5:30 p.m.      Executive Committee Meeting - meet in CLC Ballroom

6:30 p.m.     Dinner and Poster Session:

7:30 p.m.     Lecture

Postage stamps are an inexpensive and effective way of communicating ideas and are often issued by governments or postal authorities to commemorate events and educate the general public on a variety of topics, ranging from history and geography to art and literature. A number of stamps have also been issued to celebrate scientific discoveries or to honor well-known scientists and can be used as simple yet powerful teaching tools in a classroom setting or to illustrate a technical presentation.
This talk will offer an overview of stamps and other philatelic materials (e.g., first day covers, maximum cards) related to chemistry. Depicted are not only famous chemists, including several Nobel Laureates, but also atoms and molecules, minerals, chemical formulas, the periodic table, glassware, and several items related to the chemical industry. Most people dealing with chemistry as a career, even those not taking stamp collecting formally as a hobby, will find this presentation attractive and inspirational.

After several years of negotiating with the ACS Committee on Constitution and Bylaws, our Local Section has finally won their approval for new bylaws. On February 19, 2004, during our regular meeting, the revisions as proposed were approved by the members present. The revised bylaws were certified on 4 March, 2004.

The name Edwin E. Slosson is probably not one that many of my readers will recognize. But in his time Slosson was the leading popularizer of science in the United States, and in many books and hundreds of articles helped give science a positive image in the public mind. When I came across a copy of Slosson?s ?Creative Chemistry? in a local thrift shop I felt I had to learn more about its author. The biographical material that follows is drawn from the Master?s Thesis of David J. Rhees which I found on the web-site of The National Museum of American History (The Smithsonian).

Slosson was born in Kansas in 1865, and after a European tour upon graduation from high school he enrolled at the University of Kansas where he earned a B.S. degree in 1890, and an M.S. in 1892. His studies were eclectic and included chemistry, physics, geology, and psychology. He was elected to both Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Xi. He then took a post as Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Wyoming. The pay was sufficient to allow him to marry May Preston, the first woman to earn a Ph. D. at Cornell University.

Slosson ran a one-person chemistry department at Wyoming for the next 13 years and spent his summers at the University of Chicago, working under the direction of Julius Stieglitz, a pioneer of physical organic chemistry. Slosson received his Ph.D. in 1902. During this period, doubtless in his copious free time, he began contributing articles to various journals, particularly the periodical ?The Independent? edited by Hamilton Holt. Slosson was offered the position of Literary Editor of this journal, gave up chemistry, and turned to full-time writing. Over the next seventeen years he helped expand the subscription base of ?The Independent? from a few thousand subscribers to over one hundred thousand. During this period Slosson himself wrote between 3000 and 6000 words a week for the periodical.

One of his most popular series of articles was on ?Great American Universities? and this was collected and published as a book in 1919. It is said that Woodrow Wilson especially admired the chapter on Princeton which was very critical of that institution. A further series on aspects of chemistry was collected and published in 1919 as ?Creative Chemistry.? The copy I have was published by Garden City Publishing Co., Inc., New York and is dedicated to Slosson?s first teacher [of chemistry?] Professor E. H. S. Bailey of the University of Kansas, and to his last teacher, Stieglitz. ?Creative Chemistry? became a best-seller and during the following decade sold over 200,000 copies.

Slosson became Editor at Science Service in 1920. In that same year, after the results from Eddington?s solar eclipse expedition testing Einstein?s theory of relativity became known, he wrote one of the first popular treatments of the theory: ?Easy Lessons in Einstein?. Slosson?s total output was prodigious. It included 18 books; and over 2000 signed articles of which over 400 were on science. He was the best known popularizer of science in the United States.

In 1929 Rollins College in Florida was about to appoint Slosson ?Professor of Things in General? when, unexpectedly, he died.

In my last column I discussed the career of Edwin E. Slosson, author of ?Creative Chemistry? published in 1919, and one of the most successful popular treatments of chemistry ever written. The book?s subtitle is significant ?Descriptive of Recent Achievements in the Chemical Industries.? The illustration facing the title page is interesting. It shows the ?burning of air? in a Birkeland-Eyde furnace at the Du Pont Plant. This now forgotten process for nitrogen fixation, long superseded by the Haber process, involved the passage of air through an electric arc when some of the nitrogen combines with oxygen to make nitric oxide. This can be readily oxidized to nitrogen dioxide which will then yield nitric acid. Slosson reports that these electric furnaces yield 50 to 80 grams of nitric acid per kilowatt hour.

