Official Reports from the Boston Meeting

The major actions taken by the American Chemical Society Board and Council during the national meeting in Boston were reported in C&EN, Sept. 24, pages 112-113. Council committee reports will be published in the Nov. 5 issue.

Reports of Society Committees

BUDGET & FINANCE

The Society Committee on Budget & Finance (B&F) met on Aug. 18 to review the society's probable financial results for 2007. The society is projected to end the year with a net contribution from operations of $7.5 million, which is $139,000 favorable to the approved budget based on revenue of approximately $445 million. The society is projected to end the year in full compliance with the board-established financial guidelines.

B&F received a proposal from the 2010 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies (Pacifichem) Organizing Committee and voted to recommend to the board of directors that it approve the Pacifichem proposed budget. This action was subsequently approved by the ACS Board.

In other actions also approved by the ACS Board, B&F recommended funding for a State Government Affairs Program starting in 2008, deferment of funding for the Committee on Professional Training workshops with Hispanic- and Native American-serving institutions from 2007 to 2008, and acceptance of the recommendations from the Program Review Advisory Group regarding society programs in two areas: chemistry pipeline and professional preparation/technical training.

Lastly, the committee received status reports on the society's new business venture, ChemInsight, which was launched in March 2007, and on the implementation of the ACS Communications Strategic Plan.—Dennis Chamot, Chair

EDUCATION

The Society Committee on Education (SOCED) received an update from ACS President Catherine T. Hunt on the implementation of her education, innovation, and collaboration goals. President-Elect Bruce Bursten highlighted presidential programming in New Orleans with themes of "Energy & the Environment" and "Education."

SOCED voted to approve a recommendation to the Committee on Budget & Finance to continue the High School Chemistry Clubs Program as a continuing program within ACS. The committee expressed its support for the petition on membership requirements—with modifications—to the Membership Affairs Committee.

SOCED supported ACS involvement in several external initiatives, including the International Year of Chemistry, the Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science, and the Year of Science 2009. SOCED received an update from the Committee on Professional Training regarding the ongoing revisions to the ACS guidelines for approval of bachelor's degree programs in chemistry.

The committee discussed the draft of the ACS Strategic Plan, noting the need to support statements in the document with data. A working group was constituted to begin revising the SOCED white paper "Science Education Policies for Sustainable Reform."

The committee discussed the Education Division programs that were reviewed in 2007 by the Program Review Advisory Group. The Office of Legislative & Government Affairs reported on science education policy issues, highlighting ACS's role in securing passage of the America Competes Act.—Bryan Balazs, Chair

Board Committee Reports

GRANTS & AWARDS

The Board Committee on Grants & Awards (G&A) met on Aug. 16 in Boston.

In July 2007, the Astellas USA Foundation board of directors awarded ACS a $100,000 grant. The society will identify three individuals or teams who exemplify the criterion of having significantly contributed to scientific research that improved public health through their contributions in the chemical and related sciences.

The winners will receive awards of $30,000 per individual or $30,000 per team. The remaining $10,000 will be used as administrative fees. Nominations for the award are due Oct. 1, and the Astellas USA Foundation will be notified of the winners by Nov. 30. The awards will be presented at an event during the 2008 fall national meeting in Philadelphia. The committee also voted to adopt a set of guidelines for the review of national awards.

The G&A Subcommittee on Canvassing & Selection provided the committee with a progress report. In addition, the committee voted to approve a process for determining which awards need to have canvassing committees: If an award has eight or fewer total nominees for two successive years in which it is awarded, it is assigned a canvassing committee for the next cycle and until it remains above eight for at least two successive years that it is awarded.

The committee discussed providing overhead funds to institutions for ACS Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) grants to increase the prestige of the grants. The committee invited PRF staff to prepare a specific proposal regarding overhead funds for discussion at a future meeting.

The committee reviewed several initiatives to raise the profile of ACS national awards in the eyes of the public and scientific communities. One of these initiatives is a new Award Sponsor Appreciation Reception, which is being planned for Oct. 30 in Washington, D.C. The reception provides an opportunity to express appreciation for private-sector investment in science. It will be held at a restaurant on Capitol Hill.

