Official Reports from the ACS National Meeting In San Francisco

The major actions taken by the American Chemical Society Board and Council during the national meeting in San Francisco were reported in C&EN, Oct. 9, page 39.

Reports of Society Committees

Budget & Finance

The Society Committee on Budget & Finance (B&F) reviewed the society's probable financial results for 2006. The committee was pleased to learn that the society is projected to end the year with a net contribution from operations of $7.9 million, or $3.5 million favorable to the 2006 approved budget. The society is also projected to end the year in full compliance with the board-established financial guidelines.

The committee received new program funding requests for 2007 and recommended that the ACS Board approve the following proposals as requested: ACS Green Chemistry Institute and Committee on Professional Training Workshops with Hispanic- & Native American-Serving Institutions.

In addition, the committee received an overview of the business plan for a proposed new mission-related and revenue-generating venture and recommended that the ACS Board authorize implementation of the new venture in 2007.

Lastly, the committee received a preliminary report from the Program Review Advisory Group (PRAG) on the status of its review of society programs in two areas: science literacy and public communication. PRAG, which was established to assist B&F in fulfilling its responsibility for reviewing all activities supported by the budget, will provide its annual report, including a prioritized list of programs currently under review, in December.—Judith L. Benham, Chair

Education

The Society Committee on Education (SOCED) received an update from ACS President-Elect Catherine T. Hunt on thematic programming focused on sustainability, which is planned for the spring ACS national meeting in Chicago. SOCED approved a new "Statement on Scholarship," which emphasizes the breadth of activities that constitute scholarship in the chemical sciences and engineering.

The committee also approved a statement on the membership status of Student Affiliates, emphasizing the importance of the Student Affiliates name. The committee received an update on the activities of the Program Review Advisory Group and reviewed the draft 2007-09 ACS Strategic Plan. The committee discussed the findings of the "Educational Activities in the American Chemical Society: Perceptions from the Communities" report prepared by Merrimack Consultants.

Committee members identified numerous opportunities for action in the report. SOCED received an update from the Committee on Professional Training on the draft overview of the proposed revisions to the "ACS Guidelines for Approval of Bachelor's Degree Programs in Chemistry."

The committee discussed the idea of creating an ACS-affiliated high school chemistry teachers association. Committee members received updates on the activities of the Board Oversight Group on Leadership Development, the Percy Julian Symposium, the National Science Digital Library Chemistry Pathway, the ChemTechLinks project, and the recent workshops held in Latin America that focus on activity-based teaching methodologies. The Spanish version of the ACS general chemistry text, "Chemistry," serves as the focal point for these workshops.—Joseph A. Heppert, Chair

Board Committee Reports

Standing Committees

Grants & Awards

The Committee on Grants & Awards (G&A) received an update on the status of the ACS Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) Steering Committee. The group has developed a working vision for PRF that supports research in energy and related fields. A list of new PRF Advisory Board members, reappointments, and advisory board members with committee assignments was provided to the committee.

In a separate item, the committee expressed its support for the recommendation to appoint members to the ACS Committee on Frasch Foundation Grants.

The list of the 2007 winners of ACS National Awards was shared with the committee. For this set of awards, 794 nominations were received, with 27% of the total as new nominations. Data on nominations as they relate to canvassing committees were shared with the committee. Nearly 20 of the 2007 awards had fewer than 10 nominations and will require the appointment of canvassing committees for the upcoming cycle.

Douglas J. Raber of GreenPoint Science presented the findings and recommendations from the report, "Review of the ACS Awards Program." The overall report conclusions indicate that, although the awards program is successful, there are opportunities for improvement. The committee voted to recommend that the chair of the ACS Board appoint a special ACS National Awards Review Task Force. The task force would be asked to further explore the report and provide guidance on specific actions to address opportunities for improving the ACS National Awards process.

The committee forwarded nomination candidates to the ACS Board for the 2007 Perkin and Othmer Gold Medals.—C. Gordon McCarty, Chair

Professional & Member Relations

The Committee on Professional & Member Relations (P&MR) reviewed the report of the Board Working Group on Co-sponsorship Financial Issues. It agreed that the current "Guidelines for ACS Co-sponsorship of Meetings" addresses many of the concerns that were cited in earlier board discussions.

However, P&MR believed Section 8 of the guidelines could be expanded to include additional budget detail, such as major revenue and expense categories, as well as contact information identifying the event's treasurer. In response to these revisions, P&MR voted to recommend that the ACS Board approve the revisions to Section 8 of the "Guidelines for ACS Co-sponsorship of Meetings."

In a separate action, P&MR reviewed the request for cooperative cosponsorship of the 2008 ACS/American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) joint meeting. The goal of the proposed partnership is to provide added value for attendees by producing limited joint programming that would attract attendees from each meeting. This initial portion of the cooperative cosponsorship proposal sought approval to proceed with the recommendations from the ACS/AIChE task force.

P&MR voted to recommend that the ACS Board approve the request to proceed with phase-one plans to arrange the 2008 ACS/AIChE joint meeting, working within the framework of the cosponsorship guidelines to engage the support of the relevant technical divisions and to develop a suitable budget.

The committee voted to recommend that the ACS Board approve the request for cooperative cosponsorship of the Pacifichem meeting, to be held Dec. 14-19, 2010, in Honolulu, contingent upon approval of an acceptable budget for the conference.