The Chapter titles indicate clearly Slosson?s interests in the chemical industries. ?Nitrogen? enjoys a chapter of its own closely followed by ?Feeding the Soil?. ?Coal-tar Colors? is followed by ?Synthetic Perfumes and Flavors?. The chapter on ?Synthetic Plastics? gives us an insight into a field that was to blossom later. In 1919 the most widely used synthetic plastic was collodion, developed by John Wesley Hyatt as a material for billiard balls that could replace the expensive and increasingly rare ivory. As Slosson vividly puts it: ?The raising of elephants is not an industry that promises as quick returns as raising chickens or Belgian hares.? Collodion is made from a solution of nitrocellulose in ether and alcohol mixed with camphor. It was made by dozens of manufacturers, including Hyatt, under names like celluloid, xylonite, parkesine and many others, and fabricated into billiard balls, combs, boxes, napkin rings, buttons, and detachable shirt collars.

The other group of synthetic plastics are the condensation products, of which the most important is bakelite. I have told the story of Leo Baekeland and the develop-ment of bakelite in an earlier column and by 1919 it was being manufactured on a large scale and used to impregnate paper and cloth, to coat metal objects, to make pipestems and fountain pens, and to make ?noiseless? gears for cars and planes. Its major use was in the electrical industries as an insulator in motors, generators, and every kind of electrical equipment. Many other condensation products were being investigated and produced on a small scale in 1919 including ?condensite? produced from a chlorinated naphthol and formaldehyde by Jonas Walter Aylesworth, one of Edison?s associates, and used in making Edison phonograph records.

The impact of World War I, just concluded when ?Creative Chemistry? was pub-lished, is evident in many chapters in particular ?Nitrogen? and ?The Race for Rubber? It is with the latter that I will conclude. It was established in the mid- nineteenth century that natural rubber could be thermally cracked to isoprene. The accidental polymerization of isoprene to rubber was observed by Tilden at Man-chester in 1892 but he could never systematically reproduce the experiment. Finally W.H. Perkin?s group, also at Manchester (and he incidentally was the son of the Perkin who discovered Mauveine, the first synthetic dyestuff) found in July 1910 that metallic sodium could reproducibly initiate the polymerization of isoprene. The same discovery was made just a little later by Harries at the Bayer works in Ger-many, but the patent had already been filed in England. Both Britain and Germany wished to make synthetic rubber on a large scale to equip their armed forces for the coming war of 1914 – 1918. Both sides failed. The costs of the various routes to iso-prene were prohibitive. The British spent over $200,000 in two years on the Perkin polymerization but their incentive to manufacture synthetic rubber was less than that of the Germans. During the war the British blockade of the sea approaches to Ger-many made rubber a scarce and costly commodity and rubber was recycled in Germany during the war.

?Creative Chemistry? is breezily written and very readable. It reminds us that if we want to improve the public image of chemistry we need to find writers of the caliber of Edwin Slosson who can make the discoveries and innovations of our science come alive for the public.

October seems far away, but it and National Chemistry Week (NCW) will be here before we know it. Each year the American Chemical Society's NCW campaign reaches millions of people with positive messages about the contributions of chemistry to their daily lives. It is the one time during the year that chemists unite with the common goal of spreading the word that chemistry is good for our economy, our health, and our well-being. The celebration dates for 2006 are October 22 - 28 with the theme, "Your Home-It's All Built on Chemistry".

I have reserved a space in Westgate Mall in Spartanburg for a day of Chemistry hands-on activities and demonstrations. This will be the 4th year in a row that there have been groups of faculty and students from seven different Spartanburg area high schools and colleges participating in these activities for the general public at the mall. Last year we also had an industry group from Lubrizol doing demonstrations and we hope to have more industry participation this year, as well as more schools and colleges involved.

I will be at the September and October ACS local section meetings handing out National Chemistry Week publications for attendees to take home and distribute to their local schools.

Everyone is encouraged to get personally involved in National Chemistry Week by planning large or small outreach efforts and events at local schools, malls, libraries, community centers, etc. Please let me know about any plans that you might have in mind for your local area so that I can furnish you with publications, assist with ideas for demonstrations and hands-on activities, and help you with publicity. As NCW Coordinator for our Local Section I receive lots of information, sample press releases, etc. from the ACS National Chemistry Week office.

Please let me hear from you soon!!

