A new alliance

BPSDB

 

The American Chemistry Society and the UK’s Royal Society of Chemistry have joined forces in a transatlantic venture to “help the general public better understand how the science of chemistry can help solve global challenges”.

The first step has just been launched – a pair of mirrored websites with contributions from both organisations. However this is just the beginning:

The Web sites are the first of several planned joint efforts by ACS and RSC to increase public understanding of the challenges facing Earth as well as the chemistry underlying these issues and their possible solutions. The societies also hope to inspire a new generation of scientists to explore solutions to these challenges, and promote the international cooperation that both organizations believe is necessary to sustain our environment and resources for future generations.

ACS and RSC agreed late last year to form a collaborative alliance and mutually use their resources to contribute to global efforts that seek out solutions for many of the world’s emerging problems. In addition to the Web site, the alliance partners will host a series of trans-Atlantic seminars for scientists, elected representatives, government officials, the media, students, and the general public on sustainability practices. Planning for the first of these “dialogs” is underway for November in Washington, D.C. The two organizations will also seek to train scientists to speak compellingly and convincingly, in non-technical terms, about the world’s sustainability challenges.

This can only be a good thing. I hope it is the first of many such cooperative ventures in public outreach.

I’m just thinking aloud here, but if the assorted “whatevergate” episodes have inspired more scientists to step out of their (perceived) ivory towers and engage more with the public, then ultimately this could pay dividends – in spades.

Between them, the ACS and the RSC have 207,000 members – in just two countries. And that only represents people with an interest in Chemistry – no physicists, astronomers, hydrologists, geologists, meteorologists, economists, dowsers or astrologers.

Kind of puts organisations like the ICSC somewhat in the shade, I think.

 

 

IMAGE CREDITS:

[1] – the American Chemistry Society

[2] – the Royal Society of Chemistry

[3] – the American Chemistry Society

 

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