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n e w s o f tH^^ÊÊÊÊÊBÊ CFCs in developing countries declined from 1995 to 1996. For example, after six years of rising consumption, China de creased consumption by more than 20%. However, 13 parties have never reported any data under the protocol, and 14 par ties increased CFC consumption over the past three years, he said. Jim Vallette, director of the Internation al Trade Information Service, a nongovern mental organization based in Bangor, Maine, says the simple and only perma nent solution to the CFC problem is "to just stop making CFCs everywhere." Smugglers are adept at avoiding any licens ing requirements for CFC shipments that governments create, he says. In the same vein, Klaus Tôpfer, executive director of the UN Environment Program, warned delegates that only 20% of the world's population—the industrialized world—"has given up its addiction to CFCs. The remaining 80% will have to start soon and complete their task if the recovery of the ozone is to be assured." Bette Hileman
U.S. student places second in Chemistry Olympiad The 30th International Chemistry Olympiad drew 191 top high school chemistry students from 49 nations to compete from July 5 to 13 in Melbourne, Australia. They took two five-hour exams, one covering chemistry theory and the other a laboratory practical. In terms of individual students' results, China's Mingzhao Liu earned a first-place finish, followed by Tom Snyder of the U.S. and Mario Tagliazucchi of Argentina. The U.S. team's Snyder and Ian Baker, who ranked in sixth place, each won gold medals, which are awarded to the top 10% of competitors. Fellow teammate Alex Ioannidis (30th place) won a silver medal, and Wei Ho (86th place) won a bronze medal. Snyder, who has just graduated from Amherst Central High School, Amherst, N.Y., will attend California Institute of Technology this fall. He is currently working on a summer undergraduate research project there. Baker, who graduated from the McCallie School, Hixson, Term., and is a veteran of last year's Olympiad, will be going to Stanford University. Ioannidis will be a senior at Bel Air High School, Bel Air, Md., in the coming academic year, and Ho will be 14 JULY 20, 1998 C&EN
a senior at New Berlin West High School, New Berlin, Wis. On the basis of medal count, Hungary's team won the top overall spot with three gold medals and a bronze medal. Singapore and South Korea followed, with two gold medals and two silver medals each, and Russia and Argentina matched the U.S. performance with two gold medals, a silver medal, and a bronze medal. Last year, the U.S. team tied for fifth place in the International Chemistry Olympiad, with a gold, two silvers, and a bronze medal, and Germany's team tookfirstplace, with three golds and a bronze medal. The U.S. team is sponsored by the American Chemical Society, funded principally by the ACS Othmer Olympiad En-
dowment, as well as by the U.S. Air Force Academy, IBM Research, Merck Publishing Group, and Texas Instruments. Other scholarly competitions for high school students have taken place this month. The 29th International Physics Olympiad ran from July 2 to 10 in Reykjavik, Iceland. The exam included both a theoretical and practical component and drew 266 competitors from 56 countries. China earned five of the 11 gold medals awarded, and Russia won three gold medals and two of the 15 silver medals presented. Thefive-memberU.S. team garnered a bronze and a silver medal. The 39th International Mathematics Olympiad is being hosted in Taipei, Taiwan,fromJuly 10 to 21. Sophie Wilkinson
Ralph Lauren donates $13 million for historic preservation Clothing magnate Ralph Lauren received applause from President Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton for his $10 million contribution to pay for conservation of the Star Spangled Banner in Washington, D.C. Theflagwasflownat Fort McHenry during the British bombardment on Sept 13 and 14, 1814. Now housed at the Smithso^ ^ ^ ^ • S K B I ' WMSÊËËÈÊÈÊ Ι^ΒΒΓΤΤΙ^" ΊιΡΒΙ nian Institution, it will be dry-cleaned with a combination of solvents to be determined by conservators. A new fire suppres sion system using FM
200 gas will also be installed in the museum's flag exhibition hall. In the event of fire, museum visitors would not have to be evacuated be fore the release of FM 200, says a museum conservator. The gas can extinguish fire at lower concentra tions than, for example, halon gas, which is used in some nonpublic areas of the museum. Lauren gave another $3 million for a public awareness campaign by the Millennium CommitteetoSave Amer ica's Treasures. Another of those trea sures is the laboratory complex of Thomas Edison, including a chemis try laboratory, in West Orange, N.J. Edison's lab notes and letters are at serious risk of deterioration. The Save America's Treasures pro gram—a public-private partnership proposed in Clinton's State of the Union Ad dress—will provide money for the most important preservation projects identified by the states. William Schulz