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In 1999, the Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) presented a program in observance of the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Dr. Percy L. Julian, the eminent African American organic medicinal chemist. About that same time, the management team of NOVA, which produces award winning science and technology television films for PBS station WGBH in Boston, decided to produce biographies of four eminent, historically significant scientists. They immediately selected Einstein, Galileo and Madame Curie. Upon hearing about the CMA program scheduled for March 22, 1999, Steve Lyons and Llew Smith, NOVA producer/directors, made plans to be in Anaheim for the 217th ACS National Meeting. After attending also celebrations and additional observances at DePauw University, where Dr. Julian was honored with a National Historic Chemical Landmark for his physostigmine synthesis, and his hometown of Chicago sponsored by the Chicago Section, there was no doubt as to who would be the subject of the fourth film biography.

Dr. Julian's achievements are legendary. After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Vienna in 1931, he went on to synthesize the glaucoma drug physostigmine, serve as director of fine chemicals and food research for the Glidden Co., develop processes for the synthesis of steroid intermediates leading to cortisone and female hormones, and develop processes for the isolation from soybeans of pure soya protein, phosphatides and lecithin for use as food products.

The soya protein was requisitioned by the Navy for use in fighting fires aboard ships and planes, saving thousand of lives.. Dr. Julian left Glidden in 1954 to establish his own laboratory, which he sold to Smith, Kline and French in 1961 for $2.5M. Along with having consulting arrangements with several major pharmaceutical companies, he went on to establish another research laboratory which he headed until his death in 1975. Dr. Julian had more than 100 patents and 60 scholarly publications. He received 19 honorary doctorates and numerous other honors and awards. In 1998, he was recognized by Chemical and Engineering News as one of the "Top 75" Contributors to the Chemical Enterprise. He was honored by the U.S. Postal Service by the issuance of a commemorative stamp in the Black Heritage Series in 1993.

The film has now been made by NOVA/WGBH, with some critical and timely support from the American Chemical Society. In a very real sense, we will come full circle when we gather in San Francisco at the 232nd ACS National Meeting to celebrate the making and showing of the film, titled ?Forgotten Genius.? There will be a full day symposium, "Dr. Percy L. Julian: Scientist, Humanist, Educator, Entrepreneur, and Inspirational Trailblazer," which will conclude with 30 minutes of film excerpts. The film is scheduled to be shown nationally on Public Television on February 6, 2007. The symposium is a Presidential Event, sponsored by the Committee on Minority Affairs, with significant collaboration with the Board Task Force on Percy Julian, and numerous cosponsors. The symposium is scheduled for Monday, September 11, beginning at 8:30 am. All are invited to join in. See C&EN and chemistry.org for further important details as to location and related events.

Jim Shoffner, Chair, Percy Julian Symposium Committee

Linette Watkins, Chair, Committee on Minority Affairs

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Will your department be hiring new faculty this year? If so, plan to attend the Academic Employment Initiative (AEI) at the SciMix poster session at the ACS National Meeting, Monday evening, September 11, from 8-10 PM at the Moscone Convention Center -- Hall D in San Francisco, CA. This is the third year of the AEI, an ACS presidential program designed to support the academic hiring process by making it easier for departmental representatives to meet and interact informally with candidates.

Candidates seeking faculty positions will use the AEI Poster Session at SciMix to present posters about their current research, expanding on their research interests, teaching philosophy, and experience. Faculty recruiters are invited to take advantage of this opportunity to meet as many candidates as possible.

Brief biographical sketches of each of this year?s candidates will be available at www.chemistry.org/aei.html. Further information can be found at that website or by writing to GradEd@acs.org.

This event is cosponsored by PRES, CWD, CHED, CEPA, CMA, SOCED, WCC, PROF, and CPT. It is organized by the ACS Office of Graduate Education and ACS Department of Career Management and Development.

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ACS local sections will be recognized at the fall ACS National Meeting for their many outstanding programs and activities held in 2005. The ChemLuminary Awards, a yearly event, is scheduled for Tuesday, September 12, 2006, at the San Francisco Marriott Hotel. The poster session will be in Salon 8 from 8:00-8:45 p.m., and the award celebration follows in Salon 9 at 9:00 p.m. Music and dancing will begin at approximately 10:00 p.m. Mark you calendars to attend and support the many ACS member volunteers.

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A podcast of the April 20, 2006, teleconference on local section Best Practices is now available on demand at http://chemistry.org/localsections. Click on "Teleconference Series" under "Select an Electronic Resource." A text transcript of the hour-long conversation can be found at the same site by clicking on "Teleconference Series (tex transcript)."