The committee forwarded nomination candidates to the ACS Board of Directors for the 2007 Perkin and Othmer Gold Medals.—Eric C. Bigham, Chair

PROFESSIONAL & MEMBER RELATIONS

The Colegio de QuÍmicos de Puerto Rico was successful in its bid to host the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) 43rd World Chemistry Congress and the 46th IUPAC General Assembly meeting in San Juan, P.R., July 30-Aug. 7, 2011.

The Professional & Member Relations Committee (P&MR) was advised of an approval by the ACS Secretary's Office for a cooperative cosponsorship requested by the Biotechnology Industry Organization. The event, the Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology & Bioenergy, will be held Nov. 14-16 in Honolulu.

Staff provided an update on the discussions held among journal editors and division representatives on the issue of prior publication. Each ACS journal editor-in-chief has been asked to develop and post the journal's official policy on prior publication. It is anticipated that this process may take several months to complete. However, it is possible the process will be completed by February 2008, which will permit New Orleans 2008 national meeting presenters to make an informed decision regarding the posting of their presentations.

P&MR heard a report from Action Team H/J (chartered by the Governance Review Task Force) on how ACS could best engage interest groups interested in affiliating with the society. The action team requests that P&MR (or its designee) consider the many written recommendations on how this might be best achieved. The committee agreed to address this matter in its conference call, tentatively scheduled for September.

The committee received an extended presentation from staff on its efforts to consolidate all career-resources content in one area on the new ACS website, to be launched on Sept. 30. The objective is for members to more readily find and benefit from the many services ACS offers to help them obtain employment and enhance careers.—Kent J. Voorhees, Chair

PUBLIC AFFAIRS & PUBLIC RELATIONS

At the meeting held in Boston, the Public Affairs & Public Relations Committee (PA&PR) chair discussed a program funding request that would be presented to the Budget & Finance Committee on Aug. 18. The request seeks to establish a pilot state government affairs program in five states with a focus on improving science education at the K–12 levels.

The chair also highlighted a statement honoring Chemical Abstracts Service on its 100th anniversary that was published in the Congressional Record.

The committee received a status update on the ACS Communications Strategic Plan, as well as a detailed branding presentation from a representative of Gyro International, the firm chosen by ACS to help revitalize and strengthen the ACS brand. The branding presentation outlined how an umbrella ACS brand would effectively serve as a unifying mechanism for the 143 disparate brands currently existing within ACS. A proposed branding tagline for ACS was shared with the committee and will be further tested among the society's various audiences.

The committee received a report of notable ACS advocacy activities that included passage of the America Competes Act, which authorizes $43.3 billion over three years for federal research and development and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education programs.

Staff recounted ACS efforts to secure enactment of this bill, which included 21,370 Legislative Action Network letters to Capitol Hill and the White House; 7,876 hours invested by the ACS Office of Legislative & Government Affairs (OLGA); 250 OLGA meetings on Capitol Hill and with the Bush Administration; 167 ACS governance-led Capitol Hill meetings; 75 meetings with U.S. representatives and senators in their home districts or states; and 41 letters from ACS current and former presidents to Congress and the White House.

Also discussed was the introduction of green chemistry legislation, energy legislation that embodies many of ACS's priorities, and legislation that would make the National Institutes of Health public access policy mandatory.

The chair discussed progress toward attainment of the PA&PR's 2007 goals. Five of the seven goals are well under way, while two goals—redesign of the PA&PR website and a review of the criteria for the National Historic Chemical Landmark program—need more attention.

The chair reviewed the July 2007 summit on the ACS committee structure, where ACS committee leaders and senior staff examined the missions of ACS committees. The committee discussed its responsibilities and its relationship with other committees with related charges. The committee members generally agreed that there may be some duplication or redundancies, but that this may stem from lack of awareness and understanding about a committee's mission, and that outdated missions need to be reevaluated, especially in light of the new ACS Strategic Plan.

