FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | January 02, 2014

Rigoberto Hernandez elected to board of world’s largest scientific society

WASHINGTON — A chemist at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta has been elected to the board of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world’s largest scientific society. During his three-year term, Rigoberto Hernandez, Ph.D., will represent District IV, with more than 25,000 ACS members in 12 states stretching from Florida to southern New Mexico.

His priorities include science advocacy, as well as education of the chemical workforce.

“People advance the chemical sciences, and the products of those advances affect all of us,” Hernandez says. “This is not and should not be a partisan issue because our economy critically depends on the pace at which we advance our understanding of molecules and their assemblies. I plan to use my position on the ACS Board of Directors to raise awareness and appreciation by political leaders and their advisors for the transformative power of chemistry to advance our nation.”

Hernandez attended Princeton University, where he received his B.S.E. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of California, Berkeley. He is an ACS Fellow and is the recipient of numerous ACS recognitions including the 2014 ACS Award for Encouraging Disadvantaged Students into Careers in Chemistry.

During his career, Hernandez has also been an Alfred P. Sloan Fellow, American Physical Society Fellow and an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow. He has participated in ACS congressional visits promoting science, engineering, technology and math (STEM) education. In addition, he has served on the Georgia Tech Faculty Executive Board and the National Academies Board on Chemical Sciences and Technology. His public outreach activities include classroom visits and mentoring. He also writes a blog, http://everywherechemistry.blogspot.com.

Hernandez lives in Atlanta with his wife, Amy, and their son.

The American Chemical Society is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. With more than 163,000 members, ACS is the world’s largest scientific society and a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact newsroom@acs.org

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Rigoberto Hernandez, Ph.D.
Credit: Peter Cutts
High-resolution image