Ideas to Enhance Local Section National Chemistry Week (NCW) Celebrations, the teleconference held July 13, will also be podcast and should be available on the Office of Local Section Activities webpage (see link above) before the San Francisco ACS National Meeting.

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The American Chemical Society Awards Program is one of the means by which the Society meets its obligation ?to encourage...the advancement of chemistry in all its branches, the promotion of research in chemical science and industry, [and] the improvement of the qualifications and usefulness of chemists.? The continuing excellence of the ACS awards program requires that a number of highly qualified chemistry professionals be nominated and that great care be taken in preparing the nominations.

Note that starting with this award cycle, the timeframe and deadline for submitting nominations has changed. The deadline for receiving nominations for the 2008 ACS Awards is November 1, 2006.

Nominating Procedure for ACS National Awards

You are invited to serve as a volunteer along with members of the ACS Board Directors as they work to spruce-up several areas in the Bay area. We are looking for at least 300 volunteers to serve in this capacity on Saturday, September 9, 2006. Locations and times will vary. For additional details, read the C&EN [June 26, 2006] ACS Comment by ACS District VI Director, Dr. Bonnie A. Charpentier, at http://pubs.acs.org/cen/acsnews/84/8426comment.html.

Co-sponsored by the ACS Board of Directors, the Santa Clara Valley and California Local Sections, and the ACS Committee on Community Activities

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Consult the DGRweb, which is the searchable, online version of the ACS Directory of Graduate Research, now available at http://chemistry.org/education/DGRweb and is free of charge The ACS Directory of Graduate Research is the most comprehensive source of information on chemical research and researchers at universities in the U.S. and Canada. Using this online directory, one may search for both faculty and institutions. Search for faculty includes specific research area, academic rank, gender, and state, and the search results produce complete contact information for faculty including direct links to faculty email addresses and web pages. Institutional searches provide all departmental contact information along with statistical data on the number of faculty and students in the department and a complete list of faculty active in graduate research. DGRweb 2005 also includes access to the complete 1999, 2001, and 2003 databases.

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Jeff Seeman and Vicki Bragin once again team up in their celebration of fine music and special chemistry. As they did at the Washington, DC National meeting in 2005, HIST and the CHF are sponsoring a concert which will take place during the San Francisco ACS National meeting. Bragin, the winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs in 2002, will once again perform her piano magic. Also featured will be members of the chamber music program at Caltech. The musicians are, from left to right: June Wicks, violin; John Keith, cello; Victor Kam, piano; Christina Vizcarra, viola; and Shelley Chang, violin (all of whom are either chemistry undergraduate or graduate students at Caltech).

This concert is free.

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They are called "technicians," "analysts," "operators," "scientists," and more, and there are over 440,000 of them in the United States. They are chemical technicians. Technicians make up over 20% of the scientific workforce, enabling industry to get work done. This fall, the Division of Chemical Technician (TECH) will host a Presidential Event. This Event will be the kick-off for an initiative to enable technicians, educators, employers, students, and colleagues of technicians to have a direct impact the educational and career development of these chemical professionals.

Equipping the 2015 Chemical Technology Workforce is a collaborative ACS initiative. It will kick off with a day-long Presidential Event on 12 September 2006 at the ACS National Meeting in San Francisco. The Event will focus on how industry, academia, and workforce and professional organizations can coordinate their efforts to ensure the 2015 technical workforce will meet the challenges facing them.

Because collaboration among a wide range of organizations will play a major role in the success of the initiative, it is a great opportunity for new people to get involved.

Local section members are encouraged to participate in the event, as well as support attendees and facilitate the implementation of programs based on the symposium. Mentors from TECH and the Committee on Technician Affairs (CTA) will be available for consultation before, during, and after the National Meeting.

To get more information, suggest a discussion point, or request a mentor, contact Lisa Dillard (TECH program chair, 423-229-5430, ldillard@eastman.com) or Blake Aronson (ACS CTA Staff Liaison, 202-872-6108, b_aronson@acs.org), or visit www.ChemTechLinks.org.

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The event is largely funded by a grant from the Committee on Corporation Associates (CA), with support from its member companies. A complete list of member companies can be found at www.chemistry.org/industry/ca. Additional funding is provided by the Office of the ACS President, TECH, CTA, CEN-ChemJobs, and ChemTechLinks.

