CHEMISTS CONVENE
IN BOSTON
AT THE 240 TH American Chemical Society na- tional meeting in Boston, held on Aug. 22–26, the society hosted more than 14,000 chemical professionals, students, and enthusiasts who learned about
the latest advances in the chemical sciences through
rich programming that included roughly 8,000 papers
delivered in approximately 5,000 oral presentations
and 3,000 posters. More than 320 exhibitors participated in the exposition.
Even the Nor’easter that hovered relentlessly over
Boston for four days couldn’t dampen the spirit of the
meeting, the theme of which was “Chemistry for Pre-
venting & Combating Disease.” ACS President Joseph S.
Francisco cosponsored more than a dozen presidential
sessions, from the “Impact of Science & Technology on
the Future of Global Healthcare” to the “ACS Forum on
Science & Consequences of Climate Change.”
The meeting also highlighted the achievements
of women in chemistry through symposia such as
“Women at the Forefront of Preventing & Combating
Disease” and the “Women Chemists of Color Summit.”
role in fighting diseases
The ACS Fellows program inducted 192 scientific
leaders into its 2010 class; the Heroes of Chemistry gala
celebrated outstanding scientific achievements; and
the ChemLuminary Awards reception saluted exceptional ACS volunteers.
The improving job market led to a strong employer
turnout at the ACS Career Fair, which welcomed more
than 1,000 job seekers. Roughly 70 employers recruited
for nearly 500 available positions.
During the ACS Board meeting, sister chemical societies from around the world described their planned
activities for the 2011 International Year of Chemistry. In
addition, ACS and the German Chemical Society signed
a memorandum of understanding committing to a three-year alliance to help communicate the importance of
chemistry to the general public.
At the ACS Council meeting, councilors voted to
change the bylaws to allo w recorded electronic votes.
They also discussed whether to move the council meetings from Wednesday to Tuesday during national meetings. An informal poll revealed that 55% of the councilors
opposed the change, while 31.3% supported it and 13.7%
were undecided. The Council Policy Committee will
make a decision on this matter at the 2011 spring national
meeting in Anaheim, Calif.—LINDA WANG
Sci-Mix gave
attendees an
opportunity to
socialize over their
research.
NEW CATALYSIS
JOURNAL TO LAUNCH
PUBLISHING: ACS Catalysis
will debut in January 2011
THE AMERICAN Chemical Society will introduce a new journal—ACS Catalysis—in January 2011. In full-length articles, letters, and solicited reviews,
the periodical will cover research in heterogeneous
catalysis, homogeneous catalysis, and biocatalysis in
fields such as organic chemistry, materials science, energy, and environmental and biological systems.
Christopher W. Jones, who holds a joint appoint-
ment as a professor of chemical and biomolecular
engineering and a professor of chemistry and biochem-
istry at Georgia Institute of Technology, will serve as
founding editor of the online-only journal. Jones, who
is 37, earned a B. S.E. in chemical engineering at the Uni-
versity of Michigan in 1995 and a Ph. D. in chemical en-
gineering at California Institute of Technology in 1999.
The following year, he joined the faculty at Georgia
Tech, where he studies topics including CO2-adsorbing
materials and the design of catalysts for energy, fine
chemicals, and pharmaceutical applications.
ROB FELT/GEORGIA TECH
