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| ACS Southern California Section | |
|---|---|
| Name | ACS Southern California Section |
| Caption | Southern California chemistry community |
| Formation | 1897 |
| Type | Professional society |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Region served | Southern California |
| Parent organization | American Chemical Society |
ACS Southern California Section The ACS Southern California Section is a regional unit of the American Chemical Society serving the chemistry community in Southern California. It connects chemists across metropolitan hubs such as Los Angeles, San Diego, and Orange County while interacting with national entities like the National Science Foundation and professional groups including the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics. The Section collaborates with universities, industry, museums, and government laboratories, including University of California, Los Angeles, University of Southern California, California Institute of Technology, San Diego State University, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
The Section traces roots to 1897 amid scientific growth in Los Angeles and the expansion of institutions such as Stanford University and University of California, Berkeley. Early meetings featured speakers from Caltech and U.S. Naval Research Laboratory and engaged figures connected to the Manhattan Project era like scientists affiliated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory. During the mid-20th century the Section expanded alongside aerospace firms like Northrop Grumman and Lockheed Martin and petrochemical companies such as Chevron. The Section organized responses to regional events including infrastructure shifts tied to Transcontinental Railroad heritage sites and scientific initiatives linked to the Space Race. In recent decades it has partnered with research centers including Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Governance follows the bylaws of the American Chemical Society and includes an elected chair, councilors, treasurer, and committee chairs modeled after structures at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University. The Section coordinates with regional professional bodies such as California Academy of Sciences and regulatory interactions with agencies like the California Energy Commission. Advisory committees have included representatives from corporations such as Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Merck & Co. and academic liaisons from Pomona College and Claremont McKenna College. Elections and governance practices reference procedures akin to those used by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and American Physical Society.
Membership encompasses academics from University of California, Irvine and University of California, Riverside, industry scientists at firms like Dow Chemical Company and DuPont, students from institutions including California State University, Long Beach and Cal Poly Pomona, and government laboratory staff from Sandia National Laboratories. Local subsections and student chapters affiliate with campuses such as Pepperdine University, Occidental College, and Biola University, and professional groups including American Association for the Advancement of Science members and alumni networks from Columbia University and Yale University. Outreach efforts coordinate with local societies like the Los Angeles County Science Fair and academic consortia such as the Claremont Colleges.
Programs include K–12 initiatives in partnership with institutions like the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the San Diego Natural History Museum, summer camps similar to offerings at Exploratorium and California Science Center, and teacher workshops modeled on curricula from Next Generation Science Standards proponents. Outreach collaborates with community partners such as Mayor of Los Angeles offices, regional nonprofit organizations like the California Council on Science and Technology, and foundations including the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Public lectures feature speakers from National Institutes of Health, NASA, Environmental Protection Agency, and regional research consortia such as Scripps Research.
The Section hosts monthly meetings, topical symposia, and regional conferences with themes resonant with conferences such as the Gordon Research Conferences, American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting, and workshops akin to those at Keck Graduate Institute. Meetings feature invited speakers from Caltech, UCLA Medical Center, Scripps Research Institute, and industry R&D groups at Genentech and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Conferences have included focused sessions on catalysis, materials science, analytical chemistry, and green chemistry with contributors from Los Alamos National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and faculty from University of Chicago and Princeton University.
The Section administers local awards honoring contributions in research, education, and service, echoing national awards like the Priestley Medal and the National Medal of Science. Past honorees have included faculty affiliated with Caltech, UCLA, USC, and industry leaders formerly with Amgen and Merck & Co.. Student awards support competitors to regional competitions such as Intel International Science and Engineering Fair and national fellowships similar to the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program and Rhodes Scholarship recipients often active in Section activities.
Facilities used by the Section include lecture halls and auditoria at University of California, San Diego, laboratory facilities affiliated with California Institute of Technology, and meeting spaces at museums like the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Science Center. Publications include newsletters, meeting abstracts, and proceedings paralleling journals such as the Journal of the American Chemical Society, Chemical & Engineering News, and specialized periodicals like Environmental Science & Technology and Analytical Chemistry. The Section archives material in collaboration with repositories like Huntington Library and university archives at UCLA Library.
Category:American Chemical Society sections Category:Scientific organizations based in the United States