High-tech Focus for 'Extreme National Chemistry Week Tour'

Toting laptops and digital cameras and constantly checking their BlackBerries, American Chemical Society President William F. Carroll and David E. Harwell, the society’s assistant director for local section and community activities, have embarked on an ambitious quest to visit 14 local sections in 10 days for National Chemistry Week and test some of the latest in digital developments for the society.

Carroll has already made a dozen entries to his blog, or Internet diary, for the “Extreme NCW Tour” and plans updates once or twice a day until the journey ends on Oct. 23. The tour is Carroll’s effort to promote NCW volunteer activities and raise money for Project SEED. NCW this year takes place from Oct. 16 to 22 with the theme “The Joy of Toys.”

Since Friday, Oct. 14, the extreme tour has taken the duo to San Juan, P.R.; Memphis, Nashville, and Oak Ridge, Tenn.; and Buffalo.

Harwell is harnessing an arsenal of gadgets, including a digital voice recorder, a global positioning system, and a wireless access card, to supplement Carroll’s blog with podcasts and pictures from the road. Podcasts—digitized audio files available for download on the Internet or to portable media players—recently hit the mainstream when Apple included official support for the concept in an update to its music management software iTunes. Harwell has taped interviews with Carroll, NCW coordinators and volunteers, and event participants.

The NCW tour also features an Internet radio station. Carroll and other ACS representatives have recorded sound bites about ACS programs to play between “road songs,” suggested by ACS staff and members and hosted by live365.com.

“In the end, this is an experiment,” Carroll says. “It’s a way to find out if the technology is adaptable to what you want. We’re going to give it a shot and see what works.”

“All the things we’re learning about on the tour we can use to communicate technical information and help the membership,” Harwell adds. The tour is an opportunity to find out what might be useful in a fun, relaxed setting, he says. “If it doesn’t work, that’s okay.”

On Monday, Oct. 17, Carroll and Harwell started the day with a visit to Phillips Toy Mart in Nashville for chemistry demonstrations in the store’s parking lot with student affiliates from Austin Peay State University. In the afternoon, they headed to Oak Ridge National Lab so Carroll could speak about his Chemistry Enterprise 2015 initiative. Then it was a dash to the Knoxville airport to catch a flight to Buffalo.

“I admire Bill for doing this,” especially his enthusiasm for students and the science, said Ruth A. Woodall, director of the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s Tennessee Scholars program.” Just the fact that he came down here and took interest in the student affiliates was important. You could see in their eyes how happy they were that they could be a part of his tour. They’ll be valuable members of the society one day.”

Extreme NCW Podcasts

You can listen to each broadcast by clicking on the links below.

• Nothing succeeds like liquid nitrogen!
• Making bubbles with Carli in Nashville
• Why Ruth Woodall takes part in NCW
• NCW and leadership training
• Hello Memphis!
• Students ask Bill
• How did Bill get interested in chemistry?
• Interview with Bill at the University of Puerto Rico

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