150 Years of ACS: The Origin Story of Chemistry, Episode 4

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<v SPEAKER_02>This is Chain Reaction, a podcast from the American Chemical Society, where we link chemistry's past to its future.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I'm your host, Marco Wool.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And I'm Sam Jones.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Sam, we've been on quite the journey through the first three episodes of this mini-series.

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<v SPEAKER_02>We have.

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<v unknown>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And we're seeing that chemistry is not just one thing, and it's not just for one type of person.

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<v SPEAKER_02>While it has its roots in endeavors like the quest for gold, chemistry now stretches biology, medicines, materials, defense, energy, and much more.

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<v SPEAKER_00>I look at my world, things animate, things inanimate, and I see process, an underlying relationship of matter and energy, creating a dynamic structure of which I am a part, bound by my work.

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<v SPEAKER_00>Everything I am, everything I do affects this process, is affected by this process.

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<v SPEAKER_00>And I become the first link in the chain that aligns man with the natural order.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Wow.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I kind of love that.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I didn't know chemists could be so poetic.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, I know.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Well, that film was created in 1977 by an organization that you and I know well.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I'm guessing the American Chemical Society.

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<v SPEAKER_03>That's the one.

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<v SPEAKER_02>That's the one.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, the American Chemical Society, or ACS, is a nonprofit scientific organization based in DC that, as of this year, has been around for 150 years.

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<v SPEAKER_02>It's a long time.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Older than us combined.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Combined.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Time all our pets, too.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Um, and because we're an ACS-produced podcast, I am sure many of our listeners already know about it.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And if not, you've heard the name at various points throughout this mini-series because it's kind of impossible to talk about the history of chemistry without mentioning ACS, since it has been so instrumental in the development of the chemistry field in the United States and beyond.

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<v SPEAKER_03>And I've heard that it all started at a grave.

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<v SPEAKER_03>The grave of Joseph Priestley.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yes, yes, it did.

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<v SPEAKER_02>In 1874, a small group of New York chemists were visiting Joseph Priestley's grave and decided to create their own chemistry organization similar to the Royal Society of Chemistry in Europe.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I have a nice little summary of what the ACS does from a 1902 article in the journal Science.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Alright, well, let's hear it.

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<v SPEAKER_03>In your best 1902 voice, please.

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<v SPEAKER_02>1902, not 1903.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Very different things.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Um, okay, let's see.

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<v SPEAKER_02>The American Chemical Society exists for the advancement of chemical science and the betterment of the chemical profession.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Every member of it is supposed to contribute his share of thought and energy to the accomplishment of these ends.

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<v SPEAKER_03>That was actually very good.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Um okay, so now I'm wondering, though, how members, quote, contributed their thought and energy for the advancement of chemistry.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, mainly by attending meetings and publishing in ACS journals.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Uh so the ACS started their first journal, the Journal of the American Chemical Society, or JAX, in 1879.

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<v SPEAKER_02>But as of today, ACS has over 90 peer-reviewed chemistry journals.

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<v SPEAKER_03>That's nine-zero.

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<v SPEAKER_03>That's a lot.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Yes.

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<v SPEAKER_03>But what some people might not know is that ACS really does a lot more than that, uh, including facilitating networking between scientists at big meetings twice per year, providing resources to teachers, advocating for investment in research and other causes that are near and dear to many chemists' hearts, uh, promoting access to science resources, and reaching the public through, say, the creation of popular video series and uh podcasts.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Ha, yes.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Uh yeah, ACS does quite a lot.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And to take us through how ACS has changed over the last several decades is today's guest, Dorothy Phillips.

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<v SPEAKER_02>She grew up during the civil rights era when African Americans had a small presence in chemistry.

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<v SPEAKER_02>But ACS played an instrumental role in her development as a young chemist.

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<v SPEAKER_02>She actually joined an ACS chapter as a college student and over her career worked her way up to a spot on the board of directors before becoming president in 2025.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So we discuss how ACS has become a more global, diverse, and interdisciplinary organization, and also about Dorothy's optimistic view on the future of chemistry.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Can't wait to listen.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I would love to start off with how you initially got interested in chemistry.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I didn't grow up with that as my future career.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I focused on what was common for me to see in my era, a way I could identify a role model.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And being the civil rights area, the lawyer, like Thurgood Marshall, was more of a role model for me.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So my thought was to go into history, law, you know.

