ACS on Campus: Learning the Art of Publication in Utah

On September 18, ACS on Campus traveled to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City—home to the editorial offices of the Journal of the American Chemical Society, the Journal of Organic Chemistry, and Accounts of Chemical Research. Led by Editors-in-Chief and Utah faculty members Peter Stang, Dale Poulter, and Cindy Burrows respectively, the journals and their presence on campus set the tone for a full day of interesting discussions and dynamic engagement between ACS staff, ACS journals editors, and University of Utah faculty, students and librarians.

ACS on Campus is the Society’s outreach program that helps students, post-doctoral scholars, and faculty advance their careers by bringing together leaders in chemistry, publishing, and science communications to university campuses worldwide. The group organizes a series of seminars and workshops focused on various aspects of the scientific world. The ACS on Campus at the University of Utah marked the eighth institution visited in 2015.

The event kicked off with opening remarks from Dean of Sciences and JACS Associate Editor Henry White. He peppered his introduction with a fascinating prop—a 1979 copy of Analytical Chemistry in which his first paper was published. “It isn’t science until it’s published,” he stipulated, emphasizing the importance of and impact that can be made from having your research published in a top scholarly journal.

Post-lunch fatigue was staved off by an interactive session on SciFinder, where participants put their research skills to the test. C&EN Vice President and Editor-in-Chief Bibiana Campos-Seijo followed this session with a talk on the art of communication skills, walking the audience through techniques they can use to effectively talk about their research in a way that makes it accessible to anyone. The day wrapped up with an overview of ChemWorx from JACS Managing Editor Sonja Krane and a Q&A session about copyright and ethics.

For more information on ACS on Campus and to see if ACS is coming to a school near you, visit acsoncampus.acs.org.