Back in April, we posted on the American Chemical Society's (ACS) mascots-- Milli, Milli-Mole Doll, who "is thoroughly modern with her purple T-shirt, white lab coat, goggles and closed-toe shoes, but she’s never pretentious. She will sit for hours on your desk or lab bench hanging on your every word as you explain the permutations of the Schrödinger equation. She gets you - she really does!" and Plush Mole Toy who "is ready for work in his white lab coat and goggles. He even has his own test tube and is sure to keep you company on your desk or lab bench and assist you with your every need."

Well FairerScience friend Kathryn Campbell-Kibler has given us an update:

"It turns out that even though the ACS assumes that its members are males who view women as adoring sex objects, it wants *kids* to believe that its members are a diverse group of men and women. Anyone can be a chemist! (Let's just wait until grad school to disillusion the girls, ok?)

The "for kids" section of ACS's website features "Meg A. Mole" a little girl mole (and "future chemist") who interviews real chemists about their work. The first one listed (with a photo!) is a Black woman.

The earlier post mentioned that Milli was cheaper than Plush Mole Toy. Well the secret to why Milli costs less is revealed! Milli didn't get tenure because she was drowned in service obligations: giving safety tips to children and organizing recycling drives. Hey we believe in service; we believe in it so much that we think that everyone should do it; not just the underrepresented (and/or the untenured)."