Field Notes from GC&E 2026: How Do Good Ideas Endure?

<p>This reflective field report highlights patterns that emerged across the 2026 Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference rather than providing a session-by-session summary.</p> <p>The report considers how green chemistry education is shifting from a primary focus on creating resources toward the broader work of helping faculty adapt, implement, evaluate, and share them. It includes reflections on systems thinking, Faculty Mentoring Networks, open educational resource lifecycles, industry–education partnerships, and the importance of communities of practice in sustaining educational change.</p> <p>Examples include Julian Silverman’s interdisciplinary student work, David Laviska’s systems thinking resources, Tom Holme’s course-based SOCME research and Career Achievement Award, participant reflections from the day-long green chemistry workshop, and themes from panels focused on industry and academic collaboration.</p> <p>This resource complements my previously published presentation, “Scaling Green Chemistry Through Faculty Mentoring Networks: A National Partnership Model for Curricular Transformation,” by placing that work within the broader educational conversations that shaped GC&E 2026.</p>