ACS NEWS
Letters
Marvel bust dedicated at University of Illinois A sculpted bust of Carl (Speed) Marvel was recently donated by Du Pont to the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, in honor of the chemist who taught there for more than 40 years and trained more than 300 students and postdoctoral candidates. Du Pont, for whom Marvel consulted for over 50 years, commissioned the bust by sculptor Charles C. Parks. The original bust is located in Marvel Hall at American Chemical Society headquarters in Washington, D.C. Attending the dedication at the university (above, from left) were ACS president Clayton F. Callis, Molly and Jack Marvel (members of Carl Marvel's family), and Du Pont chairman and chief executive officer Richard E. Heckert. Another copy of the bust has been installed at the University of Arizona, where Marvel embarked on a new career after retiring from Illinois. Reflecting his many interests, the bust shows Marvel in academic gown, and the base is carved with a frieze of birds, representing his lifelong interest in ornithology.
Nominations for Tess award in coatings T h e ACS Division of P o l y m e r i c Materials: Science & E n g i n e e r i n g is s e e k i n g n o m i n a t i o n s for t h e Roy W. Tess A w a r d in Coatings. This $1000 a w a r d will b e p r e s e n t e d at t h e ACS n a t i o n a l m e e t i n g A u g . 2 6 - 3 1 , 1990, in W a s h i n g t o n , D.C. It r e c o g n i z e s outstanding individual achievements and noteworthy contributions to coatings science, t e c h n o l ogy, a n d e n g i n e e r i n g , a n d confirms the division's long-standing and continuing support and dedication to excellence in t h e coatings field. Nominations will be welcome from all sections of i n d u s t r y a n d ac32
July 10, 1989 C&EN
a d e m i a , a n d s h o u l d be f o r w a r d e d to t h e c h a i r m a n , G e o r g e R. Pilcher, H a n n a C h e m i c a l C o a t i n g s Corp., P.O. Box 147, C o l u m b u s , O h i o 43216-0147. U p o n receipt of n a m e s , t h e c h a i r m a n w i l l s u b m i t a docum e n t a t i o n form r e q u e s t i n g inform a t i o n o n t h e n o m i n e e r e l e v a n t to p a t e n t s , p u b l i c a t i o n s , a n d overall qualifications. All finalized n o m i n a t i o n s for t h e 1990 Tess a w a r d s h o u l d b e s u b m i t ted p r i o r to Sept. 1, a l t h o u g h n o m i n a t i o n s r e c e i v e d after t h a t d a t e will b e c o n s i d e r e d for t h e s u c c e e d i n g year's a w a r d . D
Continued from page 3 here all the ideological points that Hudgens tried to score. However, I think it is necessary to put into perspective a few scientifically incorrect statements in this letter. The alternative to coal mining and burning is not nuclear energy. Many detailed simulations and scenario calculations by research groups in West Germany, Switzerland, and the U.S. in the late 1970s and early 1980s have shown that nuclear energy can only insignificantly reduce the CO2 and NO x output of industrial societies. This is predominantly due to the complex dynamics of the already installed existing power generation networks and the fluctuating power demand structure. Nuclear energy could only provide the basic electricity ground load and not medium and peak loads. Thus an expansion of the electricity consumption is a futile attempt to substitute coal and oil with nuclear energy and would enhance the fossil fuel consumption in the medium and peak loads and thus presumably increase global air pollution. The only economical alternatives to atmospheric pollution by fossil fuel consumption in the industrial, domestic (low-temperature heat), and transportation sectors are power station exhaust gas cleanup by scrubbing, catalytic conversion, and fluidized-bed coal combustion; mandatory catalytic car engine exhaust gas cleanup; improved fossil fuel utilization by better end energy usage through insulation of homes and more efficient combustion engines; and electricity conservation by replacing existing, inefficient electric appliances, industrial equipment, and heating systems with better-insulated models, electricity production through cogeneration, and rational energy use in electricity-specific applications. The often-proposed electrical heating with nuclear energy as a substitute for coal and oil is an inappropriate measure to reduce the greenhouse effect. Seasonal and daily fluctuating heat demands cannot be satisfied by the base-load of nuclear power plants. Required new infrastructures for an environmentally effective retrofitting of existing energy use in our societies are local district heating networks and electricity cogeneration to conserve coal and oil; mass production of well-engineered, energy-efficient appliances and industrial equipment; and environmental education of the consumers—not nuclear power. A policy of consistent conservation efforts could immediately generate environmentally sound and highly productive industrial societies. Jurgen H. Thiele Ecotech, Mannheim, West Germany
