FC and BC Cover art-pp16 - 1.indd - Royal Society of Chemistry

When Harry met Simon
AS THE RSC’S incoming president, Dr Simon
Campbell, formally received his badge of
office at July’s annual general meeting from
the former post-holder, Prof Sir Harry Kroto,
there was a commitment to build on the RSC’s
chemical sciences offensive.
The meeting of the two scientists was notable
not only because both had had pivotal roles
opening up new areas in chemistry, but because
both have a driving passion for the chemical
sciences, which already has led to change.
As president-elect, Dr Campbell introduced
the Campaign for Chemical Sciences. This was
designed to drive home the message that
if chemical science is not promoted – in UK
education at every level and at Westminster –
Britain’s future health and wealth will be eroded.
During his two-year presidential tenure,
Professor Kroto has been vociferous in
championing chemistry. Last year he made
almost 50 international journeys to project its
potential and its achievements to audiences of
all kinds.
Dr David Giachardi, RSC chief executive,
said: “Simon’s own plan to promote chemical
sciences is building upon ground softened up
by Harry’s two-year offensive and has already
offered essential actions for moving our subject
forward at a time when closures of university
chemistry departments in this country have
been in the news a great deal.”
Simon Campbell (left) with Harry Kroto
In their professional lives, Simon Campbell
was responsible for the teams that discovered
the high-blood-pressure treatment drugs
Cardura and Norvasc (known as Istin in the
UK) as well as Viagra, while Harry Kroto is well
known for his joint work in the discovery of
C60, for which he won the Nobel Prize.
David Giachardi said: “Harry’s prodigious
energy and unflinching commitment has been
an invaluable asset to the RSC and to the cause
of chemical sciences more widely. We hope
still to be able to benefit from his espousal of a
cause that we believe to be so important to the
UK and to the wider world.”
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To view the president’s homepage,
go to www.rsc.org/members/
president/president.htm
LIC becomes a dynamic chemistry resource
RSC members to
vote at EGM
AN EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL Meeting
(EGM) will be held at Burlington House,
London on Thursday 4 November 2004. RSC
members are invited to attend and vote on
amendments to the by-laws that will enable
modernisation of RSC governance.
The major changes to governance will be to:
● reform the size of Council – the Trustees
of the RSC – and set a maximum of
18 members, including the president,
past-president/president-elect and
honorary treasurer
● ensure that at least two thirds of Council
is elected by the membership
● set a four-year term of office for
Council members.
If the proposals are carried, the new
structure will come into effect after the AGM
in July 2005. In addition, Council is asking
members to approve changes to the by-laws
that will enable membership subscriptions to
be paid by instalments and allow RSC notices
to be sent to members by email.
Members will be able to vote by post, by
proxy or in person. Voting packs will be sent
to members in October.
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For further information and the
Final Report of the Council Steering
Group, go to www.rsc.org/governance
Update on notes
THE RSC LIBRARY and Information Centre (LIC)
is enhancing its position as the foremost source
of chemical knowledge in Europe through its
strategic collaborations with other organisations
of note, particularly the M25 Consortium,
Knovel and Evalueserve.
The collaboration with the M25 Consortium
made the LIC the first learned society library to
become part of an alliance of 40 universities,
colleges and other academic institutions
around the London area. This will result in
better services to academia through greater
access to M25 libraries by RSC members, as
well as access to joint archive and storage
arrangements and training events.
The LIC entered a partnership with Knovel to
provide seamless electronic access to the full
text of almost 700 key databooks, encyclopedia,
reference books, dictionaries and textbooks
encompassing the chemical sciences. The
searching capabilities of the portal are akin
to searching all the resources simultaneously.
Further functionality allows in-depth searching for
specific physical and chemical properties. Results
are clearly presented and the source cited.
This month, the LIC launches Research
Services in collaboration with research company
Evalueserve to complement its Chemical
Enquiries Helpdesk. This is a premium service
designed with more in-depth project work and
reports in mind.
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For more information on the M25
Consortium, go to www.m25lib.ac.uk/;
to log on to Knovel, go to www.rsc.org/lic/
knovel_library.htm; for further information on
Research Services, go to www.rsc.org/library.
Alternatively, email library@rsc.org
THE RSC’S ENVIRONMENT, Health and
Safety Committee (EHSC) has responded to
the Defra consultation “UK Consultation on
the New EU Chemicals Strategy, Reach”, and
produced its second message note entitled
“What is a poison?”.
The Woking Party on Notes also revised
the notes “Harmful effects of chemicals on
children” and the “The safety of laboratory
workers with disabilities”. The note
“Potency of chemical carcinogens” is
currently being reviewed and one entitled
“Individual legal responsibilities for
environment” is being developed.
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For more information, go to
www.rsc.org/lap/rsccom/ehsc/
ehscnotes.htm and www.rsc.org/lap/
rsccom/ehsc/ehscsubs.htm
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