The chair invited committee members to attend a breakfast to be held with representatives of other committees dealing with public affairs and communications to discuss committee charges and activities. Committee members suggested that regular communications among committees would help maintain focus and coordination and that the different roles and responsibilities of board and council committees should be clarified.—Bonnie A. Charpentier, Chair

CHEMICAL ABSTRACTS SERVICE (Joint with Council)

The Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) Committee met in executive session on Aug. 17 and in open session jointly with the Joint Board-Council Committee on Publications and the Division of Chemical Information on Aug. 20. The main purpose of this committee is to serve as a communications channel between ACS members and the management of CAS. The members of the committee represent a broad spectrum of the users of chemical information from both industry and academia.

CAS management reported on a number of product and service enhancements. Patent processing remains best in class, and CAS has guaranteed industry-leading patent timeliness from nine patent offices around the world. CAS management also provided data on the positive trend in success rates for access to SciFinder Scholar following system enhancements put into place in March 2007.

The committee expressed strong support for these continuing efforts to improve access success rates, recognizing the key role that SciFinder Scholar plays in educating and encouraging future scientists in effective use of chemical information.

The committee also discussed desired CAS and STN product enhancements, suggestions for additional value-added services, and ideas for increased opportunities for interaction between experienced STN users and CAS technical staff. CAS management was receptive to these suggestions, and discussions on such topics will continue at our next meeting in the spring.—Patricia L. Dedert, 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.

CCS has several publications (many of which are downloadable at www.acs.org/committees), including the two-volume set of its flagship publication, "Safety in Academic Chemistry Laboratories" (SACL). Work has recently started on the translation of SACL into Arabic. This is in addition to the online PDF draft of the Spanish version of SACL. The "Student Laboratories Code of Conduct for Secondary Science Programs" and a "Security Vulnerability Analysis Checklist for Academic and Small Chemical Laboratory Facilities" are also online. A K-12 "Restricted Hazardous Substances List" is under development. The third edition of the "Chemical Safety Manual for Small Businesses: Guides for Managers, Administrators, and Employees" will soon be ready.

The committee's Task Force on Laboratory Environment, Health & Safety has recently provided comments on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-proposed chemical facility antiterrorism standards as well as on the Environmental Protection Agency-proposed rule for hazardous waste in academic laboratories. The task force is working on a new edition of "Laboratory Waste Management." CCS's Video Safety Resources Task Force is developing video resources to be distributed over the Web.

CCS has been involved in collaborations for the updating of publications and resources such as "Prudent Practices in the Laboratory" and "ACS Guidelines for the Teaching of High School Chemistry." Along with other ACS units, the committee is exploring participation in the EPA Schools Chemical Cleanout Campaign.

Committee members continue to serve on joint task forces with various ACS committees. CCS has established active partnerships with several organizations, including the International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry–United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization–United Nations International Development Organization Safety Training Program, and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration Reactive Chemical Hazards Alliance.

Finally, CCS hopes that all of us will always "think safety." New eye-catching orange-and-white safety bracelets are now available for sale. They are ideal for students, colleagues, family, and friends and are a great way to promote safety around the lab, office, school, and home.—Alan A. Hazari, Chair

CHEMISTRY & PUBLIC AFFAIRS

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

In April, CCPA members and the ACS Board of Directors visited members of Congress to advocate for increased science and technology support. CCPA's message focused on the Bush Administration's American Competitiveness Initiative, a proposal that would double research funding at the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the National Institute of Standards & Technology and highlights the importance of science and technology to U.S. competitiveness. CCPA, along with colleagues from the Council on Chemical Research, visited more than 50 congressional offices during the Legislative Summit.

The two-day event included a presentation of the ACS Public Service Award to Reps. Ruben Hinojosa (D-Texas) and David Hobson (R-Ohio) and to Ralph Cicerone, president of the National Academy of Sciences, for their leadership and support of research funding and science education as important components of U.S. competitiveness.

In addition, CCPA selected two congressional fellows from ACS member applicants to work in a congressional office for a year. These fellows bring informed scientific perspectives to the issues on the congressional agenda. Recent graduates as well as more seasoned midcareer applicants are encouraged to apply.

In addition, CCPA is working to involve the local sections more in advocacy at the state level and is working with the Office of Legislative & Government Affairs to recruit a government affairs committee for each local section and to support a pilot program to rejuvenate advocacy efforts focusing on science education at the state level.—James K. Rice, Chair

CHEMISTS WITH DISABILITIES

The Chemists with Disabilities Committee's (CWD) mission is to promote opportunities—educational and professional—for persons with disabilities interested in pursuing careers in chemistry and in fields requiring the knowledge of chemistry and to demonstrate the capabilities of those persons to educators, employers, and peers.

