ACS COMMENT

Value of high school chemistry teachers

Michael P. Doyle chairman, Committee on

Membership Affairs

The American Chemical Society with its 140,000 or so members is the principal professional society whose objectives and interests promote chemistry and benefit those who are engaged in the chemical sciences. Soci­ety members include chemists at all degree levels who have had a rich variety of career experiences and who demonstrate an enormous diversity of orientations in the chemical sciences. Yet, very often, the society is perceived as serving principally those academic and in­dustrial chemists with Ph.D. degrees. In fact, ACS pro­vides a wide array of tangible and intangible benefits to individual members, whatever their degree levels. In spite of these benefits, many chemical scientists have chosen not to become members of ACS.

The Committee on Membership Affairs (MAC) is sen­sitive to the concerns of ACS members and is working toward a multifaceted approach designed to make ACS more responsive to underrepresented segments within the society. None is more deserving of our attention than high school teachers of chemistry. From them we receive the next generation of chemical scientists, and without their dedication and association with the objec­tives of ACS, our profession is diminished. Yet only about 1000 high school chemistry teachers, out of nearly 30,000 who teach at least one chemistry course, are mem­bers of ACS. How can ACS attract a greater proportion of these chemistry professionals as members? A task force of MAC is currently examining this question in coopera­tion with the Society Committee on Education and the Division of Chemical Education, and we seek your input.

One issue of importance to high school teachers is the cost of ACS membership. Many of them receive sal­aries that are significantly below the average starting salaries of bachelor-level industrial chemists. Yet, if MAC were to recommend the enrollment of high school chemistry teachers at a dues level lower than

that of other full members, what would be the response of ACS members? Would we hear that the value of high school chemistry teachers to chemistry and society is so great that members of ACS are willing to subsidize their dues? Or would the response be that the only eq­uitable approach is salary-based dues allocation, which, with its valuation of members according to income, places no special value on the teaching profession?

What do we find when we ask the question, "What are the benefits of membership in ACS for high school chemistry teachers"? Certainly the professional associa­tions that result from local section activities, from re­gional and national meetings, and from the biennial conferences organized by the Division of Chemical Ed­ucation are high on our list. However, these benefits have been extended to high school teachers at modest cost without the requirement of membership in the so­ciety. C&EN is the society's organ for communicating the status of the chemical sciences and issues of impor­tance to ACS members, but, given the option, wouldn't a high school chemistry teacher prefer to receive the Journal of Chemical Education, and isn't the information contained in this journal the resource we want to have in the hands of chemistry teachers? Membership in the Division of Chemical Education has been an option for chemistry teachers, but shouldn't this membership be included in the package of benefits provided with their ACS membership?

Can we count on you to support a new initiative to attract high school chemistry teachers to membership in ACS, even if it would require a $2.00 increase in the dues that you pay to the society? Would you object to the creation of a dues package for high school chemis­try teachers that included the Journal of Chemical Educa­tion and membership in the Division of Chemical Edu­cation? And if MAC identified other segments of the chemical community, such as bachelor-level chemists and chemical technicians, that could be attracted to ACS membership with similar provisions, although with different dues and benefit packages, would you be willing to consider them?

ACS is a heterogeneous organization that cannot be the same for every member. Each of us values the soci­ety for different reasons, takes advantage of different benefits, and is involved in its programs or governance to different extents. Individual members are unified by their career orientations, professional interests, educa­tion, and experience; and their "fit" with and participa­tion in ACS is a primary interest of MAC.

MAC discussed membership initiatives for high school chemistry teachers and others during its sessions at the recent national meeting in Atlanta. However, as

Continued on page 41

May 20, 1991 C&EN 31

ACS Comment

Research & Development (ORD) in 1992 does not properly reflect the importance of the agency's scientific effort. Noting that the proposed ORD budget is considerably lower, in real terms, than the actual budget during fiscal 1980, ACS said the offic­e's ability to conduct the R&D neces­sary to support regulatory concerns has been severely diluted by its in­creasing workload in the face of de­clining resources. The society urged the subcommittees to increase fund­ing for ORD, paying particular atten­tion to the areas of risk assessment and pollution prevention.

