ACS COMMITTEES
Committee on Corporation Associates INDUSTRY MEMBER GROUP established t o save CAS
now focuses on improving education and responding to dramatic growth of small-business employment
IN THE LATE 1940s, technical literature Lane says. The committee and related publishing costs ballooned. has to figure out how to And Chemical Abstracts Service (GAS), a bring more of those comdivision of the American Chemical Society, panies to the committee's had financial problems. table, he adds. Confronted with the necessity to deMore than 60 companies crease the extent of its publication prosupport the profession gram, the ACS Board of Directors appealed and science of chemistry to the chemical industry for assistance. through membership in The response was Corporation AssociCorporation Associates. ates (CA), established in 1952 to provide Each member company assupport and direction to CAS, includsigns an employee represening revamping the pricing structure and tative and pays annual dues implementing other changes affecting its on the basis of its number of publications. By the mid-1950s, the board employees. Those dues are Lane had broadened the committee's purpose to then used by CA on ACS acgive industry a voice in ACS beyond that of tivities that benefit CA member companies. individual members from industry. Examples include support of new CA remains the formal link between industrially relevant activities by ACS ACS and the chemical enterprise, and the committees, local sections, and divisions; Committee on Corporation Associates support for Capitol Hill briefings; industry (CCA) is its executive body. With industry networking opportunities; programs to enchanging dramatically in the past decade, hance diversity awareness; and privileged the committee's work access to market has become "dyinformation, techninamic," says commitcal trends, manufacCOMMITTEE ON tee Chair Thomas H. CORPORATION turing patterns, and Lane, who is also the ASSOCIATES AT A GLANCE market opportunities. global director for sciThe committee works Chair ence and technology closely with the ACS Thomas H. Lane, Dow Corning outreach and a senior Office of Industry research scientist at Committee Website Member Programs. chemistry.org/industry/ca.html Dow Corning. He says CCA is currently that two key thrusts composed of 17 Membership for CA right now representatives. CA 17 members on executive are addressing the convenes at national committee, two unpaid growth of small-busiconsultants, one ACS staff meetings, and CCA liaison, five committee liaisons ness employment and usually meets at other education. times of the year for Classification ACS's industry strategic sessions. Special Committee of the Board members increasCCA also retains two of Directors ingly work for small ACS Board-approved Subcommittees companies, includconsultants who adAwards, Finance & Grants; ing start-up pharmavise and support its Educational Outreach; Programs; ceutical and biotechactivities. Public Policy nology companies, CCA's mission rather than the Inception and objectives are Established by ACS Board of traditional manufacachieved through Directors in 1952 turing giants such the work of its four as Dow and DuPont, subcommittees. WWW.CEN-0NLINE.ORG
21
FEBRUARY 5, 2007
g The Awards, Finance & i Grants Subcommittee recu ognizes industrial chemists o and chemical engineers through the ACS awards programs (including national awards, Heroes of Chemistry, and the Regional Industrial Innovation Awards programs) and considers grant proposals for activities related to industrial chemistry. The Public Policy Subcommittee represents the interests of the industrial enterprise to the various public policy groups within ACS, and the Subcommittee for Educational Outreach represents the industry's educational needs to ACS and leverages the efforts of the society to meet those needs. Members on the Programs Subcommittee initiate, stimulate, and encourage programming of compelling interest to industrial members of ACS. In addition to programming at national meetings, CCA organizes forums that, for example, give undergraduates an opportunity to speak with chemists working in industry. Lane says the information gathered from conversations with students is especially helpful to CCA's Educational Outreach and Public Policy Subcommittees. These conversations really help the subcommittees zero in on students' misperceptions about industry, from dayto-day industry operations to bonus and stock-option benefits at individual companies, he adds. Keeping a viable pipeline of chemists in an age of globalization and increased change for the chemical enterprise is among the committee's future priorities, Lane says. A regular topic of discussion in the committee, he emphasizes, is how to educate future chemists who are technically competent, as well as curious and creative and who know how to collaborate and communicate.—RACHEL PETKEWICH