P&MR reviewed the ACS Multidisciplinary Topical Groups Request for Proposal. This offer of support describes how the society may make resources available to assist smaller, emerging, or nucleating groups of individuals conducting chemistry-related multidisciplinary science. This offer of support, which includes but is not limited to access to ACS technology tools and staff expertise, is intended to help a limited number of resource-challenged groups achieve their objectives.—Kent J. Voorhees, Chair

Public Affairs & Public Relations

The committee chair highlighted progress toward achieving 2006 committee goals, most notably creation of 15 local section Government Affairs Committees, significant progress in seeking ways to cooperate with other national chemical societies, and growth in the ACS Legislative Action Network. The chair highlighted a report of ACS governance advocacy activities ranging from letters to members of Congress, to outreach and coalition coordination, to congressional testimony.

The committee reviewed and discussed a revised "Retirement Security Statement" received from the Committee on Economic & Professional Affairs (CEPA). The committee discussed the scope of the statement and its relevance in light of the new pension law enacted in August 2006. The committee voted to recommit the statement to CEPA for further review and revision. The committee provided CEPA with a list of issues essential to be included or addressed in the new statement.

The committee discussed a recommendation to generate greater recognition for the National Historic Chemical Landmark (NHCL) program through appropriate labeling of products resulting from a landmark discovery, place, or achievement. After discussion of many options, the committee voted to allow all NHCL designees to highlight their landmark designation in formats applicable to their unique purposes.

The committee received an update from the ACS Office of International Activities that reviewed the visa denial and subsequent reversal for International Council for Science President Goverdhan Mehta and steps that the U.S. State Department has taken to avoid similar situations in the future, as well as ACS outreach to the European Association for Chemical & Molecular Sciences.

The committee received an update from the ACS Office of Legislative & Government Affairs on efforts to revise and make mandatory the current voluntary National Institutes of Health open-access policy and ACS efforts to support passage of comprehensive national innovation and competitiveness legislation in the Senate, which includes several priorities of ACS.—Diane G. Schmidt, Chair

Other Committees

Chemical Abstracts Service(Joint with Council)

The Committee on Chemical Abstracts Service met in executive session on Sept. 8 and in open session jointly with the Joint Board-Council Committee on Publications and the Division of Chemical Information on Sept. 11.

The committee heard from CAS management on a range of issues including a report on financial results (including record revenue growth and record net contributions to the society), continued database building efforts (2006 will again see record levels), and product enhancements.

SciFinder 2007 (available fourth-quarter 2006) will save researchers time with several new features, including a most requested feature: "combine answer sets." Scientists will find it easier to refine their answer sets as they will be able to combine or fine-tune results for references, substances, and reactions.

The group then held a wide-ranging discussion that included the topic of how to update the committee's mission and role.—Andrea Twiss-Brooks, Chair

Chemical Safety(Joint with Council)

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

CCS has several publications online (membership.acs.org/c/ccs/publications.htm), many of which are downloadable, including the two-volume set of its flagship publication, "Safety in Academic Chemistry Labs" (SACL), the top seller of all ACS publications. ?Ahora en español! (Now in Spanish), an online pdf draft of the translation of SACL is available (membership.acs.org/c/ccs/pubs/SACL_Spanish.htm).

Also online is the "Student Lab Code of Conduct for Secondary Science Programs." The third edition of the "Chemical Safety Manual for Small Businesses" will soon be ready.

The committee's Task Force on Laboratory Environment, Health & Safety is working on a new edition of "Laboratory Waste Management." Task force members also reviewed and commented on the recent Environmental Protection Agency proposed rule for hazardous waste in academic laboratories.

CCS has been involved in several collaborations for the updating of publications and resources like "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 the popular ACS Internet course and video, "Starting with Safety."

Committee members continue to serve on task forces joint with various ACS committees. CCS has established active partnerships with several organizations, including the Occupational Safety & Health Administration's Chemical Reactivity Hazards Management Alliance, the U.S. Chemical Safety & Hazard Investigation Board, and the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry-United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization-United Nations International Development Organization Safety Training Program.—Alan A. Hazari, Chair

Chemistry & Public Affairs(Joint with Council)

The Committee on Chemistry & Public Affairs (CCPA) advises and recommends ACS action on public policy matters that involve the chemical sciences and technologies.

In April, CCPA members and the ACS Board held a legislative summit in Washington, D.C., to visit members of Congress and advocate for science and technology issues. Our message focused on the Bush Administration's American Competitiveness Initiative, a proposal that would double research funding at the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy, and the National Institute of Standards & Technology and highlights the importance of science and technology to U.S. competitiveness. CCPA members, along with colleagues from the Council on Chemical Research, visited more than 50 congressional offices during the summit.

The two-day event included an awards ceremony at which the ACS Public Service Award was presented to Rep. Frank R. Wolf (R-Va.) for his leadership in funding NSF, Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) in recognition of his work on science education issues, and NSF Director Arden L. Bement Jr. The awards reception was held in conjunction with the Council for Undergraduate Research's "Posters on the Hill" event.

Annually, ACS supports and CCPA selects two ACS members to serve for one year as Congressional Fellows. Reviewing the stipends that other scientific societies provide to their congressional fellows, CCPA learned that the ACS stipend may not be competitive, and the committee will recommend a stipend increase to continue to attract the best applicants. The application deadline for the ACS Congressional Fellowship is Dec. 31, and more information can be found online at chemistry.org/government. Recent graduates as well as more seasoned midcareer applicants are encouraged to apply.—James K. Rice, Chair

Chemists with Disabilities

The Committee on Chemists with Disabilities (CWD) met on Monday, Sept. 11. The committee heard a report on the Collaboration of Committees Working Group's meeting. This 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.