Janice Long

Midwest Regional Meeting call for papers The ACS Omaha Section is invit­ing chemists, educators, students, and others to present their teach­ing innovations, research, or other chemical findings at the 26th Mid­west Regional Meeting to be held Nov. 6-8 in Omaha. Technical ses-

Student stipends in physi The ACS Division of Physical Chem­istry will again offer three graduate student cash awards of $2500 each. 1991 will mark the 10th year that these awards, supported by Procter & Gamble, will be given.

Eligibility for the award includes any predoctoral student who pub­lishes an article in the Journal of Physical Chemistry. Thus, students majoring, for example, in chemical engineering or materials science may be nominated. A candidate for the 1991 awards must be a major au­thor of a manuscript that will be ac­cepted for publication in the Journal of Physical Chemistry prior to July 1. Also, a candidate must be entering at least the third year of graduate study leading to a Ph.D. degree or beginning a first year of academic postdoctoral education in the fall of 1991. Only U.S. citizens or perma­nent resident visa holders are eligi­ble.

Nominations must be submitted by July 1 to Edward M. Eyring, De­partment of Chemistry, University

sions, both oral and poster, will be offered in most areas of chemistry. Send a camera-ready original ab­stract on a standard ACS form and two copies to the program chair­man, Kaz Takemura, Chemistry Department, Creighton University, Omaha, Neb. 68178-0104, phone (402) 280-2276 by July 15. Indicate on the form the technical session you prefer (organic, analytical, en­vironmental, inorganic, physical, or another designation) and wheth­er it is oral-slide or poster.

The meeting will include sympo­sia on chemical education, medicinal chemistry, molecular modeling, and food chemistry. There will be a Younger Chemists Committee work­shop and a workshop for Student Affiliate advisers.

Potential exhibitors should con­tact John Gondring, Midland Scien­tific Inc., 1202 South 11th St., Oma­ha, Neb. 68108, phone (402) 346-8352. Direct general questions to the meeting chairman, James K. Wood, Chemistry Department, University of Nebraska, Omaha, Neb. 68102-0109, phone (402) 554-2651. D

al chemistry of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, phone (801) 581-8658. Nominating documents should include a nomi­nating letter, authored by the stu­dent's Ph.D. thesis adviser, that ad­dresses specifically the student's contributions to the Journal of Physi­cal Chemistry paper on which the nomination is based. A seconding letter authored by a scientist at an­other university, federal or institu­tional laboratory that assesses the quality of the paper should also be submitted. The third required docu­ment is a certification from the de­partment chairman that the student will be enrolled during the 1991-92 school year, and that the award will not be used in lieu of any part of the normal graduate student stipend. If the candidate is beginning a first year of academic postdoctoral educa­tion rather than continuing gradu­ate work, the department chairman should so specify.

Four reprints or preprints of the scientific paper must be submitted with the above documents. D

Continued from page 31 we continue our evaluation of op­tions and proposals, we would very much like to know your reaction and responses to our directions in this effort. We want to ensure the success of these initiatives to help ACS better respond to the needs of individual segments of its member­ship while still serving the interests of the entire profession. Please let us hear from you. Send your comments to me in care of the MAC staff liai­son at ACS, 1155—16th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. D

Letters

Continued from page 3 tor, I have received no positive response. It's discouraging when the research uni­versities consider themselves too busy to make that investment for the future. Is this the same everywhere or just in Oklahoma? I don't know. I hope not. If the university community around the country really means all of this talk about better coordination with the high schools, about reaching out to excite the young, about having a social mission (other than diving into their labs at age 25 and coming out at retirement), then it's time they get behind programs like SEED and make a difference in the lives of the children in our communities less fortunate than ourselves.

Keith Symcox Choctaw High School

Norman, Okla.

I agree with Edwin T. Harper that Project SEED is a very worthy program. However, his view that current support "is not even a drop in the bucket" ne­glects half of the equation. There are two buckets involved: one that receives less than a drop, and another from which the drop (and is it possible for it to be less than one drop?) is extracted. SEED is not the only good cause around. I receive requests almost every day for drops of support for good causes: Red Cross, United Way, cancer societies, heart funds, Salvation Army, taxpayers associations, political causes, etc.

One of the favorite American activi­ties these days seems to be fund-raising for good causes. The question is how many drops are in the donor's buckets and how to best allocate them. Perhaps ACS could establish some criteria.

It's always interesting to me how peo­ple like Harper can establish such grand plans for the drops in someone else's

May 20, 1991 C&EN 41