Dear colleagues,
The Chemical Education Research Committee (CERC, a standing committee of the ACS Division of Chemical Education) sponsors several symposia every year. As part of a strategic effort to expand participation in DivCHED within our ongoing activities, we would like to open a call for symposium organizers for 2026 – 2027. Experienced organizers and presiders are welcome, but early career scholars (such as graduate students and postdocs) and chemistry educators interested in greater DivCHED participation are especially encouraged to volunteer.
There are several symposia that we will sponsor at each of the following conferences over the next two years:
- Research in Chemical Education - Fall ACS National Meeting – August 23-27, 2026 - Chicago, IL
- Research in Chemical Education - Spring ACS National Meeting – March 21-25, 2027 - New Orleans, LA
- Putting CER into Practice - Spring ACS National Meeting – March 21-25, 2027 -- New Orleans, LA
- Research in Chemical Education - Fall ACS National Meeting – August 22-26, 2027 - San Diego, CA
We are looking for 1-2 volunteers to help organize and/or preside for each of these symposia. If you or someone you know is interested, please fill in this Google form: https://bit.ly/CERC-Volunteering For questions about the form, please contact Elizabeth Day (elday@utep.edu).
Who can be a symposium organizer?
Anyone. You don't need to have previous experience organizing a symposium at a national conference. We have many resources and support to help you in this role. This is a great opportunity to gain service experience at the national/international level.
What does a symposium organizer do?
The organizers will review abstracts submitted to the symposium and then organize the abstracts into one or more sessions (if enough abstracts submitted) and outline a schedule for each session. This work will be done online through the MAPS system (the ACS abstract submission system). Training in working with MAPS is required and provided through ACS ahead of this work.
Do I have to be able to attend the conference for which I am an organizer?
No. As an organizer, you will need to assign a presider for the session(s) of your symposium. The presider will need to be present at the conference (virtually or in person, depending on the format of the conference). As an organizer, you can choose to be a presider or recruit others to fill this role. The presider prepares an efficient progression of speakers by pre-loading up slides, introduces speakers and maintains the timing of each talk, facilitates questions and discussion, and upholds ACS’s policies on conduct.
If you are interested in this opportunity or have additional questions, please contact the DivCHED CERC Symposium Coordinators: Elizabeth Day (elday@utep.edu) or Brandon Yik (byik@uga.edu).