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<v SPEAKER_01>But I took a National Science Foundation summer program at my high school with hands-on experience.

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<v SPEAKER_01>We actually had laboratory work, so we had a very rich environment in which to do work.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And after that summer, I decided I wanted to major in chemistry.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Wow, so that had a really big impact on you.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So you were the first black woman to get a PhD in chemistry at the University of Cincinnati.

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<v SPEAKER_02>What was that like?

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<v SPEAKER_02>What kind of support did you have in that environment?

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<v SPEAKER_01>To be honest with you, I did not realize I was the first at the University of Cincinnati.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Really?

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<v SPEAKER_01>In contrast to being the first at Vanderbilt University to get a bachelor's degree.

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<v SPEAKER_01>That was where the impact of being a part of integration.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And since Cincinnati was so very different, I did not feel that.

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<v SPEAKER_01>There was a small number of us African-American students there at the time.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And so we band together to study our kitchen table, the kit and pots of coffee helped us all to get through our graduate work uh as a group.

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<v SPEAKER_01>A very tight group during those years.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So I think that that having that group dynamic uh made the years at Cincinnati very rich.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Now, when did I learn I was the first?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Dr.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Joseph Caruso, who was an analytical chemist, also became dean of arts and science.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And in 1995, he wrote in his dean address that I was the first African-American woman to get a degree in the Department of Chemistry.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Wow.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So when did you first hear about ACS?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Well, that goes a long ways back because I started at what's called Tennessee AI, now Tennessee State University, and they had a student chapter of ACS at Tennessee State, and I was the vice president of the student chapter.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And so that's when I first heard about it.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Wow.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Could you have imagined that you would be the president someday?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Absolutely not.

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<v SPEAKER_01>No clue that that would happen.

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<v SPEAKER_01>No clue whatsoever.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So since you've kind of seen the ACS through so many decades, like what how has it changed from when you were the vice president at your school to now that you're president?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Um it has changed a lot.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I think the big change is just the fact that it's not just American, a domestic organization.

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<v SPEAKER_01>That's the big change.

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<v SPEAKER_01>It's really not just a domestic organization.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And it encompasses scientists of other disciplines because of the interdisciplinary other work of people often not just doing chemistry, they are doing chemical biology, structural biology, and also going into medicine.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So ACS is not just known by the person practicing chemistry.

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<v SPEAKER_01>It's known much broader than that.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So I think the reach and depth of ACS has changed.

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<v SPEAKER_01>One of our core values is inclusivity and belonging.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And there's a drive to do that.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I think that's a part too.

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<v SPEAKER_01>We we have journals, the journals and journal editors have become much more international than before.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So I think so.

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<v SPEAKER_01>If I was to say that what are two things, one is that it's more global, and the other is this stronger drive to be inclusive.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, so how did ACS become more global?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Well, the two parts that I think kind of helped lead the way were our businesses.

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<v SPEAKER_01>The business of CAS and the publication business.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Right.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And for those who don't know much about CAS, it's a division of ACS that helps uh curate databases of chemical substance information.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yes.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And and they both have strong international components.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And so having business worldwide really led the way.

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<v SPEAKER_01>The ward system in ACS uh doesn't just recognize domestic scientists, and we recognize international scientists.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I don't go anywhere that ACS is not known, even before being president.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So I think the science is everywhere.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And our mission is to, you know, transform lives through chemistry.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I think that's what's happening uh very broadly.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So you also mentioned that there's been a push to be more inclusive at ACS.

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<v SPEAKER_02>How has ACS been doing that?

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<v SPEAKER_01>It's been a real effort.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And when I joined the ACS Board of Directors in 2014, that made three of us from underrepresented groups on the board of directors.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And we were labeled as a diversification of ACS leadership.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So you leave from the top.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And at the board level, we began to work towards that and to put more emphasis and become intentional in terms of that area.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Those efforts to do that and focus on understanding what were the dynamics behind it and how could we transform ACS to be there led to partnerships.

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<v SPEAKER_01>We have partnerships with Nobashe, Black Chemical Engineers, uh ACES, which is heavily indigenous Americans, SACNIS.