Some of the collaborations that have already developed from this working group are a meeting of the Web managers for all four of the committees' websites; a Presidential Event honoring the life of Percy L. Julian, sponsored by CMA, WCC, YCC, and CWD on Sunday, Sept.10; a discussion of establishing a diversity group booth in the national meeting exposition; the diversity group booth at the ACS Southeast Regional Meeting; and a common letter sent out by the four committees to solicit nominations for their awards.

CWD discussed the development of its Ambassador Program, which was announced at CWD's 25th anniversary celebration during the 2005 Washington, D.C., national meeting. CWD conducted a review of its progress on the tasks set out in its strategic plan.

The committee also discussed the reprinting of "Teaching Chemistry to Students with Disabilities: A Manual for High Schools, Colleges, and Graduate Programs," Fourth Edition, and administration of the CWD Travel Grant program.—James Landis, Chair

Corporation Associates

The Committee on Corporation Associates (CCA) advises and influences ACS to ensure that its products and services are of value to industrial members and their companies. The CCA chair provided an overview on the recent strategic planning meeting conducted by Corporation Associates. CCA also provided feedback to the draft "ACS Strategic Plan" for 2007-09 and received presentations from the ACS Development Office as well as ACS President-Elect Catherine T. Hunt.

Staff reported on the activities of the Department of Industry Member & Awards Programs since the Atlanta meeting. The report covered recent Regional Industrial Innovation Award activities, the World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioprocessing, and staff participation in industry-related conferences.

The Education Subcommittee reported on an activity for the Boston 2007 national meeting designed for graduate students interested in industry. The subcommittee's name and focus has also been changed to "Educational Outreach" to better reflect its current goals.

The Awards/Finance & Grants Subcommittee reported that CCA received two funding proposals requesting a total of $20,000. Funding was provided for the following: the Division of Chemical Education at $5,000 for the chemical education teaching excellence endowment and the Society Committee on Education's Task Force on Undergraduate Programming at $10,000. The subcommittee also reviewed issues regarding CCA's current financial reserves.

The Programs Subcommittee reported on a special symposium with the ACS Medicinal Chemistry Division (Boston 2007) on technologies highlighted through the Heroes of Chemistry program. The subcommittee also provided highlights of its first networking reception with BayBio (Northern California's bioscience association) and invited technical divisions, which took place in San Francisco. Plans are currently under way to produce specialty industry reports that will be developed and packaged exclusively for CCA-member companies.

The Public Policy Subcommittee reported on collaborative efforts with the Committee on Environmental Improvement on policies related to industry's adoption of sustainability. The subcommittee also reviewed a draft white paper from the Committee on Patents & Related Matters regarding intellectual property, spring 2007 fly-in visits to Capitol Hill, and the Science & the Congress Project.—Thomas H. Lane, Chair

Environmental Improvement(Joint with Council)

The Committee on Environmental Improvement (CEI) is currently focusing on a global sustainable future. Last December, the society issued a policy statement adopting and reinforcing the messages of a National Academies study on sustainability in the chemical industry. CEI and the ACS Green Chemistry Institute continue to work with other stakeholders to advance these recommendations.

The committee is also exploring with the Committee on Corporation Associates how we might gain additional insights from chemical and allied products companies about nontechnical barriers to the adoption of more sustainable products and practices and policy incentives to address them.

In San Francisco, the committee hosted a half-day forum featuring experts on sustainable energy from government, academia, and the environmental community. Their presentations can be found online at membership.acs.org/c/cei/energy.html. A similar forum at the Washington, D.C., meeting stimulated work on two draft ACS policy recommendations on inherently safer technologies in the chemical process industries and on the development and understanding of biomonitoring. These policies would place the society on the record concerning new National Academies reports on these issues.

In chemical education, CEI is developing a symposium for the spring 2007 ACS national meeting to increase the availability and use of curricular materials that fully integrate sustainability concepts into the chemistry classroom at all levels, with particular attention to input from industrial chemists and engineers. CEI and the Committee on Professional Training have an ongoing dialogue about the place of sustainability concepts in the chemical curriculum, and we encourage the development of relevant curricular materials and potential changes in the ACS guidelines.—Charles E. Kolb, Chair

International Activities(Joint with Council)

The Committee on International Activities (IAC) helps scientists and engineers communicate and collaborate worldwide to advance chemistry and its practitioners. Since its last meeting, IAC played a lead role in catalyzing a conference series for chemists from the Middle East. Leadership of this series has been transitioned successfully to the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry to better ensure its continuation through international leadership. ACS will continue to be among the key financial sponsors of the event.

IAC task forces helped develop new program funding requests to advance international alliances by ACS technical divisions and to enhance access to scientific information in developing countries. On IAC's recommendation, letters were sent on human rights cases concerning a Burmese geochemist and an Ethiopian chemical engineer.

In San Francisco, IAC discussed ACS efforts to engage the chemical sciences communities in Latin America, India, China, and Europe. IAC reviewed the performance of ACS International Chemical Science Chapters in Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong and voted to recommend that they be continued. The committee voted to designate geographical regions to participate in an annual ACS program that brings delegations from developing countries to Pittcon.

