American Chemical Society joins the Societies Consortium on Sexual Harassment in STEMM

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2019 — The American Chemical Society (ACS) has partnered with more than 50 other leading academic and professional organizations to form the Societies Consortium on Sexual Harassment in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine). Established with the goal of addressing the issue of sexual and gender-based harassment and advancing professional and ethical conduct, the Societies Consortium was announced today at a session of the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Washington, D.C.

As awareness grows of the pervasiveness of sexual harassment in academia, industry and other realms of science, ACS has taken steps to increase transparency and reform its policies surrounding this issue. In recent years, the Society has created the ACS Volunteer/National Meeting Attendee Conduct Policy and The Chemical Professional’s Code of Conduct, both of which expressly prohibit harassment or abuse of any kind. In addition, Chemical & Engineering News has covered the subject of sexual harassment in chemistry extensively, including a September 2017 cover story and a 2018 symposium organized with the ACS Women Chemists Committee.

“Last year’s report by the National Academies entitled ‘Sexual Harassment of Women: Climate, Culture, and Consequences in Academic Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’ articulated the breadth and depth of the problem impacting all STEMM disciplines,” notes Mary Kirchhoff, Ph.D., executive vice president for scientific advancement at ACS. “The American Chemical Society is pleased to participate as a member of the executive committee in advancing the work of the Societies Consortium.”

The Societies Consortium was established by AAAS, the Association of American Medical Colleges and the American Geophysical Union, with EducationCounsel serving as the policy and law consultant for the initiative.

The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is a not-for-profit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.