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2025 Call for Symposia Topics

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  • Dates: June 23-26, 2025

  • Location: Pittsburgh, PA

  • Submission Deadline: October 14, 2024

  • Notification of acceptance by: November 2024

The American Chemical Society Green Chemistry Institute (ACS GCI) is pleased to announce that it will hold its 29th annual scientific meeting on June 23-26, 2024, in Pittsburgh, PA.

The Green Chemistry & Engineering (GC&E) Conference 2025 Advisory Committee is co-chaired by, Carla Ng (Baumel), University of Pittsburgh, and Juan Colberg, Pfizer.

The Committee requests that all proposals reflect ACS GCI’s mission to advance the development and implementation of green and sustainable chemistry and engineering practices across the global chemistry enterprise.

Conference Theme

Each year, the conference evolves, incorporating new ideas while maintaining its 28-year legacy. Its vision is for green and sustainable chemistry to be integral to all scientific endeavors, providing solutions that balance human well-being with planetary health. For this reason, next year’s conference theme will be Good Health and Well-Being Through Sustainable Chemistry to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.

In 2015, the United Nations issued a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all by 2030. This framework, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), comprises 17 aspirational goals adopted by governments, industries, and organizations worldwide. To support the advancement of these goals, the GC&E Conference will focus on how green chemistry and engineering can address these global sustainability challenges in the coming years. This year’s theme, “Good Health and Well-Being Through Sustainable Chemistry,” will showcase innovative research and cross-cutting topics in green and sustainable chemistry and engineering, with an emphasis on symposia that highlight medical breakthroughs, new technologies, and efforts to eliminate or reduce hazardous chemical pollution promoting longer and healthier lives.

UN Sustainable Development Goals

Proposal Guidelines

The Conference Organizing Committee seeks proposals that:

  • Provide diverse perspectives from scientists engaged in fundamental research, industrial scientists, business leaders, educators, students, government, NGOs, etc.
  • Deliver creatively designed sessions that are highly interactive (e.g., facilitate lively discussion and/or panel, and include sufficient time for Q&A, debates, and workshop-based learning).
  • Provide attendees leaving each session with a clear idea of how they can leverage the outcomes professionally.
  • Describe how these outcomes will be achieved in the session and provide potential speakers or topics of presentations.

Conference Tracks

  1. Good Health & Well- Being (conference theme)
  2. Synthesis & Catalysis
  3. The Circularity of Chemicals/Materials
  4. Sustainable Product Design
  5. Chemistry Education
  6. Polymers
  7. Green Energy & Fuels
  8. Sustainable Process Design

Proposals Should Include the Following Information:

  • A brief statement describing the rationale/need for this topic at the GC&E meeting (500 words or less).
  • A description of the practice gaps that will be addressed during the symposium. This description should focus on how addressing these gaps will advance green chemistry and engineering in this area.
  • Proposed speakers (with affiliations), anticipated topics of presentations, and proposed mix of invited and contributed presentations, including how diversity and inclusion will be considered. Please see the GC&E Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect statement below.
  • Plans/methods for creating an interactive environment during the session. Workshops and panel discussions are encouraged.

Please submit your symposium proposal in our application portal by October 14, 2024.

All symposia submissions will be reviewed by the GC&E Advisory Committee and applicants will be notified of decisions in November 2024. If you have questions, please contact us at gci@acs.org.

We are looking forward to an exciting event as we bring together a diverse scientific community to advance green and sustainable chemistry and engineering research, education, and sustainable technologies.

Submit Your Symosium Proposal

Proposals will be reviewed and considered using the following criteria:

  • Topic meets the definition of green and sustainable chemistry or engineering.

  • Topic supports the conference theme of: “Good Health and Well-Being” or fills gaps in current practice to advance green and sustainable chemistry or engineering.

  • Proposed session is innovative and forward-thinking in advancing green and sustainable chemistry and engineering.

  • Diversity of proposed speakers and organizers (See DEIR statement below).

  • Number of proposals submitted by a given organizer. Organizers may be involved in a maximum of 2 sessions.

  • Topic overlap with other submitted proposals.

  • Available meeting space.

Example of a Successful Call for Symposia Submission:
Please download this PDF to see an example of a call for symposia submission that successfully incorporates all the information outlined above.

Green Chemistry & Engineering Diversity, Inclusion & Respect Statement

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Respect are core values of the American Chemical Society and the ACS Green Chemistry Institute. We are committed to promoting an inclusive, diverse, and respectful conference for participants, organizers, and attendees. We

recognize the shared responsibility needed for a safe and productive meeting environment regardless of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, religion, race, or nationality. All GC&E participants are expected to treat others with respect to facilitate open dialogue and effective discussions.

We ask that symposia coordinators be mindful of the following guidelines as they are finalizing their speaker lists for GC&E.

Aim to:

  • Include a minimum of 30% of under-represented groups (including women and People of Color)

  • Incorporate expertise from a range of geographic locations

  • Include speakers from all stages of career

  • Include diverse stakeholder perspectives from across the chemistry enterprise, where appropriate