Nurturing the Next Generation of STEM Leaders

To inspire future scientists, Chemical Marketing & Economics (CME) supports domestic and international K-12 STEM Festivals, in particular those related to the American Chemical Society (ACS) Chemistry Festival program for public engagement. CME collaborates with the ACS Peru Chapter in the organization of Chemistry Festival and Local Sections such as the ACS Greater Houston Section.

Volunteers drive the organization of festivals which through hands-on experiments show the role of chemistry in daily life. These events are often part of the National Chemistry Week and Chemists Celebrate Earth Week.

As noted in the ACS website: The “Festival de Química” was started in Puerto Rico in 2005 by Dr. Ingrid Montes [a former ACS Board Member]. The first goal of the program was to share the joy of chemistry with native Spanish speaking audiences within the U.S. The program quickly spread to Latin America, and then to Asia, Africa, and Europe. Exemplary Chemistry Festivals are held in Puerto Rico twice a year as part of celebrations for National Chemistry Week and Chemists Celebrate Earth Week.

In 2010, the Chemistry Festival became an official ACS Program. In 2016, the Festival Training Institute was launched to spread the Chemistry Festival even farther around the globe. ACS International Chemical Sciences Chapters, International Student Chapters, other chemical societies are invited to send delegations of two to these regional training events to prepare them to host a Chemistry Festival within the year. Events are hosted by FTI alumni and locations are chosen through a competitive application process.