The Equipping the 2015 Chemical Technology Workforce symposium is sponsored by TECH and co-sponsored by CTA, CA, the Office of the ACS President, the Division of Chemical Education, Division of Business Development and Management, the Division of Professional Relations, the Division of Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, the Society Committee on Education, the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs, and the Committee on Science.

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The High School office at ACS is interested in hearing from high school chemistry departments that might be interested in sponsoring ACS-Sponsored High School Chemistry Club. We would also like to speak to any local section members interested in helping an area high school establish an ACS-Sponsored High School Chemistry Club. Want to learn more? We would enjoy hearing from you at education@acs.org.

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A dynamic program is planned for the Silver Circle & Retiree Breakfast at the ACS National Meeting in San Francisco on Tuesday, September 12, 7:30 a.m.-9:00 a.m., at the Hilton San Francisco Hotel, Yosemite B.

The guest speaker, Dr. Mike Burns, Chief Technology Officer, YourEncore, Inc.*, will talk on "The Role of Retired Scientists and Engineers in Open Innovation". Chemical Abstract Services (CAS) will provide an update on the past 100 years at the world"s largest collection of chemical and related scientific information for the research community. Following will be an opportunity to share program ideas for the retired chemist and highlight what some local sections are doing to utilize this growing number of ACS members. Ticketed event: $10.00

*YourEncore, Inc. is a unique technical services provider that recruits and manages a network of recently-retired and highly-experienced scientists, engineers and product development specialists.

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In early March 1896 Henri Becquerel made one of those seminal discoveries that change the whole face of science -- and of society. It was, to some degree, a serendipitous discovery, but Becquerel had the background, training, and genius to appreciate its significance, and he became the first investigator in a completely new area of science.

Henri Becquerel was born on December 15, 1852, into a distinguished family of scientists. His grandfather, Antoine Cesar Becquerel, was a pioneer student of electrical phenomena early in the nineteenth century, making important contributions to piezoelectricity, thermo-electricity, conductivity, and primary cells. Henri's father, Edmond Becquerel, became, at the age of 18, assistant to Antoine, and devoted his career to studies of both electricity and light. He was among the first to record, by photography, ultraviolet spectra -- in 1842!-- and devised a color photography system. He was a major investigator of phosphorescence phenomena, and this undoubtedly had its influence on his son's major discovery. In 1852, when Henri was born, his father Edmond had succeeded his father, Antoine, as Professor at the National Museum of Natural History in Paris.

So Henri grew up in the environs of a laboratory, and with his heritage he was predestined for a career in science. He studied at the Polytechnic School in Paris, and then studied engineering for three years, while serving in the Army Corps of Bridges and Roads. He became a Demonstrator at the Polytechnic School in 1875, and later, in 1895, became Professor at that School. In 1878, after his grandfather Antoine died, Henri took the position of Assistant at the museum where his father was Professor. Henri succeeded him in 1892. Henri was elected to the Academy of Sciences in 1889.

Henri Becquerel's first researches were on the Faraday effect, the interaction between light and magnetic fields. He established the effect in gases, and worked on empirical and theoretical relationships between field strength and the magnitude of the effect. He then started a more general study of magnetic phenomena in metals and gases. He also was an early student of infrared spectra, examining such spectra of the sun, metal vapors, water, and compounds of the lanthanide elements ( the "rare earths"). In the early 1890's he returned to one of his father's themes, studying in more detail the phosphorescence of uranium salts, including some striking new observations of phosphorescence produced when certain minerals are heated.

In late 1895 Wilhelm Roentgen, Professor at Wurzburg, startled the scientific community with his announcement of the discovery of X-rays. The remarkable properties of this new form of radiation, including its ability to penetrate materials quite opaque to visible light, set off a flood of new investigative work. Henri Poincare showed some of Roentgen's radiographs at a meeting of the Academy of Sciences in Paris in January 1896, and Becquerel was most interested in a reply to one of his questions, that the source of the X-rays might be the luminous spot on the wall of the cathode ray tube. Perhaps there was a connection between phosphorescence and X-rays? Becquerel told Poincare that he would begin some experiments to test this idea.

