Editor's Page Reflections on Kansas City Last week's national ACS meeting in Kansas City was, as is usual for such gatherings, a healthy and lively mixture of democracy in action, hard science, and informal interaction between scientific colleagues. Attendance probably exceeded the expected 6000, not too bad in view of these hard economic times, restricted travel budgets, and the fact that Kansas City lacks some of the allure of the likes of New York City, San Francisco, and New Orleans as a gathering place. Probably more than 400 of the members attending were involved in governance functions of ACS at the national level, some of them for as many as four days before the scientific program opened. The issues addressed were innumerable and complex. In terms of sheer size, ACS has become quite a major operation with an annual budget approaching $100 million. The scientific topics explored in Kansas City also were innumerable and complex. Some 2400 papers were presented at technical sessions organized by 29 ACS divisions and five of the society's committees. Scientists ranging from Nobel Laureates to freshman investigators had the opportunity to present their latest findings or review their fields. As part of the dues mailing this fall ACS members will be asked to respond to the question: Should the society hold only one national meeting a year with increased emphasis being placed on regional meetings? Such a change would break the society's long tradition of two national meetings per year. Arguments on both sides of this issue were presented in the Sept. 13 issue of C&EN, page 4 1 . The result of this poll will be nonbinding. But it certainly will be a factor in the debate and in any decision to experiment with a one-meeting format. Of course, the roughly 15,000 to 20,000 attendees at the two national meetings each year in recent times have been voting in the most tangible way on this matter and on the usefulness of these meetings. To an observer, ACS national meetings represent a microcosm of the chemical profession. The massive technical programs reflect the vitality of the science itself. The intense governance activity reflects chemists' concern with the inner workings of the profession. But one can ask: Do the limited opportunities presented at such meetings for all attendees to gather as a body to discuss broader science-based societal and public issues reflect a true lack of concern for such issues on the part of chemists? At Kansas City, however, one of the smaller groups exposed to such reflection was the women chemists' luncheon. The speaker was Anna J. Harrison, who in 1978 was the first woman president of ACS and who next year will become president of the American Association of the Advancement of Science. As is her wont, she took the opportunity to be provocative and to raise some deep questions for chemists and for chemistry. As a person who much prefers to look forward and not backward, she reflected only briefly on the early days of her career that were at a time when chemistry department chairmen could boast proudly that their departments had never had a woman chemist—and never would. In her opinion what men have done in chemistry is not necessarily the goal for women. Rather for all chemists, both men and women, the focus should be the development of the full potential of the chemical profession. And she sees women as full partners in this development—a development that is inextricably entwined with broader social and public issues. As she asked, "Are chemists to be the paid helpers in investigation or are they to provide leadership in the role of the chemical profession in handling related societal problems?" As she sees it, such problems are exceedingly complex. Almost every technological innovation has some negative impact. Such impacts often are delayed. Also, they can affect groups clearly different from those that receive the benefits. Maybe paraphrasing her a little, Harrison seems to see chemistry at something of a crossroads. It can define its future directions as unlimited as the key discipline in a host of areas ranging from astronomy to oceanography. Or it can define itself too narrowly and disappear as an influential factor in society. These are indeed provocative thoughts. They deserve wide attention, especially by the chemical profession. Michael Heylin Editor
Views expressed on this page are those of the author only and not necessarily those of ACS
Sept. 20, 1982 C&EN
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