MACRO
Macromolecular Alliance for Community Resources and Outreach
About Us
Welcome! we are glad you are here.
The Macromolecular Alliance for Community Resources and Outreach (MACRO) is a committee supported by both the polymer chemistry (POLY) and polymeric materials science and engineering (PMSE) divisions of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Our goal is grow and develop the polymer community by supporting three distinct initiatives:
Curriculum
Professional Development
Outreach
We have a repository/depository of teaching materials for instructors to download and utilize in their classrooms. Materials range from undergraduate to graduate level lecture material as well as a range of laboratory experiments (both teacher and student guides). We aim to create materials students of various academic standing (freshman, sophomore, junior, senior or graduate) and of various backgrounds so that polymer content can be incorporated into various aspects of a student’s curriculum.​
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As part of the two-way nature of MACRO, we have an interface where an instructor can request or download instructional content based upon student level, interest and background. Additionally, instructors share what they are currently utilizing in their classroom and receive appropriate recognition for their contributions to the Polymer community.
Professional
Development
We aim to create an open forum for individuals within the Polymer community to engage with each other in a range of topics including but not limited to :
Undergraduate level. Resources for connecting undergraduate students to research opportunities and REUs/ other internships. MACRO will also provide a guide on applications to graduate studies.
Graduate / Postdoc level. MACRO is building information on both graduate fellowship opportunities and also resources on how to apply to these types of fellowships for current graduate students.
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Similarly, to the resources for undergraduates to apply to graduate programs, MACRO will provide a guide for graduate students to apply for postdoctoral fellowships, and for current postdoctoral fellows to apply for faculty positions.
Faculty level. MACRO will develop materials to guide new faculty on mentoring and training postdoctoral fellows and graduate students and setting up a new group in polymer science. MACRO will provide materials, resources and content to help junior faculty navigate the proposal process.
Outreach
We are creating a repository/depository of outreach materials for individuals to be able to spread their passion and knowledge of science to the general population. This two-way interface enables individuals to submit new polymer knowledge and also access and gain new resources in polymer science.Individuals can request instructional content based upon audience composition and support resources. Additionally, we plan to create an opportunity for individuals to share what they are currently utilizing in their communities and receive appropriate recognition for their contributions to the Polymer community.