Reflections from ACS Spring 2024

From March 17-21, the Beyond Benign team was engaged in discussions, presentations, and networking sessions at the ACS Spring National Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Colleagues from all over the world converged both in person at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and virtually to share some of the latest and greatest insights and advances in green chemistry teaching and learning. At the conference expo, Beyond Benign’s booth was a flurry of activity; over the course of two and a half days, the team met with hundreds of faculty, students, and industry representatives. The booth had tables set up with tablets to sign up on the spot for a Green Chemistry Teaching and Learning Community (GCTLC) account and opportunities to participate in raffles, win prizes, and get stickers and swag. All in all, close to 100 new users registered on the GCTLC platform over the duration of the expo, and we’re thrilled to have them join the community!?

A few stand-out highlights from the conference include:

• A presentation by Beyond Benign’s Dr. Nimrat Obhi (Program Manager, GCTLC) on “Green Chemistry Education: A Key Tool for Environmental Justice” during a session exploring the critical intersections between chemistry education and environmental justice.
• A full-day session organized by Prof. Deborah Bromfield Lee (Florida Southern College) and Prof. Jane Wissinger (University of Minnesota) on “Incorporating Green and Sustainable Chemistry to Meet the Three Categories of the New ACS Guidelines for Bachelor’s Degree Programs and Increasing Student Engagement. The session included sixteen presentations from faculty and education experts and wonderful examples of green chemistry in education in action.?
• A presentation by Beyond Benign’s Dr. Monica Soma Hensley (Program Manager, Higher Education) on “Student-led Community Engagement in Action” during a session exploring the synergy between safety, green chemistry, and environmental justice.
• A session on “Practicing Green Chemistry at the Bench” including presentations by GCTLC Advisory Committee members Dr. David A. Laviska (ACS Green Chemistry Institute) and Prof. Andrea Oseolorun (Prairie View A&M University) as well as Dr. John Warner , co-founder of Beyond Benign.