ACS NEWS
OFFICIAL REPORTS FROM THE JUNE BOARD MEETING Major actions taken by the ACS Board of Directors during itsJune meeting in Elkridge, Md., were reported in C&EN,June 16, page 40. GRANTS & AWARDS T h e Board Committee on Grants & Awards (G&A) voted to accept the recommendations of the American Chemical Society-Petroleum Research Fund (ACSPRF) Advisory Board for funding grants totaling more than $8.5 million. G&A also voted to accept the recommendation of the ACS-PRF Advisory Board approving a new policy that principal investigators may have only one Type AC grant application considered in a 12-month period. The committee received an interim report on the activities of the Subcommittee on Endowed Awards. G&Areviewed nomination data for the 2 0 0 4 ACS national awards. The total number ofnominations is 925; this figure includes three biennial awards and one triennial award. This represents a 20% increase in the number of nominations over one year. The data reflect a 4 2 % increase in the number of women nominees and a 79% increase in the number ofnominees from industry over one year. Contact Lawrence Funke at l_funke@ acs.org for more information about the ACS-PRF Program or Michael Shea at
[email protected] for more information concerning the ACS National Awards Program.-STANLEY C. ISRAEL, CHAIR PROFESSIONAL & MEMBER RELATIONS The Committee on Professional & Member Relations (P&MR) was briefed on several meetings to develop plans to advance the B.S. and M.S. chemical scientists' professional and economic interests and stature. A meeting with appropriate ACS governance groups to discuss current admissions requirements and their impact on the society's ability to attract and retain B.S. and M.S. chemical scientists as well as other interdisciplinary groups is scheduled for June. The committee plans to create an inventory of the society's offerings for B.S. and M.S. chemical professionals and will utilize the expertise of pertinent ACS governance groups including council committees and technical divisions to develop the document. In addition, the committee will review the current offerings on chemistryorg to accomplish this goal. 60
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To facilitate communication among P&MR and other ACS governance groups, the committee plans to meet with the ACS standing committees of the council at the September 2003 fall national meeting. The purpose of this session is to develop an understanding of each committee's future direction and where P&MR may be able to assist them to achieve their desired goals. The committee heard a briefing on ACS Development Office activities. The majority of fund-raising activities are supported by extensive volunteer efforts and coordinated by internal staff. The Matching Gift: Fund program serves as a critical incentive for successful fund-raising efforts. Donations of $3,000 to $100,000 are matched one ACS dollar for every two dollars donated, up to a total of $500,000 ACS dollars. Many ACS programs, such as World Reach Fund [a program that supports Project Bookshare], National Chemistry Week, Teacher Training, Landmarks, PROGRESS, and so forth, are eligible, in addition to the popular Project SEED and Scholars programs. The committee voted to recommend that the ACS Board of Directors establish agoal of increasing membership by 15,000, exclusive ofacquisitions, over the next three years, beginning Jan. 1, 2004. The board subsequently postponed this motion. The committee agreed to invite representatives from Chemical Abstracts Service; the Publications, Education, and Membership Divisions; the Office of Legislative & Government Affairs; and the Office of Communications as well as chemistryorg to its September 2 0 0 3 meeting to discuss the concept of branding all ACS products and services with the name American Chemical Society and the society's insignia. The committee's attention was drawn to the most recent membership statistics. As of April 30, the total membership was 155,701 and is almost 2 , 0 0 0 members greater than last year at the same time. The number of student members is more than 1,200 greater than last year at the same time. The number of unpaid members is more than 500 fewer than last year at the same time.-ANNE T. O'BRIEN, CHAIR PUBLIC AFFAIRS & PUBLIC RELATIONS The Committee on Public Affairs & Public Relations voted to approve a statement
on national energy legislation being considered by the U.S. Senate. Consistent with the House and Senate energy bills, the letter supports robust authorizations for the Department of Energy's Office of Science over five years. The statement also supports Senate provisions to increase funding for catalysis research in the Office of Science and to establish a new undersecretary of energy and science position at D O E to improve the profile and coordination of energy research. The board of directors subsequently approved the statement. The committee considered a statement approved by the Committee on Economic & Professional Affairs (CEPA) to extend federal employment discrimination protection to cover sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity The committee discussed the statement's relationship to internal ACS policy, how it relates to recent legislation in Congress, and the availability of data to support arguments in the document. The committee voted to table the statement with a request that CEPA consider a shorter and simpler statement that tracks the legislation and provides stronger justification for congressional action. The committee also voted to approve a nomination from the National Historic Chemical Landmarks Committee to designate the advances in research on vitamin B at Merck Laboratories in Rahway, N.J. The landmark will likely be designated in 2004.-JAMES P. SH0FFNER, CHAIR
ACS Council Faces Light Agenda In New York
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H E N IT MEETS NEXT MONTH IN
New York City, the ACS Council will be briefed on society activities and hear reports from ACS officers and committee chairs. This meeting will be unusual, however, because the council will not be asked to vote on any petitions to change the society's constitution or bylaws. As is standard at fall ACS national meetings, the council will elect some members to the ACS Committee on Committees, the Council Policy Committee, and the Committee on Nominations & Elections. All ACS meeting attendees are invited to observe the council meeting, which will begin promptly at 8 AM on Wednesday, Sept. 10, in the Grand Ballroom of the Hilton New York. • HTTP://WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
