Committee on Community Activities

What We Do

The ACS Committee on Community Activities (CCA) delivers high-quality community-based outreach programs, products, and services and provides opportunities to connect chemists with their local communities in an effort to improve the public's perception of chemistry.

The CCA works alongside the ACS Office of Science Outreach to develop and support ACS-sponsored community outreach programs such as National Chemistry Week (NCW) and Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW). CCA authors the biannual children’s publication, Celebrating Chemistry, which features interviews from active chemists and hands-on activities that can be done at home. 

CCA reviews applications for international Chemistry Festival Grants and provides feedback for Outreach Training Program.

CCA oversees multiple ChemLuminary Awards, which are presented to ACS local sections for their annual NCW, CCEW, and other outreach activities. CCA also oversees the Volunteer of the Year program and the Salutes to Excellence program. The chair writes annual comments in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN).

About CCA

The purpose of the Committee on Community Activities is to improve the public perception of chemistry by providing programs to connect chemists with their communities by:

• Providing guidance to the Society’s community outreach programs and activities, and developing and implementing new resources/technologies to support, evaluate, and sustain them;
• Encouraging participation in community outreach programs through recruitment, retention and recognition of volunteers; and
• Informing the Board, Council and other Society bodies of the Committee’s activities.

CCA's vision is promoting understanding and appreciation of chemistry, and CCA's mission is supporting the global chemistry community through engaging outreach, resources, training, and recognition. CCA works as an advisory group to the American Chemical Society’s Office of Science Outreach. 

Major programs include: National Chemistry Week, Chemists Celebrate Earth Week, Chemistry Festivals, Salutes to Excellence, and Outreach Volunteers of the Year.

Learn more about the history of CCA.

View the New Committee Member Guide Manual (PDF).

Who We Are

The CCA is organized into three subcommittees and theme teams for the purpose of achieving its goals in the areas of community programming and public outreach. The subcommittees are composed of members of CCA, while the theme teams consist of members from CCA and other groups associated with the specified program.

The three subcommittees and theme teams include:

Tools & Training Subcommittee (T&T)

The T&T Subcommittee is responsible for providing training and guidance for volunteers to perform outreach activities or events in order to increase the number of local sections running and reporting such activities.

Program Development and Promotion Subcommittee (PDP)

The PDP Subcommittee is responsible for all new and developing programs of CCA. They provide guidance with respect to the development of Chemists Celebrate Earth Week (CCEW) and National Chemistry Week (NCW). The subcommittee is also responsible for overseeing all Theme Teams.

Volunteer Engagement and Recognition Subcommittee (VER)

The VER Subcommittee is responsible for recruiting, retaining, and recognizing outreach coordinators. Their biggest task is the review and judging of self-nominations for ChemLuminary Awards associated with National Chemistry Week, Chemists Celebrate Earth Week, and other outreach. They serve as the advisory group for the Salutes to Excellence Program and Volunteers of the Year. 

Theme Teams

Anyone can join a CCA Theme Team and assist in preparations for the Chemists Celebrate Earth Week and National Chemistry Week campaigns. Work typically begins 2 - 3 years ahead of each campaign and includes suggesting themes, facilitating collaborations and connections to other related organizations, and advising staff on activities, games, and resources associated with each year’s respective celebrations. To volunteer, email outreach@acs.org