American Chemical Society. University of Michigan Section.

The American Chemical Society (ACS), founded in 1875, is the oldest and best-known scientific and professional organization in the field of chemistry and chemical engineering. The ACS is also the world's largest organization devoted to one single science. Currently it has a membership of more than 100,000 distributed among 155 local sections.

The ACS, University of Michigan Section was chartered in December 1899 and officially founded in 1900 with 41 members. Like other local sections, the organizational structure of the University of Michigan Section consisted of a presiding officer, a councilor and a secretary (later an executive committee was also set up). Albert Prescott served as its first presiding officer. The University of Michigan Section was the first ACS section in the state of Michigan. By 1910, ten years after its founding, the number of members of the ACS in the state of Michigan had become so large that it was necessary to restrict the territory of the section to include only members within 10 miles of Ann Arbor. This allowed for the formation of other local sections within the state.

Since its founding, the ACS, University of Michigan Section has been an active unit, and it has played an important role in promoting the interest of chemists and the chemical engineering profession at the state and national level. Each year, more than a dozen prominent chemists from around the world are brought to Ann Arbor to give presentations on their recent scientific experiments. Many Michigan faculty are also invited to speak to members of other local sections. The University of Michigan Section has also been actively involved in career counseling and chemistry education for high school students. They provide information on the trends and developments in the chemical profession and job market, offer lectures and provide assistance with science fairs, laboratory demonstrations and experiments. The Section has also been involved in philanthropic activities, such as sponsoring a French orphan after World War I. Two presidents of the American Chemical Society (Albert Prescott and Moses Gomberg) have also come from the ACS, University of Michigan Section.

From the guide to the American Chemical Society, University of Michigan Section records, 1900-1962, 1912-1962, (Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan)