Teaming Up for National Chemistry Week

PR Log (Press Release) – Oct 18, 2009 – In the 2009-10 academic year, the Georgia Local Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS) will continue to serve as Centimeter Level Corporate Partner for Science, Engineering and Mathematics Link Inc (SEM Link) for the third consecutive year. The ACS partnership began with its support of SEM Link in the 2007-08 program year by serving as a sponsor for the 1st Annual Science, Engineering and Mathematics Career Fair and Exhibition in May 2008.

The American Chemical Society supports SEM Link’s Math and Science Career Academy by providing resources and volunteers that expose students to chemistry and chemistry careers.  ACS has provided resources for National Chemistry Week, which is October 18-24, 2009, and its theme is “Chemistry-Its Elemental!” (Celebrating the Periodic Table of Elements). They also serve as exhibitors for the Annual Science, Engineering and Mathematics Career Fair and Exhibition.

“As a chemical engineer by training, I am very excited about the opportunity to expose our youth to the field of chemistry and the plethora of careers in this field and doing this with the support of ACS allows us to do it in a way that allows children to see the global impact of the field of chemistry,” says Executive Director and Founder of SEM Link Tokiwa T. Smith. ACS has historically partnered with organizations such as SEM Link to show the value of science to the general public.  

SEM Link is a tax-exempt nonprofit organization, founded in 2005 that promotes student achievement and career exploration in math and science for K-12 students by connecting them with individuals with backgrounds in science, engineering and mathematics. SEM Link has a two-core program model, Experimental Design Program and Math and Science Career Academy. These programs provide students with opportunities to develop their math and science skills by enhancing the classroom learning experience and teaching them skills that are transferable to other areas of life. Since its inception, SEM Link has enhanced educational experiences for over 1000 Metro Atlanta youth through hands on math and science activities, career exploration and exposure to real world applications of math and science.

With more than 154,000 members, the American Chemical Society (ACS) is the world’s largest scientific society and one of the world’s leading sources of authoritative scientific information. A nonprofit organization, chartered by Congress, ACS is at the forefront of the evolving worldwide chemical enterprise and the premier professional home for chemists, chemical engineers and related professions around the globe. ACS has 189 local sections (chapters) throughout the United States.  The Georgia local section consists of professionals from academia and industry and has meetings once per month.  They invite speakers from various scientific disciplines to address their membership on interesting topics relevant in today’s society.  

For more information about SEM Link’s programs, contact Ms. Tokiwa T. Smith, Executive Director and Founder, by e-mail at tokiwa.smith@semsuccess.org or by phone at 678-496-5060. For more information about the organization, visit www.semsuccess.org. For more information about the Georgia Local Section of the American Chemical Society visit http://chemistry.gsu.edu/ACS/.