Official Reports From The ACS National Meeting in Atlanta

The major actions taken by the ACS Board and Council during the national meeting in Atlanta were reported in C&EN, April 3, page 11.

Reports of Society Committees

Budget & Finance

The Society Committee on Budget & Finance met on Saturday, March 25, to review the society's 2005 financial performance. The committee members were pleased to learn that ACS ended 2005 favorable to budget. Staff reported that the society recorded a net from operations of $11,616,000 based on revenues of $429,150,000 and expenses of $417,534,000. The result was $9,112,000 favorable to the 2005 approved budget. The better than expected performance was primarily attributable to higher than budgeted print and electronic services revenues and investment income, as well as expense savings from reduced information technology spending and staff vacancies.

In other actions, the committee elected William F. Carroll Jr. as vice chair and received a presentation on the calculation of the fully escalated dues rate for 2007. After discussion, the committee voted to recommend to council that the dues for 2007 be set at the fully escalated rate of $132. The committee received informational presentations on the ACS Member Insurance Program and the planned 2006 activities of the Program Review Advisory Group. The committee also discussed two society-wide initiatives. James D. Burke led a discussion of the new ACS Vision Statement and Vision Field, and Carroll led a discussion of the ACS governance review.-Judith L. Benham, Chair

Education

The Society Committee on Education (SOCED) received an update from President E. Ann Nalley on her initiatives, including a new program for graduate students seeking postdoctoral positions. President-Elect Catherine Hunt highlighted her focus on educating legislators, the public, the media, and the next generation of citizens and scientists. The committee considered several society-wide initiatives, including the new ACS Vision Statement, discussion topics from the Governance Review Task Force, and program review. SOCED received an update from the Committee on Professional Training (CPT) regarding the draft overview of the proposed revisions to the ACS guidelines for approval of bachelor's degree programs in chemistry. The committee offered input to CPT based on recommendations arising from CPT's "Workshop on Historically Black Colleges & Universities & African American-Serving Institutions" report. Committee members provided feedback to the Office of Legislative & Government Affairs on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics legislation pending in Congress. SOCED decided to explore two potential projects, the development of summer institutes for middle school teachers and the creation of an international Research Internships in Chemistry program. The committee voted to support the U.S. hosting the International Chemistry Olympiad as early as 2012. Committee members received an update on the new High School Chemistry Clubs program. A record number of undergraduates attended the Atlanta meeting, with the Student Affiliates awards ceremony attracting approximately 1,000 participants.-Joseph A. Heppert, Chair

Board Committee Reports

Standing Committees

Grants & Awards

Acting under delegated authority, the Board Committee on Grants & Awards (G&A) voted to accept the recommendations of the ACS Petroleum Research Fund (ACS-PRF) Advisory Board for funding grants totaling $15.2 million.

◾ The committee voted to endorse the recommendation of the PRF Advisory Board to conduct an evaluation of the Petroleum Research Fund.
◾ The committee voted to recommend to the board a screened list of six nominees (due to a two-way tie for fifth place) for the 2007 Parsons Award.
◾ The committee voted to recommend to the board a screened list of five nominees for the 2007 Priestley Medal.
◾ The committee voted to recommend to the board a screened list of five nominees for the 2007 Award for Volunteer Service to ACS.
◾ The committee received a summary of a discussion from the recent ACS-PRF Advisory Board meeting on the subject "Setting the Structure and Strategic Direction for the Petroleum Research Fund."
◾ The committee received an update on the evaluation of the Awards Program being conducted by Douglas J. Raber and an update on efforts to identify sponsors for several of the awards.
◾ The committee received an update from the Development Office on its efforts to find new sponsors for six awards: James Bryant Conant Award, Field & Franklin Award, Irving Langmuir Award, Pimentel Award, Adamson Award, and E. Bright Wilson Award.
◾ The committee received a report on efforts to recognize ACS Awards sponsors.
◾ The committee will be establishing a working group to develop a process for the periodic review of ACS awards with representatives from G&A, the Committee on Committees, and the Governing Board for Publishing.

The committee reviewed the need for a new Board Regulation regarding board members' writing nomination letters and serving on selection committees for the ACS Awards Program.-C. Gordon McCarty, Chair

Professional & Member Relations

Acting under delegated authority, the committee (P&MR) voted to approve a cooperative cosponsorship with the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers and the Materials Research Society with respect to the 2006 Organic Microelectronics Workshop to be held July 9-12 in Toronto.

The committee discussed the relationship between P&MR and the council committees, particularly those whose charters are closely aligned with P&MR's mission. One effective communication opportunity is the P&MR breakfast event that is hosted at each national meeting. It was noted that the Committee on Committees (ConC) has an interactive session with chairs at every national meeting. The meeting focuses on issues and opportunities that the chairs are facing and provides a forum for discussion about best practices. Since the president-elect is invited to the ConC session, it may be possible to utilize this session as an effective means of communication between the board and the committees. The committee discussed various actions and will continue to consider the appropriate role between P&MR and the council committees at future meetings.

The committee reviewed an action plan designed to serve a multidisciplinary community of scientists. After discussion, the committee decided to establish a small study group to develop a process for nucleating groups focused on emerging areas of science, with the goal of issuing recommendations for board consideration at its June meeting. P&MR will ask the Committee on Divisional Activities (DAC) to join the group.

