Oregon Local Section American Chemical Society

Welcome to the Oregon Local Section Home Page. We are a local chapter of the American Chemical Society. This group promotes public awareness of chemistry by being involved in outreach programs in our community and works with students to encourage an interest in the chemical sciences.

2011 Chair:	Dr. Richard Nafshun Department of Chemistry Oregon State University 153 Gilbert Hall Corvallis OR 97331 (541) 737-6742 e-mail
Councilor:	Dr. Richard Nafshun Department of Chemistry Oregon State University 153 Gilbert Hall Corvallis OR 97331 (541) 737-6742 e-mail
Secretary:	Dr. Michael Lerner Department of Chemistry Oregon State University 153 Gilbert Hall Corvallis, Oregon 97331 (541) 737-6747 e-mail
Treasurer:	Dr. Kevin Gable Department of Chemistry Oregon State University 153 Gilbert Hall Corvallis, Oregon 97331 (541) 737-6744 e-mail

Chemistry Links

MARCH 25-29, 2012

The following summary is provided to help Councilors report to their local sections and divisions on key actions of the ACS Council and Board of Directors at the 2012 spring national meeting.

ACTIONS OF THE COUNCIL

Election Results

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections presented to the Council the following nominees for selection as candidates for President-Elect, 2013: Thomas J. Barton, Luis A. Echegoyen, William A. Lester, Jr., and Barry M. Trost. By electronic ballot, the Council selected Thomas J. Barton and Luis A. Echegoyen as candidates for 2013 President-Elect. These two candidates, along with any candidates selected via petitions, will stand for election in the Fall National Election.

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections announced the results of the election to select candidates from the list of nominees to represent District I and District V on the Board of Directors for the term 2013-2015. Nominees for District I included Barbara J. Garrison, Thomas R. Gilbert, Neil D. Jespersen, and Julianne M. D. Smist. Nominees for District V included John E. Adams, Frank D. Blum, Peter K. Dorhout, and Frankie K. Wood-Black. By mail ballot, the Councilors from these districts selected Thomas R. Gilbert and Neil D. Jespersen as District I candidates; and John E. Adams and Peter K. Dorhout as District V candidates. Ballots will be mailed on or before October 10 to all members in District I and District V for election of a Director from each District.

· The Committee on Nominations and Elections announced the selection of the following candidates for Directors-at-Large for a 2013-2015 term: Carol A. Duane, Valerie J. Kuck, Helen (Bonnie) A. Lawlor, and Ingrid Montes. The election of two Directors-at-Large will be conducted in the fall. Ballots will be mailed to the Council on or before October 10.

· As part of a regular performance review, the Council VOTED to continue the Committee on Project SEED. The Committee on Project SEED sets policy for all Project SEED programs, including review of Project SEED I and II program applications for student research projects, funding decisions, and Project SEED college scholarship applications.

· Despite the sluggish economy, ACS generated strong operating results in 2011. Total revenue was $472.0 million, up +1.8% over 2010. The Net from Operations was $20.9 million, or $7.7 million favorable to budget. This result was attributable to better-than-expected performance by the ACS Publications Division and careful expense management across the Society. While operating results were favorable, Unrestricted Net Assets declined from $130.5 million to $102 million. The decline was primarily due to a sizable accounting charge related to the Society’s closed postretirement benefit plans. ACS ended the year in compliance with four of the five Board-established financial guidelines.

· The Council VOTED to set the member dues for 2013 at the fully escalated rate of $151. This rate is established pursuant to an inflation-adjustment formula in the ACS Constitution and Bylaws.

· The Council took action on two amendments (petitions) to the ACS Constitution and Bylaws: The Petition to Amend Recorded Vote Request Procedure and the Petition on Market Data Collection. The Council VOTED overwhelmingly to approve both petitions. The Petition to Amend Recorded Vote Request Procedure provides that a call for a recorded vote after a clicker vote has commenced will be out of order, as would a call for a recorded vote after the initial clicker voting has taken place. The Petition on Market Data Collection seeks to add a provision to allow for controlled market testing to collect data before the Society changes benefits, dues, or membership categories. The Board of Directors will vote within 90 days on whether to ratify the approved petitions.

· The Council received two petitions for consideration: The Petition on Candidate Comment in C&EN and the Petition on International Chemical Sciences Chapters Funds. The Petition on Candidate Comment in C&EN seeks to restrict candidates for election to the Board of Directors from publishing comments in C&EN for a six-month period prior to the mailing of the election ballot. The Petition on International Chemical Sciences Chapters Funds seeks to clarify that the Board of Directors may allocate funds to international chapters for specific purposes. The Council is expected to act on these two petitions at the fall Council meeting.

· Membership recruitment and retention efforts were very successful last year. The Society ended 2011 with 164,215 members – the highest number in Society history. 24,249 new members were elected into the Society – 16,092 Regular Members and 8,157 Undergraduate Members.

