NASA Symposium & Sustainability Summit

Let's go to the Moon, Mars and beyond for two days

the dream

This webpage is provided for general event history and symposium archival purposes. For the latest information on upcoming events, please visit the Events page or return to the Home page by clicking the CME logo in the upper-left corner.

In brief: Co-founded in 2017 by CME with NASA and ACS POLY Division, the Symposium has been selected an ACS President-Recommended Event since its genesis, co-sponsored by COMSCI/MPPG and divisions like POLY, PMSE, and I&EC. It has featured Nobel Laureates such as Sir Fraser Stoddart, Moungi Bawendi, Carolyn Bertozzi, Barry Sharpless, Frances Arnold, and Ben Feringa, alongside luminaries like Craig Venter, Robert Langer, and NASA’s James Green. Receptions have been held at venues such as the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the Kennedy Space Center and the Rubenstein Forum of the University of Chicago.

Unite thought leaders across industry, academia, government, media, and civil society to champion STEM advancement, accelerate solutions to humanity’s greatest challenges, and expand our exploration of the universe. In partnership with the ACS POLY and PMSE Divisions, CME and NASA co-founded the CME NASA Symposium in 2016, with the inaugural event held in 2017. To address multidisciplinary challenges in sustainable innovation and environmental stewardship, the CME NASA Earth & Space Sustainability (CNESS) Summit was introduced as a dedicated session in 2021.

An ACS President-Recommended Event and co-sponsored by COMSCI and MPPG, the CME NASA Symposium is held annually at major U.S. convention centers as part of global chemical science gatherings. Sponsored by leading ACS divisions including POLY, PMSE, and I&EC, past symposia have convened in Washington, DC; Boston, MA; Orlando, FL; and Atlanta, GA. Distinguished past speakers include Nobel Laureates Carolyn Bertozzi (Stanford), Barry Sharpless (Scripps), Frances Arnold (Caltech), Sir Fraser Stoddart (Northwestern), Ben Feringa (Groningen), and Eric Betzig (UC Berkeley), along with visionary leaders such as Craig Venter (Human Genome Project), Robert Langer (MIT), James Green (NASA), and Peter Eckes (BASF). Abstract submissions are by invitation only, and all attendees must register via the ACS website.

To explore sponsorship opportunities for the Symposium and CME’s broader STEM initiatives, please contact us at contact@CME-STEM.org.

NASA Symposium & Sustainability Conference

Example of the amazing array of speakers and honorees. For information on Upcoming Events go to the Events Page or Home Page.

ACS Fall - Chicago

2026 CME NASA Symposium: Chemistry in the Space Age

Annual CME Lectures since 2017

2026. 08. 24 - 2026. 09. 25

Gallery

2017: Craig Venter, the discoverer of the human DNA sequence and builder of the first minimal synthetic cell, gets the undivided attention of STEM students and ACS members.

2019: CME NASA Symposium Reception held at the Saturn V building of the spectacular Kennedy Space Center with 700 facilities in the center's 144,000 acres (580 km2) in Cape Canaveral, FL.

2018: MIT Professor Robert Langer presents his cutting-edge research. He is the most cited engineer in history (h-index 300) with 1,400+ patents licensed to 400+ companies, including Moderna.

2019: CME NASA Lectures at the Orlando Convention Center Valencia Ballroom A. The symposium attracted 1,000 attendees and has the endorsement record of 31 ACS technical divisions.

2019: Dining under the 110 meter-long Saturn V replica, the largest rocket to leave the Earth's surface and allow Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin land on the moon on July 20, 1969. Weight 3,000 mt.

2017: Participants stand in front of the CME astronaut by artist James Vaughan at the IMAX theater as part of the CME Reception held at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

2017: The CME Lectures became an instant success at the ACS Meeting with over 500 attendees, a record for its sponsoring POLY division at the world's largest scientific society.