The chair reported that for the first time a prospective national meeting theme is planned for implementation at the upcoming San Francisco national meeting. DAC expressed an interest in remaining active in the business of creating and implementing prospective themes for a limited period of time. DAC intends to hand those responsibilities off to another group in two to three years.

The committee received an update from a committee member "ambassador" to the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos & Native Americans in Science who has expressed interest obtaining office space at ACS headquarters so they can maintain a presence in Washington, D.C. The committee discussed the suggestion that the "ambassadors" initiative be broadened to other organizations not necessarily focused on diversity. Following a brief discussion, it was agreed to maintain the focus on diversity organizations, to develop an appropriate process to engage the Asian communities, and to share the list of current alliances with other organizations with the committee at its next meeting.

The committee heard a status report from the Board Oversight Group on Leadership Development. The project's two teams, "Skills" and "Pipeline," have identified the 2006 deliverables. These include developing a customized and validated 360-degree assessment instrument, piloting the "ACS Extraordinary Leaders Workshop" and "Train-the-Trainer Clinic" and developing a formal marketing plan.

The committee discussed the Committee on Economic & Professional Activities (CEPA) report, "Globalization Issues & Chemical Employment" that it received at its December 2005 meeting. The board has asked P&MR to review the report and to identify areas for board consideration. P&MR created a working group to develop an action plan for board consideration. "Chemistry Employment Trends: Where Are the Jobs? Where Are They Going?" was distributed to P&MR. It was agreed that these data, along with the CEPA globalization report, will guide the working group's effort. An interim progress report will be provided to the committee in June.-Kent Voorhees, Chair

Public Affairs & Pubic Relations

The Committee on Public Affairs & Public Relations met on March 23 and discussed the following public policy and communication matters:

◾ ACS Communications Strategic Plan. Received a comprehensive presentation on the ACS Communications Strategic Plan, which included an overview, the research that went into designing the plan, the development of the core strategy, key communications messages, and main target audiences. Committee members offered input and advice that will be useful in finalizing the plan and maximizing value to ACS members.
◾ Open access to federally funded research. Discussed the status of activities associated with open access to federally funded research, both at the National Institutes of Health and for legislative efforts on Capitol Hill and their potential impact on ACS and the current peer review process.
◾ 2006 new ACS policy statements. Committee members received a package of nine new ACS policy statements requiring action via electronic ballot by April 3.
◾ General updates. Committee members received brief reports on efforts to recruit numbers of ACS members in advocacy outreach; to bolster U.S. competitiveness and to foster innovation; and foster greater funding of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines.

The committee voted to recommend that the board of directors amend ACS Board Regulations. Via previous electronic ballot, the committee recommended that the board of directors approve adding a new subsection to Board Regulations that delegates National Historic Chemical Landmark designation approval authority to the Committee on Public Affairs & Public Relations.-Diane G. Schmidt, Chair

Other Committes

Chemical Abstracts Servive
(Joint With Council)

The committee met in executive session on March 24 and in open session jointly with the Joint Board-Council Committee on Publications and the Division of Chemical Information on March 27.

The committee heard from Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) management on a range of issues, including a report on financial results (including revenue growth well in excess of price increases and increased net contribution to the society), record editorial production in 2005 (1 million CAplus literature records were added to the CAS databases, and 750,000 small molecules were added to the Registry), as well as new products including CAS Mobile, STN AnaVist, and SciFinder with similarity searching.

The group then held a wide-ranging discussion related to the ACS Governance Review Task Force and industry trends.-Andrea Twiss-Brooks, Chair

Chemical Safety
(Joint With Council)

The Committee on Chemical Safety (CCS) provides advice on the handling of chemicals and seeks to ensure safe facilities, designs, and operations by calling attention to potential hazards and stimulating education in safe chemical practices.

On Sunday, March 26, at the undergraduate program, CCS cosponsored a session on "The Safety of Chemistry (and Your Demonstrations)." This followed ACS Student Affiliates chem demo exchange activities.

CCS has several publications, many of which are downloadable, including the two-volume set of our flagship publication, "Safety in Academic Chemistry Labs" (SACL). See all CCS publications at membership.acs.org/c/ccs. A PDF draft of the online Spanish translation of SACL will be posted soon. The chair is currently exploring the possibility of an Arabic edition of SACL. Almost ready for publication is the 3rd edition of the "Chemical Safety Manual for Small Businesses."

CCS members are examining the integration of the topics of green chemistry, biotechnology, and waste disposal into future editions of SACL and other CCS publications.

Recently, the committee has been involved in reviewing several publications, including "Prudent Practices in the Laboratory," "ACS Guidelines for the Teaching of High School Chemistry," and the "EPA School Chemicals Cleanout Campaign" brochure, as well as experiments for use in laboratory courses and in chemistry outreach activities. Committee members continue to serve on task forces joint with various ACS committees.

CCS has established active partnerships with several organizations including OSHA's Reactive Chemicals Hazards Alliance, the U.S. Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board, and the IUPAC-UNESCO-UNIDO Safety Training Program.-Alan A. Hazari, Chair

Chemists With Disabilities

The Committee on Chemists with Disabilities (CWD) met at the 231st ACS National Meeting in Atlanta, on Monday, March 27. Judith Summers-Gates, CWD member, reported on the Collaboration of Committees Working Group's meeting. This working group consists of representatives from the four committees that operate under the umbrella of the Department of Diversity Programs: CWD, Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA), Women Chemists Committee (WCC), and Younger Chemists Committee (YCC). The goal of this working group is to identify projects and services that can be improved through collaboration efforts of these committees. Halley Merrell, a consultant for the ACS Governance Review Task Force, presented information to the committee on the following ACS Board initiatives: the next strategic plan for the society, the Vision Statement and Vision Field, review of ACS governance, and program review.

