Journal of Chemical Education Call for Papers: Special Issue on

The recent confirmed and/or alleged uses of chemical warfare agents by state actors in Syria,(1) terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq,(2) and assassins ...
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Journal of Chemical Education Call for Papers: Special Issue on Chemical Security Andrew W. Nelson* and Peter J. Hotchkiss Global Chemical and Biological Security Group, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108, United States

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ABSTRACT: The Journal of Chemical Education announces a call for papers for an upcoming special issue on Chemical Security. KEYWORDS: High School/Introductory Chemistry, First-Year Undergraduate/General, Upper-Division Undergraduate, Curriculum, Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary, Continuing Education, Analytical Chemistry, Problem Solving/Decision Making, Forensic Chemistry, Professional Development

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chemical security vulnerabilities.10 Like other risk-based sciences, chemical security risk can be thought of in terms of consequence and likelihood, for example, the consequence of a malicious act involving any given asset and the likelihood of a defined malicious act occurring. The consequence of an act is mostly tied to the properties of the asset, including cost, toxicity, explosiveness, usefulness for synthesizing other products, and so on. The likelihood of a malicious act is mostly a function of the threat or the person(s) who will be involved in the act. Threats can include people with a variety of motivations, such as nonstate actors (e.g., terrorist groups, “lone wolves”), criminal gangs, ideologues, disgruntled employees, drug addicts, and so forth. The threat can be further defined as insiders (i.e., people with authorized access to a facility or information) and outsiders (i.e., people who do not have access). While many of the same concepts and ideas that apply to chemical safety overlap with chemical security, there are sometimes conflicts. In one example of overlap, the hierarchy of safety controls suggests the most effective approach to improve safety is elimination of the hazard (chemical, equipment, etc.). This approach often also improves security because high hazard chemicals tend to have the highest security concerns as their properties make them desirable for malicious acts11 (e.g., chemicals that are explosive, toxic, corrosive, etc.). Chemical safety and security controls can also be at odds with one another. For example, the concept of failsafe during an emergency situation (where doors automatically open so employees can quickly exit the building) versus failsecure (where doors should remain closed and locked to restrict access to sensitive information and resources in the facility).

INTRODUCTION The recent confirmed and/or alleged uses of chemical warfare agents by state actors in Syria,1 terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq,2 and assassins in the United Kingdom3 and Malaysia;4 numerous examples of chemicals being used to make homemade explosives for improvised explosive devices;5 and the proliferation of trafficking and use of addictive substances like the opioid fentanyl6,7 all raise the question: What can a scientist do to prevent such acts in the future? One answer to this question is to offer chemical security education to the chemical sciences community. These unfortunate events have highlighted a critical gap in chemical security education for scientists, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders. Despite efforts by government agencies around the world and international nongovernmental organizations,8 such as the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW),9 to raise awareness of chemical security, the concepts of chemical security are not widely taught in high school (secondary) or university (postsecondary) education systems. Few resources are available for chemistry educators to incorporate chemical security concepts, case studies, and lessons into the classroom. The Journal of Chemical Education announces a call for papers for an upcoming special issue to (i) raise awareness of the potential for misuse of chemicals, equipment, and expertise; and (ii) provide a diverse collection of case studies, lesson plans, and reference materials that will enable educators to impart critical chemical security information to current and future leaders of chemistry. Chemical security, simply stated, is the practice of protecting chemicals from people. This differs from chemical safety, in that chemical safety addresses accidental acts, whereas chemical security addresses intentional acts. More broadly, chemical security refers to preventing people from stealing, destroying, kidnapping, or performing other intentional malicious acts with/against assets, such as chemicals, chemical equipment, information, people, or other resources critical to the practice of chemistry. Chemical security is not restricted to malicious acts concerning chemical weapons; it can also include acts concerning explosives, illicit or recreational drugs, intellectual property, and so on. International best practices in chemical security suggest a risk-based approach to the management of © XXXX American Chemical Society and Division of Chemical Education, Inc.

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SPECIAL ISSUE SCOPE AND CONTENT This Journal of Chemical Education special issue is intended to serve as a global reference point for literature on chemical security in chemistry education. Chemical security is inherently multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary as it necessarily draws Received: December 19, 2018

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DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b01041 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX

Journal of Chemical Education

News and Announcements

from topics and concepts in chemistry, toxicology, risk assessment, law enforcement, psychology, politics, and business. Given the inherent overlap between safety and security, the editors will consider papers that include elements of safety; however, the overarching theme of any submission must be focused on chemical security. We welcome papers on the topics below that will enable chemical educators to (i) empower students with knowledge on chemical security; (ii) raise awareness of chemical security within the scientific community; and (iii) assist educators in implementing better security at their institutions. This list is not exhaustive, and the guest editors welcome submissions outside the scope of listed topics, so long as the topic is directly related to chemical security. Note that submissions that focus solely or primarily on chemical safety will not be considered. Authors are encouraged to contact the guest editors prior to submission to determine the suitability of a topic. • Chemical security: lessons, stories, and case studies on successes and failures in chemical security with a focus on assisting educators in high school and university classrooms • Chemical security risk management: examples and guidance on how to manage chemical security risks, such as prioritization of chemical risks, management buy-in, and risk communication • Chemical information protection: lessons, stories, or case studies on chemical information breaches, to include social media use and cyber security measures • Physical security for chemical laboratories or facilities • Inventory management: discussions on how proper inventory management can enhance chemical security goals • Chemical transportation security: examples or case studies in which chemicals were stolen or sabotaged during transportation (between laboratories, across oceans, through the air, etc.) and how this theft/ sabotage could have been prevented • Personnel management: case studies and guidance on how personnel reliability programs enhance the security goals of a chemical facility or laboratory • Chemical security principles in the field: discussions on differences between chemical security in the field and the laboratory • History of chemical weapon agents: key stories throughout history that every chemistry student should learn. Authors interested in this topic should (i) ensure that submissions are designed to help chemistry educators disseminate the topic and (ii) confirm suitability of the submission with the guest editors in advance • Management of dual-use chemicals: discussions on how to balance the beneficial applications and need for dualuse chemicals against proliferation concerns • Developing a culture of chemical security: examples and case studies on how to improve the culture of security at an institution • International regulations and best practices on chemical security: examples of regulations and best practices that can be easily incorporated into lesson plans • Incorporating chemical security in the classroom or continuing education: discussions on successes, chal-