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<v SPEAKER_01>But forming partnerships with those organizations helped a lot.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And then being intentional to look at who we selected for awards for lectures and speeches uh makes a difference in that.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Have you felt like, given the political climate at the moment, that ACS has felt they need to worry about keeping progress going?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Um like say in expanding their reach to more underrepresented groups?

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<v SPEAKER_02>Is ECS modifying how we do things?

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<v SPEAKER_01>We c we have to be aware.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And we've changed our language.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I change how I speak about it and how we address it, but we cannot step back.

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<v SPEAKER_01>We have to find a way to continue to support students and to move forward.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Uh yes, this particular climate, I ask myself, why did I have to be president at such a time as this?

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<v SPEAKER_01>But I think it's actually good because I've lived through many phases and political situations and yet see that scientists do prevail because we cannot function without inventions and entrepreneurs and new ways to do things.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And so um very important that we as ACS globally step up.

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<v SPEAKER_03>Wow, Dorothy is so nonchalant about achieving so much and being the first African-American woman to do so in so many cases.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, she didn't even know she was the first to get a PhD in chemistry at the University of Cincinnati until years later.

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<v SPEAKER_02>She was just, you know, doing her thing.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Uh, also first African-American woman president at ACS.

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<v SPEAKER_03>I mean, I feel like she would have been a trailblazer in whatever field she chose to study, but it does seem like the NSF program, which was specifically for African-American students, that it really influenced her decision to pursue chemistry.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, and I think that's why she's really passionate about making sure that other young students who maybe don't have access to a lot of science education resources, get that chance to experience chemistry firsthand.

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<v SPEAKER_02>And that's what we talk about next, as well as her hopes for the future of ACS.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Um, so you mentioned that there's work that ACS does with earlier STEM education.

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<v SPEAKER_02>I know that's something that you're pretty passionate about.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Why is that such an important issue for you?

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<v SPEAKER_01>Well, I I grew up in the civil rights era, let me put it that way.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And as I said to you, I didn't have role models to go into STEM.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I didn't wasn't aware of that.

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<v SPEAKER_01>We don't want that to happen today.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I'll just say one very funny story that just came to mind along these lines, and it made it even more resolved for me.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Our oldest grandson, we went to his class when he was in first grade, my husband and I, two chemists, and we did food color experiments on paper towels to separate the food dyes.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And the kids really enjoyed it.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And the next day he had a birthday party, and the kids were so excited because the scientists came to his birthday party, not his grandparents, the scientists.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So that says that once you give young children an idea that there is something called science, that they can make magic happen.

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<v SPEAKER_01>For us, it's routine, but for them, it's magic.

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<v SPEAKER_01>They begin to think about science.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And so it's important for me because I want all young people, regardless of their background, to have an opportunity for a successful career in the Stanville.

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<v SPEAKER_01>ACS at every national meeting has a kid's song.

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<v SPEAKER_01>You put a little lab coat on a five-year-old and they are smitten forever, you know, and and they are the future.

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<v SPEAKER_01>We we will not have a rich science if we don't bring them along.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And I don't want that to be only for one group of children.

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<v SPEAKER_01>I want it to be for all children to have those type of opportunities because I had them.

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<v SPEAKER_01>How I started and where I am.

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<v SPEAKER_01>It's God's grace, but it's also the work of community.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah, yeah.

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<v SPEAKER_02>Um, could you talk about Project Seed?

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<v SPEAKER_02>I know that's one of the projects that you've been working on to help educate um people in STEM.

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<v SPEAKER_02>So yeah, tell me about it and your involvement in it and what it is.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Uh Project Seed is summer experience for economically disadvantaged children.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And it's a two summers minimum and potential for scholarship.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So a professor will take on a seed student for that summer.

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<v SPEAKER_01>The funding is partially ACS and partially uh accepting organization that's involved.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And so we had them in the university and in the industry setting.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And the reason to get excited about it, it is one of the ways for students.

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<v SPEAKER_01>It's like it kind of mimics my summer experience with the National Science Foundation because they get hands-on, they get to be in a real lab and they work with those who have already have, you know, enjoy chemistry.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And they get that understanding of what is a possible future for them in chemistry.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And they get to touch it, feel it, smell it.