· As of March 28, 2012, the ACS spring national meeting had attracted 16,921 registrants including 8,974 regular attendees and 5,742 students.

· The Council VOTED to approve the Chemical Professional’s Code of Conduct as submitted by the Committee on Economic and Professional Affairs. This document offers guidance for Society members in various professional dealings, especially those involving conflicts of interest.

· A special discussion item was put on the Council agenda for this meeting. ACS President Bassam Shakhashiri presented and moderated a discussion on “What is your reaction to the proposed topics for the ACS Climate Science Tookkit?” President Shakhashiri’s working group on ACS Climate Science has developed a preliminary web-based toolkit that ACS members can use as a resource for understanding and communicating basic climate science. Following the presentation, Councilors engaged in a robust discussion on the proposed toolkit, and offered numerous suggestions for consideration.

ACTIONS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

At this meeting, the ACS Board of Directors considered a number of key strategic issues and responded with several actions.

· The Committee on Grants and Awards presented the Board with a screened list of nominees for the 2013 Priestley Medal, Charles Lathrop Parsons Award, and the Award for Volunteer Service to the ACS. The Board VOTED to approve the screened lists, and will now vote on, and announce, the winners of these three awards after its June meeting. The Board also VOTED to approve a Society nominee for the National Medal of Science.

· On the recommendation of the Committee on Executive Compensation, the Board VOTED to approve several actions relative to compensation for the Society’s executive staff. The compensation of the Society’s executive staff receives regular review from the Board of Directors.

· The Executive Director/CEO and several of her direct reports updated the Board on the activities of CAS (Chemical Abstracts Service), the ACS Publications Division, and the Society’s General Counsel.

· The General Counsel report included a briefing on the ACS vs. Leadscope litigation.

As previously reported, ACS has appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court, and the Court agreed to hear the case. Briefs have been filed in support of our position by several prestigious organizations, including the Ohio Attorney General, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio Manufacturers’ Association and the Ohio State Bar Association. On September 7, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case, and a link to the arguments can be found on acs.org. A ruling has not been issued but could come at any time. A more detailed report appears in the most recent edition of the Councilor Bulletin. Please contact the Office of the Secretary if you would like a copy.

· a briefing on current virtual and hybrid meeting strategies using the Virtual Career Fair and Virtual Exposition;

· a report from the Committee on Professional Training-Committee on Education (CPT-SOCED) Task Force on the American Association of Medical Colleges and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute report Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians – wherein the CPT-SOCED task force is considering the implications of chemistry-related recommendations contained in the report;

· a report from the President-Elect on plans and priorities during her presidential year; and a discussion on presidential succession budgets - particularly in light of increasing international and domestic travel demands.

· the 2015 Pacifichem budget and authorized reimbursement, on a pro rata basis, to the participating ACS Divisions for expenditures in support of the Pacifichem program and activities;

· changes to Board Regulations regarding the composition of the Planning Committee and the appointment of canvassing and award committees;

· a proposal to administer and present the AkzoNobel North American Science Award as recommended by the Committee on Grants and Awards; and

· proclamations recognizing the 100^th Anniversary of the South African Chemical Institute and the 80^th anniversary of the Chinese Chemical Society.

The Board welcomed and received reports from several international guests representing the following scientific societies: the Canadian Society for Chemistry, the German Chemical Society, the Hungarian Chemical Society, the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, the Mexican Chemical Society, and the Royal Society of Chemistry.

The Board held a lively, well-attended open session which featured a special forum on “The Future of Graduate Education and Research in the Chemical Sciences.” Members attending this standing-room only session received an overview and update from the chair and executive director of the ACS Presidential Commission on Graduate Education in the Chemical Sciences. The commission is addressing two major questions: “What are the purposes of graduate education in the chemical sciences?” and “What steps should be taken to ensure that important societal issues, as well as the needs and aspirations of students, are addressed in graduate school?” Members discussed how the Society might offer greater assistance on this very important and timely topic.

The Society Committee on Education supported the recommendations from a task force to create a stand-alone association housed within ACS, supported by professional staff and governed by a volunteer board of association members.

The following is a list of URLs and email addresses presented on slides at the Council meeting. You will find the information noted on these sites helpful.

safety@acs.org – email address for sharing ideas on “How can ACS best cultivate a culture of safety in US universities and colleges?”

www.acs.org/safety - information on the Committee on Chemical Safety including “Creating Safety Cultures in Academic Institutions”

www.acs.org/ei - information on the ACS Entrepreneurial Initiative (Training and Resources)

www.acs.org/forms: submit annual reports, record meetings, activities and events year round

www.acs.org/bulletin5: location of the Society’s governing documents and unit bylaws, and information on the petition process to amend the Society’s governing documents

bylaws@acs.org: email address for questions to the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws

	OSU Department of Chemistry
	UO Department of Chemistry
	Chemical Abstracts Service
	Chemistry News Groups
	ACS Website
	OSU SAACS
	ACS Job Bank