lenges, and major hurdles for teaching chemical security. For example, how much information should teachers impart before they are enabling students to subvert chemical security systems? • Communications with law enforcement: case studies on successes and/or cautionary notes for communicating with law enforcement The ultimate goal of this special issue is to provide a diverse collection of case studies, lesson plans, and reference materials that will enable educators to impart critical chemical security information to current and future leaders of chemistry.

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SUBMISSION, REVIEW, AND PUBLICATION PROCESS Manuscripts should align with the principles outlined in the author guidelines for the Journal of Chemical Education12 and can be submitted using these manuscript types: Activity, Article, Commentary, Communication, Demonstration, Laboratory Experiment, and Technology Report. Authors are strongly encouraged to use the JCE-specific manuscript template,13 which contains prompts for required manuscript components; using the manuscript template aids in creating documents that are easier to review and publish. Manuscripts should be submitted to the Journal of Chemical Education through the online manuscript submission portal ACS Paragon Plus14 by Monday, September 9, 2019, to receive full consideration for publication in the special issue. Manuscripts received after the deadline may still be considered for publication, but depending on the length of the peer-review process may be included in an issue of the Journal subsequent to this special issue. When submitting your manuscript in the ACS Paragon Plus system, select “Chemical Security” under the special issue selection during “Step 1: Type, Title, & Abstract”. Authors should also indicate in the cover letter during “Step 6: Details & Comments” that the manuscript is submitted for publication in the Special Issue: Chemical Security. As with all ACS journals, papers intended for the special issue will be available ASAP (as soon as publishable) online as soon as they are accepted and proofs have been checked, ahead of publication in the special issue itself.

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GUEST EDITORS The themed issue will be curated by Andrew W. Nelson and Peter J. Hotchkiss. Andrew W. Nelson is a Senior Member of the Technical Staff in the Global Chemical and Biological Security Group at Sandia National Laboratories. Peter J. Hotchkiss is a Principle Member of the Technical Staff in the Global Chemical and Biological Security Group at Sandia National Laboratories.

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INQUIRIES Inquiries regarding the suitability of a manuscript topic can be directed to Andrew W. Nelson at [email protected]. Questions regarding the submission process can be directed to [email protected].

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AUTHOR INFORMATION

Corresponding Author

*E-mail: [email protected]. B

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b01041 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX

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ORCID

Andrew W. Nelson: 0000-0001-6382-4662

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REFERENCES

(1) Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Syria and the OPCW.https://www.opcw.org/media-centre/featuredtopics/syria-and-opcw (accessed Jan 2019). (2) Schmitt, E. ISIS Used Chemical Arms at Least 52 Times in Syria and Iraq, Report Says. The New York Times; Nov 21, 2016. https:// www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/world/middleeast/isis-chemicalweapons-syria-iraq-mosul.html (accessed Jan 2019). (3) Government of the United Kingdom. Novichok Nerve Agent Use in Salisbury: UK Government Response, March to April 2018. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/novichok-nerve-agent-use-insalisbury-uk-government-response (accessed Jan 2019). (4) Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. OPCW Executive Council Condemns Chemical Weapons Use in Fatal Incident in Malaysia. https://www.opcw.org/media-centre/news/ 2017/03/opcw-executive-council-condemns-chemical-weapons-usefatal-incident (accessed Jan 2019). (5) National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Reducing the Threat of Improvised Explosive Device Attacks by Restricting Access to Explosive Precursor Chemicals; The National Academies Press: Washington, DC, 2018. DOI: 10.17226/24862. (6) Ciccarone, D. Fentanyl in the US Heroin Supply: A Rapidly Changing Risk Environment. Int. J. Drug Policy 2017, 46 (8), 107− 111. (7) International Narcotics Control Board. Precursors and Chemicals Frequently Used in the Illicit Manufacture of Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances; United Nations: New York, 2018. https:// www.incb.org/incb/en/precursors/technical_reports/2017.html (accessed Jan 2019). (8) American Chemical Society. ACS Webinars: The Role of Chemistry in Global Security. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/ acs-webinars/program-in-a-box/pib-on-demand/security.html (accessed Jan 2019). (9) Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. https:// www.opcw.org/ (accessed Jan 2019). (10) National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Chemical Laboratory Safety and Security: A Guide to Developing Standard Operating Procedures; The National Academies Press: Washington, DC, 2016; DOI: 10.17226/21918. (11) Epstein, J. Weapons of Mass Destruction: It Is All about Chemistry. J. Chem. Educ. 2009, 86 (12), 1377−1381. (12) Author Guidelines for the Journal of Chemical Education can be found at the Information for Authors page. http://pubs.acs.org/page/ jceda8/submission/authors.html (accessed Jan 2019). (13) Journal of Chemical Education Document Templates. http:// pubs.acs.org/page/jceda8/submission/jceda8_templates.html (accessed Jan 2019). (14) ACS Paragon Plus. https://acs.manuscriptcentral.com/acs (accessed Jan 2019).

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DOI: 10.1021/acs.jchemed.8b01041 J. Chem. Educ. XXXX, XXX, XXX−XXX