ACS News Should publish . . .
Should not publish . . .
It isn't possible, or desirable, for C&EN to attempt to analyze every vote that members of Congress make. However, there are a few instances, and it is in these cases where chemists can have a constructive impact. It may even be possible to alert ACS members to a vote that will come to the floor of the House or the Senate for consideration before it happens; and later, how the vote came out. ACS and its members can be a major force for common sense in government as well as a source of information on issues in our area of expertise. There are those who will shrink away from this modest involvement in the political arena. They will suggest that the cost is too great, or that it will be difficult to decide what issues to report or how to interpret them. Some will fear that consideration and reporting of issues may become partisan, or appear to be. Such fears can be overcome easily by the discrete and dedicated efforts of responsible individuals, chosen by the ACS Board. I can assure my fellow members in ACS from my own experience in Congress that the scientists of this country have, by standing too far aloof from government in any form, been guilty of a disservice to society, and thus are partially responsible for the poor quality of some legislation enacted in recent years. It is time for us to become more responsible; that is, more involved. Reporting Congressional voting records is a simple step, providing us information we need. •
fairs that will be required in the issue selection process. For the above expenditures of time and money, we, as ACS members, will have access to how more than 500 legislators voted. Out of this 500, how many are of actual interest? My Congressman's name is Bruce Vento. How many ACS members outside the St. Paul area are interested in how Bruce Vento voted? Actually, those of us in the St. Paul area interested in politics know how Bruce Vento stands because we receive his Congressional newsletter and read about him in the local newspaper. We don't have to read about him in C&EN. Hence, I do not regard the publication of Congressional voting records in C&EN a cost-effective activity on the part of the society. In recent years, the ACS Council was asked to support the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by boycotting convention sites in states which had not ratified the amendment. Such a motion was soundly defeated on the basis that the society should not become engaged in political activism. Politics, per se, should be left to the individual desires of each and every member. My primary concern about publication of voting records is the possibility that this publication constitutes a move toward crossing the threshold of political activism. As a technical educational society, we cannot afford to do that. •
Questions to the ACS membership accompanying the fall dues mailing is an ongoing activity of the board Committee on Professional & Member Relations. The committee would welcome
suggested questions for the 1982 mailing. These should be sent to Richard M. Lemmon, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Bldg. 3, University of California, Berkeley, Calif. 94720.
Garin, Greene complete year as ACS fellows David L. Garin and James C. Greene, the 1980-81 American Chemical Society Congressional fellows, have wound up their year on Capitol Hill. Both found the experience exciting and worthwhile. Garin, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, worked on the staff of Rep. Albert Gore (D.-Tenn.), while Greene, professor of chemistry and biology at Tallahassee Community College, worked for the Subcommittee on Natural Resources, Agriculture Research & the Environment of the House Science & Technology Committee. The objectives of the fellowship program, begun in 1974, are to provide an opportunity for scientists to spend a year gaining firsthand knowledge of how the federal government works, to make available to government an increased amount of scientific expertise, and to better acquaint scientific and government personnel with what each can contribute to public policy. This past year, turmoil in Wash58
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ington generated by the November 1980 Presidential and Congressional elections and by the Reagan Administration's budget proposals created opportunities that shaped the experiences of both men. Garin, within a short time of joining Gore's staff, found himself part of the battle to enact superfund legislation to clean up hazardous waste dumps and chemical spills. Before the November election, Garin says, it seemed as if such legislation might not be passed in 1980. But former President Carter and interested members of Congress made the superfund a key issue of the lame-duck session, fearing its fate under the newly elected legislators. "I had served on the [Missouri] Commission on Hazardous Waste Management," Garin says, "and felt I could make an impact in that area. The person on Gore's staff who had worked on superfund had just left and I had an immediate role to play." While still making contacts and learning his way around Congress, Garin took part in negotiating aspects
of the bill in which Gore was most involved—such as victim compensation and strict liability. Although not every issue he pressed for made it into the final compromise bill, Garin found the experience exciting and stimulating. "It's a unique experience to be able to sit in on closed-door sessions and . . . watch the fragile process of putting together coalitions," Garin says. "It was a major piece of legislation. Nobody knew up to the final vote if it would make it." The magnitude of demands upon the Congressional members' time and attention impressed Garin. "There's no time to do a thorough research job" on any one issue, he says. He feels scientists can help government officials bridge the gap between scientific facts and their social and political implications. Garin says he received a solid education on what tends to influence representatives, what information reaches them, how budgets are assembled, and the roles constituents play. He is returning to the University
Garin: had immediate role to play
of Missouri and plans to use what he's learned to influence science policy, in part through a political action committee he and several Congressional fellows sponsored by other scientific societies have formed to give the science community a stronger voice in Washington. Greene's major responsibility for the natural resources subcommittee was analyzing and making recommendations on the Administration's proposals for the Department of Energy's $280 million environmental budget—an unusual role for a fellow. The final budget, as recently passed by Congress, is less than a million dollars different from last year's. "I never thought I'd do anything more than lick stamps," Greene jokes.