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<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah, we've had really good success with those students.

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<v SPEAKER_01>The expectation for a child growing up economically disadvantaged is low.

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<v SPEAKER_01>And if they can see how they can move above that expectation and achieve so much more.

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<v SPEAKER_01>So I mean, so it can reach deeper than just that child being in that lab that summer.

00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:44.559
<v SPEAKER_02>There's something different about learning about chemistry from a textbook and actually doing it.

00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:45.519
<v SPEAKER_02>Yes.

00:16:46.480 --> 00:17:00.559
<v SPEAKER_02>Um, you know, you've been in chemistry for a while, and I'm wondering like what you think at this juncture, the the biggest challenge that the chemical enterprise is facing right now, that chemistry as a whole is facing.

00:17:00.960 --> 00:17:03.279
<v SPEAKER_01>The honesty, trust in science.

00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:09.680
<v SPEAKER_01>That's a big challenge to get people to understand the impact and the power of chemistry.

00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:15.599
<v SPEAKER_01>I know it's social media, it's all the dynamics politically that are making this trust in science tough.

00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:18.240
<v SPEAKER_01>And, you know, COVID didn't help.

00:17:19.279 --> 00:17:24.160
<v SPEAKER_01>Other political ish situations that are going on right now don't help.

00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:26.480
<v SPEAKER_01>But this is the challenge.

00:17:26.640 --> 00:17:29.359
<v SPEAKER_01>We as scientists have got to come out of the laboratory.

00:17:29.519 --> 00:17:31.440
<v SPEAKER_01>We got to come into the community.

00:17:31.680 --> 00:17:36.720
<v SPEAKER_01>We got to be able to talk to our neighbor in such a way that they see the advantage of science.

00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:38.960
<v SPEAKER_01>Communication in here is so important.

00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:44.319
<v SPEAKER_01>So we can't talk go to our neighbor and talk about benzene and chemical rings.

00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:48.400
<v SPEAKER_01>We have to talk about the medicine they're taking, how that's making a difference.

00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:54.559
<v SPEAKER_01>The the environment, how science and chemistry can really help them to have a cleaner environment.

00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:59.680
<v SPEAKER_01>You don't have to have textbook learning to trust science.

00:18:00.079 --> 00:18:06.240
<v SPEAKER_01>You don't have to be steeped in it for six and seven years, like we who have PhDs and stuff and more.

00:18:06.799 --> 00:18:18.079
<v SPEAKER_01>You just need to have a chemistry friend who makes chemistry real and enables you to see that it's part of your everyday life.

00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:26.640
<v SPEAKER_02>So ACS has been around for about 150 years, about to celebrate a big milestone.

00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:27.440
<v SPEAKER_02>Yes.

00:18:27.759 --> 00:18:34.799
<v SPEAKER_02>How has it played a role in history and how has it been shaped by history?

00:18:35.440 --> 00:18:37.519
<v SPEAKER_01>A lot has happened in 150 years.

00:18:37.680 --> 00:18:48.799
<v SPEAKER_01>We've had two major wars, we've had minor wars, but we've had inventions too for pain and pain relief and the drugs, penicillin and etc.

00:18:49.519 --> 00:18:52.640
<v SPEAKER_01>We do the National Historical Chemical Landmarks.

00:18:52.880 --> 00:18:54.480
<v SPEAKER_01>I think we've done about 100.

00:18:54.640 --> 00:18:58.079
<v SPEAKER_01>And so we're trying to recognize inventions and people.

00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:01.519
<v SPEAKER_01>So we don't let history be forgotten, is what I'm saying.

00:19:01.680 --> 00:19:05.200
<v SPEAKER_01>And we recognize it and we broadcast it.

00:19:05.359 --> 00:19:09.359
<v SPEAKER_01>I'm actually excited about this anniversary of 150 years.

00:19:09.519 --> 00:19:09.839
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:15.359
<v SPEAKER_01>Because I realized this past summer that some organizations have had very few women.

00:19:15.519 --> 00:19:20.160
<v SPEAKER_01>That's the part of diversity I didn't talk about, so I'll just kind of circle back and answer in this word.