On February 24, 1896, Becquerel described some initial experiments at a meeting of the Academy of Sciences, but the results were inconclusive. He then began new experiments using, as his phosphorescent material, potassium uranium sulphate, a salt which has a very strong phosphorescence. He placed the crystalline material on photographic plates wrapped in black paper, and put the assemblage in sunlight to excite the phosphorescence of the salt. After a few hours exposure he developed the plates and saw a faint impression of the crystals which had somehow penetrated the black paper. He seemed to be on the right track. More experiments were planned in late February, and the plates with attached crystals were made up -- but the weather did not cooperate. The sun refused to shine, which is really not surprising for late February in Paris. Becquerel put the prepared plates away in a drawer for a few days and then, as a good scientist should, decided to treat these plates as controls. On March 1, 1896 he developed the plates expecting to find only very weak impressions. To his surprise the impressions were extremely strong; whatever was producing them was continuing to act in the dark of a laboratory drawer. Phosphorescence clearly had nothing to do with the phenomena Becquerel had observed. He had discovered a new kind of radiation which had no obvious excitational cause. He soon established that the new radiation was to be found in every uranium compound he examined, and he discovered a new detector for it. A charged gold-leaf electroscope was discharged by the action of this novel radiation -- but we might as well give it its recognized name. Becquerel had discovered radioactivity. His new electroscope detector was well-suited to quantitative measurements of the phenomenon. A young doctoral candidate at the School of Physics and Chemistry, Marie Sklodovska Curie, decided to follow up Becquerel's discoveries and use the electroscope to establish the fundamentals of radioactivity, with results that are surely well-known to all my readers.

Becquerel continued his studies on radioactivity in parallel with those of Marie Curie, who was later joined in her investigations by her husband, Pierre Curie. Becquerel and the Curies were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 for their work on radioactivity, work which led to a complete revolution in our understanding of the nature of matter, and to a range of new products and industries, both beneficial and deadly.

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In a previous column I discussed the history of the term "photon" as it is currently used, attributing it to G.N. Lewis in a 1926 publication. A well-informed reader, Dr. Rodney Brooks of Wanaka, New Zealand, a retired physicist who is writing a book on Quantum Field Theory, has drawn to my attention the need to correct and amplify that column. He points out that Max Planck, in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech delivered in 1920 (for the prize in physics for 1918), used the word "photon" in its modern sense five times. I believe that speech was delivered in German. It was translated into English and also published in English but I have not yet traced the dates of the earliest publications.

If I attach the proviso to my previous column that I was discussing the word "photon" as it appeared in English then the column stands as essentially correct. A re-reading of the full Oxford English Dictionary (OED) confirms the history of the word in English as I gave it.

That leaves us with two further puzzles. What is the origin of the German term "photon" that Planck used in 1920? Was it invented by Planck (the Nobel speech makes no mention of the word as a new term) or was it in general use in Germany at that time? Unfortunately the library sources I have at my disposal do not include a comprehensive dictionary of German on historical principles, a German analog of the OED. And was G.N. Lewis aware of Planck's use of the term, somehow omitting reference to its prior use?

If any perceptive readers can help me with answers on either of these points I would appreciate hearing from them.

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The Division of Chemical Health and Safety (DCHAS) of the American Chemical Society (ACS) has created the DCHAS Speakers Bureau. The goal of the DCHAS Speakers Bureau is to enhance public awareness of chemical health & safety by providing professional, qualified speakers for presentations on CH&S topics of interest to the scientific community.

Organizations interested in having presentations by DCHAS speakers should review information about topics and speakers available on the Division's website - http://membership.acs.org/c/chas/ .For more information, contact the committee chair, Jim Kaufman at jimkaufman@labsafety.org. The Speakers Bureau is made possible in part by an Innovative Project Fund Grant for Divisional Enhancement. The grant is provided by from the ACS Council Committee on Divisional Activities. Funds from the grant will help support speaker travel expenses.

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The American Chemical Society has identified four key Society programs as fundraising priorities. With a newly centralized development office, ACS raised $2.8 million in 2005 for these programs that focus on the future of chemistry. New gifts and pledges of more than $2 million were received by June 30, 2006, and the Society is optimistic about meeting the 2006 goal to raise $3 million to support this important work. ACS members are encouraged to consider helping to identify possible prospects for funding these programs, making a personal contribution or giving the gift of volunteer service.

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* Works with industry in identifying innovative science and technology that enhances competitiveness while protecting human health and the environment.

*Works with government, industry and academe to promote the development and implementation of sustainable science and technology across disciplines to avoidthe production of hazardous wastes.

* Trains teachers and students at workshops and summer schools on the principles and fundamental concepts of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering.

* Publishes curricula, lab manuals and text for faculty.

* Provides conferences, symposia, and educational forums to address global issues at the intersection of chemistry and the environment.

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* Provides scholarships and mentoring to African American, Hispanic and Native American undergraduate students majoring in the chemical sciences.

