NEWS
Summer Research in Analytical Chemistry Students and faculty members at non-Ph.D.-granting institutions are encouraged to participate in summer research at the University of Kansas and the University of Pittsburgh The Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program of the National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced continued support in 1987 for summer research activities for undergraduate students and faculty, with new awards this year going to the University of Kansas and the University of Pittsburgh. Last year's grants under this program provided funding to bring undergraduate students and faculty members to the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for summer research. NSF program director for Analytical and Surface Chemistry Henry N. Blount explains that "the thrust of the program is to help attract the best and brightest minds into careers in chemistry and as professional analytical chemists." A number of innovative concepts have been incorporated into these activities: • They provide support to bring students and faculty from predominantly non-Ph.D.-granting institutions into environments with strong analytical chemistry components. The emphasis on non-Ph.D.-granting institution participants is based on the fact that, in most cases, undergraduates at Ph.D.-granting schools frequently have opportunities to participate in state-of-the-art analytical chemistry research at their home institutions. According to Blount, this aspect of the program is important because "a significant fraction of our Ph.D.s in chemistry come from undergraduate degree programs in non-Ph.D.-granting institutions." • Another important aspect of the program is the provision of funding for guest faculty as well as students from non-Ph.D.-granting institutions. The purpose behind the participation of guest faculty members, as Blount puts it, "is to help build the chemical infrastructure in the smallcollege environment." • The programs include twice-weekly advanced seminars that provide comprehensive tutorial overviews on topics relevant to modern chemical analysis. • Each of the four programs supported to date has included interactions with local research institutions: the University of Tennessee with Oak Ridge National Laboratory; the University of North Carolina with Research Triangle Institute; the University of Kansas with the Center for Bioanalytical Research; and the University of Pittsburgh with a group of local companies that have a strong analytical chemistry program. "The nice thing about the interactive component," explains Blount, "is that it gives the participants exposure not only to the academic environment of the host institution, but also to real-world
chemistry in other basic and applied environments." Undergraduate students and faculty interested in participating in this year's analytical chemistry summer activities are encouraged to request application forms by phone from the program coordinators, Ted Kuwana at the University of Kansas (913-864-3096) and Stephen Weber at the University of Pittsburgh (412-624-8520). The deadline for receipt of completed applications at both institutions is March 5. According to Blount, "The support that the summer research program has received reflects a forward-looking posture on the part of the analytical chemistry community in this country that acknowledges, 'Yes, we know we have a manpower problem and yes, we're willing to make tough trade-offs to help address that problem.' " In addition to this activity, NSF recently announced the Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program. The REU program differs from the chemical analysis activity in a number of ways: It involves research not only in analytical, but in all areas of chemistry; it provides funding for undergraduate students but not for undergraduate faculty members; and it is not restricted to small-school (nonPh.D.-granting institution) participants. REU funding in chemistry will be about $600,000 in 1987 and is expected to grow in future years. NSF's REU coordinator for chemistry is William C. Harris (202-357-9826).
Sharon Boots Appointed Managing Editor Sharon G. Boots has been named managing editor of ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY effective January 12, 1987. Boots comes to the American Chemical Society from the American Pharmaceutical Association, where she has been editor of the Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences for the last 4 years. She received a B.A. degree in chemistry in 1960 from the University of Wisconsin and earned a Ph.D. degree in organic chemistry from Stanford University in 1963. She spent a postdoctoral year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1964. She has held research positions at Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin, Virginia Commonwealth University— Medical College of Virginia in Richmond, the American Tobacco Company, and Midwest Research Institute. Boots has more than 30 research publications to her credit as well as contributions of chapters to books. She is a member of ACS, Phi Beta Kappa, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Council of Biology Editors.
ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY, VOL. 59, NO. 3, FEBRUARY 1, 1987 · 293 A
