FROM THE EDITOR
CHEMICAL & ENGINEERING NEWS 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20036 (202) 872-4600 or (800) 227-5558 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: A. Maureen Rouhi MANAGING EDITOR: Robin M. Giroux
Next Stop: Asia
EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Rudy M. Baum SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER: Marvel A. Wills NEWS William G. Schulz, Editor BUSINESS NORTHEAST: (212) 608-6306 Michael McCoy, Assistant Managing Editor, Rick Mullin (Senior Editor), Marc S. Reisch (Senior Correspondent), Alexander H. Tullo (Senior Correspondent), Rachel Eskenazi (Administrative Assistant). CHICAGO: (917) 7100924 Lisa M. Jarvis (Senior Editor). HONG KONG: 852 9093 8445 Jean-François Tremblay (Senior Correspondent). HOUSTON: (281) 486-3900 Ann M. Thayer (Senior Correspondent). LONDON: 44 1494 564 316 Alex Scott (Senior Editor). WASHINGTON: (434) 202-1986 Melody M. Bomgardner (Senior Editor) GOVERNMENT & POLICY Susan R. Morrissey, Assistant Managing Editor Britt E. Erickson (Senior Editor), Glenn Hess (Senior Editor), Cheryl Hogue (Senior Correspondent), Jeff Johnson (Senior Correspondent), Andrea L. Widener (Associate Editor) SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY/EDUCATION BOSTON: (617) 395-4163 Amanda Yarnell, Assistant Managing Editor, (973) 922-0175 Bethany Halford (Senior Editor). WASHINGTON: Stuart A. Borman (Deputy Assistant Managing Editor), Celia Henry Arnaud (Senior Editor), Carmen Drahl (Senior Editor), Stephen K. Ritter (Senior Correspondent), Lauren K. Wolf (Associate Editor). BERLIN: 49 30 2123 3740 Sarah Everts (Senior Editor). CHICAGO: (847) 679-1156 Mitch Jacoby (Senior Correspondent). WEST COAST: (925) 485-1034 Jyllian Kemsley (Senior Editor), (206) 5954788 Deirdre Lockwood (Contributing Editor), (510) 390-6180 Elizabeth K. Wilson (Senior Editor) JOURNAL NEWS & COMMUNITY: (626) 765-6767 Michael Torrice (Senior Editor) (510) 768-7657 Corinna Wu (Associate Editor) ACS NEWS & SPECIAL FEATURES Sophie L. Rovner, Assistant Managing Editor Linda Wang (Senior Editor). DALLAS: (972) 529-4351 Susan J. Ainsworth (Senior Editor) EDITING & PRODUCTION Kimberly R. Dunham, Assistant Managing Editor Craig Bettenhausen (Associate Editor), Sophia L. Cai (Associate Editor), Nader Heidari (Associate Editor), Arlene Goldberg-Gist, Senior Editor Jeff A. Huber (Associate Editor), Gail M. Mortenson (Associate Editor) ART & DESIGN Robert Bryson, Creative Director Robin L. Braverman (Senior Art Director), Steven J. Lovasz (Digital Production Associate), Yang H. Ku (Senior Associate Designer) C&EN ONLINE Rachel Sheremeta Pepling, Editor Tchad K. Blair (Visual Designer), Luis A. Carrillo (Production Manager), Ty A. Finocchiaro (Web Associate), Pamela Rigden Snead (Web Products Manager) PRODUCTION & IMAGING Renee L. Zerby, Manager Production & Classifieds Tim Bauer (Lead Digital Production Specialist), Shelly E. Savage, Richard C. Smith (Digital Production Associates) SALES & MARKETING Stephanie Holland, Market Development Manager Natalia Bokhari (Digital Advertising Associate), Kirsten Dobson (Marketing Coordinator), Sondra Hadden (Senior Digital Marketing Specialist), Wendy Wise (Marketing Manager) ADVISORY BOARD Gary D. Allred, Paul T. Anastas, Sherwood L. Boehlert, Yves J. Chabal, Seth M. Cohen, Kendrew H. Colton, Brian P. Coppola, Joseph M. DeSimone, Michelle M. Francl, John LaMattina, Abraham M. Lenhoff, Scott P. Lockledge, Michael A. Marletta, Cheryl A. Martin, Michael O. Okoroafor, Melanie Sanford, Michael Strem, Linette M. Watkins, Christopher Welch, Vicki Wysocki Published by the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY Madeleine Jacobs, Executive Director & CEO Brian D. Crawford, President, Publications Division Kevin A. Davies, Vice President, Business Development & Publisher, C&EN EDITORIAL BOARD: Stephanie L. Brock (Chair); ACS Board of Directors Chair: William F. Carroll Jr.; ACS President: Tom Barton; Michael P. Doyle, Nicole S. Sampson, Gary B. Schuster, Peter J. Stang Copyright 2014, American Chemical Society Canadian GST Reg. No. R127571347 Volume 92, Number 13
R&D IN ASIA is growing at a rapid rate. At