The committee discussed the development of the CWD Ambassador Program, which was announced at CWD's 25th anniversary celebration during the Washington, D.C., meeting. CWD conducted a review of its progress on the tasks set out in the CWD Strategic Plan. The committee agreed to establish working groups to prioritize incomplete tasks. And its first item of action is to implement a plan to develop a page on the CWD website (membership.acs.org/c/cwd) that describes how to make websites and publications accessible to the visually impaired. The committee also discussed the reprinting of "Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities: A Manual for High Schools, Colleges, and Graduate Programs, 4th Edition" and administration of the CWD Travel Grant program.-James M. Landis Jr., Chair

Community Activities

The Committee on Community Activities (CCA) met in executive session on Saturday, March 25, during the 231st ACS National Meeting in Atlanta.

CCA continued to develop plans for the Chemists Celebrate Earth Day (CCED) and National Chemistry Week (NCW) programs through 2009. The theme for CCED, celebrated annually on April 22, is "Dig It!" Seventy-five-thousand copies of a CCED edition of "Celebrating Chemistry," the hands-on activity newspaper previously produced only for NCW, were printed and distributed through the ACS volunteer network nationwide. Mention of CCED appeared in several National Science Teacher Association publications. Final numbers for the reach and scope of CCED 2006 will be available through ACS Communications before the next national meeting.

More than 80 CCED local section coordinators registered to participate in CCED 2006. The CCED topic "Dig It!" will be celebrated with a unifying event, "Plant It for the Planet", a K-12 illustrated haiku contest, and Student Affiliates video (music or activity relevant to theme) contest. An idea for a unifying event for the 2007 theme, "Recycling—Chemistry Can!" is a digital photo collage activity. A Youth Patch Task Force rewrote the NCW youth patch guidelines to include CCED.

The Committee on Committees (ConC) approved CCA's request for change to a joint board-council committee. They also accepted the committee's charge statement, and will now refer the request back to the board of directors. If the board approves, the information will be in the councilor agenda book for action in San Francisco.

In collaboration with the Society Committee on Education and ACS President E. Ann Nalley, the committee presented "Celebrating Chemistry: Kids & Chemistry LIVE!" at the Fernbank Science Center. The event drew more than 1,000 members of the local community to the science center, which was the best turnout ever on a Saturday and 700 more than expected. Nalley enthusiastically participated in the event and presented the director of the Fernbank Science Center with a Salute to Excellence plaque for its support of the event and to honor their long-standing commitment to children's science education.

CCA teamed up with the Committee on Public Relations & Communications to give a total of four presentations at the ACS membership booth. The presentations were well-attended and will be part of the plan for the next national meeting.

Following are upcoming NCW dates and themes: Oct. 22-28, 2006: "Your Home—It's All Built on Chemistry"; Oct. 21-27, 2007: "The Many Faces of Chemistry"; Oct. 19-25, 2008: "Having a Ball with Chemistry"; and Oct. 18-24, 2009: the topic will be chemistry and the elements (theme name to be given in 2007).

Following are CCED themes: 2007: "Recycling—Chemistry Can!"; 2008: "Streaming Chemistry"; 2009: the topic will be atmosphere.-V. Michael Mautino, Chair

Corporation Associates

Corporation Associates (CA) advises and influences ACS to ensure that its products and services are of value to industrial members and their companies. CA will accomplish this by actively participating in and bringing leadership to ACS programs and projects.

Tom Lane, Committee on Corporation Associates (CCA) chair, discussed the CA Steering Committee's plans to organize a strategic planning session prior to the San Francisco meeting. He also mentioned CA's desire to place greater focus on membership by smaller companies that employ chemists.

A report on the activities of the Department of Industry Member & Awards Programs since the 2005 Washington, D.C., meeting included the following: Industry Member Programs (IMP) and Merck hosted the third ACS/Pharma Leaders Meeting in October 2005; with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, IMP hosted the senior management conference titled "Innovation: The Engine for Growth," in Cincinnati, with 14 chief technical officers from industry as speakers; in January 2006, IMP cosponsored a meeting with the Biotechnology Industry Organization—the Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology—in Honolulu, to engage Asian and North American companies in dialogue about industrial biotech; the "Chemistry Enterprise 2015" project document was completed and made available online at chemistry.org/chemistryenterprise2015.html; and in concert with the ACS Board Committee on Grants & Awards, the ACS Awards Program launched a new sponsor-recognition program highlighting long-term financial support of ACS awards by companies, institution, and endowments.

The Education Subcommittee is developing a roundtable discussion activity for the San Francisco national meeting designed for graduate students interested in industry. The Awards/Finance & Grants Subcommittee reported that CCA received six funding proposals requesting a total of $36,828.12. CCA approved funding at $14,550 in support of the Committee on Economic & Professional Affairs' (CEPA) Subcommittee on Public Policy, the ACS Southeast Regional Meeting (two proposals for a symposium and teacher workshop), CEPA's Surveys Subcommittee, the ACS Division of Chemical Technicians, and the Rochester Local Section of ACS.