The first Transatlantic Frontiers of Chemistry Symposium for early-career scientists was held in August. The symposium was sponsored by ACS and the national chemical societies of Germany and the U.K. IAC voted to recommend that ACS jointly sponsor the next symposium in the series.—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.

CMA held a full-day presidential symposium honoring Percy Julian. This inspirational event was cosponsored by the Board Task Force on Percy Julian and several other ACS committees and divisions. It featured speakers who were influenced by Julian, remarks by Julian's children, and a sneak preview of "Forgotten Genius," the film biography of Julian.

The committee also cohosted a diversity reception honoring Julian and welcomed Joseph S. Francisco, chemistry professor from Purdue University, as a luncheon speaker. In addition, CMA hosted its second ACS Scholars alumni reunion, which was attended by approximately 40 ACS Scholars.

The committee honored two local sections at the ChemLuminary Awards and will present a record number of Stanley Israel Regional Awards for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences. The ACS Scholars selection committee chose 118 new ACS Scholars to join the 226 current ACS Scholars and more than 1,700 alumni of the ACS Scholars Program. A DVD on the ACS Scholars has been widely distributed to help identify new sources of support for this very successful program.

In 2007, the committee will launch an electronic version of its newsletter, sponsor a symposium on two-year colleges, and continue its interactions with the other diversity committees through the Collaboration of Committees working group.—Linette M. Watkins, Chair

Patents & Related Matters(Joint with Council)

The Committee on Patents & Related Matters (CPRM) continues to focus on three areas: educating ACS members about intellectual property issues important to the chemical enterprise, nominating chemists for national awards to recognize the innovations and contributions to society made by chemists, and monitoring legislative and regulatory developments influencing intellectual property protection.

CPRM continues to nominate chemists for the National Medal of Technology, the National Inventors Hall of Fame, and the National Women's Hall of Fame and welcomes any suggestions. Contact the committee chair with recommendations for awards.

Through its activities in monitoring legislative and regulatory developments, CPRM proposes ACS policy when appropriate. Currently, there are significant activities relating to reform of the U.S. patent system. The committee is closely monitoring legislation currently pending before the House and Senate that would make major changes to U.S. intellectual property laws. These proposed changes come on top of significant changes in 1995 and 1999. ACS policy statements helped shape the final 1999 legislation.

CPRM also continues 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. For instance, the committee is pleased to announce that it has recently completed a supplement to its very popular 2002 publication of the third edition of "What Every Chemist Should Know about Patents." This publication and its supplement are now available on the committee's expanded website, membership.acs.org/C/CPRM/.—Charles F. Hauff, Chair

Professional Training(Joint with Council)

At the September 2006 meeting, the Committee on Professional Training (CPT) reviewed 63 new and additional information reports from ACS-approved chemistry programs. CPT held conferences with eight schools seeking approval, discussed four updates and one site-visit report, and approved programs at four new schools. The total number of ACS-approved chemistry programs is now 639.

The committee continued its work on revising the ACS guidelines for approval of bachelor's degree programs in chemistry. Since its March meeting, CPT has organized or participated in guidelines-related symposia at the Council on Undergraduate Research National Conference, the Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, and the fall ACS national meeting in San Francisco. CPT has individually contacted the chairs of every ACS-approved department to request input on the proposed changes.

The committee discussed more than 130 pages of thoughtful comments from 87 institutions. This feedback will inform the development of the draft of the new guidelines, which will be widely distributed early in 2007. The proposed changes are available on the ACS website, and the committee invites any comments to be sent to cpt@acs.org.

In other business, the committee updated its brochure for prospective graduate students, "Planning for Graduate Work in Chemistry," and converted the document into a Web format. This resource will be free, as is DGRweb, the searchable, online database version of the "ACS Directory of Graduate Research."

The committee continued to implement recommendations from the 2005 report on its workshop for increasing the number of ACS-approved departments and chemistry majors at historically black colleges and universities and other African American- serving institutions. CPT will publish a progress report later this year.—William F. Polik, Chair

Public Relations & Communications(Joint with Council)

The Committee on Public Relations & Communications (CPRC) organized a symposium for the national meeting to honor the 10th anniversary of the Helen M. Free Award for Public Outreach. Speakers described changes in the news media and other venues and how they are shaping our information world of the 21st century.

Local Section Public Relations Awards were reinstated by the committee, effective in 2007. Two awards will be given, one to honor excellent ongoing programs and one for new programs. A workshop on how to publicize National Chemistry Week will be introduced by the committee at the Rocky Mountain Regional Meeting in October, and another is being considered for the Chicago national meeting on how to communicate effectively to the public about the contributions of chemical research.

Donald Showalter of the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point (retired), was named 2006 recipient of the Helen M. Free Award for Public Outreach, for a lifetime of making chemistry accessible and enjoyable, from the classroom to the television screen to Disney World.—Cheryl Martin, Chair

Publications(Joint with Council)

C&EN has continued to deliver an exceptionally strong editorial package to its readers. Editorially, the June 19 special issue on "Pharma's Road Ahead: Business, R&D, and Regulatory Trends" was widely praised for its insightful analysis of issues facing the pharmaceutical industry. The redesign of the print edition is on track and will launch with the Oct. 16 issue.

To help members better understand activities and contributions of the Joint Board-Council Committee on Publications (JBCCP) and ACS Publications, JBCCP plans to create a Web page in the "Committees" section of chemistry.org.

The Subcommittee on Copyright presented an update on recent cases and legislation. The subcommittee is also in the process of updating the copyright module on the ACS Publications website.

