Chemical Education Today
Editorial
Celebrating a Volume and Heralding the Next Norbert J. Pienta
It hardly seems fair that with an official start in September, I should be declaring a celebration already. But the last issue of a volume is traditionally a time for acknowledgments—an opportunity to thank everyone for all of their efforts. Most of the 2009 issues were produced under the editorial leadership of John W. Moore, from whom I inherit this vital, high-quality Journal as he steps down. Elizabeth A. Moore is also stepping down following many years of service as an associate editor. Both John and Betty have shown remarkable dedication to JCE, and I start by thanking them on behalf of the whole Journal enterprise for their work in 2009 as well as for their entire tenure with this publication. Their influence is everywhere, and their standard of excellence provides both a model and an inspiration. I would also like to recognize all of the Journal’s staff. This includes the continuing staff at the University of Wisconsin– Madison, the new staff at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and all those listed on page 1353. The Journal’s features, columns, and other components have a corresponding group of colleagues who make many contributions and volunteer their creativity and effort. Their names and the nature of their associations appear on pages 1471–1472 of this issue. We also work closely with staff members of many vendors and appreciate their roles—from fulfilling subscriptions (Ilene Gant and Jim Halferty from the PIC division of Evergreen Printing Company), to generating the advertisements (Kris Ohrenick and Don Serfass at The McNeill Group), and to overseeing the printing (Al Manento and colleagues at Cadmus Communications of Cenveo, Incorporated). The substance of this Journal—its content—comes from the scholarship and the creative activities of our authors. The work of authors is the foundation of this internationally recognized, premier publication on chemical education. We at the Journal appreciate your involvement. The Project Chemlab archivists tirelessly continue to document laboratory experiments. In addition, a virtual army of reviewers provides guidance for editorial decisions and for a formative process of improvement of manuscripts. The collective wisdom of our reviewers guides our progress and shapes our future. The end of the year also means the start of another volume. Volume 87 will mark the beginning of the partnership with the Publications Division of the ACS (ACS Journals). The Janu-
ary 2010 issue will be produced using a completely different system for content production. But don’t look for an extensive redesign—those changes will come later in the year. In January and beyond, you can still expect to find high-quality articles and laboratory experiments, in addition to familiar columns and features and a few new ones. The keen observer may notice a few differences, but these will be the result of a new workflow system that will eventually couple the new electronic author- and reviewer-submission system to the production of the Journal’s print and online versions. Of course, upgrades and changes come with new expectations, ones that we begin to document for you in this issue. A new feature, JCE in Transition, provides answers for readers, authors, reviewers, advertisers, and subscribers (see pages 1365–1366). A more detailed FAQ section will be maintained within JCE Online at http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/FAQ/ index.html. Given that the editorial transition and the partnership with ACS Journals are happening simultaneously, some of you may have concerns. Be assured that an even larger group of your colleagues is now concerned with, and dedicated to, producing the print and online Journal with the best interests of our constituencies and the quality of the Journal in mind. Your opinions matter greatly to us. An easy way to make your ideas and wishes known is through our survey: http://www.jce. divched.org/survey2009/index.html. Even more important to us is your participation—as an author, a reviewer, a subscriber, or an advocate. Your colleagues might not even know about the importance of the Journal as a professional development tool and a voice for chemical education. Bring our message to them and your contributions to us. Supporting JCE Online Material
http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2009/Dec/abs1355.html Full text (HTML and PDF) Reader survey available at http://www.jce.divched.org/survey2009/
Norbert J. Pienta is Editor of the Journal of Chemical Education and Professor in the Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242-1219;
[email protected].
© Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 86 No. 12 December 2009 • Journal of Chemical Education
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