The Programs Subcommittee reported on efforts to develop symposia with ACS technical divisions on technologies highlighted through the Heroes of Chemistry Program. The subcommittee also plans to host a networking reception during the San Francisco national meeting with BayBio (Northern California's Biosciences Association) and invited technical divisions. The Public Policy Subcommittee will work with the ACS Office of Legislative & Government Affairs to schedule legislative visits to Washington, D.C., by CA member representatives and is reviewing further promotion of the ACS Legislative Action Network to ACS members working for CA member companies.

CCA also received reports regarding the National Academies' survey quantifying the globalization of industrial research and development; on IUPAC's industrial membership; and on the Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America. ACS President-Elect Catherine Hunt discussed priorities for her ACS presidency. CA also received reports from two ACS board members on the new ACS Vision Statement, the Governance Review Task Force, and the Program Review Advisory Group.-Thomas H. Lane, Chair

Environmental Improvement
(Joint With Council)

The Committee on Environmental Improvement (CEI) is continuing its progress on establishing a sustainability agenda for the society. At the fall national meeting in Washington, D.C., CEI cosponsored a successful symposium with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Division, and others focusing on sustainability in the chemical enterprise. The symposium highlighted last year's National Research Council report, "Sustainability in the Chemical Industry," which the committee and the ACS Green Chemistry Institute helped develop on behalf of ACS. CEI also developed and shepherded a new policy statement on sustainability through approval as an ACS public policy position. Moving forward, CEI is continuing to utilize both the NRC report and the policy statement to advance both understanding and adoption of sustainability strategies.

In Atlanta, CEI focused on environmental and sustainability education. The committee discussed potential joint activities with representatives of the Committees on Community Activities and on Education, the Division of Chemical Education, and the ACS Education Division. Discussions continue with each of these groups and the Committee on Professional Training about policies and activities that will strengthen the role of sustainability and environmental topics in the chemical curriculum, as well as in informal educational settings.

The committee has begun planning for its involvement with the sustainability program theme at the 2007 spring national meeting in Chicago and is interested in working with the divisions to make the most of this opportunity to highlight sustainability challenges and progress for ACS members, the public, public officials, and the press.-Charles E. Kolb, Chair

International Activities
(Joint With Council)

The Committee on International Activities (IAC) continues to advance international research and education collaboration. The conference, "Frontiers of Chemistry II: Research & Education in the Middle East," was held in Malta in November 2005. A workshop on arsenic contamination in groundwater was held in Bangladesh in December 2005. On IAC's recommendation, the ACS President sent letters to the governments of the U.S., Libya, and Ethiopia to express concerns about cases where the rights of scientists and engineers were abridged. ACS hosted a delegation of five scientists from South America at the Pittcon conference. In Atlanta, IAC had a spirited discussion about the new ACS Vision Statement and Vision Field and the governance review process.

The committee voted to recommend that ACS support Puerto Rico's bid for the 2011 IUPAC Congress & General Assembly, to partner with the Society Committee on Education, to explore ACS involvement in a program of international research experiences for undergraduates, and to recommend that ACS sponsor a third Middle East conference. A new five-year evaluation process for ACS international chemical sciences chapters was approved. The committee will establish task forces to explore the opportunities to expand electronic access to scientific information in developing countries and to develop a proposal for funding to support increased international interaction by ACS technical divisions.-Nina I. McClelland, Chair

Minority Affairs
(Joint With Council)

The Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) continues to promote its mission of increasing the participation and leadership of traditionally underrepresented chemical scientists in the discipline and in ACS activities.

A new CMA logo and website structure were unveiled at the Atlanta meeting. The new website will go live in the summer of 2006. CMA is currently participating in the Society Committee on Education's revision of the "Guidelines for Chemistry at Two-Year Colleges" and in a symposium on ACS guidelines at two-year and four-year programs to be held at the 19th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education. A minority affairs local section starter kit has been developed and distributed. The committee reaffirmed its commitment to continuing the presentation of the Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences.

The ACS Scholars Program developed a new strategic plan. Implementation of the new strategic plan will serve to expand and strengthen the ACS Scholars Program, allowing additional talented students to join the ranks of the more than 1,600 students who have thus far been named as ACS Scholars.

A full day-symposium honoring Percy L. Julian is planned for the San Francisco meeting. The symposium, titled, "Dr. Percy L. Julian: Scientist, Humanist, Educator, Entrepreneur & Inspirational Trailblazer," will be a full-day event highlighting the many important contributions of Julian and will feature a segment of the new Julian film.-Linette M. Watkins, Chair

Patents & Related Matters
(Joint With Council)

The Committee on Patents & Related Matters (CPRM) discussed the many proposed legislative and regulatory changes to the U.S. patent system and the potential effects such changes might have, both on industry and academia. CPRM also continued its work on several educational tools to assist and inform members on patent issues and other intellectual property matters important to a successful career in the chemical enterprise. Some of these tools are now available on the expanded committee website, membership.acs.org/C/CPRM. Finally, CPRM continued its work with respect to nominating deserving scientists for inclusion in the National Inventors Hall of Fame and the National Women's Hall of Fame and for the National Medal of Technology.-Charles F. Hauff, Chair

Professional Training
(Joint With Council)

At the March 2006 meeting, the Committee on Professional Training (CPT) reviewed 22 new and additional information reports from ACS-approved chemistry programs. CPT held conferences with two schools seeking approval and discussed one update and three site visit reports. The committee added one school to the ACS-approved list. The number of approved programs is now 635.

