Strategic Plan – Association for Chemoreception Sciences
January, 2021 - December, 2025
1.
Executive Summary
The Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS) is a leading scientific society
dedicated to understanding the chemical senses. To better prepare AChemS to serve thechemical senses research, education and clinical communities, and the public at large, theAChemS Executive Committee established an ​ad hoc​ Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) andcharged it with (i) reviewing the AChemS mission statement and, if deemed warranted, making
recommendations for modifications of the Mission Statement; and (ii) developing a 5-year
Strategic Plan for AChemS. This document represents the Strategic Plan developed by the SPC
and submitted to the Executive Committee for its consideration, revision and approval. This
document also describes recommended minor changes to the AChemS Mission Statement. As
part of its process in developing this Strategic Plan, the SPC undertook a SWOL analysis toassess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and limitations in the context of both AChemS as
an organization and the major activity of AChemS, its Annual Meeting. The SPC concluded thatthe major strategic goals for AChemS over the coming five years should be to:A)
B)
C)
D)
E)
F)

Fulfill the AChemS Mission.
Increase the membership of AChemS through improved retention of current members
and better recruitment of new members.
Improve recognition and support of diversity in the society and in the field.
Improve the scientific content of the annual meeting.
Increase the relevance of AChemS to chemosensory scientists, educators and clinicians.
Adjust AChemS activities to reflect the reality of stagnant research funding,environmental impact of meeting travel, and other factors.

Appendix 1 includes recommendations to the Executive Committee for specific actions that willassist AChemS in achieving these goals.
2.
Introduction
In April, 2019, the AChemS Executive Committee established an ​ad hoc​ Strategic Planning
Committee (SPC) with an initial term of five (5) years. This term may be renewed per AChemS
bylaws. The charge of the committee is to conduct strategic planning for the society and to
make recommendations, plans or proposals to the Executive Committee. The Strategic
Planning Committee is advisory to the Executive Committee, which is in turn responsible forapproving and executing any recommendations, plans or proposals submitted by the StrategicPlanning Committee.
In its initial year, the SPC was composed of the following AChemS members (in alphabeticalorder): John Boughter, Ph.D. (University of Tennessee, Memphis), Jessica Brann, Ph.D.
(Firmenich), Rachel Herz, Ph.D. (Brown University), Steven Munger, Ph.D. (University ofFlorida), Christopher Simons, Ph.D. (Ohio State University), Dana Small, Ph.D. (YaleUniversity), Donald Wilson, Ph.D. (New York University). Dr. Munger chaired the SPC.
From September, 2019 until February, 2020, the SPC performed the following tasks, per its
charge:(i)​ Reviewing the AChemS mission statement and, if deemed warranted, making
recommendations for modifications of the mission statement.
(ii)​ Developing a 5-year strategic plan for AChemS.
This document serves both to report the recommended changes to the AChemS mission
statement in the Bylaws (these minor changes are consistent with those recently made on theAChemS webpage) and to present a 5-year strategic plan for the society. All SPC members
contributed to the writing of this report and approved it unanimously.

3.

History and Background

Aided by a planning grant from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Maxwell M. Mozell (SUNYHealth Sciences Center, Syracuse) and a group of ten colleagues in the chemical senses met in1978 to initiate the formation of the Association and plan its first meeting. The first Annual
Meeting of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences was held in Sarasota, Florida, in April,
1979. AChemS has grown to become the preeminent professional society for olfaction and taste
research in the United States. The Annual Meeting has evolved into the world's major forum forpresenting advances in chemical senses research.
The design of the Annual Meeting was initially modeled after the successful meetings of theAssociation for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO). It retains much of its original
character and composition. The AChemS Annual Meeting includes scientific sessions (e.g.,platform symposia, robust poster sessions and plenary lectures) along with networking andsocial activities. AChemS emphasizes a broad, multidisciplinary view of the chemical senses in
its membership and in activities at the Annual Meeting. Active and meaningful participation bytrainees is a hallmark of the Annual Meeting and the Association.
AChemS activities also include public education through outreach events, the​ ​http://achems.org
website and social media. AChemS provides expertise and advice to federal agencies and otherentities on issues impacting, or being impacted by, the chemical senses and/or chemosensory
research. The Association helps to disseminate chemical senses research through its
co-sponsorship (with several other scientific societies) of the journal ​Chemical Senses​, which ispublished by Oxford University Press.

4.

Management and Staff

AChemS is governed by an Executive Committee, the members of which are elected by themembership of the Association. The Executive Committee conducts the Association’s affairs asoutlined in the Bylaws, and their responsibilities and activities are not detailed further here.
Currently, the Executive Committee is assisted in the management of the Association by aprofessional management firm, SPLtrak, which has served in this capacity since 2017.

5.

