'Extreme Ncw Tour' Launches in Puerto Rico

On the first two days of his breakneck "Extreme NCW Tour," American Chemical Society President William F. Carroll took part in National Chemistry Week (NCW) events in San Juan, P.R., and Memphis.

Carroll is keeping a blog, or Internet diary, of the journey, which takes him and David E. Harwell, ACS's assistant director for local section and community activities, to 14 cities over 10 days. Carroll hopes to promote NCW volunteer activities and raise money for Project SEED with the frenzied trek. This year, NCW takes place from Oct. 16 to 22 and has the theme "The Joy of Toys."

With such a tight schedule, the two can't afford to check bags for their flights. Instead, they've shipped supplies and a daily uniform of slacks and a specially printed Extreme Tour polo shirt to destinations ahead of time.

"I had started wondering how many local sections you could visit in a week if you really put your mind to it," Carroll says of the project's genesis. "I want to particularly point out how pleased I am with the creativity the ACS staff has had with taking one man's crazy idea and turning it into something that is really, really good."

The first wing of the trip took Carroll from his hometown of Dallas to San Juan on Friday, Oct. 14. After a dinner with industry representatives, Carroll made an early start the next day to meet with University of Puerto Rico (UPR) representatives about accrediting their chemistry departments.

Carroll next visited the campus of UPR Rio Piedras, where he answered questions and assisted with experiments for about 180 Boy Scouts working on their chemistry merit badges as part of a larger "Scout University" event.

A sudden downpour sent volunteers and visitors at the campus scrambling for cover during the Festival de Química, a large set of chemistry demonstrations for the public that followed up on the event of the same name at the ACS national meeting in San Diego last March. But the sun soon returned for a turnout that far exceeded the original.

"I feel very good," said Ingrid Montes as the event wound down. Montes, a professor of chemistry at UPR Rio Piedras, has been an NCW coordinator for the Puerto Rico Section for almost 15 years. "Everybody enjoyed the activities—the students, the student affiliates, professors, scouts, parents, the community. That was my goal, and it was accomplished."

Carroll and Harwell flew to Memphis, that evening. The next day—Sunday, Oct. 16—Carroll made the concluding remarks at ACS's Advanced Local Section Leadership Conference. In the afternoon, he conducted demonstrations as part of a volunteer effort at Target House, the long-term housing center for St. Jude Children's Teaching Hospital, before driving to Nashville.

By the time the tour wraps up on Oct. 23, Carroll and Harwell plan to have visited Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Buffalo, Oswego, and Schenectady, N.Y.; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Los Angeles; Pittsburgh; St. Louis; and Dallas.