The committee continued its work on the revision of the ACS guidelines for approval of bachelor's degree programs in chemistry. Earlier this year, an overview document of the proposed revisions was distributed to the chairs of all ACS-approved chemistry departments and published on the CPT website (chemistry.org/education/cpt). An extended open meeting was held during the ACS meeting in Atlanta to present the fundamental elements of the proposed changes and receive feedback from attendees. A symposium on the guidelines revision is planned for the fall ACS national meeting in San Francisco. The committee continues to seek input from the chemistry community and invites all interested parties to send comments by e-mail to cpt@acs.org or by letter to the Office of Professional Training.

The committee discussed the goals for a workshop with representatives from Hispanic-serving colleges and universities. CPT reviewed the status of the implementation of recommendations that arose from its November 2004 workshop with historically black colleges and universities and other institutions that award a significant number of baccalaureate degrees to African Americans. A progress report will be published later this year.

The committee began work on the first of a series of graduate education surveys, which are normally completed by CPT each decade. The initial questionnaire will solicit information on the characteristics of master's and doctoral programs in chemistry. The committee is also updating its printed brochure, "Planning for Graduate Work in Chemistry," and converting the format to a Web-based resource with extensive links to other materials of interest to students pursuing graduate study. DGRweb, the searchable, online database version of the "ACS Directory of Graduate Research," is now accessible free of charge via the Web. Suggestions for new features or search capabilities for DGRweb are welcomed.-William F. Polik, Chair

Publications
(Joint With Council)

The committee elected Ned D. Heindel as its vice chair and George M. Bodner as liaison to the ACS Committee on Ethics.

C&EN continues to fulfill its mission of keeping readers abreast of news, events, and trends in the chemical enterprise as well as informing readers about activities and policies of the American Chemical Society.

The committee voted to accept a PowerPoint presentation and Frequently Asked Questions about Copyright developed by the Subcommittee on Copyright for publication on the ACS Publications website.

The final monitoring reports for Biochemistry, Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, and Organometallics were presented and accepted by the committee. Chemical Research in Toxicology, Langmuir, Journal of Combinatorial Chemistry, and Environmental Science & Technology will be monitored next.

The ACS Publications Sales & Marketing team is actively expanding access and driving usage with new consortia licenses in Russia, Lithuania, Poland, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Malawi while also increasing the number of institutions in India and China. Working with the Department of Defense and the State Department, the marketing team signed its second developing-country initiative, a special arrangement providing Web access to eight institutions in Iraq.-Grace Baysinger, Chair

Science
(Joint With Council)

The Committee on Science will sponsor three programs in San Francisco: "SWNTs from Synthesis to Application from the Lab to the Fab: In Memory of Dr. Richard Smalley"; "Equipping the 2015 Chemical Technology Workforce Initiative," organized by the Division of Chemical Technicians and the Committee on Technician Affairs, among others; and a program on the life of Percy Julian, organized by the Committee on Minority Affairs and others.

The committee consulted with President-Elect Catherine Hunt and will develop activities to support her 2007 initiatives. ComSci's Policy Subcommittee is focusing its energy on two areas in the short-term: balancing security with openness and transitioning science to technology. ComSci's future programming will also include exploring the case for change in communication and education, and how our members and other chemical professionals can succeed in this changing environment.

ComSci also recognized a need to appoint liaisons to several committees and will be contacting those committees in the near future.-William R. Oliver, Chair

Women Chemists
(Joint With Council)

The Women Chemists Committee (WCC) met in executive session and in open meeting at the Atlanta national meeting. The committee organized two Presidential symposia, with the first being in honor of Cathy Middlecamp, who received the ACS Award for Encouraging Women into Careers in the Chemical Sciences. The second was titled "Women Leaders in Chemistry: Stories of Challenges Met." More than 225 ACS meeting attendees were present for the biannual WCC Luncheon and heard the keynote speaker Lila Gierasch, 2006 Francis P. Garvan-John Olin Medal recipient. Ten women presented their research at this meeting with funding by the WCC/Eli Lilly Travel Grant Award. WCC also held the Women in Industry Breakfast on the discussion topic "Keeping It Real," which drew a crowd of 80 participants. The Third Annual WCC Golf Tournament Classic Fundraiser was held as well.

WCC proposed a forum for the committees under the umbrella of the ACS Department of Diversity to work more closely together on interrelated topics. A short-term working group was formed and met just prior to this national meeting. This group has proposed several key actions for the committees to consider, including the committee chairs discussing together such important topics as the recent ACS governance review and having the committees sponsor a combined diversity reception at the fall ACS national meeting.

WCC will hold a strategic planning session in June to reevaluate current activities in light of the new ACS Vision.-Amber S. Hinkle, Chair

Younger Chemists
(Joint With Council)

In Atlanta, the Younger Chemists Committee (YCC) welcomed its new committee members with a brainstorming session centered on YCC's charter as well as its strategic plan to make ACS relevant to younger chemists, to involve younger chemists in all levels of the society, and to integrate younger chemists into the profession. YCC discussed the new ACS Vision Statement, "Improving people's lives through the transforming power of chemistry," and was challenged to think of ways that YCC can help the society achieve its vision. During the Atlanta meeting, YCC programs included "Alternative Careers in Chemistry" and "NASA & Chemistry in Aerospace Applications." In addition, YCC cosponsored nine programs with various committees and divisions. The fifth annual 5-K Fun Run/1.5-Mile Walk drew approximately 100 participants, and YCC looks forward to increasing the level of participation in the Fun Run so that proceeds can be donated to Project SEED.

