Ongoing Programs in the Americas

US Brazil Biofuels Collaboration

Both the US and Brazil are active in bio and thermo chemical research and technology. With a grant from NSF, the ACS Office of International Activities is working with the ACS Publications and Technical Divisions as well as the Brazilian Chemical Society (SBQ) and EMBRAPA to create a collaboration framework between these two communities of chemistry research.

Project activities include:

• Best of biorenewable chemistry graduate student poster competitions. Listen to poster winners Dante Simonetti and Lilian Guarieiro.
• Study tour of Brazilian research labs and biofuel production facilities. Read the C&EN coverage on this Biofuel Bonanza.
• Joint SBQ/ACS symposium during the SBQ national meeting. Listen to presenters Rusty Sutterlin and Claudio Mota.
• Creation of a bilateral research collaboration road map.
• Biofuels and Bio-based Products Chemistry and Environmental Impacts Symposium at FLAQ 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Read the symposium summary, Feedstocks for Biofuels, by Jim Seiber.
  

For more information, please contact intlacts@acs.org.

International Year of Chemistry (IYC) 2011

On December 30, 2008, The United Nations declared 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry.

The principal goal of IYC is to celebrate the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the well-being of humankind.  There are four main objectives:

1. Increase the public appreciation of chemistry in meeting world needs.
2. Increase interest of young people in chemistry.
3. Generate enthusiasm for the creative future of chemistry.
4. Celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the Mme. Curie Nobel Prize and the 100^th anniversary of the founding of the International Association of Chemical Societies.

The American Chemical Society will play an active and leading role to help increase the general public’s appreciation of chemistry and their understanding of how the transforming power of chemistry is improving people’s lives.

There are several ways in which you can get involved. If you are interested, please send an email to intlacts@acs.org to learn more.