The CSRA Chemist
Savannah River Section
of the
AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
Volume 41 Number 1 (February 1998)
Last night I attended our Section's first event of 1998 - the tour of the Avondale's Gregg dyeing and finishing plant in Graniteville. Despite the rain and short notice for our sign-up, we had a good turnout and were treated to a first rate tour by the Gregg folks. But, the best part of the evening was seeing some UNfamiliar faces at the tour. Yes, some of our Section's "regulars" were there, but there were also a number of folks there who we don't see that often at our meetings. Nationwide, the ACS averages about 10% participation by its members in the Society's activities. For our Section, with about 300 members, that means a total of about 30 members at any one meeting. Unfortunately, in 1997 we fell short of that goal by nearly 33%. What about '98? Our Program Chair, Roy Beck, and other Executive Committee members have been working hard to plan for this year. Take time today to look over our meeting schedule for 1998; dates have been set already for many of our events. Pick out the one(s) that look the most interesting to you and make a commitment to yourself to sign up for those and come on out to support your Local Section. If each one of you comes to only ONE event in 1998, we could (on average) achieve our goal of 10% attendance at each meeting!
This bring me to my second topic for this column, one which is related to the first only by the fact that it too needs support from the Section's membership. Last year we decided to get our Section's records in order by placing them in the capable hands of a Section archivist. We lined up a volunteer and in late '97 decided the treasury could bear the burden of a three-drawer file cabinet in which to store our "history". Unfortunately, our volunteer has had a change in plans, so I am left with a stately three-drawer file cabinet wedged firmly between by daughter's red wagon and my son's "Cozy Coupe" in my garage. Is there anyone out there who would be interested in taking on the duties of Archivist? All that is needed is someone who would like to maintain and organize the Section's records, and provide a home for our lonely file cabinet. As Archivist, there are no deadlines to rush to meet, the time commitment is minimal and you can parcel time out at your own pace to fit your schedule. If you think you are interested, give me, or any of our officers, a call!
1998 PROGRAM
The 1998 local section program is shaping up. The year started with a plant tour of Avondale in Graniteville. The tour brought 21 attendees together to learn that finishing cloth is not a simple process. Avondale was a great host.
The goal for this year is to bring a specific focus to each program and thus reach the greater interests of the Local Section. This year the Section will try to tailor a program for specific communities of chemists and chemistry minded individuals within the section such as those at the Savannah River Site and the Medical College of Georgia. Outreach to the community will be supported through the advertising of tour speaker meetings to related communities of interested professionals and educators in the CSRA. As always, the program contains events in the public forum where chemistry and careers in chemistry can be promoted in the CSRA. Your volunteering for these events ensures a strong community presence in the CSRA.
As in the past the Executive Committee is here to serve you so if you have any suggestions or comments, please drop a note.
It's that time of year when the Immediate Past Chair sits back and reviews the accomplishments of their year as Chair--then frantically tries to put these thoughts into the Annual Report for National. With a little luck, we won't have to meet the deadline by Fed Ex this year.
While 1997 didn't really feel like a terribly exciting year, I found it amazing the things that our Section accomplished. Did you know our public outreach activities probably reached over 10,000 people in the CSRA? The Section was at Tech Day, the Girl Scout Roundup, Arts in the Heart of Augusta, CSRA College Night, Science Education Enrichment Day (SEED), Fort Discovery and then there were the three "Wow! That's Chemistry?" shows. The events reached not only a lot of people, but a wide spectrum of ages, ethnicity and interests in science.
Many of these activities involved our "Traveling Booth" (named by Tom Crute) which has evolved over the past two years into something quite neat. In case you haven't seen it, it works as follows. When one of these events provides a table, we cover it with our ACS banner. Displayed on the table are molecular models of various types, ACS literature and free candy. Someone wanders by and sees the candy. Wanting a piece, but not really sure if it's free or just too polite to grab a piece and move on, they ask a question about the models. Now the person manning the booth has a chance to talk about things like the chemicals which make up pepper (or some other "natural" product) or how properties are related to structure or what kinds of things chemists do.... Just the kind of information we would like the public to hear. If it is a particularly creative version of the booth, they can do some hands-on chemistry themselves. Maybe they will take some ACS literature with the candy. It is very effective and relatively painless for both the chemist and the attendee. (It may sound a lot like PittCon, but remember, "taking an idea from one person is plagiarism, taking the ideas of many is research".) Expect to see more of the traveling booth this year. Just think, you can participate from either side of the table. Wow! See you there.
