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Nashville, TN - The newly formed American Chemical society (ACS) Tennessee Government Affairs Committee (TN-GAC), with the cooperation of ACS President Dr. Bruce Bursten, met with Governor Phil Bredesen Recently to introduce the newly formed committee which is involved in finding opportunities for cooperation between the Governor, The Tennessee Legislature, and ACS to advance the cause of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education in the state.

The American Chemical society is the world’s largest scientific society and has more than 2,000 members in Tennessee. The TN-GAC acts as the official voice for ACS members within the state of Tennessee who are interested in effectively engaging the Tennessee government to support STEM education.

During the meeting Dr. Bursten and the Committee thanked Gov. Bredesen for his support of STEM education, and discussed why STEM education and science literacy are important for the state. Committee members presented an overview of TN-GAC’s efforts to work with other organizations, including the private sector, and expressed a desire to help the Governor advance their common goals. In addition to serving as ACS President, Dr. Bursten is also Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

ACS is a nonprofit scientific and educational organization, chartered by Congress in 1937, with more than 160,000 chemical scientists and engineers as members worldwide. The Society works to advance the chemical enterprise, increase public understanding of the chemistry and science, and to offer its expertise on state and national matters. ACS formed an independent committee of Tennessee ACS members from across the state to lead and advise our efforts thus creating the Tennessee Government Affairs Committee. TN-GAC will be working with state ACS members to chart an agenda for science education reform and to enlist other state education stakeholders such as business and industry groups, science teacher organizations, and other education constituencies in this effort.

Members of the newly formed Tennessee Government Affairs Committee (TN-GAC) visit with the Governor as they explain their efforts to support science education in the state. From left to right in order: Bill Seymour (TN-GAC member retired chemist Chattanooga), John Sanders (TN-GAC member Eastman Chemical Kingsport), Ruth Woodall (TN-GAC Chair and Director of Tennessee Scholars, Nashville), Gov. Bredesen, Bruce Bursten (ACS President, Knoxville), James Brown (ACS Staff, Washington DC), and Charles Baldwin (TN-GAC member, Union University, Jackson, TN).

The SERMAC 2008's "Living and Working in a Material World", held at the Music City Sheraton Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee on Novermber 12-15, 2008 was considered a success

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The American Chemical Society's Tennesse Government Affairs Committee
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