00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:29.039
<v SPEAKER_01>We've had I think it's gonna be 16 women presidents in the last 50 years, which is remarkable.

00:19:29.440 --> 00:19:30.240
<v SPEAKER_01>Remarkable.

00:19:30.799 --> 00:19:37.519
<v SPEAKER_01>Starting in 1978, we had the first one, and we've gone through to me now.

00:19:37.759 --> 00:19:41.839
<v SPEAKER_01>We even had four in a row without a male president.

00:19:42.240 --> 00:19:52.160
<v SPEAKER_01>So there's been a lot of history there that ACS has had that's inclusive of the history of the country and what's going on and the movements of what's happening in the world.

00:19:52.319 --> 00:19:58.400
<v SPEAKER_01>We're definitely not an organization that can be blind to what is happening, what is coming in the world.

00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:05.920
<v SPEAKER_02>Well, maybe on on that note, um what do you think like the next 50 years looks like at ACS?

00:20:06.079 --> 00:20:07.440
<v SPEAKER_02>What do you envision?

00:20:07.920 --> 00:20:14.720
<v SPEAKER_01>I think the next 50 years with the inventions and the technology, it's gonna be even more dynamic organization.

00:20:15.200 --> 00:20:18.880
<v SPEAKER_01>The societies are gonna come even more together.

00:20:19.200 --> 00:20:33.039
<v SPEAKER_01>I see that the more science comes forward and the more we all work together, the lines between things will blur and the focus will be on the science, regardless of where it happens and the benefits from the science.

00:20:33.200 --> 00:20:38.799
<v SPEAKER_01>And I went to the Green Chemistry Conference this summer, very worldwide attended.

00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:48.400
<v SPEAKER_01>And that's what's gonna happen is this coming together of scientists working together to address the problems that we do have.

00:20:48.880 --> 00:21:00.400
<v SPEAKER_01>And I just see it as so much richer because when I started 50 years ago, you had an organic chemist, you had a physical chemist, and they worked in their little area of the building.

00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:05.839
<v SPEAKER_01>I don't even remember leaving the ninth floor, even though my husband was on the fifth floor in organic chemistry.

00:21:06.160 --> 00:21:16.160
<v SPEAKER_01>But now the engineering departments and the biologist, it's just gonna be much more interdisciplinary, both in the US and nationally.

00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:19.680
<v SPEAKER_01>Unfortunately, I won't be here to tell you if it happened.

00:21:20.000 --> 00:21:22.960
<v SPEAKER_01>But I think that's that's the beauty of it.

00:21:23.119 --> 00:21:25.680
<v SPEAKER_01>That's why I get excited about chemistry.

00:21:25.759 --> 00:21:30.720
<v SPEAKER_01>And then sitting in that green chemistry conference and listening to the classrooms and all my thought.

00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:31.680
<v SPEAKER_01>Yeah.

00:21:31.920 --> 00:21:42.160
<v SPEAKER_01>And so we just this is gonna be a time when chemistry, science in general, is just gonna get to be valued more.

00:21:43.119 --> 00:21:50.880
<v SPEAKER_02>So you see us solving solving our pollution and climate issues, and you think we're gonna figure it all out?

00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:54.559
<v SPEAKER_01>I think that, you know, we're gonna make significant progress.

00:21:54.880 --> 00:22:01.359
<v SPEAKER_01>We're not gonna ever solve everything, Margaret, but we are going to make Significant progress.

00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:12.400
<v SPEAKER_01>If you think about the progress that has been made since I got my degree in nineteen seventy-four to now, I had to use the computers were not even as advanced as they are now.

00:22:12.960 --> 00:22:20.240
<v SPEAKER_01>So with the tools that are being made and advancing and the blurring the lines across the disciplines.

00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:24.160
<v SPEAKER_01>So the next 50 years is gonna be dynamic.

00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:26.240
<v SPEAKER_01>It's gonna be dynamic.

00:22:28.400 --> 00:22:32.720
<v SPEAKER_03>Margot Dorothy hit on something that we've seen throughout this first miniseries.

00:22:32.880 --> 00:22:35.119
<v SPEAKER_03>That the chemistry field is dynamic.

00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:36.240
<v SPEAKER_02>It really is.

