IUPAC vice president resigns

The vice president of the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry, Kazuko Matsumoto, resigned on June 29, citing personal reasons. Had the Waseda University, Tokyo, professor maintained the position, she would have become IUPAC's first female president in 2008. "We're all sorry she felt it necessary to resign," says IUPAC Executive Director John W. Jost. "It's disappointing." Jost says the vice president position will remain vacant until August 2007, when the IUPAC general assembly meets in Turin, Italy. At that meeting, he says, the IUPAC council will elect a new vice president and a president. "The president has to be elected." Jost says it's possible, however, that the general assembly will appoint a temporary replacement for Matsumoto before the meeting. According to a report on the website for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Matsumoto is enmeshed in an investigation at Waseda University regarding alleged misuse of research funds (www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/News/2006/June/30060601.asp). Matsumoto could not be reached for comment at C&EN press time.