The committee accepted the final monitoring reports for Chemical Research in Toxicology, Environmental Science & Technology, and Langmuir. The next publications to be monitored will be Molecular Pharmaceutics, the Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry, and Chemistry of Materials.

Worldwide licensing efforts for ACS Publications have expanded access to scientific researchers in more than 80 countries. The department's Most Cited Journals in Chemistry campaign, based on 2005 ISI impact factors, has reached more than 100,000 editors, authors, and reviewers.

A new unit has been created to address the society-wide Web reinvention, and it has already made an immediate impact with the revising of the ACS Publications home page and the Journal of the American Chemical Society home page. The team has also launched a podcast for ACS Chemical Biology and two blogs (Special Libraries Association and the Dana Roth 40th Anniversary blog).—Grace Baysinger, Chair

Science(Joint with Council)

The Committee on Science (ComSci) sponsored or cosponsored four programs in San Francisco: "SWNTs from Synthesis to Application, from the Lab to the Fab: In Memory of Richard Smalley"; "Equipping the 2015 Chemical Technology Workforce Initiative," organized by the Division of Chemical Technicians, the Committee on Technician Affairs, and others; "Percy Julian: Scientist, Humanist, Educator, Entrepreneur, and Inspirational Trailblazer," organized by the Committee on Minority Affairs and others; and the "H. C. Brown Legacy Symposium," organized by the Organic Division.

ComSci is exploring the following programs for the Boston 2007 national meeting: "Stem Cells: A Discussion of the Issues"; "Maintaining an Edge in a Flat World: Changes in the U.S. Chemical Workforce and the Effect on Industrial and Academic Institutions"; and "The Thrill of Victory and the Agony of Defeat," which will examine the critical factors leading to the success or failure of an initiative.

Finally, the committee has updated its mission as follows:

To focus the attention of ACS on new and developing areas in which scientists will have a high impact by identifying new horizons for the science of chemistry and making recommendations for its advancement; facilitating understanding of the changing social, economic, professional, and disciplinary environment in which chemical sciences are practiced; and examining the scientific basis of public policies related to the chemical sciences and making recommendations to the appropriate ACS units.—William R. Oliver, Chair

Women Chemists

As ACS is striding into the future and embracing change, this year the Women Chemists Committee (WCC) reevaluated its strategy. An important change to the focus of WCC was agreed upon by all members during the recent WCC executive session. In fulfilling the ACS charter, which in part charges WCC to "develop recommendations regarding issues of interest to women chemists," a new goal was added to the mission statement of WCC.

WCC will now strive to "take an advocacy position within ACS on issues of importance to women in the chemical sciences." WCC has been an advocate for women chemists for 80 years, and this new goal emphasizes our intent to proactively provide information and ideas regarding attracting, developing, and promoting women within the society and scientific fields, to the ACS governing bodies, and to other influential entities.

The revised goals of WCC now read as follows:

Goal 1: To increase participation of women in the chemical sciences and related disciplines.

Goal 2: To take an advocacy position within ACS on issues of importance to women in the chemical sciences and related disciplines.

Goal 3: To provide leadership for career development opportunities for women in the chemical sciences and related disciplines.

Goal 4: To promote and recognize the professional accomplishments of women in the chemical sciences and related disciplines.

It is the mission of the Women Chemists Committee to take the lead in these initiatives.—Amber S. Hinkle, Chair

Younger Chemists(Joint with Council)

The Younger Chemists Committee (YCC) continues to promote its vision to lead younger chemists into successful careers and active roles in ACS and the profession.

In San Francisco, YCC sponsored three programs: "The Chemistry of Wine," "ACS Throughout My Career," and "Strategies for Being a Successful Ph.D. Student." The committee also cosponsored six other programs and collaborated with the Committees on Minority Affairs and Chemists with Disabilities and the Women Chemists Committee to cosponsor the Diversity Networking Reception. YCC also hosted its annual blood drive.

YCC continues to reach younger chemists in all areas of the society. Since the last national meeting, it has increased its electronic newsletter distribution from 2,500 recipients to 20,000 recipients. Anyone is eligible to receive the newsletter. If interested, please send an e-mail to yccnews@acs.org.

In San Francisco, YCC launched two online communities to provide a forum for discussion on items of concern and importance to younger chemists. These communities are being beta-tested on Facebook and Google groups and are linked to the YCC Web page (membership.acs.org/Y/YCC/).

In January 2007, YCC will again host its Leadership Development Workshop (LDW) at the ACS Leaders Conference. Fifteen travel awards are available, and YCC encourages nominations. The application is available on the YCC website, and the deadline to apply is Dec. 1, 2006. For more information on any YCC program, e-mail ycc@acs.org.

Local section YCCs continue to provide programming at the grassroots level. Four new local section YCCs were created in 2006 in the Central North Carolina, Indiana-Kentucky Border, Binghamton, and Purdue Local Sections.

YCC joined other committees and divisions in celebrating the efforts of volunteers at San Francisco's ChemLuminary Awards ceremony. YCC recognized the San Diego, Northeastern, and Midland Local Section YCCs and the Division of Organic Chemistry for their outstanding achievements.—Katherine C. Glasgow, Chair

Council Committee Reports

Elected Committees

Committees

The Committee on Committees (ConC) announced that its annual training session for new committee chairs will be held as part of the ACS Leaders Conference, Jan. 26-28, 2007, in Baltimore.

