Director-at-Large - American Chemical Society
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needs of the members and have been active in
the Society at both the national and local level.
Val Kuck - A National Volunteer and Leader
Val Kuck - A Driver of Local Activities
I have helped hundreds of unemployed members by
- Holding monthly workshops for the past three years on resume
preparation, targeting the job market and interviewing tips - Presenting career workshops at national and regional meetings
- Reviewing resumes as a career consultant
- Offering workshops for students on job hunting and resume
preparation
Finding a Home in Our Society
I have been a co-originator of two national meeting events, SciMix and the
Town Hall Meeting.
- SciMix has become the most popular event at the national meetings
and has been recognized as a wonderful opportunity to meet other
researchers with similar scientific interests. - The Town Hall Meeting is becoming a “don’t miss” event. Members
have found the Town Hall Meeting very informative in hearing
candidates for the Board of Directors answer a wide variety of
questions from the audience.
Reaching Out to the Community
For more than fifteen years, I have chaired the North Jersey Section’s
National Chemistry Week activities.
- With the assistance of hundreds of industrial chemists, retirees,
college and high school teachers, Girl and Boy Scouts, and college
and high school students, the Section has presented a wide array of
hands-on activities to thousands of children and their parents. - Armed with our handout sheets, many budding scientists have been
able to show their classmates and family that “Chemistry is Fun”!
Learning About the Latest Breakthroughs
Just a few weeks before a national meeting, I organized and chaired two
special Presidential Symposia on late breaking area.
- The symposia on Cold Fusion drew over seven thousand attendees
and gave all the opportunity to hear and question the speakers on this
science. - The symposium on High Tc Superconductors attracted over two
thousand individuals, including the President’s Science Advisor, who
heard scientists discuss this phenomenon. - The presentation of these two highly successful events paved the way
for significant breakthroughs to be presented at a meeting as quickly
as possible.
Increasing Member Involvement
I have worked to increase the diversity on committees, in local section
leadership, and on candidate slates. In recent years, many women and
younger chemists have been given an opportunity to serve the Society and
develop leadership skills. We need to better involve more young people and
individuals from under-represented groups in the Society.
I was a member of a team that developed the protocol for implementing
electronic balloting. Coupled with two Comments in Chemical &
Engineering that explained the candidate selection process, it is hoped that
a greater percentage of the members will participate in elections in the
future.
Vote for Val!
from Val's
campaign
flyer
Careers in Transition program in the North Jersey
Section