* Since 1995, more than 1,600 talented students with financial need have received funds for tuition, books and lab fees.

* Nearly 660 ACS Scholars have graduated with half bringing fresh talent to the workforce and half continuing in graduate school. To date, 26 Scholars have earned PhD degrees.

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* More than 400 economically disadvantaged high school students participate annually in this hands-on summer research experience that has served 8,000 students since its inception in 1968.

* Volunteer scientists-mentors work with students in laboratory settings on research projects for which the students will prepare a final report and present their results.

* In addition to earning stipends, students gain confidence in their ability to succeed academically, with over 80% choosing to continue their education in college.

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The 2007 SERMACS meeting will be held in beautiful downtown Greenville, SC. The meeting will take place in the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Wednesday, October 24 through Saturday, October 27, 2007.

Plenary Speaker: Richard N. Zare, Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University "The Chemistry of Propulsion".

Fuel Cells, Batteries and Capacitors, Steve Creager, Clemson University

Fluorine-containing Molecules and Polymers, Dennis Smith, Clemson University

NSF Broader Impacts: Panel Discussion and Successful Projects, Luis Echegoyen, Clemson University and Sibrina Collins, Claflin University

Crystal Engineering, Southern Style (Fried, Baked or Boiled), Alicia Beatty, Mississippi State University

Using Chemistry Education Research to Improve Teaching and Learning, Melanie Cooper, Clemson University

Photonic and Optoelectronic Materials, John Ballato, Clemson University

S and Se in the SE, Gregory Grant, University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and Daniel Rabinovich, University of North Carolina-Charlotte

Organometallics in the Southeast, Gregory Robinson, University of Georgia

Biological Applications of Nanotechnology, David Cliffel and David Wright, Vanderbilt University

Nucleic Acids: Structure and Interactions, Karen Buchmueller, Wake Forest University and David Wilson, Georgia State University

Special Analytical Awards Symposium, John Wheeler, Furman University

Modeling of Covalent Bonding Interactions, Steven Stuart, Clemson University and Donald Brenner, North Carolina State University.

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The Section is once again sponsoring the Chemistry Olympiad for high school students in the Western Carolinas. As an enticement, the highest scorer on the local test in each county will receive a $100 Savings Bond. Please help the Section by considering a donation to this worthy cause. (A $100 Savings Bond only costs $50! If this year is like past years, we will probably need 8 or 9 bonds.) Other details about the Olympiad: the local test will be given in mid-March, the top 10 students in the Section will then take a National ACS exam in April, the top students nationally are invited to the US Air Force Academy for two weeks of intensive training, then four students will be chosen to compete in Gyeongsan, Republic of Korea in July. Now that I am coordinating the local test effort, I can?t say enough kudos to Hal Leith for the many years he served in this capacity. I would also like to mention Mary (Chisholm) Scott, who has been instrumental this year in getting high school teacher information in the seven counties we serve in North Carolina, and thanks to John Kaup for agreeing to administer the National exam at Clemson. If you are interested in making a donation, please give the money to our treasurer (Julia Brumaghim), Herman Holt, or me. Thanks! --Chris Bender

Would you like to increase the pool of applicants to your graduate programs? Then register for the ACS graduate school recruiting breakfast and ice cream social for undergraduate chemistry students! The ice cream social will be held on Sunday, September 10, 2006 from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. and the breakfast will be held Monday, September 11, 2006, from 9:00–11:00 a.m. in San Francisco, CA as part of the 232nd ACS National Meeting.

The graduate school recruiting morning tea and breakfast offers:

* Representatives of schools the opportunity to meet qualified graduate school candidates.

* Students a chance to discuss their educational plans informally and intimately with faculty, staff, and students from participating institutions.

Registration ends August 8, 2006. For more information, contact Adam M. Boyd at 1-800-227-5558, ext. 6188 or email a_boyd@acs.org.

Would you like to visit one ACS web page and access links to current chemistry news headlines, journal article briefs, and features on chemical patents, research advances, historical events, and meeting updates from the American Chemical Society?

* A new online feature on chemistry.org, "Chemistry Headlines", serves up all this and more. "Chemistry Headlines" is a compilation of headlines from external news sources and a variety of ACS magazines and journals, including C&EN Online, as well as headlines from Heart Cut, Patent Watch, Today in Chemical History, chemistry.org feature articles and other ACS products and resources. Staff members from chemistry.org, C&EN and ACS Publications have collaborated to help make a wide range of content available in this forum. Go to: www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/newscenter.html, the same URL that was used previously for the first generation of the chemistry.org Newscenter.