The 1997 accounting has been completed and it appears that we once again met most of our goals and reached the end of the year in the black. We began the year with $1764.81 in our money market account and, with the allotment, local section dues, and other income, ended up the year at $2324.00. In the tables our assets are separated into our Money Market account and our Priced Securities accounts, all with Prudential Securities. You will find listed our income and expenditures for the year comparing our budgeted amounts with our actual amounts. As you can see, we ended up the year with a total balance gain of $880.00 for the year and a surplus of $545.61 over our proposed budget. One of our goals at the beginning of the year was to end the year with $2000.00 in our money market account, and we achieved this with $324.00 to spare.
Another one of our goals was to transfer $300.00 into our Priced Securities investment account. However, due to some concerns regarding unexpected expenses, we did not transfer money into the investment fund. As it turned out, we significantly under spent our budget for National Chemistry Week and Public Relations. Therefore, we are happy to report that as a result of the 1997 surplus, we will be transferring $250.00 to the investment account in early February, 1998, which will be in addition to a transfer of 200.00 scheduled in the 1998 proposed budget.
Our Priced Securities Account performed well this year, achieving $321.02 in growth over the calendar year, bringing the year end balance to $3937.25. In addition, our Money Market interest gain ($148.50) more than made up for the service charge of $125.00.
Many thanks to Doug Walker for his exemplary service as the ACS Savannah River Section's Treasurer for 1997. It is our hope that Brian can maintain the fiscal responsibility demonstrated by Doug and also offer a tax cut to the middle class with any budget surplus we enjoy this year.
1998 proposed budget
| Projected Beginning Balance: | $2050.00* |
| Income: Category | |
| Annual ACS Allotment | $4,627.00 |
| Interest from Checking Account | $140.00 |
| Local Section Dues | $1,200.00 |
| Local Meeting Income | $0.00 |
| Newsletter Advertisements | $0.00 |
| Income Total | $5,967.00 |
| Debits: Category | |
| Local Meeting Expenses | $1,600.00 |
| Newsletter | $1,600.00 |
| National Chemistry Week | $600.00 |
| Travel Subsidy | $400.00 |
| U.S. Chemistry Olympiad | $450.00 |
| Checking Account Service Charge | $125.00 |
| Awards | $300.00 |
| Scholarships | $200.00 |
| Public Relations | $200.00 |
| Miscellaneous | $300.00 |
| Debit Totals: | $5,775.00 |
| Income Invested | $200.00 |
| Ending Balance | $2042.00 |
Chris Bannochie has been named Chair of the CEPA (Committee on Economic and Professional Programs) subcommittee on Professional Services and Programs. Dr. James Burke, CEPA Chair, made the request in January. Chris’ first responsibility was to attend the CEPA Planning Meeting in Washington, DC on February 7. The subcommittee is reviewing the ACS ChemCenter Career Services web site. Also planned is a review of “Best Practices” in the chemical industry with respect to benefits programs and human resource policies. The goal of the review is to provide job candidates with information they can use when evaluating a potential employer's total compensation package.
C&EN ANNIVERSARY
Chemical & Engineering News marked its 75th anniversary on January 12, 1998, with a special issue containing 224 pages of features and advertisements. In planning and production for nearly a year, the issue contained a series of features on the history of the chemical enterprise, the future of the chemical enterprise, and the readers' choice of the "Top 75 Distinguished Contributors to the Chemical Enterprise." Other activities planned during the year include a symposium on the future of chemistry to be held at the Dallas meeting and co-organized by the Committee on Science. At the Boston meeting in August, there will be two presidential events to mark the anniversary. At the first event, on Sunday, Aug. 23, from 4-6 p.m., ACS President Paul H. L. Walter will host an open house to honor C&EN's Top 75. Meeting attendees will have the opportunity to meet about two dozen people from the Top 75 list and learn more about the others who are on the list. In the evening, an invitation-only black tie gala, also hosted by Dr. Walter, will be held at the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston to honor C&EN's Top 75 and top corporate supporters.
