Minority Affairs
The Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) aims to lead change in institutional culture within the ACS and the chemical enterprise and achieve full participation and expression of intellectual and creative capacity of underrepresented minorities. The committee develops programs and activities that encourage and support minority participation in the chemical sciences; strives to promote the recognition of the professional accomplishments of minorities; serves to attract students from underrepresented or marginalized groups to the profession and identify inclusive educational institutions and businesses.
The current Committee Chair can be found here.
Girl Scout Chemistry Day
HISTORY
Elizabeth Kirchoff, Assistant Dean for Academics and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Detroit Mercy, contacted Caroline Feathers, former Program Specialist at Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan, and connected her with Charlene Hayden and Mary Kay Heidtke who were members of the executive committee of the Detroit Section of the American Chemical Society. We brainstormed what an event for Girl Scouts could look like and that is where it all began.
TIMELINE
- October 15, 2005- the first Chemistry Day was held at the Belle Isle Casino
- November 18 2006-the second Chemistry Day was held at the Belle Isle Casino. An outdoor clean up was held around the area.
- November 17, 2007- the third Chemistry Day was held at the Belle Isle Casino
- November 15, 2008- the fourth Chemistry Day was held at the Belle Isle Casino
- November 14, 2009- the fifth Chemistry Day was held at the Belle Isle Casino
- November 6, 2010- the sixth Chemistry Day moves to First United Methodist Church of Troy
- Remained at First United Methodist Church of Troy to date
IMPACT
- Over the last 17 years: 3,822 people learned that chemistry can be fun and it can be a career for them in their future!
- That is approximately: 2,869 girls and 953 adults.
- With at least 600 volunteers who made it happen!
WHY
According to the Girl Scout Research Institute: Although interest in STEM is high, few girls consider it their number one career choice, given competing opportunities and interests.
- 81% of STEM girls are interested in pursuing STEM career, but only 13% say it is their first choice.
- Girls in STEM are interested in many careers: Top four career categories: Medicine/Health Care, Arts/Design, Entertainment, Social Science.
- 30% of STEM girls (vs. 35% non-STEM girls) are interested in being a stay-at-home mom.
- Girls want a career that they love and want to help people and make a difference in the world.
- Gender barriers persist; About half of all girls feel that STEM isn’t a typical career path for girls. 57% of girls say that if they went into a STEM career, they’d have to work harder than a man just to be taken seriously
Girls who are interested in STEM have had greater exposure to STEM fields than girls who are not interested in STEM. Two-thirds (66% vs. 47% non-STEM) know someone in a STEM career, and half (53% vs. 36% non-STEM) know a woman in a STEM career. A majority of girls who are not interested in STEM (79% vs. 60% of STEM girls) know more about other careers than they do about STEM.
