ACS NEWS
Noonan, Wedin Enjoyed Year as ACS Congressional Fellows It's been nine years since the American Chemical Society instituted its Congressional fellowship program, and it's still going strong. The 1982-83 fellows, Norine Noonan and Randall Wedin, are as enthusiastic as their predecessors about the year thev spent working on Capitol Hill. Noonan served on the staff of the Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Subcommittee of the Science, Technology & Space Committee. Because 1982 was an election year and, more to the point, then subcommittee chairman Harrison Schmitt of New Mexico was defeated in his re-election bid, her first months on the job were comparatively slow. She spent her time learning about Senate rules and procedures, as well as committee protocol; attending a Congressional workshop on carcinogenesis; and helping to plan what the committee would be doing in the coming year, which also marked the start of a new Congress. The last exercise involved writing short documents called MBOs (management by objective) on a variety of topics, such as science and engineering manpower, risk assessment, and national security and scientific communications, that the subcommittee might want to consider in 1983. By January, however, a new subcommittee chairman had been selected, Sen. Slade Gorton (R.-Wash.), and shortly thereafter the President's 1984 budget proposal arrived. The pace picked up dramatically; Noonan says it reached a feverish pitch. She was assigned to work on the budget authorizations for the National Science Foundation, National Bureau of Standards, and the U.S. Fire Administration. As she explains it, the budget requests for each had to be analyzed, hearings 44
November 21. 1983 CAEN
nothing to do with science. It involved working for the passage of a bill, sponsored by Gorton, that would have extended daylight savings time. "It was," she says, "probably the hottest political issue we handled all year. People either loved it or hated it, and it was, for me anyway, a tremendous experience in learning the real politics of a situation." Overall, Noonan says, she did get a chance to utilize her scientific background. On Capitol Hill, she explains, if you're a scientist, you're viewed as knowing everything about everything in science. You may not get a chance to work in your own specific field, but that you have contacts in various areas and are able to understand technical arguments give you an expertise Noonan: used scientific background that other staff members don't nechad to be scheduled, appropriate essarily have. Working for the Comwitnesses had to be picked and merce Committee was a plus in that contacted, questions had to be drawn it has a long history of having sciup for the witnesses to be asked, ence fellows—it had the first one and all of this had to be done in a ever—and so knows how to use them, she says, adding that it usualvery short time in February. NBS offered the greatest chal- ly works out to the benefit of both lenge, Noonan says, because the Ad- the committee and the fellow. Wedin, the other ACS Congresministration had proposed a 20c7( reduction in its budget, a reduction sional fellow this year, worked at the subcommittee did not entirely the opposite end of the Hill, in the favor. So the authorization hearings House, and was on the personal staff were structured to make a case for of Rep. George E. Brown Jr. (D.the restoration of some programs, Calif.), rather than on a committee specifically the centers for fire re- staff, but he also found a spot that search and for building technology. has a long history of using Congres"In a year of large projected deficits sional fellows. "They've found out and a Senate unwilling, for the most the proper way to let fellows work," part, to exceed the President's he says. "I felt lucky about latching budget," Noonan says, "we were onto that spot." forced to do a lot of work with the Being on a personal staff means staff of our full committee mem- being involved in a wide variety of bers to convince them of the wisdom activities, Wedin says. For instance, of our proposed increases." The ef- he says, "I found myself writing an fort was successful. obituary, helping the economic de"One of the small gems" of her velopment agency in our district try year on Capitol Hill, however, had to attract a high-tech computer com-
Amaral, Kaufman chosen as 1983-84 ACS fellows The 1983-84 Congressional fellows are Deborah Amaral, who has just received her Ph.D. from CarnegieMellon University, and Don Kaufman, professor of chemistry at Kearney State College. Amaral is working on the staff of Sen. Max Baucus (D.-Mont.), and Kaufman is on the staff of Rep. Philip R. Sharp (D.-lnd.). Amaral completed final work for her Ph.D. in engineering and public policy this year. Her research has focused on techniques for quantifying technical uncertainty in policy analysis. Her doctoral research, done at the biomedical and environmental assessment division of Brookhaven National Laboratory, involved estimating the potential human health impacts due to changes in levels of sulfur air pollution.
pany to locate in our district, defending the social value of basic scientific research to an irate constituent, and trying to uncover the culinary and musical tastes of the former deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency." But he was involved mainly in the more routine activities, such as drafting bill language, writing introductory statements, handling press releases and questions about bills that fell in his issue areas, and writing speeches for Brown. One of
Wedin: wide variety of activities
Her research work has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. Kaufman has been on the chemistry faculty at Kearney State since 1969. In addition to teaching the typical chemistry courses offered, he has developed and taught energy courses structured for general studies students and secondary school teachers, organized and taught sessions in Summer Science Camps for junior high school students, and instructed talented high school students in NSF-sponsored summer programs. His research interests have included acid rain, chemical analysis of ground and surface water, pesticide residue analysis, and photochemistry of cocaine.
