ACS NEWS
COMMENT
BECOME AN ADVOCATE FOR SCIENCE E. ANN NALLEY P ACS PRESIDENT
I
T IS HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT i'VE ALREADY
completed half of my term as ACS president, and I can honestly say that whoever coined the phrase, "Time flies, especially when you're having fun!" sure knew what they were talking about. Since assuming the office of ACS pres ident, I have been privileged to travel throughout the U.S. and internationally, visiting with ACS members and repre senting ACS at large and small meetings, symposia, and other events. I have been absolutely energized by the positive spirit and enthusiasm I have encountered among our membership. Our sheer number of members, now more than 158,000, maintains us as the world's largest scientific society, but the volunteer ethic of our members also makes us one of the most productive societies in the world. While our members volunteer in many different ways in many different venues, I want to focus on the important contri butions our members make in the area of advocacy on behalf of the top priorities of ACS members—and to encourage more of our 158,000 members to also become Ad vocates for Science. As you may know, one of the first letters I wrote as ACS president was to President George W. Bush (chemistry.org/government/ 06Nalleyletteitobush.pdf) sharing with him our deep concern regarding two troubling indicators for future U.S. global competitive ness—the deficit we have of young people entering our nation's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics pipeline and the relatively flat federal budgets for
implemented. ACS has recently adopted new policy statements (chemistry.org/gov ernment/statements/index.html) supporting the appropriations for key federal agencies essential to restoring U.S. competitiveness and fostering innovation that will allow us to involve our members in subsequent steps of the congressional process. OLGA also will be research and development over the past representing these positions actively on Capi several years. tol Hill, along with many other scientific, I urged President Bush to include these business, and academic organizations. important topics in his State of the Union OLGA, however, can't do address. I also had the ACS w this alone. We desperately Legislative Action Network ξ need your involvement. At no (LAN) activated, which 25 other time in recent memory then involved 11,000 ACS | has science education, re members who are registered ° search, development, and ex for this program. The LAN £ assisted these members also ploration been higher on the to contact the President national agenda. But we need with the same message. I to let our support be known was delighted to learn from to our elected congressional the ACS Office of Legisla representatives, and the best tive & Government Affairs and easiest way to do that is (OLGA) that, on short no through the ACS LAN. tice, more than 1,000 of A r e you a m e m b e r of you did so. LAN? If not, please make a commitment today to be If you w a t c h e d t h e an Advocate for Sci State of the Union address, We need to let our come ence. It takes less than one you were probably as ex minute to join LAN and even cited as I was when Pres support be known less time to get involved on ident Bush announced a future visits when you will be bold new federal initiative, to our elected asked to respond to alerts and the American Competi congressional tiveness Initiative (ACI) e-mail your elected represen (chemistry.org/government/ representatives, andtatives. Go to www.chemistry. 06budgetresponse.pdf). In the best and easiest org/takeaction. the President's fiscal 2007 One person can make a budget, ACI was funded at way to do that is difference, and you may very a level of $10.7 billion with well be that person! recommendations of $50 through the ACS Thanks for reading and, billion in new funds over the LAN. more important, thanks for next 10 years. considering joining your fel low ACS members who are Congress is now actively already LAN members. As always, please engaged in the appropriations process, feel free to share your thoughts, ideas, and which will ultimately decide how much of comments with me at
[email protected]. the President's initiative gets funded and
Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS.
STILL BLAZING TRAILS AT 75 continued from page 39 explains in "Reflections from the Frontiers." GRC is dedicated to continuing its role as midwife. "The organization is relent lessly driven to stay at the leading edge of science," Daemmrich says. Indeed, the not-for-profit GRC continues to be ruth WWW.CEN-0NLI
NE.ORG
less about reevaluating the merit of current conferences and considering new ones. And as it looks forward to the future, GRC is thinking carefully about how it can grow its presence outside the U.S. "We are com mitted to serving science," says GRC's Gray, "and that's where science is growing." Her 18-member staff is currently exploring in terest in and feasibility of holding Gordon
conferences in sites in China and India. Imitation being the purest form of flat tery, the highly regarded format has been copied by many others hoping to replicate its success. But Gray says she's not worried about the increased competition, "at least as long as we continue to do what we've done for the last 75 years—bring people together at the frontiers of science." • C&EN
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2006
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