NEWS
Probing the Upper Atmosphere
Roland Frei—Chromatographer
The National Aerospace Plane, America's hypersonic plane now under development, will soar to altitudes far higher than those reached by current aircraft. In preparation, researchers from the U.S. Air Force and the Georgia Institute of Technology have successfully tested the largest light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system in the United States, capable of probing atmospheric conditions as high as 80 km above the Earth. This new LIDAR shoots an intense beam of laser light into the upper atmosphere, where it scatters and sends some of the photons back to the ground. The returning light is collected by a 100-in. collimator mirror and then analyzed. "We want to gather data that can be used to measure the density of the atmosphere over time," explained Allen Garrison, Georgia Tech's project director. "What we are looking for is atypical fluctuations, because these are important in designing any kind of aircraft or spacecraft." Data from LIDAR can detect the presence and density of various atmospheric particulates and aerosols. The information can also provide wind velocities, turbulence levels, and overall atmospheric densities. Future experiments will extend LIDAR's reach to altitudes of ~100 km.
Roland Frei, professor of analytical chemistry at the Free University of the Netherlands, died this past January from cancer. Frei was best known for his work developing various HPLC detectors and spectroscopic and electrochemical techniques for the trace analysis of organic pollutants and pharmaceutically active compounds. Prior to joining the Free University, Frei spent five years as the head of analytical research at Sandoz Ltd. in Basel, Switzerland.
Carnegie Commission Argues for Upgrading Presidential Science, Technology Advice A bipartisan group of scientists, former high-level government officials, and nongovernment leaders are urging President Bush to upgrade the science and technology advice available to him and members of the Executive Branch. The Carnegie Commission on Science, Technology, and Government has recommended the following: • upgrade the present position of Science Adviser to Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, with direct access to the President and the Cabinet • substantially increase the staff of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and provide enough resources to commission outside analytic studies and assessments of policy options • use the position of tbe Assistant to the President to identify the government's needs for technical expertise, as well as mobilize scientific and technological expertise outside the government to advise the President • appoint an outside panel of senior science and technology advisers who would report to the President through the Assistant These recommendations match views expressed by Bush during the presidential campaign. The commission also plans to assess over five years how the government turns scientific and technical advances into policy. Copies of the report, Science & Technology and the President, are available from the commission's offices at 10 Waverly Place, New York, NY 10003 (212-988-2150).
New ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY Staffer Felicia Wach has joined the staff of as an Editorial Assistant. She has responsibilities in the A-page section of the J O U R N A L and the peer review process for technical papers. Felicia comes to the JOURNAL from Versar, Inc., in Springfield, VA, where she worked as a GC analyst. She received a B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Maryland in 1980. ANALYTICAL C H E M I S T R Y
For Your Information Zymark Corporation recently announced the opening of the Zymark Learning Center, which offers courses and hands-on study in laboratory robotics and automation technology. For more information, contact Karl Sharicz, 68 Elm Street, Hopkinton, MA 01748 (508-435-9501). Thermodynamic values and physical properties for more than 250 key industrial chemicals have been added to the Design Institute for Physical Property Data (DIPPR) computerized database, increasing the number of pure chemicals surveyed to 1023. DIPPR contains information on 39 properties for each chemical, as well as estimates for the accuracy of and references for each value. For more information, contact the Office of Standard Reference Data, A323 Physics Bldg., National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (301-975-2208). A summary of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) 1988 analytical chemistry research is available free by writing to Analytical Chemistry, NIST, A309 Chemistry Bldg., Gaithersburg, MD 20899. The new NIST Calibration Services Users Guide 19891990 (SP 250) lists calibration services, test services, and measurement assurance programs available from NIST. Contact the Office of Physical Measurement Services, NIST, B362 Physics Bldg., Gaithersburg, MD 20899 (301975-2005). ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 6 1 , NO. 7, APRIL 1, 1989 · 467 A