At the fall 2007 national meeting in Boston, council voted to change the status of the committee to a joint board-council committee, following the board's approval of the change late in 2006. CWD requested this change in status from the board and council because it will increase the visibility of the committee's activities and, hence, further its mission.

Currently, CWD is developing its Ambassadors Program. This program is intended to provide a source for speakers on issues related to disabilities and chemistry for regional meetings and local sections and for mentors for chemistry students with disabilities. CWD is also collaborating with the Committee on Minority Affairs, the Committee on Technician Affairs, the Women Chemists Committee, and the Younger Chemists Committee in a Joint Subcommittee on Diversity to coordinate issues related to people in the field of chemistry. Other activities of CWD can be seen online at www.acs.org/committees.

CWD welcomes requests from other committees related to their projects regarding the needs of disabled people, such as recommendations on lab safety and adaptive teaching techniques. CWD would be interested in establishing liaison relationships with other committees.

For more information, please contact CWD via e-mail to cwd@acs.org, or to the chair, Jim Landis, at jim.landis@us.henkel.com. James M. Landis Jr., Chair

COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

This year marks the 20th anniversary of National Chemistry Week (NCW). Its theme, "The Many Faces of Chemistry," focuses on the diversity of the chemical enterprise—the different types of careers and the people within those fields.

At the Boston national meeting, the Committee on Community Activities (CCA), along with the ACS Office of Community Activities, commemorated the anniversary with celebratory events. The first was an outreach event at the Museum of Science. More than 350 children participated in two hours of hands-on activities focused on one of the national meeting's themes, "Health & Wellness."

A reception recognized NCW volunteers and those who have made it one of the most successful outreach programs offered by ACS. Special remarks were made by Jeanne Pimentel, the widow of former ACS president George Pimentel, who had envisioned NCW during his term as president. In addition, the committee recognized NCW coordinators and their years of service.

Lastly, a symposium was held as part of the Division of Chemical Education's programming. The symposium showcased highlights and successes of NCW since the first National Chemistry Day in 1987.

The NCW publication "Celebrating Chemistry" was printed in English and Spanish for the first time. The publication is geared to elementary students and features hands-on activities and articles, and it highlights 10 chemists and their careers.

More than 19 million people were reached with this year's Chemists Celebrate Earth Day theme, "Recycling-Chemistry Can!" It was celebrated on April 22 in 120 local sections this year. Plans are under way for the 2008 celebration and its theme, "Streaming Chemistry."—Ingrid Montes, Chair

CORPORATION ASSOCIATES

The Committee on Corporation Associates (CCA) advises and influences ACS to ensure its products and services are of value to industrial members and their companies.

The Educational Outreach Subcommittee reported on the first graduate student roundtable sponsored by CCA in Boston. The subcommittee is also exploring ways to leverage existing outreach activities of CCA member companies.

The Awards/Finance & Grants Subcommittee reported that CCA received four funding proposals totaling $18,400. Funding was provided for the following: $1,400 for the Committee on Economic & Professional Affairs; $2,000 for the Division of Polymer Chemistry; and $10,000 for the Society Committee on Education's Task Force on Undergraduate Programming.

The Programs Subcommittee provided details on CA's collaboration with the Society of Chemical Industry called "Global Innovation Imperatives," as well as CCA's activities with the Medicinal Chemistry Division to highlight past heroes of chemistry. The Heroes of Chemistry symposium garnered an audience of 1,500.

The Public Policy Subcommittee provided a progress report on the Committee on Environmental Improvement's Sustainability Task Force, the Science and the Congress fall briefing, and the status of fly-in visits to legislators in Washington, D.C., planned by CCA representatives. The subcommittee also covered the open council discussion on ACS policy development and advocacy efforts.