Looking forward to San Francisco, YCC is planning on sponsoring symposia including "Surviving Graduate School," "ACS throughout My Career," and "The Chemistry of Wine." Additional San Francisco activities will include the annual blood drive and presentation of ChemLuminary Awards. YCC would like to invite all interested parties to visit YCC's website, chemistry.org/ycc, and sign up for the electronic newsletter. Other resources on the website include a list of awards available to younger chemists, packaged programs for local section or regional meetings, and additional information on YCC and its activities.-Katherine C. Glasgow, Chair

Council Committee Reports

Elected Committees

Committees

The Committee on Committees (ConC) cohosted the ACS Leaders Conference in January 2006 with four other ACS committees and conducted its annual training session for new national committee chairs. ConC's interactive session for committee chairs in Atlanta served as an opportune follow-on and a forum for informative interchange among seasoned and new chairs.

ConC voted to support a request from the Board Committee on Community Activities that its status be changed to a joint board-council committee. A committee charge was reviewed, and pending approval by the board, a formal recommendation will be presented to Council at the fall meeting in San Francisco.

The council approved ConC's recommendation for the continuation of the Council Committee on Admissions, following a performance review. Council also approved, pending approval of the ACS Board of Directors, ConC's recommendation for continuation of the Joint Board-Council Committee on Professional Training, following a performance review.

ConC began developing its recommendations for the 2007 committee chair appointments for consideration by the president-elect and chair of the board. In its ongoing effort to strengthen the pipeline, ConC approved the establishment of a Subcommittee on Diversity. ConC continues to focus efforts to identify members with the skills and expertise specified by the committee chairs, using its newly modified councilor preference form. The form will be sent to councilors in May. ConC also seeks the names of noncouncilor members for consideration for service on council-related committees, especially those with no prior appointments.-Neil D. Jespersen, Chair

Nominations & Elections

On Sunday evening, the Committee on Nominations & Elections (N&E) sponsored its fourth successful town hall meeting for president-elect nominees. An estimated 200 people attended this session. This forum facilitated communication among the 2007 nominees, councilors, and members. N&E will hold another town hall meeting featuring the candidates for director-at-large at the fall meeting in San Francisco.

The new process used for the fall 2005 national election allowing members to vote either electronically or by mail ballot was a success from several standpoints. A total of 26,013 ballots were cast in the 2005 election for president-elect, an increase of 4,334 over 2004. ACS members commented that it was easy to vote via the Internet; it was available 24 hours a day; it was fast and efficient; and candidate photos, biographical information, and statements were easily accessed by clicking on the candidate's name.

In addition to being able to cast ballots over the Internet, members were able to call an 800 number for customer assistance. Members also liked the redesign of the new paper ballot.

Now that voting over the Internet has become an accepted procedure for ACS national elections, the ACS technical divisions and local sections have expressed strong interest in using this for their elections. N&E is developing guidelines and recommendations for electronic balloting for local sections and divisions. It is the committee's goal to have these completed for them to use in this fall's election. In the meantime, N&E encourages the local sections and divisions to review their bylaws with the Committee on Constitution & Bylaws to ensure electronic voting is allowed.

The Committee on Nominations & Elections is responsible for reviewing annually the distribution of member population within the six electoral districts to ensure that the districts have equitable representation. According to Bylaw V, Section 4(a), the member population of each electoral district must be within 10% of the result of dividing by six the number of members whose addresses lie within these districts. The six electoral districts are in compliance.

The committee is developing a petition for a bylaw change in response to a survey conducted with councilors and other members in 2005 to address inconsistencies in election processes for national elections. We anticipate presenting a petition for consideration at the 2006 fall meeting in San Francisco.

The committee also developed slates of potential candidates for the Council Policy Committee and the Committee on Committees for a 2007-09 term.-Barbara A. Sawrey, Chair

Standing Committees

Constitution & Bylaws

The Committee on Constitution & Bylaws (C&B), acting for the council, issued new certified bylaws to the Rochester Section Inc., the Chemical Society of Washington, the Cincinnati Section, the North Jersey Section, the Division of Computers in Chemistry, the Division of Polymeric Materials: Science & Engineering, the Division of Analytical Chemistry, the Division of Business Development & Management, and the Division of Medicinal Chemistry. The committee has reviewed new proposed amendments for the Penn-Ohio Border Section, the Division of Chemical Education Inc., and the Division of Physical Chemistry. Preliminary reports were prepared for the North Carolina Section and the Virginia Section. Also, a confirmation-of-affiliation report was issued to the Rubber Division.

There were no petitions for action or for consideration presented to council and committees at this meeting.

New petitions to amend the constitution and/or bylaws must have been received by the executive director by May 24 to be included in the council agenda for the fall 2006 meeting in San Francisco.-Ray A. Dickie, Chair

Divisional Activities

The Committee on Divisional Activities (DAC) continues to move forward toward implementing thematic programming at the national meetings. A DAC comment on this subject appeared on page 67 in the April 3 issue of C&EN.

