This is the sixth Chair’s Message I’ve written during the pandemic. Hopefully, we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. As the Bay Area slowly reopens, it is critical for everyone to get vaccinated and do their part to practice safe, responsible behavior so we don’t jeopardize the health and safety of others. The conditions in some other countries are a stark reminder that the balance we have achieved is delicate and we will have to continue working on keeping the pandemic at bay. Last year, around this time, the Silicon Valley ACS local section cancelled all in-person activity, including our annual awards picnic. This year, Peter Rusch, Grace Baysinger and Sally Peters are diligently putting together an in-person event to honor the SVACS Radding Award recipient and our 50-, 60- and 70-year ACS members. More details on page 3.
While we work on providing safe in-person events for the future, we are moving ahead in virtual mode with several events in June. Our annual joint meeting with the Golden Gate Polymer Forum features a presentation from Dr. David Breslauer, the CEO and co-founder of Bolt Threads. Dr. Breslauer will describe Bolt Threads’ technology for their commercial products of recombinant spider silk fibers for apparel (Microsilk™), spider silk protein-based personal care ingredients (B-silk™), and a mycelium-based leather alternative (Mylo™). The virtual event on Wednesday, June 9 at 6:30pm is free and requires registration. Another event in June to share with your friends and family is Professor Rebecca Lai’s talk about how she melds magic and Harry Potter into chemistry lessons! This zoominar will be held on Thursday, June 17, at 6:00 pm PST.
On a separate note, we are pleased to share with you Silicon Valley ACS’s Strategic Plan! It is a succinct, yet exciting and ambitious plan that provides a framework for the section to meet the needs of our community and deliver higher levels of service. The plan not only captures the wide array of programs we offer, but it also helps us identify gaps or areas where we can do better. This includes intentional and deliberate work we plan to do to support members interested in career transitions and strengthening connections with other professional societies and communities.
This strategic plan will enable us to function from an intentional and active place, not just a reactive one. It will help streamline decision-making and will act as a road map for realizing the section’s vision of ‘Building connections through chemistry in Silicon Valley.’ The goals and projects in this plan will improve services by providing professional development, educational opportunities, networking, and recognition. We wish to offer a safe space where sharing innovative, exciting, and fun chemistry with our diverse broader community through education and outreach is strongly encouraged. Please turn to page 5 to see the SVACS strategic plan.
Drafting the strategic plan has been a long process drawing on a lot of effort, with many people assisting and contributing. I would particularly like to thank Madalyn Radlauer for the clear vision and generous time she put into leading the process of creating the plan
This strategic plan is intended to be a living document, providing a continuing touchstone for us yet flexible enough to change as our community evolves. We are here to serve our community. If you have any thoughts or ideas, we’d love to hear from you! You can email us at chair@svacs.org. I’m looking forward to celebrating this milestone with everyone in our community!