Staff reported on the Department of Industry Member Programs' activities since the Chicago meeting. The report covered Heroes of Chemistry, the debut of the Analytical Pavilion, and the ACS/Pharma Leaders Meeting. At the meeting, CCA also provided insights to ACS new business development on its ChemInsight product.—Thomas H. Lane, Chair

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT (Joint with Council)

The Committee on Environmental Improvement (CEI) continues to focus on enhancing the sustainability of the chemical enterprise. The committee's activities have involved encouraging the integration of sustainability concepts and strategies into the practice of our science, ensuring that sustainability is a central component of chemical education, and exploring how ACS can better "walk the talk" about sustainability in our own operations.

CEI is partnering with the Committee on Corporation Associates to plan a workshop on barriers to the adoption of sustainable technologies, to be held at the 2008 spring national meeting in New Orleans. The event will identify and assess nontechnical barriers to and potential incentives for the widespread adoption of sustainable practices in the chemical process and related industries. Its recommendations will inform public policy development by ACS committees and will be shared with the ACS Green Chemistry Institute to supplement ongoing efforts to encourage wider adoption of green chemical processes.

The committee worked with ACS President Catherine T. Hunt on the sustainability thematic focus at the Chicago meeting. The topical luncheon from that meeting provided a wide range of insights that are assisting CEI in developing new policy recommendations.

The committee is also exploring the sustainability of ACS's own operations. Particularly, CEI has worked over the last year to establish dialogues with the ACS offices and committees that manage our society's meetings and governance in order to encourage specific strategies and goals.

All of these activities enhance ACS leadership in placing chemistry and humankind on more sustainable paths. CEI voted to request that the Committee on Planning include sustainability as an explicit element of the ACS Strategic Plan, thus positioning the society as a change agent and realizing our vision of "Improving people's lives through the transforming power of chemistry."—Charles E. Kolb, Chair

INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES (Joint with Council)

At its Boston meeting, the committee (IAC) welcomed the president of the European Association for Chemical & Molecular Sciences and the president-elect of the Mexican Chemical Society.

The committee was briefed on the Colegio de Químicos de Puerto Rico's successful bid to host the 2011 International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) World Congress & General Assembly—the first time ever in Latin America.

The committee heard reports on planning activities for the 2007 Malta 3 Conference "Frontiers of Chemical Sciences III: Research & Education in the Middle East," jointly sponsored by IUPAC, ACS, the German Chemical Society, and the Royal Society of Chemistry; and on efforts to work with the United Nations and United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization for the designation of 2011 as the International Year of Chemistry.

The committee discussed Latin American engagement opportunities created through the Federation of Latin American Chemical Associations meeting in San Juan, P.R., July 27–Aug. 2, 2008.

The committee heard reports on ACS's scientific freedom and human rights efforts contributing to the release of Bulgarian medical workers in Libya and letter-writing efforts by ACS President Catherine T. Hunt to officials in the U.K. expressing concerns about a boycott of Israeli academics.—Nina I. McClelland, Chair

MINORITY AFFAIRS (Joint with Council)

The Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) met in August 2007 at the Boston national meeting, where the committee continued its work to advance its vision, mission, and values statements. CMA's mission is to increase the participation of minority chemical scientists and influence policy on behalf of minorities in ACS and the chemical enterprise.

In Boston, CMA sponsored and cosponsored a record number of symposia. Three symposia featured the National Chemistry Week 20th anniversary theme, "The Many Faces of Chemistry." Two featured the science and stories of ACS scholars, a third showcased the role of two-year colleges in changing the face of chemistry, and a former ACS scholar was the keynote speaker at the CMA luncheon.

CMA reported on the current status of the ACS Scholars program. To date, 80% of ACS Scholars graduate with undergraduate degrees in chemistry or chemical engineering, more than 300 have entered graduate programs, and almost 40 alumni have Ph.D.s. In the fall of 2007, 160 new scholars will join the 200 continuing scholars in the program.

CMA continues to participate in the work of the Joint Subcommittee on Diversity (JSD). In Boston, CMA unanimously endorsed the proposed diversity statement developed by the JSD.

In the coming months, the Communications Subcommittee will publish its newsletter, "Minority Affairs Update"; the Education Subcommittee will solicit applications for Promote, a professional development program; and the Interactions Subcommittee will present Stanley C. Israel Regional Awards for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences at the Western and the Southeastern Regional Meetings.—Linette M. Watkins, Chair

PATENTS & RELATED MATTERS (Joint with Council)

The Committee on Patents & Related Matters (CPRM) meeting featured a special presentation by J. Matthew Buchanan, host of the patent blog PromotetheProgress.com.

