Welcome

Great Lakes Region of the American Chemical Society is an incorporated group of 20 ACS local sections from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, North Dakota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. The local sections work together to sponsor technical meetings, present awards, recognize outstanding individuals contributing to the chemistry enterprise and organize activities of interest to benefit the members and the general public

Great Lakes Region has a rich history deeply intertwined with the development of chemistry and the scientific community in the United States. The ACS was founded in 1876 and currently has more than 155,000 members at all degree levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical engineering, and related fields and is one of the world's largest scientific societies by membership. The ACS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and holds a congressional charter under Title 36 of the United States Code. Its headquarters are located in Washington, D.C., and it has a large concentration of staff in Columbus, Ohio.

Great Lakes Region is a hub for collaboration, networking, and knowledge exchange among chemists, educators, and industry professionals. Local Sections within the Region facilitate at the grassroots level, organizing meetings, seminars, and symposiums to promote scientific discourse and innovation.

ACS Regional Meetings – their historical development and importance

In the mid-1940s, long distance travel was more cumbersome than it might be today.  Additionally, World War 2 interrupted one national meeting. Advocating chemists, members of the American Chemical Society grouped together to host meetings featuring presenters from academia and industry within a general area so that those who might not be able to attend a national meeting due to expense and time could could still share their work.

In this way manner (10) ACS Regions* were formed one of which was the Great Lakes Region (GLR) (see map). Meetings were traditionally held on University campuses to keep participants’ costs to a minimum.

Regional meetings became more accessible to graduate and undergraduate students, younger faculty members and to those in industry who only had modest travel support.  These meetings provided valuable networking possibilities to the participants.

Over the years the importance and prestige of presenting at regional meetings in our Region has paralleled the content of the program selected by each Program Committee. Regional Meetings provide a more intimate venue of networking and professional development meetings, and has grown as we seek to reach our younger constituents and the general public.

Currently, ACS National Office offers the services of staff members to help in several aspects of the organization of a Regional Meeting but primarily in the registration and the abstract-gathering processes.

The first Great Lakes Regional meeting (GLRM) was held in Chicago in 1966. The Great Lakes Region was incorporated in 2009 at the GLR Meeting in Chicago. The Board of Directors is composed of one representative from each of the 20 Local Sections in the Region.

*Northwestern, Rocky Mountain, Great Lakes, Central, Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, Southeastern, Midwestern, Southwestern, Western.