ACS Honors Service

Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and National Science Foundation Director Arden L. Bement Jr. each received the American Chemical Society's prestigious Public Service Award last Tuesday during a ceremony on Capitol Hill.

The awards, established in 1997 under the direction of ACS Past-President Ronald Breslow, recognize people who have made outstanding contributions to the development of public policy that benefits chemistry and the sciences.

"The awards are our way of thanking those who share our passion for science and to recognize that science and technology are critical to the advancement of our nation," said ACS President E. Ann Nalley during opening remarks at the ceremony.

The ceremony was preceded by a poster session sponsored by the Council of Undergraduate Research. Students from primarily undergraduate institutions interacted with public officials as well as ACS staff and governance.

As master of ceremonies, Sherwood Boehlert (R-N.Y.) introduced the award recipients, saying, "There are better days ahead because of the three distinguished people you have before you."

Kind, who serves on the Resources, Budget, and Education & the Workforce Committees, worked in 2005 to pass an amendment to the House version of the Higher Education Act to provide scholarships and grants for students to enter careers in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.

Wolf, who sits on the House Appropriations Committee and chairs its Subcommittee on Science, led the effort to make innovation and U.S. global competitiveness major agenda items this year. He has also overseen major increases in funding for NSF and the National Institute of Standards & Technology.

Prior to joining NSF, Bement was director of NIST (C&EN, March 13, page 15). He also served as a professor of nuclear engineering at Purdue University and as a member of the National Science Board, the governing board of NSF.