Message From the Chair

2026 NESACS Chair

Dr. Scott Edmondson
chair@nesacs.org

 

It is my honor to serve as the 2026 Chair for the Northeastern Section of the American Chemical Society (NESACS) – one of the largest ACS divisions in the country. I am excited to bring energy, leadership, new ideas and a philosophy of both diversity and innovation to our section. Over the past several years, membership in NESACS in addition to the National ACS has been declining. Additionally, the belief in science among Americans has been waning. This is why it is critical, today more than ever, for Americans to engage with science and scientists.

Through NESACS, we can find common ground as scientists to engage with students, teachers, our communities, and especially each other to help advance chemistry, elevate our science, expand our networks, and inspire ourselves and future generations to solve some of the world’s most difficult challenges. At NESACS we have always had strong representation and participation from the pharmaceutical and biotech communities – and multiple symposia through the year that help connect these scientists with each other. One such example is our Medicinal Chemistry Committee chaired by Raj Rajur and their signature annual symposium – Advances in Chemical Sciences. Over the past ~15 years, this symposium has brought more than a dozen Nobel Laureates to Boston among other premier organic chemists and drug hunters. In October 2025, NESACS held our first symposium focused on the energy sector entitled Innovative Chemistry for Next-Generation Battery Materials and Technologies which brought together industrial and academic chemists and chemical engineers working in the field of sustainable energy. In January 2026, our newly formed Materials Chemistry Committee, led by Kapil Dev Sayala, held its first symposium entitled Chemical Advances in Biomaterials and Therapeutics which was attended by the 2026 ACS President Rigoberto Hernandez as a keynote presenter. The energy and materials science symposia were each attended by more than 130 local chemists and chemical engineers. Taken together, these opportunities bring together diverse areas of chemistry to help illustrate how chemistry, as a central science, connects and integrates our understanding of life sciences, materials, and energy.

Additionally, NESACS engages with a number of special populations each month. For example, younger students each year through a number of fun and educational events during National Chemistry Week (led by Ray Lam) and activities such as Science in Your Swimsuit® on Cape Cod (organized by Jen Maclachlan). NESACS also has a very active Women’s Chemist Committee (co-led by Anna Sromek and Carol Mulrooney) which held an educational event called Celebrating Women’s Careers in Chemistry in March 2025 (Women’s History Month). This event featured an all-female panel followed by a poster session with over 70 posters and more than 200 attendees. Over the course of each year, we hold monthly events including many of those described above in addition to several award presentations. Our monthly newsletter, The Nucleus, is an amazing source of information about past and future events and our routine emails (sent to all our active NESACS members) provide our members with links to events that are coming up in the following month.

I firmly believe that by broadening our horizons and appealing to a broader range of interests in our chemistry communities, we will re-ignite enthusiasm and participation in NESACS and the broader ACS.  In the summer of 2025, the board members of NESACS updated our Strategic Plan to align with many of the themes described above. If you are interested in joining NESACS and helping us on our mission, please do reach out to us to get more information about how to get involved with NESACS to bring our passion for chemistry to our students, to each other, and to our communities!