The committee discussed the many proposed legislative and regulatory changes to the U.S. patent system and the potential effects such changes might have on both 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.

Many of these tools are now available on the committee's expanded website, www.acs.org/committees. CPRM celebrated its successful nomination of a team of Wyeth scientists for the National Medal of Technology. The award recognized the formidable technological challenge in the efforts to develop, manufacture, and make available Prevnar, the world's first vaccine for the effective prevention of pneumococcal disease among young children.

Finally, CPRM continued its work to nominate 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 August 2007 meeting, the Committee on Professional Training (CPT) reviewed 40 new information reports from ACS-approved chemistry programs. CPT also held conferences with two schools seeking approval, discussed four updates and one site visit report, considered probation reports from two departments, and approved one new school. The total number of ACS-approved chemistry programs is now 643.

The committee continued its work on revising the ACS guidelines for approval of bachelor's degree programs in chemistry. The draft document was sent to the chairs of all ACS-approved chemistry programs, ACS technical divisions, and ACS committees. CPT reviewed and considered all of the feedback from these groups as well as comments submitted by individuals. The committee continues to seek input from the entire chemistry community and invites all interested parties to send comments to cpt@acs.org by Nov. 15 in order to be considered at the winter meeting. CPT anticipates releasing the revised ACS guidelines for approval of undergraduate programs in early 2008.

Production of the 2007 "ACS Directory of Graduate Research" (DGR) is well under way and will be published this fall. The content of DGR is also available free of charge through DGRweb at www.acs.org/committees. CPT has completed data collection for its survey on characteristics of chemistry doctoral programs.

CPT will analyze the results this fall and publish the report next year. The committee began work on a new survey on the role of non-tenure-track faculty—including permanent instructors, part-time faculty, and adjunct faculty-in the delivery of the undergraduate chemistry curriculum.—William F. Polik, Chair

PUBLICATIONS (Joint with Council)

C&EN is having an extremely strong year editorially. Through June, revenues from display, classified, and online advertising are approximately on budget. C&EN Online has continued to post content unique to the Web edition, and use of these features is growing.

The ACS Publications home page and 34 journal websites have been refreshed and feature more streamlined navigation, searching options, and functionality. In addition, to more effectively communicate with ACS members, the committee's home page has been updated and migrated to the ACS Publications website.

The final monitoring reports for Accounts of Chemical Research, Journal of Chemical Information & Modeling, Journal of Chemical Theory & Computation, and Organic Letters were presented and accepted by the committee. Biomacromolecules, Organic Process Research & Development, Inorganic Chemistry, ACS Chemical Biology, Nano Letters, and Journal of Medicinal Chemistry will be monitored next. The inaugural issue of ACS Nano was released online (www.acs.org/publications) on Aug. 14.

The Copyright Subcommittee presented an update on cases and legislation.—Grace Baysinger, Chair

PUBLIC RELATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS (Joint with Council)

The Committee on Public Relations & Communications (CPRC) partnered with the Committee on Community Activities (CCA) to present booth talks in the exposition about publicizing National Chemistry Week (NCW) and other local section activities. CPRC will be providing talking points relevant to this year's NCW theme to CCA in early September.

A symposium on the chemistry of sports is being explored for the 2008 Philadelphia national meeting, in keeping with the 2008 NCW theme. Another "Cooks with Chemistry" workshop is slated for food writers in October in New York on the chemistry of chocolate.

A task force was formed to explore possible opportunities for collaboration with television programs such as "CSI" and, in particular, providing supplemental chemistry information to their website.

The committee and the ACS Office of Communications are working together to provide a free weekly podcast called Science Elements, available at www.acs.org/pressroom as well as on iTunes. The podcasts report on research featured in ACS journals and C&EN and are written to interest lay audiences as well as scientists.