At this meeting, representatives from DAC conducted 13 briefings for divisions to update them on thematic programming plans for the upcoming San Francisco, Chicago, and Boston national meetings. They reported that DAC's first prospective thematic symposium, titled "Collaboration in Chemistry: Recovery from and Prevention of Natural Disasters," will be held at the fall meeting in San Francisco.

In addition, DAC has agreed on three themes for Chicago: "Chemistry for a Sustainable Energy Future," "Chemistry for a Sustainable Future Water Supply," and "Chemistry for a Sustainable Future Food Supply." These were selected after substantial discussions with division representatives and with President-Elect Catherine Hunt. DAC welcomes suggestions for general program chairs for these themes.

The DAC Subcommittee on Divisional Enhancement selected recipients for the 2005 ChemLuminary Awards from the 12 self-nominations received. The awardees will be announced at the ChemLuminary Award ceremony in San Francisco. The subcommittee updated the Innovative Project Funds Guidelines to encourage divisions to participate in thematic programming. The deadline for division proposals relating to the 2006 Innovative Project Funds is July 1.

The society's bylaws require DAC to review the division funding formula every three years. DAC reviewed the current funding policy approved by council in 2003 and does not recommend any modifications at this time.-Dwight W. Chasar, Chair

Economic & Professional Affairs

In view of the tough job market and the many changes occurring in the workplace, the Committee on Economic & Professional Affairs (CEPA) and the staff of the Department of Career Management & Development (CMD) are working together to revamp and reinvent career services at ACS. We aim to use state-of-the-art technology and provide enhanced career services with a strong focus on career management. New offerings will be phased in over time; however, we shall continue to provide current services while effecting these changes.

As part of our new initiative, CEPA is conducting a gap analysis with respect to programs offered through the committee and CMD. An advisory group is being formed in conjunction with the Division of Small Chemical Business to assess the needs of small business employers with the aim of better serving small businesses through the Chemjobs Career Center and Chemjobs Online.

In Atlanta, CEPA organized or cosponsored four symposia, 29 workshops, 106 mock interviews, and 339 résumé reviews. Consistent with CEPA's new thrust, several new presentations and workshops in Atlanta were directed toward career management and development. The Chemjobs Career Center continued to serve our members with 1,256 candidates, 1,199 interviews, 11,318 exchanged messages, 197 positions, and 72 employers represented by 92 individuals.

The 2006 Comprehensive Salary & Employment Status Survey, which includes a special section on employee benefits, is currently being distributed to members. Brochures describing what a chemist should know before accepting a job in industry, academics, or government or as an independent consultant or contractor were updated and approved. Other career-related documents in progress include an e-pamphlet on the proper use of sources, "The Chemists' Code of Conduct" and the "Academic Professional Guidelines."

In the area of public policy, CEPA unanimously approved and recommended to the board a white paper on retirement security to replace the society's current but more limited statement on pensions. Other initiatives include increased programming on entrepreneurship and small business and the formation of a special-interest group on consultancy.-H. N. Cheng, Chair

Local Section Activities

The Committee on Local Section Activities (LSAC) is pleased to report that seven local sections are celebrating significant anniversaries in 2006: Middle Georgia (five years); Southwest Georgia (25 years); Virginia Blue Ridge (75 years); and East Central Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, and Minnesota (100 years).

LSAC hosted the Local Section Leaders Track in conjunction with the ACS Leaders Conference in Baltimore in January. Next year's ACS Leaders Conference will be held in Baltimore on Jan. 26-28, 2007.

LSAC will host a Local Section Summit in May to discuss how local sections can take advantage of new and future opportunities to improve the great membership service and public outreach that they currently provide.

LSAC continues to work with local sections in an effort to help them improve their health and vitality. LSAC members will review all annual report submissions and provide feedback to local section officers later this year. In addition, eight local sections were identified as candidates for the 2006 visitation program.

Thirty-two applications requesting more than $86,000 were received for the first round of the 2006 Innovative Projects Grant (IPG) Program. Applications were reviewed in Atlanta and more than $48,000 was awarded to 23 local sections. The deadline for the second round of IPG applications is Aug. 1. Proposal guidelines are available at chemistry.org/localsections.

As stipulated in society bylaws, LSAC reviewed the procedures for allocating dues funds and recommended no changes to current procedures.-Will E. Lynch, Chair

Meetings & Expositions

The 231st ACS National Meeting in Atlanta hosted 12,664 attendees, including 6,367 chemical scientists, 4,178 students, 1,287 exhibitors, 462 expo only, and 370 guests.

There were 450 booths sold with 264 exhibitors. Twenty-one workshops and theater presentations were held.

The Committee on Meetings & Expositions (M&E) voted to reconfirm its commitment to hold the ACS spring national meeting in New Orleans on April 6-10, 2008.

M&E set the sites and dates for the 2015 and 2016 national meetings. Council approved that the spring 2015 meeting be held in Denver, March 22-26; the fall 2015 meeting be held in Boston, Aug.16-20; the spring 2016 meeting be held in San Diego, March 13-17; and the fall 2016 national meeting be held in Philadelphia, Aug. 21-25.

ACS and the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) will hold their spring meetings at the same time in New Orleans in April 2008. An ad hoc working group with members from the Meetings & Expositions Committee, the Divisional Activities Committee, and AIChE will explore programming that would be of interest to both sets of attendees.