MissionAChemS, the Association for Chemoreception Sciences, is a scientific research organization
dedicated to understanding the “chemical senses” of smell, taste, trigeminal irritation andinternal chemoreception from the fundamentals of neurobiology to complex behavior.
The Association for Chemoreception Sciences (AChemS) seeks:(a) to advance the understanding of chemosensory mechanisms by bringing to one forum thevariety of different scientific disciplines currently being used to approach the chemical senses;(b) to encourage fundamental, clinical, and applied research in the chemical senses;(c) to act as an identifiable organ representing the interests of the chemosensory researchcommunity; and(d) to act as an identifiable directory for those requiring particular types of chemosensory
expertise.
(e) to promote general appreciation of the need and impact of chemosensory research, and tofoster public information and education about the chemical senses at practical, applied andclinical levels.

6.
(a)
●

●SWOL Analysis
The SocietyStrengths○ AChemS is the face of chemical senses research in the U.S.
○ The society has a large number of members who are committed to the successof AChemS and its activities.
○ AChemS continues its historically strong support of trainees and juniorinvestigators.
○ AChemS is in excellent financial shape.
○ The society journal ​Chemical Senses​ is a critical, respected outlet for many in thefield.
Weaknesses○ AChemS is not well known to the public or to scientists outside thechemosensory field, and many major areas of chemical senses research havelittle representation in the society.
○ Membership is stagnant and below recent historic levels.
■ Chemosensory scientists that did not “grow up” in AChemS often do notchoose to join the society.
■ A large number of senior, highly-involved AChemS members haverecently retired or will do so this decade, leaving a leadership gap.
○ Outreach and awareness campaigns have had little impact and major goals ofthese campaigns are poorly defined.
○ AChemS activities outside the Annual Meeting are few in number and small inscope.

○○○

The society’s track record of promoting diversity in leadership and in awards ismixed.
AChemS has not been proactive about addressing environmental/carbon
footprint issues related to its activities.
Industry participation and sponsorship is modest and inconsistent.

●Opportunities○ Increase the value of membership by strengthening the Annual Meeting andadding additional member benefits (e.g., online resources)○ Increase outreach and education activities towards industry, government and thegeneral public.
○ Reestablish AChemS as the premier scientific society for all subfields ofchemosensory science.
○ Enhance relationships with societies that have overlapping but distinct interests(SSIB, ARVO, ARO).

●Limitations○ Chemosensory science is a small field, and other general societies in small fields
are facing similar challenges.
○ Members perform society activities on a volunteer basis and in addition to theirregular duties as employees of universities, industry, etc. and their participation inother scientific societies.
○ Volunteer leadership turns over regularly, negatively impacting long-terminitiatives.
○ Tight research funding hampers participation.

(b)●●The Annual MeetingStrengths○ The Annual Meeting represents a diversity of perspectives and approaches.
○ The meeting is enjoyable, focused, and full of strong science, without being
overwhelming.
○ Many attendees strongly value the Florida location and the current hotel (thoughsee Weaknesses).
○ The conference is significantly less expensive to attend than similar conferences,especially for trainees.
Weaknesses○ Several major constituencies have the perception that their own research area isbeing sidelined at the Annual Meeting, and researchers in many major areas ofchemosensory science do not attend regularly.
○ Members differ on their opinion of the current Annual Meeting location, and onwhether the Annual Meeting should return to the same location each year.
○ The standard program structure does not facilitate “deep-dives” into subfields.
The pre-meeting symposium (which was initiated to address this) prolongs themeeting and may cannibalize the last day of the regular meeting.
○ The typically low number of symposium submissions from a subset of members
contributes to perceived program repetition from year to year.
○ Some newer research areas represented (nutrition, ingestive biology) overlap

with other societies.
●Opportunities○ AChemS could create more program activities targeted specifically to attendees
at different career stages.
○ Satellites/focused pre-meeting sessions such as workshops could offer
opportunities to attract scientists from outside AChemS.
○ Focused topics could be addressed at mini-conferences under the AChemS
umbrella (but distinct from the Annual Meeting).

●Limitations○ Satellites/focused pre-meeting sessions may lose novelty over time.
○ Conference competition is high and unlikely to diminish.
○ Tight research funding hampers participation even with competitive registrations
costs.
○ The Annual Meeting is an important revenue stream and activity for the society.
○ Adding more activities to the meeting reduces time for other types of interactions
between members (e.g., between collaborators).
○ NIH silos can impair the meeting’s ability to pursue interdisciplinary science.

7.

Major Strategic GoalsA.

Fulfill the AChemS Mission.

B.

Increase the membership of AChemS through improved retention of current members
and better recruitment of new members.

C.

Improve recognition and support of diversity in the society and in the field.

D.

Improve the scientific content of the annual meeting.

E.

Increase the relevance of AChemS to chemosensory scientists, educators and clinicians.

F.

Adjust AChemS activities to reflect the reality of stagnant research funding,environmental impact of meeting travel, and other factors.

8.

Evaluation

The Strategic Planning Committee should review the Strategic Plan and evaluate its
implementation yearly and provide a report to the Executive Committee. The Strategic Planning
Committee should develop a new strategic plan every five years for consideration by theExecutive Committee. Thus, the next AChemS strategic plan would be scheduled for Spring,2025.