ConC received reports from its subcommittees or task forces on leadership development, industry pipeline, diversity, councilor preference form, Web page, chair/staff liaison evaluations, committees' financial issues, and chair/staff liaison evaluations. An interactive session for committee chairs was held as part of the meeting to foster increased networking among chairs and ConC.

The committee reviewed draft performance review reports for the Committees on Nomenclature, Terminology & Symbols; Science; Women Chemists; and Younger Chemists. Performance reviews for the Committees on Public Relations & Communications, Environmental Improvement, and International Activities have been completed, and ConC's recommendation for the continuation of these committees, pending approval by the ACS Board, was approved by council.

ConC informed council that the board had approved its recommendation for a change in status for the Committee on Community Activities (CCA), from an "other committee of the board" to a "joint board-council committee." On behalf of CCA, ConC recommended that council also support the change in status; council approved.

ConC has begun developing its recommendations for 2007 committee chairs, members, associates, and consultant appointments for consideration by the president-elect and the chair of the board.

Finally, on behalf of the council, ConC recognized 35 councilors who will have served the statutory limit or otherwise completed their service on ACS governance committees at the end of 2006; seven committee chairs who will have served the statutory limit on the committee they chair; and 28 councilors observing 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 55 years as a councilor.—Neil D. Jespersen, Chair

Nominations & Elections

The Town Hall Meeting for the director-at-large candidates was held on Sunday afternoon. The seven candidates for the three director-at-large positions were given an opportunity to provide an opening statement. Candidates then presented their views in response to questions from committee members and other attendees. The Town Hall was well attended, and each participant was asked to provide feedback to the Committee on Nominations & Elections (N&E) on the usefulness of the meeting format.

N&E members worked closely with the Committee on Constitution & Bylaws (C&B) members to respond to specific questions about the "Petition on Election Procedures 2006." This petition addresses standardization of ACS elections procedures and was under consideration at this meeting. The committee will incorporate C&B's suggested editorial changes and will work to enhance the Explanation section.

Between now and the 233rd ACS national meeting, the committee plans to address recurring issues of the campaign guidelines and the election schedule. The committee will report progress to the council at its next meeting.

The "Petition on Rules for Nominating Members of N&E for National Offices" was referred to N&E with primary substantive responsibility for the petition. The committee discussed the petition and has begun an analysis of candidates and nominees for national office correlated with recent membership in all elected committees of the council.

Again this year, all members will receive a ballot in the mail that gives them an option to vote in the national election either electronically or by the traditional paper ballot. Ballots were mailed on Sept. 25 with a voting deadline six weeks later on Nov. 3. To encourage voter participation, the committee plans to send two e-mail reminders to all eligible members during the voting period. If necessary, N&E is prepared to conduct a runoff election in compliance with ACS Bylaws.

In its executive session, N&E developed slates of potential nominees for president-elect 2008 and directors of Districts II and IV for 2008-10, as well as a slate of potential candidates for director-at-large, for 2008-10.—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 Western Carolina Section, the Penn-Ohio Border Section, the Division of Organic Chemistry, the Division of Chemical Health & Safety, the Division of Nuclear Chemistry & Technology, and the Minnesota Section.

The previously reported bylaw certification of the Division of Chemical Education is retracted pending receipt of documentation of the member vote.

The committee has reviewed new proposed amendments for the Tampa Bay Local Section, the Syracuse Section Inc., the Corning Section, and the Division of Colloid & Surface Chemistry; preliminary reports were also completed for the same. A limited review was performed for the Division of Chemical Technicians, and subsequently, a preliminary report was issued.

No petitions were presented to council for action at this meeting.

Three new petitions were received by the deadline of May 24 and were presented to council and committees for consideration at this meeting: the Petition on Election Procedures 2006, the Petition on Rules for Nominating Members of N&E for National Offices, and the Petition on Multi-Year Dues. The committee submitted preliminary reports on each petition and discussed the proposed amendments at its meeting on Sunday, Sept. 10.

The committee also discussed issues pertaining to possible changes to membership categories currently under discussion by and with the Membership Affairs Committee, and what effects such changes would have on society documents.

New petitions to amend the society's constitution or bylaws must be received by the executive director by Dec. 6 to be included in the agenda for consideration at the spring 2007 meeting of council in Chicago.—Ray A. Dickie, Chair

Divisional Activities

The Committee on Divisional Activities (DAC) continues to implement, at a feverish pace, thematic programming at national meetings. The committee's first attempt at such programming, "Recovery from and Prevention of Natural Disasters," occurred in San Francisco.

Several members of DAC and the Meetings & Expositions Committee (M&E), along with three thematic chairs, the chair of the Chicago Local Section, ACS President-Elect Catherine T. Hunt, and ACS staff, are coordinating efforts to produce programming on three themes: sustainability of our future water, food, and energy supplies.

At the spring ACS national meeting in Chicago next year, DAC will present to council a motion seeking a minor revision in the formula DAC uses to distribute funding to divisions. The revised formula will seek to more effectively foster and reward cross-divisional and thematic programming organized by divisions at national meetings.

The Division Enhancement Subcommittee reviewed 14 proposals from 10 divisions seeking nearly $100,000 in innovative grant funds. Twelve of the proposals were fully funded. Checks will be sent to these divisions before the end of the year.

The following divisions were presented with 2006 ChemLuminary Awards for innovative and outstanding service to their members: the Division of Biochemical Technology, the Division of Computers in Chemistry, the Division of the History of Chemistry, and the Rubber Division.