the activities he is happiest about is his involvement in Brown's effort to get more instrumentation money for NSF in the fiscal 1984 budget. It is, he says, something "I can point to and say, 'I worked for that/ " As he describes it, "Brown's goal was to add $100 million for research instrumentation to the NSF budget. In trying to achieve this goal there were many steps, including introducing an amendment in the Science & Technology Committee, sending a 'Dear Colleague' letter to all members of the House describing the need for more funds for instrumentation, making compromises with key members, introducing an amendment on the House floor, debating the subject on the House floor for several hours, and sending a letter to the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee asking for more funds in the appropriations bill. The staff work behind these activities extended over several months and involved working closely with other House staff members and some lobbying groups. The end result, in the House of Representatives, has been an addition of $15 million for instrumentation." In general, Wedin says he is surprised at the level of responsibility he was given. "I thought if I wrote one or two speeches during the year and met the member of Congress a
few times, I would be happy with that. But there is so much to do and so few people to pitch in and do it all, that you get a lot more responsibility and find yourself working at a level you normally wouldn't get to work at." He says that before he went to the Hill he was told that it would be one of the most exciting years of his life—"and that was true." He adds that he wishes everyone had a chance to have the same experience, because it is a very valuable one. 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. 31, 1984. D
ACS constitution amendments certified At its meeting on Aug. 31, 1983, the council voted by the necessary majority to amend the following article of the constitution: Article XIV, Sec. 3 and Sec. 4— Effective Oct. 31,1983 (Change in Date for Allocation of Dues). Ratification by members: 26,031 in favor; 2032 opposed; 569 blank Ballots, accompanied by the precise wording of the foregoing amendment, were mailed to the members of the American Chemical Society on Sept. 23,1983. On Oct. 31, the votes were tallied. As indicated by the ratification vote counts given for the amendment, more than two thirds of those voting favored the amendment, which became effective on the date shown above. I certify that the above described amendment to the ACS constitution has been adopted in accordance with established provisions for making such amendments, and hereby join the other tellers, Elliot S. Pierce and C. Marvin Lang, in communicating the results of the vote to the president and members of the American Chemical Society. John K Crum ACS executive director November 21, 1983 C&EN
45
ACS News
Guide to local section meetings in December For further information about any of the following events, call the local contacts at the telephone numbers given. Contact
Meeting city
Meeting site
Speaker
Local section
Date (Dec.)/time
Affiliation
Topic
Telephone No.
Akron, Ohio Akron
Holiday Inn East 8/5:00 PM
Les Cross Les Cross & Associates
Career Development
J. Fieldhouse (216)379-6372
Baltimore Maryland
Notre Dame C 14/6:30 PM
Lawrence Grossman Johns Hopkins
The Work of Shih-Yi-Wang
L. Cheong (301)355-3600, Ext. 208
Cincinnati Cincinnati
Xavier U 12/6:00 PM
Dave Stephan EPA
Handling of Toxic Waste
D. McLoughlin (513)745-3000
Corpus Christi, Tex. South Texas
People's St., T-Head 9/7:00 PM
Flagship Cruise of Corpus Christi Bay
DeKalb, III. Rock River
Winged Steer 8/7:00 PM
Jack Williams Argonne National Lab
Organic Superconductors
R. Rogers (815)753-1131
Enfield, Conn. Connecticut Valley
Harley Hotel 6/8:00 PM
James Knox U of Connecticut
Drug:Enzyme Structure Studies by X-Rays
R. Moyer (203)527-3151, Ext. 328
Glenside, Pa. Philadelphia
Beaver C 15/8:15 PM
Forrest Carter Naval Research Lab
Molecular Electronic Device Computers
S. Golden (215)382-1589
Kingsport, Tenn. Northeast Tennessee
Kingsport 13/8:00 PM
David Shriner Oak Ridge National Labs
Acid Precipitation
D. Reames (615)239-5524
Littleton, Colo. Colorado
Marathon Oil Co. 8/7:00 PM
Susan DiPrima Hewlett Packard
New Dimensions in LC
S. Hoffner (303) 794-2601
Los Angeles Southern California
California State U 14/5:30 PM
J. Ernest Simpson California State Polytechnic U
Wine Evaluation and Research
Section office (213) 749-4670
K. Davenport (512)241-2343 Ext. 4162
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