"The fact that I worked with policy and policy decisions is very gratifying." One budget item that Greene points to with pride is $2.8 million for research on reclamation of surfacemined areas. The Office of Management & Budget had sought to remove funds for that program from DOE, claiming it overlapped with programs at the Department of Interior, Greene says. But Interior had not picked up the program. Greene's analysis showed that through grants to 30 different universities the program had reduced the cost of reclaiming 1 acre of land from $26,000 to $16,000, and hoped to lower the cost further still. The program was saved for a year, and the Interior Department now is mandated to consider it next year. The services of scientific fellows are highly appreciated on Capitol Hill, Greene says, and he thinks there should be more staff with technical backgrounds. "I've seen gross mistakes made because there was no staff to support or analyze positions," he says. Greene says his previous experience working with the Florida legislature was great preparation. "Capitol Hill is not so different. Politics is politics: If you treat people like humans you get positive results." Both Garin and Greene praise the staff at ACS for the support they received during their fellowships, particularly when they first arrived in Washington and were choosing positions on the Hill. "The staff will answer hard questions," Greene says.
Greene: more technical staff needed
"Their honesty and candor were most helpful." Greene is returning to Tallahassee Community College, but plans to come back to Washington in January as a permanent staff member of the natural resources subcommittee. Garin, too, notes the lure of the city: "There's a certain excitement here, and there are more events occurring with a degree of importance." ACS currently is accepting applications for two Congressional fellowships that will begin next year. Persons interested in applying should write for information to Amanda Huston, Department of Public Affairs, ACS, 1155-16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. Deadline for applications is Jan. 29,1982. D
ACS chooses Barker, Ramonas as Congressional fellows ACS has chosen two chemists—Robert H. Barker of Clemson University and Lori M. Ramonas of the National Institutes of Health—as Congressional fellows for 1981-82. Both are taking part in a twoweek orientation program that began Sept. 2 and are expected to choose their assignments shortly afterward. Barker is professor of textile and polymer chemistry at Clemson University, Clemson, S.C. He received a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina in 1963. His thesis work involved synthesis of reactive metal acetylacetonate monomers for polymerization studies. He was on the chemistry faculty of Tulane University, New Orleans, before moving to Clemson in 1967. Fire retardant chemistry is a central interest of Barker's that he has pursued both in his academic research and other
Barker
Ramonas
professional activities. He organized and administered a consortium, sponsored by the Commerce Department, of nine government, academic, industrial, and private nonprofit laboratories to solve technical problems in developing flame retardants for polyester/cotton blends. Since 1976, he has been a member of the National Academy of Sciences'
evaluation panel for the Center for Fire Research of the National Bureau of Standards. Ramonas is a staff fellow of the laboratory of chemical pharmacology at the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md. After obtaining a Ph.D. from Yale University in 1976, she did postdoctoral work at the University of California Medical Center, San Francisco. She joined NIH in 1978. Ramonas' research centers on selectivity in drug design in cancer chemotherapy and testing and regulation of carcinogenic, mutagenic, and teratogenic substances. She also is interested in science policy issues such as recombinant DNA research and its regulation, preventive medicine for nonprofessionals, and the future of health science funding.
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