August 18, 2008

Volume 86, Number 33

p. 12

WEB TOOLS

ACS launches social networking site for chemical professionals

LINDA WANG

Networking and staying connected with colleagues just got easier with the launch of the ACS Member Network at www.acs.org/membernetwork. The free social networking site is available to ACS members and student affiliates. Its goal is to facilitate scientific collaboration among chemical science professionals around the world.

"Our hope is that scientists will use it to connect with members they may already know and seek out skills and talents of other scientists to evolve new opportunities for knowledge exchange," says Madeleine Jacobs, ACS executive director and CEO.

More than 11,000 ACS members have pre-enrolled in the network since the society began promoting the site in early April.

Once registered, ACS members can post their photos, create a profile, and search the entire network of members by name, keyword, area of expertise, technical division, local section, and location. They can then invite others to join their personal network and view each other's private profiles. Members can also highlight their publications, and other members can download the citations.

As an example of the site's functionality, Robert M. Hammond, a chemistry professor at East Carolina University, plans to use the network to identify speakers for his ACS local section's activities.

Jacobs says ACS is continuing to improve the site and intends to add new functionality and features over the next year.

Chemical & Engineering News

ISSN 0009-2347

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