Message from 2020 Chair Cecilia Marzabadi

Greetings North Jersey Section!

It is my great honor to serve as your 2020 Chair for the Section. As a 20+ year member of the section, I have seen the changes and the challenges present in the Section. I also know a good number of the dedicated, section volunteers who work to make the NJACS one of the best sections in the US. I look forward to working with these volunteers to promote the value of the Society to our existing members and to recruit new members to our vibrant section.

Our Section has a diverse array of topical/discussion groups that hold meetings in areas such as: Organic Chemistry, NMR Spectroscopy, Mass Spectrometry, Drug Metabolism, Chromatography, Minority Chemists, Women Chemists Committee, Younger Chemists Committee, Senior Chemists Committee and Teacher Affiliates. No matter what your interest, there is a topical group for you. In addition to monthly or bimonthly meetings, these groups also hold symposia. This is in addition to the Baekeland Award Symposium held biannually and this year on November 15th, 2019. These symposia and meetings hold great benefit for the community to bring us together and to serve as an opportunity for networking and for the exchange of ideas. I invite you to attend and to get to know what the NJACS is all about.

Section members also participate in a range of outreach activities including: National Chemistry Week, Chemistry Expo, the Chemistry Olympiad and Earth Day. In the upcoming year, we strive to have greater interactions with our college chapters and chemistry clubs. Student chapters will be encouraged to participate in an Earth Day competition on sustainable, green chemistry. We also will strive to expand our activities with neighboring ACS Sections. We plan have greater outreach to the general public through Science Cafes in our local communities.

We also will reach out to some of our underserved populations in the area to increase their participation and representation in the Chemical Enterprise. Our section encompasses a region with great diversity in its population and this should be reflected in our Society. As a member of the National Women Chemists Committee, my efforts have been particularly focused on promoting and retaining women in the academic and industrial workforces. Though we have made good progress in this area, much work remains to be done. Efforts will be made in the section to make chemistry a more “inclusive science” through our interactions with underrepresented colleagues, communities and schools and through mentoring efforts such as ACS Project SEED.

I plan to continue some of the efforts of past-Chairs to improve communication with members within the section using enhanced social media channels. In addition, I encourage our members to continue to stay informed by visiting the section’s website www.njacs.org and by reading the NY and NJ newsletter, The Indicator www.theindicator.org, to check for upcoming meetings and events in the area. In addition, a member survey will be distributed electronically to gauge the needs of the section and to better make plans for future activities.

Thank-you for this opportunity, I look forward to working with the volunteers and members of the NJACS.

2020 Chair, Cecilia Marzabadi
cecilia.marzabadi@shu.edu

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