community publications

• Network

• Use multiple approaches

American Chemical Society 6

Benefits of student chapters

• Personal growth

– Leadership opportunities

– Project management opportunities

– Networking with professionals and other students

• Outreach opportunities—share the joy of chemistry

• Resume building

American Chemical Society 7

Benefits of ACS student membership• For $45 or $24 per year, students receive

– Discounts

• ACS journals and books

• ACS national and regional meeting registration

• ACS short courses and leadership development courses

• Harvard business courses

• ACS store purchases

– Free access

• Career counselors and career fairs

• Presentations at national and regional meetings

• In Chemistry

• FANmail (e-newsletter)

– Access to special insurance, credit card, banking programs, and discounts on shipping and travel

American Chemical Society 8

Some more ACS resources

• Directory of Graduate Research and DGRWeb

• Information on internships, summer jobs, co-ops, and study abroad programs

• ACS Scholars

• ACS Network

• Student awards

• Job postings, career materials, Career Caffeine videos, salary and employment information

• Outreach materials

• Weekly online webinars and teleconferences on a variety of topics

• Full prices access to

– ACS technical divisions

– National, regional, and local meetings

– Peer-reviewed journals

– Short courses, leadership development courses, Harvard Business courses

American Chemical Society 9

Maintaining a student chapter

• Hold regular meetings at convenient time and location

– Things to try

• Providing child care

• Offering extra credit for participation

• Meeting at times when students are already on campus for class

• Hold business meetings with officers separate from meetings with entire membership

• Presenting different demonstrations at each meeting

• Make sure meetings are well-organized and on schedule

• Communicate frequently and freely between meetings

• Offer a variety of activities, so that members can chose what interests them most

10 American Chemical Society

Other ideas for recruiting and retaining members?

Use image slides to break up text heavy presentations.