Chicago ACS is the local section of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific professional society. • ACS' vision statement = "Improving people’s lives through the transforming power of chemistry" • ACS' mission statement = "To advance the broader chemistry enterprise and its practitioners for the benefit of Earth and its people." Primarily using volunteer effort, the Chicago Section serves ACS' four strategic aims: 1) PROVIDE INFORMATION SOLUTIONS: Holding 10 lecture-driven meetings per year, publishing 10 newsletters per year, and providing a resource for the public to connect with chemists and chemical information 2) EMPOWER MEMBERS AND MEMBER COMMUNITIES: Connecting members with career support resources and networking opportunities, curating the Willard Gibbs Award (one of the most prestigious medals in chemistry), and coordinating the Stieglitz lecture and Basolo Medal with Univ. of Chicago and Northwestern Univ., respectively; nominating and supporting regional chemists for awards such as the Priestley Medal and ACS Fellowships. 3) SUPPORT EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION: Providing research opportunities and over $15K in scholarships to high school students, providing forums to showcase student research, providing K-12 educators innovative resources for teaching chemical science 4) COMMUNICATE CHEMISTRY'S VALUE: Directly engaging the public at outreach events, career fairs, the IL State Fair, museums, libraries, etc; and directly engaging local, state, and national legislators to educate them on the importance of chemistry for their constituents, regions, and society, plus providing them expert advice on technical topics when the need arises.