00:22:36.400 --> 00:22:41.279
<v SPEAKER_02>I mean, we started in an alchemy lab when gold was the name of the game.

00:22:41.519 --> 00:22:46.720
<v SPEAKER_02>Then we saw how this thing called chemistry came to be with the help of elements and theories.

00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:53.200
<v SPEAKER_02>We saw how war changes the priorities of chemistry, including what we make and who gets to be involved.

00:22:53.440 --> 00:23:00.559
<v SPEAKER_02>And also we've seen how the field has progressed along with social movements led by people demanding change and inclusivity.

00:23:00.720 --> 00:23:07.599
<v SPEAKER_02>And we end here in a chemical industry that stretches across countries and across fields.

00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:15.440
<v SPEAKER_03>And I really liked how Dorothy said that you don't need a textbook or a specialized education to appreciate chemistry.

00:23:15.680 --> 00:23:17.359
<v SPEAKER_03>You just need a chemistry friend.

00:23:17.920 --> 00:23:18.799
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, just a friend.

00:23:19.039 --> 00:23:19.279
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah.

00:23:19.359 --> 00:23:25.200
<v SPEAKER_03>And I hope that maybe in some corny way we can be those friends for people who are listening.

00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:26.720
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah, me too.

00:23:26.960 --> 00:23:28.400
<v SPEAKER_03>We'll be your chemistry friends.

00:23:28.559 --> 00:23:28.799
<v SPEAKER_03>Yeah.

00:23:29.039 --> 00:23:33.119
<v SPEAKER_03>And so I guess then the question is uh what's next, Margot?

00:23:33.440 --> 00:23:35.359
<v SPEAKER_02>Well, buckle up, everyone.

00:23:35.519 --> 00:23:37.200
<v SPEAKER_02>Uh, because we're just getting started.

00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:41.680
<v SPEAKER_02>Our next mini-series will focus on the chemistry of pollution.

00:23:41.839 --> 00:23:50.160
<v SPEAKER_02>We'll dive into how pollutants from cars, plastic, all sorts of waste alter the chemistry of our air, water, and land.

00:23:50.480 --> 00:23:51.279
<v SPEAKER_02>Gross.

00:23:51.519 --> 00:23:51.920
<v SPEAKER_02>Yeah.

00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:59.119
<v SPEAKER_02>And we'll also discuss how those changes fit into the bigger issue of climate change and our planet's ability to sustain us.

00:23:59.440 --> 00:24:03.200
<v SPEAKER_02>Sounds like a really easy, incredibly straightforward topic.

00:24:03.440 --> 00:24:04.480
<v SPEAKER_02>Totally, Sam.

00:24:04.559 --> 00:24:04.960
<v SPEAKER_02>Yep.

00:24:05.759 --> 00:24:08.799
<v SPEAKER_02>Well, stay tuned until our next miniseries.

00:24:09.039 --> 00:24:11.519
<v SPEAKER_02>Signing off, your chemistry friends.

00:24:11.759 --> 00:24:12.799
<v SPEAKER_02>We're out.

00:24:16.319 --> 00:24:20.960
<v SPEAKER_02>This was Chain Reaction, a podcast by the American Chemical Society.

00:24:21.119 --> 00:24:23.519
<v SPEAKER_02>Our executive producer is Sam Jones.

00:24:23.680 --> 00:24:25.839
<v SPEAKER_02>Our lead producer is me, Marg Wall.

00:24:26.160 --> 00:24:28.160
<v SPEAKER_02>Research was done by Beck Rolldon.

00:24:28.319 --> 00:24:30.240
<v SPEAKER_02>Fact-checking by Michelle Boucher.

00:24:30.400 --> 00:24:33.359
<v SPEAKER_02>Production help from Michael David and Matt Radcliffe.

00:24:33.519 --> 00:24:38.079
<v SPEAKER_02>The theme song was by Dee Peterschmidt, and additional music was by Blue Dot Sessions.

00:24:38.319 --> 00:24:45.200
<v SPEAKER_02>To learn more about Dorothy Phillips, Project Seed, and other things we touched on in the episode, check out our show notes.

00:24:45.279 --> 00:24:51.119
<v SPEAKER_02>And of course, you can always email us at chainreaction atacs.org.