The award for an outstanding collaborative effort between a division and a local section was presented to the Division of Small Chemical Businesses and the Alaska Section.—Dwight W. Chasar, Chair

Economic & Professional Affairs

The Committee on Economic & Professional Affairs (CEPA), working with ACS staff in the Department of Career Management & Development, adopted six themes to revamp career services at ACS: improve services, focus on career management, improve communication and training, pay attention to small-business employers, leverage technology platforms, and address relevant professional and employment issues.

Accordingly, CEPA is working to provide services to members at different stages of their careers. These include workshops on writing a business plan and on consultancy, a brochure on entrepreneurship (under preparation), and four events and eight cosponsored symposia or special sessions in San Francisco.

The Chemjobs Career Center offered 30 professional development workshops relating to résumé preparation, job searching, interviewing techniques, and career transitions during the meeting.

A number of publications related to employment and career development were updated. In addition, CEPA approved the new "What a Chemical Technician Should Consider before Accepting an Industrial Position" brochure.

A presidential symposium on the 2005 ChemCensus results revealed that ACS membership is on average older and consists of increasing numbers of women and foreign-born chemists. Data from ACS and other sources also showed the increasing significance of small businesses as employers, increasing multidisciplinarity of chemistry, and globalization. In addition, the 2006 Comprehensive Salary Survey suggested that employment benefits are being diluted.

With respect to public policy, CEPA encouraged the formation of local section government affairs committees to promote workforce public policy at the state and local level.

In San Francisco, the Chemjobs Career Center continued to serve members with 1,212 candidates, 290 positions, and 104 employers.—H. N. Cheng, Chair

Local Section Activities

The Committee on Local Section Activities (LSAC) presented the 2005 Awards for Outstanding Performance by Local Sections at the 8th Annual ChemLuminary Awards ceremony. The Outstanding Performance Awards went to the New York (very large), Saint Louis (large), Detroit (medium-large), Midland (medium), Illinois Heartland (medium-small), and the Indiana-Kentucky Border (small) Local Sections.

The award for Best Activity or Program Stimulating Membership Involvement was presented to the Tulsa Section, and the award for Most Innovative New Activity or Program was given to the Eastern New York Section. The award for Best Activity Involving a Local Section-Division Interaction was presented to the Alaska Section and the Division of Small Chemical Businesses.

Sixty-eight local sections submitted Innovative Projects Grant proposals requesting more than $179,000. Fifty-six proposals have been approved, and $124,000 in funding has been awarded.

LSAC hosted a Local Section Summit in Washington, D.C., on May 5-7. The goals of the summit were to clarify the mission of local sections relative to the strategic agenda of ACS; to articulate a desired future for local sections; to identify areas of strategic focus for the Local Section Activities Committee; and to establish scope, scale, and sequence for future activities. The final report of the summit has been distributed to all local sections and was discussed during LSAC's open meeting. This report is available online at membership.acs.org/l/localsections/summit/.

The 2007 ACS Leaders Conference will take place Jan. 26-28, 2007, in Baltimore. All incoming local section chairs-elect are strongly encouraged to attend this valuable conference.—Will E. Lynch, Chair

Meetings & Expositions

The 232nd national meeting had the largest technical program ever hosted, with 9,967 papers accepted. There were 15,739 attendees, including 9,544 chemical scientists, 3,362 students, and 1,671 exhibitors. The exposition was 100% sold with 500 booths, 320 companies, and 29 workshop and theater presentations.

Because the national meeting financial targets continue to be met, the Committee on Meetings & Expositions (M&E) voted to recommend to the board that there be no increase in national meeting registration fees for 2007. However, M&E acknowledged that this may place a strain on our return on revenue targets because of increasing technology costs and higher fees for logistical necessities.

A group has been established to study and improve current procedures related to the technical program and registration. The group will consist of representatives of M&E, the Divisional Activities Committee (DAC), current division program chairs, and committees that program regularly at national meetings. M&E appreciates the collaboration with DAC that is leading to improvements in the creation and delivery of the technical program.

The final recommendations from the Regional Activities Coordination Team will be sent to M&E in mid-October. They will be shared with regional board representatives at a summit to be held next year. The regional meeting subcommittee will appoint liaisons to the regional boards to ensure full communication and support for the region.

On Sunday evening, more than 500 first-time attendees enjoyed a reception and introduction to the national meeting. M&E looks forward to hosting this event at each national meeting in 2007.—Henry C. Ramsey, Chair

Membership Affairs

The Committee on Membership Affairs (MAC) reported that as of Aug. 31, new applications added to ACS membership reached 12,137-a record high for this period.

Following MAC's previous recommendation that there be three categories designated for connecting to the society-Member, Student Member, or Society Affiliate-MAC focused on defining the conditions of Student Membership. Representatives from the Younger Chemists Committee, the Committee on Constitution & Bylaws, and the Society Committee on Education were invited to participate. These discussions led to MAC's unanimous approval of the following recommendations:

To become a Student Member, one must be an undergraduate working toward a degree in science, engineering, or science education.

Student Members will have full voting privileges at the society level.

Student Members will not be eligible to hold an elected position at the national level (including councilor or alternate councilor). Bylaws of local sections and divisions should specify whether Student Members are eligible to vote or hold office.