the American Chemical Society, evidence of that comes from the publishing services: Submissions to ACS journals from India, South Korea, and China grew at annual compounded rates of 17.3%, 16.6%, and 14.7%, respectively, compared with 5.4% from the U.S., during 2008–12. Researchers in Asia are significant users of ACS information services, including SciFinder. The databases that underpin SciFinder increasingly are based on molecules discovered in Asia. China now leads the world in patent filings. With its mission to serve chemists worldwide, ACS has been intensifying its focus on Asia. In 2013, the society established an office in Beijing. This year, it aims to expand activities in China and establish a physical presence in India. And it is investing in C&EN’s ability to cover the Asian chemistry enterprise and reach Asian audiences. I have been selected to lead C&EN’s physical presence in Asia as the director of editorial and business development for C&EN Asia. This position involves enhancing C&EN’s coverage of Asia using Asiabased talent, developing C&EN editorial products for Asian markets, and participating in efforts to deepen ACS’s presence in Asia. My new role takes effect immediately. I am writing here as C&EN’s editor-in-chief for the last time. C&EN occupies a unique place in science news publications, with its unparalleled excellence in print journalism evident in every issue, especially the 90th anniversary issue, published on Sept. 9, 2013. Yet it aims always higher. My 18-month tenure at the helm was highly innovative, thanks to talented staff, who are taking C&EN to the next level of excellence. Some are experimenting with storytelling, from long-form narrative features to highly condensed “charticles.” Others are using social media to find beyond-theusual-suspects sources for stories, or they are harnessing the unique capabilities of digital platforms, such as interactive graphics. Still others are inventing new ways to engage the audience, including online quizzes. And C&EN-produced videos complement articles with increasing frequency. We accomplished these with no additional resources, driven only by the desire to engage readers however they access C&EN.
Like other news organizations, C&EN is buffeted by the shifting media landscape, changing reader demographics, evolving information consumption habits, and declining revenue from advertising. Aware of these external forces, C&EN staff under my leadership last year completed a strategic plan that aims to enhance C&EN’s value while ensuring its financial sustainability. Efforts to augment revenues are already under way in the form of new products developed under the leadership of C&EN Publisher Kevin Davies. Print supplements debuted with the March 3, 2014, issue. Last year I commissioned a strategic review of the publication to determine how to make C&EN maximally compelling in all formats—print, online, and mobile. The preliminary results indicate various steps C&EN can take to make it even more valuable to readers and to ACS. I am proud for planting the seeds and enabling the gathering of actionable data that will shape C&EN’s further growth and evolution. ACS will immediately undertake an international search for C&EN’s next editorin-chief. Meanwhile, C&EN’s evolution will continue, guided by my predecessor, Rudy Baum, who has agreed to serve as acting editor-in-chief until my successor is appointed. Baum will work with the C&EN management team and all C&EN staff to continue taking C&EN to the next level of excellence. I wish them good luck. Serving as C&EN’s editor-in-chief has been a great privilege, and I thank you for reading C&EN week after week. Looking ahead, I see my new role as bringing me full circle to my cultural and geographic roots. More important, it will advance the efforts of ACS and C&EN to grow their presence in a part of the world that has become a dynamic hub for the chemistry enterprise. I embrace my new role with the same passion for excellence in journalism and dedication to serve readers and ACS members that I had while at the helm of C&EN. I look forward to bringing C&EN to Asia and serving you from there.
Editor-in-chief
Views expressed on this page are those of the author and not necessarily those of ACS. CEN.ACS.ORG
3
MARCH 31, 2014