To determine our attendee preferences for use of technology at national meetings, an electronic survey will be sent to a sample of this meeting's attendees in April.

M&E is studying suggestions regarding meeting registration fees for sponsored speakers and will make a recommendation at the fall national meeting.

ACS Books will include regional meetings in their Symposium Series beginning in 2006. The five regional meetings in 2005 attracted almost 4,000 attendees and more than 2,000 technical papers.-Henry C. Ramsey, Chair

Membership Affairs

The Committee on Membership Affairs (MAC) announced that ACS closed 2005 with 158,422 members, reversing a three-year downward trend in society membership. Of the 15,532 applications processed in 2005, nearly 900 came from the Member-Get-A-Member campaign, in which many councilors participated. This program has resumed for 2006. MAC also reported that the society's retention rate remained strong in 2005 at 92.4% and that the ACS recognition program has increased renewals among one-to-five-year members.

MAC members discussed several important items at the request of the president and board chair. These included the ACS Vision Statement and Vision Field, which MAC unanimously supports as written.

The committee members discussed suggestions made by the Joint Board-Council Policy Committee Governance Review Task Force, particularly those items related to membership. MAC addressed categories of membership, but not categories of dues, and unanimously agreed on the following recommendations to the Task Force:

◾ MAC recommends that there be three methods of connecting to or joining the American Chemical Society: as a member, as a society affiliate, or as a student member (undergraduate student). This recommendation includes the elimination of the current associate member category.
◾ MAC recommends that ACS make all applicants with a science, engineering, or science education degree or relevant work experience eligible for full membership. Applicants without the aforementioned qualifications should be accepted into ACS as society affiliates.
◾ MAC agrees that the society should support and provide value to international members but not replace the value of home national society membership.
◾ MAC recommends that ACS members and affiliates be permitted the option to prepay up to three years of dues.
◾ MAC does not support the suggestion from the Governance Review Task Force to apply the student dues discount to postdoctoral fellows. Rather, we suggest further study to ensure parity across all career paths if ACS wishes to provide transitional discounts for those in the early stages of their careers.
◾ Regarding the Governance Review Task Force suggestions on Disciplinary Organization & Governance Structure:
◾ MAC recommends that the society create an effective mechanism for information-sharing about programming at national meetings to reflect the interests of chemical professionals.
◾ In the interest of membership involvement in governance, MAC recommends that, where appropriate, the governance proceedings at national meetings immediately precede the start of the technical programming.-Joseph R. Peterson, Chair

Project SEED

Project SEED offers summer experiences for economically disadvantaged high school students. The SEED program has had a significant impact on the lives of more than 8,000 students since its inception. For 2006, the committee approved 315 students for Summer I and 96 students for Summer II to work under the supervision of research scientists on projects that provide exposure to chemistry in more than 100 institutions. In addition, 42 former SEED students were awarded college scholarships for the 2006-07 academic year. The 2005 survey report shows that 41% of SEED students selected chemistry as a first or second choice as a college major, and 70% of students were from minority backgrounds. The SEED program is made possible by contributions from industry, academia, local sections, members and friends of ACS, the ACS Petroleum Research Funds, and ACS.

The committee approved changes of the Project SEED mission statement and duties in the charter, constitution, bylaws, and regulations of the ACS.

The committee approved that SEED students must work only on research projects endorsed by the committee. Any project changes must be approved by the committee prior implementation. The committee also approved changes on the application process and deadline of the SEED Scholars program.

The committee determined that the Committee on Professional Training recommendation about making available funding for "solely merit-based scholarships, removing the qualifier to demonstrate need as an evaluative criterion" was inconsistent with the goals of Project SEED.

The committee encourages all members to continue using the dues check-off option on their membership renewal to support this remarkable program.-J. Philip Bays, Chair

Technician Affairs

The Committee on Technician Affairs (CTA) pursues the advancement of chemical technicians through ACS governance channels. CTA has three goals: raising public awareness of the value of technicians, making technicians relevant to ACS, and making ACS relevant to technicians.

To help achieve these goals, CTA has joined with the Division of Chemical Technicians, ACS Department of Career Services, and CEN-Chemjobs to develop "Equipping the 2015 Chemical Technology Workforce."

This initiative will begin with a symposium at the fall 2006 San Francisco national meeting. The symposium will be cosponsored by the Society Committee on Education, the Division of Chemical Education, the Committee on Science, the Committee on Corporation Associates, and the Division of Professional Relations. The symposium will focus on opportunities for industry, academia, and professional societies to coordinate their efforts in technician education and career development.

To maximize the impact of the symposium, Technician Affiliate Group representatives and chemical technology students are invited to attend. They will also be encouraged to develop programs based on their experience, promoting participation at the local and national levels.

Suggestions for panelists and other cosponsors for the symposium are welcome.

CTA also discussed supporting the relaxation of ACS membership requirements, which would make it easier for technicians to become full members. As chemical professionals, technicians make numerous contributions to ACS and should be encouraged to participate.

CTA continues its current programs, such as the ACS Chemical Technology Student Recognition Award and the development of career materials for technicians; CTA is collaborating with the Committee on Professional & Economic Affairs on the latter. Details on these and other programs will be posted on the CTA website (www.chemistry.org/committees/cta).-John Engelman, Chair