MAC will draft a white paper explaining the need and logic of these recommendations. The white paper will be presented to committees and caucuses at the spring 2007 meeting, inviting feedback prior to drafting a petition for council. Because the necessary changes to the constitution and bylaws will be complex and extensive, MAC chooses to proceed thoughtfully and with deliberate speed.

The committee also reviewed and discussed three petitions: the Petition on Election Procedures 2006, Petition on Rules for Nominating Members of N&E for National Office, and the Petition on Multi-Year Dues.

MAC endorsed two of the three petitions up for consideration. However, the committee opposed the Petition on Election Procedures 2006 as the number of signatures required posed a risk to a valued democratic process.

Other items reviewed and discussed by MAC included the proposed "ACS 2007-09 Strategic Plan." The committee will submit commentary in late September or early October. The committee also discussed recognition for 60-year members. MAC recommended that staff expand the recognition program to include those with 60 years of service.

The committee discussed the increasing number of presidential events at national meetings. MAC expresses its concern over the increasing number of presidential events, both in terms of schedule competition and dilution of the prestige value with the hope that appropriate governing units will review this highly visible program.—Joseph R. Peterson, Chair

Other Committees

Ethics

The Committee on Ethics held its second meeting in San Francisco. The goals of the meeting were to complete laying the organizational groundwork for this new committee, initiate liaison relationships, and develop priorities and plans for 2007.

In addition, the committee continued to educate itself concerning the ethics issues of most interest to ACS members. The interactions and feedback that the committee receives will inform development of a multiyear strategic plan during 2007.

The committee agreed to initiate the following activities. In the area of ethics education, the committee will begin to compile materials related to teaching ethics courses for posting on a committee website. To increase ethics awareness, the committee will develop programs for national and regional meetings and prepare articles for ACS publications. In the area of publications, a subcommittee identified the major ethical issues as plagiarism, conflicts of interest, allocation of credit, copyright, review, lack of awareness, and open access.

Liaison relationships are in place, under discussion, or planned with the following committees or divisions: the Committee on Committees, the Committee on Publications, the Committee on Economic & Professional Affairs, the Division of Chemistry & the Law, the Professional Relations Division, and the Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Division.

Many topics for national meeting programming were discussed and will be pursued. These include programs related to graduate and undergraduate education, being a responsible chemist, ethical dilemmas in industry, and historical case studies.

The committee thanks the San Francisco Section for distributing a survey during the national meeting. More than 100 members completed the survey concerning the ethics issues of most concern to them. The results will be compiled and reported at the next meeting.—Margaret A. Cavanaugh, Chair

Project SEED

Project SEED offers summer research opportunities for high school students from economically disadvantaged families. Since its inception in 1968, the program has had a significant impact on the lives of more than 8,400 students and their families.

This summer, Project SEED placed 321 high school students in more than 100 academic, government, and industrial laboratories to work with research scientists on projects that provide opportunities to experience authentic research in chemistry.

Fifty Project SEED students received college scholarships for the 2006-07 academic year, and 30 students presented posters of their research at the Sci-Mix event. This program is made possible by contributions from industry, academia, local sections, ACS friends and members, the ACS Petroleum Research Fund, and the Project SEED Endowment.

The committee approved new guidelines for student participation in the SEED I program and reviewed guidelines for the scholarship program. The committee also approved an increase in stipends to $2,500 for the Summer I stipend and $3,000 for Summer II students beginning with the 2007 program.

Project SEED has received sizable donations from Alfred and Isabel Bader, DuPont, Schering-Plough, and Merck. In addition, the Burroughs-Wellcome Fund has awarded $1.2 million over five years to the ACS North Carolina Section to support its Project SEED program.

The committee recognized the California Section with the 2005 Outstanding Project SEED Program Award at the ChemLuminary event.

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

Technician Affairs

The Committee on Technician Affairs (CTA) continues its commitment to the advancement of chemical technicians through ACS governance channels. Partnering with the Division of Chemical Technicians (TECH) and 10 other ACS units, CTA helped launch "Equipping the 2015 Chemical Technology Workforce" with a Presidential Event at the ACS fall 2006 national meeting.

"Equipping the 2015 Chemical Technology Workforce" is an initiative to highlight opportunities for industry, academia, and professional societies to collaborate on technician education and career development. The event featured 24 speakers and panelists, including ACS Immediate Past-President William F. Carroll.

Anyone interested in the education and career development of chemical technicians is encouraged to participate in the initiative. Reports on the symposium will be posted at www.ChemTechLinks.org, and mentors are available to help develop local programming. For more information, contact CTA's staff liaison at cta@acs.org or (202) 872-6108.

The goal of the Awareness Subcommittee is to raise public awareness of the value of technicians. This year, the focus will be on high school students. Partnering with the High School Chemistry Clubs program, CTA will provide speakers, mentors, and information to the high school chemistry clubs.

The goal of the Technician Subcommittee is to make technicians relevant to ACS by encouraging them to play a more active role in the society. This year, the focus will be on improving the visibility of leadership opportunities for technicians. Information on such opportunities will be disseminated through publications and ACS networks.

The goal of the ACS Subcommittee is to make ACS relevant to technicians by highlighting the benefits of membership. This year, the focus will be on chemical technology students. Working with the ACS Office of Undergraduate Programs, the subcommittee will be promoting the Student Affiliates and ACS Chemical Technology Student Recognition Award programs to chemical technology programs. Participants and winners will be encouraged to join ACS.

For more information on these and other CTA activities, please visit the CTA website, chemistry.org/committees/cta.—John Engelman, Chair

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