• ACS Leadership Institute Report
• In-Person Award Celebration Coming in May
• Celebrating 150 Years of the American Chemical Society
• KACS Calendar

ACS Leadership Institute Report

Annually, ACS hosts a Leadership Institute for newly-elected officers of the various units within the Society to meet each other, to share program ideas and to become acquainted with Society officers. KACS encourages our newly-elected officers to attend. This year Tiffany Crawford did attend, and her report is below.

ACS Leadership Institute 2026

Tiffany Crawford, KACS Secretary 2026

I am grateful that I had the opportunity to attend the ACS leadership institute in Atlanta, GA from Jan 30 – Feb 1. The weekend was fun and informative, with a lot of group discussion on how to organize section activities and encourage volunteers. The ACS presenters explained the different grants available (and their acronyms) and led discussions of types of activities those grants can cover and which aspects would need to be funded externally. I met Monica Hensley, the chair of the UP ACS section, and she is very interested in organizing a joint event with other local ACS sections in Michigan. During one of the presentations they announced the themes for this year’s CCEW (Into the Woods with Chemistry) and NCW (Construction) as well as an ACS rebrand. This rebrand focused on choosing colors that are inclusive for color blindness and a new logo. I was able to meet the current ACS president, Rigoberto Hernandez, who spoke about the ACS strategic plan moving forward.

In-Person Award Celebration Coming in May

Our KACS Awards Celebration is being planned for Monday, May 11, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the WMED Innovation Center at 4717 Campus Drive, Kalamazoo.

We are planning the celebration to be in person this year, and as usual we will be recognizing

· students who have shown an enthusiastic interest in their HS chemistry studies,

· our 50-60-year ACS/KACS members,

· one outstanding graduating Chemistry major from each of our two 4-year institutions,

· one KACS member who has volunteered selflessly in our local section,

· students who participated in our Project SEED summer program along with their mentors

· and those students who have performed well in our US NCO (National Chemistry Olympiad) examination.

Honorees, their families and their teachers will be invited to be present at our event so that we may hear of their plans as they continue their various educational journeys. It is important for those of us who have been chemists over long-time careers to interact with the younger students!

Please place this event on your calendar and be there to encourage our honorees.

Celebrating 150 Years of the American Chemical Society

Visitors explored local contributions to science and history throughout the museum galleries and engaged with KACS members on site, including KACS Chair Joe Chemler and KACS Project SEED Coordinator Doug Williams. They shared information about opportunities available for K-12 students, undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, and community members, including ways to get involved with the KACS. They also distributed a number of science-themed giveaways and educational materials.

The event also included an immersive planetarium show Elements in Orbit, which examined the unseen chemistry of space with a focus on planets and constellations visible this season. The planetarium theater was at full capacity for this unique show.

The event will return to the Kalamazoo Valley Museum on May 9 with two showings of Elements in Orbit at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Planetarium tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit kalamazoomuseum.org for more information.

KACS members interested in volunteering are encouraged to contact Carol Guerrero (cguerrero@kvcc.edu). We look forward to seeing you at the Kalamazoo Valley Museum in May!

Two other dates (the last 2 of our section’s 4 ACS 150th birthday celebration dates) that you may place on your calendar to volunteer at our information table from 1 to 3 p.m. at the KVM are

· Saturday, August 8, 2026

· Saturday, November 7, 2026