Editorial: The role of the editor at C&EN

When I graduated from college in 1985 with majors in chemistry and English, I had no idea that writing about chemistry was a job. But after failing to find work in book publishing, I came across a classified ad in the New York Times for a reporter at Chemical Marketing Reporter, a trade paper.

I got the job and proceeded to work there for 13 years, rising to the role of editor in chief (EIC). It turned out I wasn’t comfortable being the face of the magazine, and when a business reporter position opened at the American Chemical Society, I took it.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the EIC job of a chemistry magazine. One reason, of course, is that I find myself again in that role, as interim EIC of C&EN. Another reason is that at the ACS Spring 2023 meeting in Indianapolis March 26–30, I attended a symposium devoted to the legacy of Rudy Baum, a former editor in chief at C&EN.

The meeting, by the way, was great. It was refreshing to see diverse groups of undergraduate and graduate chemists walking the halls of the convention center, bonding over their love of chemistry. Some of the sessions I popped into were over my head, but I enjoyed the pitch slam for chemistry-oriented start-up companies and was proud to see my colleague Mitch Jacoby accept the James T. Grady–James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public.

Baum died about a year ago, at the age of 68. He had worked for C&EN for 32 years, about 8.5 of them as its editor. He was my boss, and a good one, during his years at the helm. But what the symposium reminded me of was his impact outside the C&EN newsroom.

Bassam Shakhashiri, the former ACS president who organized the symposium, told us how Baum, through his editorials, highlighted the connections between chemistry and society. Baum tackled inherently controversial topics with zeal and wrote candidly about things like evolution, the surging human population, and global warming. “His thought-promoting editorials and editorial leadership made him an icon among the magazine’s worldwide readership,” Shakhashiri said.

Several other speakers, including Holden Thorp, the editor in chief of Science magazine, also praised Baum’s willingness to take on hot-button topics such as climate change and the open-access movement in scientific publishing. About global warming, Thorp said, “We should have listened to Rudy when we had a chance.”

Madeleine Jacobs, another former editor, as well as a former chief executive of ACS, suggested in her talk that Rudy was the most influential of C&EN’s 11 editors in its 100 years. “His writing and leadership elevated C&EN in a way that no one ever did before him,” Jacobs said. In her slides, she flashed images of Rudy with some of chemistry’s great names, including Jackie Barton, Peter Dervan, Harry Gray, Peter Stang, and Dick Zare.

Baum called himself an introvert and said being the public face of C&EN didn’t come naturally. But, like Jacobs, he did it well, commanding respect within ACS and from C&EN’s readers across the academic, industry, and policy worlds. The photos reminded me that Baum was an imposing presence, both physically and intellectually.

A third reason I’ve been thinking about the EIC is that C&EN is in the process of hiring a new one. Since I didn’t apply for the job, I can help interview candidates. I’ve participated in three interviews so far, and I’m impressed by the folks we’ve seen. They have solid visions for how to rebuild C&EN and take it into its next century.

I’m learning a lot as interim EIC, and I’m happy I took on the position. I will also be happy when we hire a permanent editor and I can devote myself to my permanent role as the leader of our business and policy coverage. Baum was a great editor, but C&EN has many more great editors in its future.

Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS.