After a full sabbatical year at the Universite Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg and another at the ETH in Zurich, and after extensive transnational research collaborations over the years, considering alternative pathways is no longer an option for me. Most of my publications have international coauthors and the dimensionality of the work shows a breadth and depth that would have otherwise been impossible to accomplish in isolation. The intellectual as well as the social engagement across borders provides a very fertile environment for innovation and scientific progress, always driven by a true mutual need. As with all human interactions, the personal relationships that are developed transnationally are as important as the professional ones. However, since the US has traditionally been at the center of international science and engineering progress, it has developed a chauvinistic attitude that assumes that other nations must adjust to our standards and conditions, including our language. As other countries thrive and flourish, especially in Asia, US citizens are not well prepared to effectively engage and participate as equal partners in transnational ventures, and many run the risk of simply being left out. Thus the US, through its higher education system and professional societies, has an urgent obligation to educate and prepare its citizens to embrace transnational ventures with extensive sociocultural/language skills.<br/><br/>The speaker will stress the importance of being prepared, both to take advantage of transnational opportunities, using personal examples, but trying to provide useful advice that transcends anecdotal stories.

From international/multinational ventures to transnational/global chemistry: Lowering activation barriers across national borders

249th National Meeting (2015)

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