If you've ever been asked to assist a colleague with finding a job or wished that there was one convenient source for career information for your own job search, then the Local Section Career Program is your one-stop shop to these answers and more.
Local career coordinators quickly respond to requests for career information and assistance by providing lists of employers from the surrounding area, sponsoring career development workshops, and distributing career materials to local members.
Exactly half-94-of all ACS local sections have a coordinator to answer these kinds of job queries for their members. If you'd like to obtain more information or volunteer to be a local career coordinator then contact your Section Chair or Tanya Fogg at 800-227-5558, ext. 6191 or via e-mail to t_fogg@acs.org. All coordinators attend an all expenses paid weekend training session in Washington, DC.
FEDERAL R&D FUNDING DISCUSSION IN DALLAS
FROM PRESIDENT PAUL H. L. WALTER
I have the pleasure of hosting a very special event during the upcoming ACS National Meeting in Dallas and invite you to attend. On Sunday afternoon, March 29, at 4:30 p.m., in room D267 of the Convention Center, Dr. F. Albert Cotton, W. T. Doherty - Welch Foundation Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Director, Laboratory for Molecular Structure and Bonding; Dr. Joseph A. Miller, Chief Technical Officer at DuPont; and Dr. Neal F. Lane, Director of the National Science Foundation, will participate in a Presidential Plenary Session on the future role of the federal government in research and development. Dr. Jacqueline Barton, Arthur and Marian Hanisch Memorial Professor and Professor of Chemistry at California Institute of Technology, has agreed to moderate the panel discussion.
It is not by chance that ACS was able to assemble such renowned individuals to participate in a discussion of this topic. Encouraging funding of research in science, technology, and engineering is a key thrust of the Society's strategic plan and our efforts in support of that funding are well known in the scientific community. The future of federal funding and partnerships in R&D is an issue critical to us all. I hope you will join me on March 29 to learn what foremost authorities in the areas of education, industry, and government have to say about the continued participation of the federal government in funding scientific research.
Welcome to the first 1998 issue of the CSRA Chemist. As you have probably noticed, we've implemented some changes to the format based upon feedback from a review by Sarah Nash at ACS. Prior to becoming ACS web master, Sarah coordinated local section newsletters for National, so she had a great deal of experience with this communication media. We welcome your feedback to the changes or on any other aspect of the newsletter as well.
The Local Section is back on the web. Our new homepage URL is: http://acs-sr.home.mindspring.com/ Note: Use of “www” is not required, in fact, you will not locate the page if you add this to the address. Section e-mail should be sent to acs-sr@mindspring.com. The site is being hosted courtesy of MindSpring Enterprises of Atlanta. Additionally, the Publications Committee would like to thank Mr. J. Alun Owen (Copeland Hirthler Design & Communications of Atlanta) for supplying updated banners for the main pages.
Our homepage will be the place to get information on speakers and events in the Local Section, and to quickly contact an officer or fellow Section member. To facilitate networking amongst our membership, we will include a mailto link and homepage URL for each interested member. Please send your electronic address via the web master mailing link located on the “Contact Us” page. We will strive to publish the next newsletter via the homepage, prior to the availability of the printed version, so check the web site often for the most current information.
The section welcomes one new ACS member as well as a transfer this month.
Chris Romanek has joined the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory doing environmental characterization. Chris came to the CSRA after working at the Johnson Space Center on the life-on-Mars controversy. He hopes to continue some of that work here. Chris received his Ph.D. in Geology from Texas A&M, a M.Sc. from the University of Florida and a B.Sc. from Furman.
Michael Day transferred from the Rhode Island Section and Hoechst Celanese. He is currently employed by G.D. Searle transferring technology from research to production. Michael received his B.Sc. from the University of Vermont, and a M.Sc. in Organic Chemistry from the University of Rhode Island.
Please welcome these new local section members and we'll see y’all at the February meeting!