* Have questions or comments concerning "Chemistry Headlines", Email webmaster@acs.org and include "Chemistry Headlines" in the subject line of your message.

ChemunityNews is a bimonthly electronic newsletter that connects chemistry educators to the activities of the ACS Education Division. It provides updates on newly published resources and materials, programs for students and educators, and upcoming workshops and meetings. You may view a recent issues by visiting the ChemunityNews Archives at chemistry.org. To subscribe, simply email education@acs.org.

Effective January 1, 2005, the ACS Member Insurance Program welcomes New York Life Insurance Company as the new underwriter for the following ACS Member Insurance Plans:

* Term Life

* Hospital Indemnity

* Disability Income

* Accidental Death and Dismemberment

New York Life will also underwrite two new plans now being offered through the ACS Member Insurance Program. ACS members are encouraged to take advantage of our 10 and 20 - year Group Level Term plans. Applying for Group Level Term through ACS offers convenience and flexibility, with up to $2,000,000 in coverage designed especially for ACS members. The plan allows members to lock in already competitive rates for specific time periods, providing valuable and affordable coverage. And best of all, the plans are portable – coverage continues even if you change jobs. The ACS Member Insurance Program is keeping you covered by expanding its portfolio and providing you with plans designed to help meet your needs and give you peace of mind. To receive more information about the ACS 10 and 20 - year Group Level Term plans please call the plan administrator at 1-800-752-0179. If you have questions regarding the ACS Member Insurance Program, please contact 1-800-227-5558 ext. 2119. Sponsored by the Board of Trustees, Group Insurance Plans for ACS Members - Your colleagues working for you!

At its meeting in early December 2004, the ACS Board of Directors voted to provide funding of $250,000 for a Matching Gift Fund (MGF) Program for 2005. The MGF matches contributions to eligible Society Programs. Through the MGF Program, the Society will add one dollar for every two dollars donated to support the following programs:

* Project SEED

* Scholars Program

* World Reach Fund

* National Chemistry Week

* Teacher Training

* National Historic Chemical Landmarks

* Women Chemists Committee Programs

* PROGRESS (a pilot project aimed at facilitating participation and advancement of women chemists and chemical engineers)

* Stanley C. Israel Regional Award for Advancing Diversity in the Chemical Sciences

The minimum donation that will be matched by the MGF Program is $3,000, which must be given by an individual, foundation, company, or organization. The funding authorized by the ACS Board is for 2005 only. Gifts and pledges will be matched per the program stipulations throughout the year or until the fund has been committed in its entirety, whichever comes first. Gifts may be paid over a three-year period, 2005-2007. All gifts made to the ACS are tax-deductible. For more information, contact Mary Bet Dobson in the ACS Development Office by mail (1155 Sixteenth St., NW, Washington, DC 20036) or phone (202-872-4094).

This year (2005) will be the last year for the Matching Gift Fund. The ACS Board also voted at the December meeting to expand the Development Office and to redirect the resources, formerly dedicated to the Matching Gift Fund, to achieve annual fundraising targets.

The highly popular ACS Video Course, Starting with Safety, has been adapted for delivery via the Internet. The Internet version includes all of the materials from the original Video Course including the video scenes and the Teacher's Guide. As an added bonus, the complete ACS Video Course, Seeing the Light, Eye and Face Protection, is also included in this ACS Internet Course.

Now you and your students can access this valuable training program from any computer connected to the Internet at any time, day or night. (We do recommend a relatively high-speed connection, such as a DSL, cable modem or higher. And you will need to install the Flash 6 player to view the videos).

This program is designed to be used as part of a standard high school or introductory college chemistry curriculum that is taught by an experienced chemistry teacher. The program is NOT meant to be a stand-alone training course. Students should only use this program under the supervision of a qualified teacher.

For complete details about this program, visit the American Chemical Society website at http://chemistry.org/elearning and click on the link to Starting with Safety.

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In October, the Technology, Tools and Operations Subcommittee of the Local Section Activities Committee and the Office of Local Section Activities launched a new HTML newsletter for local section leaders! The quarterly newsletter is sent via email to all current local section officers. The goal of the newsletter is to provide officers with timely information, tools and tips for success, and innovative ideas and activities that local sections may find of interest. The newsletter is available online at http://membership.acs.org/l/localsections/leading_together. If you wish to subscribe to future issues of this newsletter please send an email to olsa@acs.org and indicate your subscription request.