ACS
Two Named to Biochemistry Board of Associate Editors
N EWS
Rate of Society Resignations Goes Down Percentage declines from 2.02% in 1960 to 1.31% in 1964; few who resign cite dissatisfaction with ACS policies, activities, or publications As ACS membership continues to climb—it passed the 100,000 mark in April—the rate of resignations from the Society has declined, according to a report from the staff Division of Membership Activities. Only 1305 members (1.31%) in good standing submitted resignations last year as against 2049 (2.02%) four years ago. Since 1961 the rate of resignations has remained constant at about 1.6% a year. Resignations account for about half of the total membership loss for a given year. Deaths and nonpayment of dues make up the rest. Almost half of those resigning gave no explanation for their action. The others expressed a wide variety of reasons for terminating their membership. Few, however, offered strong criticism of ACS, its publications, or policies. About 1% indicated that they found affiliation with other organizations more beneficial, but less than 2% said they did not consider ACS membership worthwhile. Only a scattered few cited objections to Society policies and activities.
number of women members of the Society. Among those resigning at the end of 1964 were 136 foreign members, 19 Canadian members, 20 who were planning to leave the United States, and 12 who were going into military service. The report reveals that the highest percentage of resignations came from relatively new members of the Society. For example, persons joining ACS in 1962 and 1963 account for about 17% of the total, and those who became members in 1960 and 1961 make up about 13%. The low number of resignations from those who have been members of the Society for more than five years clearly indicates that a chemist is more likely to retain his membership as the length of association with the Society increases. The report also shows a breakdown of the 1964 resignations based on the ACS local section membership statistics. A total of 17 sections lost no members as the result of resignations.
ACS Resignations 1961-65 Total Membership as of Dec. SI 1960—92,193 1961—93,637 1962—95,210 1963—96,749 1964—99,475
Resignations Effective 1/1/61—2049 1/1/62—1590 1/1/63—1487 1/1/64—1523 1/1/65—1305
ACS members who have retired from active practice in the chemical profession form the largest group of those resigning, 9.2% (120). Members whose work is no longer related to chemistry or chemical engineering make up the next largest group, 8.8% (115). About 6.4% (84) consisted of students who dropped their membership because of financial pressures or other factors. The domestic responsibilities brought on by marriage accounted for the resignations of a 48
C&EN
JULY
5,
1965
% of Members Resigning 2.02% 1.60 1.56 1.57 1.31
Four of these sections—Corning, Northeastern Ohio, Portland, and Upper Ohio Valley—are in the medium-small category (200 to 500 members) and the rest are classed as small sections (fewer than 200). Among the large sections (more than 1000), Connecticut Valley had the lowest percentage of resignations, 0.6% (seven members), and East Tennessee and Midland, with 0.4% (three and four members, respectively) were low for the medium-large sections (500 to 1000).
Nobel Laureate Fritz A. Lipmann, member and professor at Rockefeller Institute, and Dr. David K. Fukushima, senior investigator at the Institute for Steroid Research, Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center (New York City), have been named to the board of associate editors of Biochemistry.
Lipmann
Fukushima
Dr. Lipmann, winner of the 1953 Nobel Prize in medicine and physiology for his discovery of coenzyme A, received an M.D. in 1922 and a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1927 from the University of Berlin. He came to the U.S. in 1939 to join the staff at Cornell University Medical College. Dr. Lipmann was with Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School from 1941 until 1957 when he became professor at Rockefeller Institute. Dr. Fukushima, a native of California, received a B.A. in 1939 from Whittier College, an M.A. in 1943 from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Ph.D. in 1946 from the University of Rochester. He was on the staff of Sloan-Kettering Institute, 1947-63, and a faculty member of the Sloan-Kettering division of Cornell University Medical College, 1952-63. He joined Montefiore Hospital and Medical Center in 1963.
New Local Section Officers CENTRAL
MASSACHUSETTS.
Dr.
Edward N. Trachtenberg, associate professor of chemistry at Clark University, is the new chairman of the Central Massachusetts Section. Serving with him are Dr. Neal L. McNiven, chairman-elect; Dr. Roscoe A. Pike secretary; and Dr. Robert C. Plumb, treasurer.
