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and several units of the American Institute
of Chemical Engineers. CEI now is working
to disseminate the outcomes of the discussion
and update the ACS public policy
statement on sustainability.
CEI worked with the Local Section
Activities Committee to host a successful
Science Café at the Philadelphia meeting
highlighting issues related to drinking
water. CEI also continues work with the
Society Committee on Education to include
sustainable chemistry concepts more
completely in curricular materials for undergraduates
and graduate students.
In other public policy activities, CEI is
working on a statement draft on endocrine
disruptors and with the Committee on
Chemistry & Public Affairs to update the
ACS position on energy.—CHARLES E. KOLB
JR., CHAIR
INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
The International Activities Committee
(IAC) was established in 1962 in recognition
of the need for ACS to cooperate with
scientists internationally and to highlight
the application of chemistry to the worldwide
needs of humanity.
At its meeting in Philadelphia, IAC approved
a new charter in culmination of its
April 2008 summit in New Orleans and an
earlier IAC report on reforming its mission,
goals, and structure to explore opportunities
to refine its alignment with the 2008
ACS Strategic Plan and the international
interests of the ACS Board of Directors.
The new IAC Charter, quoted below,
reflects committee interests in developing
mechanisms to activate its collective
expertise and networks to use chemistry
to solve global challenges. It also helps the
society be more welcoming to international
members and appropriately extend
its international networks and its global
partnerships and alliances for the benefit
of society members.
The International Activities Committee
is a resource for proactively advocating,
catalyzing, initiating, and implementing ACS
international activities, conferences, and initiatives
pertaining to education and research &
development of broad scientific understanding,
appreciation of chemistry, and promotion of
the image of chemistry. This will happen in
collaboration with other national and international
organizations.
Specifically, the committee will
■ Study ongoing initiatives and inform
ACS entities on effective practices and projects
related to international activities;
■ Proactively advise and make recommendations
to the board on the science and engineering
policies that transcend national
boundaries;
■ Ensure implementation of board policies
and activities pertaining to global strategies;
■ Catalyze, support, and maintain liaisons
and collaborations between national and international
science and engineering organizations
in concert with other efforts within the
ACS structure;
■ Enable ACS to advocate for scientific freedom
and human rights as they relate to practitioners
of chemical and related sciences; and
■ Identify ways in which ACS can raise the
profile of, and meaningfully and appropriately
be more welcoming to, the global community of
chemical scientists and engineers.
IAC also heard and approved ACS Strategic
Plan-driven charters and operational
priorities from its new subcommittees:
Subcommittee I: Americas, Africa, and the
Middle East; Subcommittee II: Europe;
Subcommittee III: Asia Pacific Rim; and
Subcommittee IV: Scientific Freedom/Human
Rights.
IAC reaffirmed its support of the principles
embodied in the Malta series and looks
forward to receiving information on plans
for Malta 4, which has been scheduled for
November 2009 in Jordan.
Our IAC luncheon speaker was Sharon
Shoemaker of the University of California,
Davis; she presented on and challenged
IAC to think about its role in sustainability,
energy, and food.
IAC welcomed visiting international
dignitaries from the International Union
of Pure & Applied Chemistry, the German
Chemical Society, and the European Association
for Chemical & Molecular Sciences.
IAC Philadelphia meeting participants also
heard updates on its recently catalyzed activities
in Asia, Latin America, and Europe,
including a new 2008 ACS International
Research Experience for Undergraduates
program; in a partnership with PITTCON,
plans to help organize an IAC-facilitated
delegation of analytical chemists from
southern Mexico and Central America to
attend PITTCON 2009 in Chicago; the
ACS Transatlantic Frontiers of Chemistry
Symposium this summer in the U.K.; outcomes
from ACS-contributed technical
content to the 2008 Latin American Federation
of Chemical Associations Congress
in Puerto Rico; and plans for the International
Year of Chemistry in 2011.
IAC received a report on an ACS Visa
Policy Statement expiring in 2008 and
agreed to establish a working group on
the topic in collaboration with the Society
Committee on Education. Finally, IAC discussed
and implemented 2007 CPC guidelines
on optimizing its liaison relationships
with other ACS committees.—NINA I.
MCCLELLAND, CHAIR
MINORITY AFFAIRS
During its meeting in Philadelphia, the
Committee on Minority Affairs (CMA) restated
its mission: To increase the participation
of minority chemical scientists and
influence policy on behalf of minorities in
the ACS and the chemical enterprise.
CMA worked to align its strategic plan
with the ACS 2008 Strategic Plan, focusing
on goal two, as related to involving all
members and scientific professionals in
advancing science education and research.
CMA collaborated with the Joint Subcommittee
on Diversity in providing nominees
for the Diversity Partner Program
pilot developed by the respective subcommittee
of the ACS Board Committee on
Professional & Member Relations (P&MR).
The selected candidates include representatives
from four communities: African
American, Hispanic, Native American,
and Asian. CMA will support the work of
the Diversity Partners as they develop and
implement the program.
CMA received a record number of
nominations for the Stanley C. Israel Regional
Award for Advancing Diversity in
the Chemical Sciences for 2008. To date,
four awards have been presented at the
spring regional meetings and three more
are planned for the fall.
CMA also hosted the reception and luncheon
in Philadelphia honoring the 40th
Anniversary of Project SEED, with sellout
attendance of more than 220 including
more than 100 Project SEED students, ACS
Scholars, coordinators, mentors, and major
supporters.
For the 2009 spring meeting, CMA plans
a symposium on Educational Innovations
for Two-Year Colleges.—LINETTE M.
WATKINS, CHAIR; MARIA G. V. ROSENTHAL,
ACTING CHAIR
PATENTS & RELATED MATTERS
The Committee on Patents & Related Matters
(CPRM) focuses its efforts in three
main areas: providing ACS members and
the general public with information about
patents and other intellectual property issues
important within the chemical enterprise,
nominating notable chemist-inven-
WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG 39 NOVEMBER 3, 2008