CPRC presented awards for excellence in public relations to the Puerto Rico and Georgia Sections and honored John J. Fortman with the Helen M. Free Award in Public Outreach.—Russell W. Johnson, Chair

SCIENCE (Joint with Council)

The Committee on Science's (ComSci) first focus area relates to addressing global scientific challenges. ComSci organized a joint meeting with the International Activities Committee (IAC) and identified six potential areas for collaboration addressing international scientific problems. ComSci and IAC representatives are developing a plan to address one or more of these areas through a joint project.

ComSci has partnered with several governance units to create the Multidisciplinary Program Planning Group. This team will select and organize thematic programs for ACS national meetings.

Science policy is a second focus area for ComSci. The committee has been working with the Committee on Environmental Improvement to create a new policy statement addressing the proper roles of scientific insight, advice, and data in the creation of policy by the executive and legislative branches of the federal government.

ACS President Catherine T. Hunt shared a presentation on the Presidential Task Force on Science Policy, followed by debate on how ComSci can contribute to society efforts in this area.

The committee also endorsed a white paper titled "Transitioning Science to Chemical Technology." The paper will serve as the basis for a ComSci workshop on this subject in 2008.

ComSci delivered three different programs in Boston on subjects ranging from genetic screening to fostering international research collaborations to partnering for innovation. In each instance, ComSci received permission from the presenters to audio record the presentations, which will soon be made available on the committee's website. This is part of ComSci's renewed commitment to engaging in activities that benefit a larger number of members and other interested scientists.—Carolyn Ribes, Chair

WOMEN CHEMISTS (Joint with Council)

In celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Women Chemists Committee, WCC organized many outstanding events for the recent national meeting. Of special note was the symposium in honor of Ada Yonath, from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, corecipient of the 2007 Wolf Prize.

WCC collaborated with the International Activities Committee on this insightful program and was delighted to host Yonath as the keynote speaker at the Women Chemists Luncheon, as well. Also, following the National Chemistry Week theme, WCC sponsored or cosponsored eight events with the tag line "The Many Faces of Chemistry." This unifying theme was effective in highlighting related programming.

In addition, WCC has carefully confirmed metrics for its major activities, which are being used to set goals and measure success. For example, WCC is very excited to report that the percentage of 2008 national ACS awards received by women is 19%.

This is up from 7% just 10 years ago and is a better reflection of the ACS membership, at 21% women. However, WCC is concerned that the level of all nominations dropped significantly for the 2008 award cycle. In response, WCC is organizing a collaborative symposium for the spring 2008 meeting to educate participants on the process and impact of these awards.

Finally, in Boston, WCC unanimously endorsed the proposed diversity statement, which was developed by the Joint Subcommittee on Diversity, and recommended that this statement be submitted to the ACS executive director.—Amber S. Hinkle, Chair

YOUNGER CHEMISTS (Joint with Council)

The Younger Chemists Committee's (YCC) vision is to lead younger chemists into successful careers and active roles in ACS and the profession. We have added the following language to our brochures and website to define the target constituency for our programs: "The Younger Chemists Committee advocates for and provides resources to early-career chemists and professionals in the chemical sciences and related fields."

In Boston, YCC programs included "The Many Faces of Chemistry: International Opportunities for Chemists," "Being a Responsible Chemist: Ethics, Politics & Policy," and "Changing Landscapes of the Bio-Pharma Industry." YCC has developed packaged programs for events at local and regional meetings. These programs include "Mentoring," "Making an Impact," and "Effective Presentations," and they are available on the YCC website (www.acs.org/committees). Planned YCC symposia in New Orleans include "Responding to Unexpected Challenges," "Current Issues in Science & Government," and "The Chemistry of Alcohol."

YCC is soliciting applications for the postdoctoral appointee to the Graduate Education Advisory Board. Nominations must be e-mailed to ycc@acs.org by Oct. 1 for consideration. YCC is also soliciting applications for the 2008 Leadership Development Workshop, which will again take place during the ACS Leaders Conference. Information and the application form are available on our website.

At the 2007 ChemLuminary Awards, YCC recognized the Western New York, Minnesota, and Indiana-Kentucky Border Local Section YCCs and the Division of Chemical Information for their outstanding achievements. Two new local section YCCs were formed in the Memphis and Greater Houston Sections.—Katherine C. Glasgow, Chair