ChemLine                                                                 

Todd Miller        563-659-2394 (PH)                                                                         A publication of

Secretary                                                                                                        The Illinois-Iowa Section of

millertj@netins.net                                                                                  The American Chemical Society

April 2002

If you have items to be included in the next newsletter, submit the items by May 3 to the Secretary.

For the latest information about upcoming events, visit our website at http://membership.acs.org/I/ILIA/

 


April Meeting

Tuesday, April 16th, 2002

 

Location:

 

Clinton Community College

 (See attached map)

 

Times:     6:30 – 8:00 PM

 

 

Dinner in Auditorium

Sliced Turkey with Turkey Gravy, Baked potato, Broccoli & Cauliflower in Cheese Sauce, Tossed Salad, Rolls & Butter, Dessert

 

8:00 – 9:00 PM

 

Program in Room 116 of Clinton Community College

“The Tragedy of the Commons” by Mr. Ed Rogers

 

Reservations:

 

 

Member/Guest Charge:    $10     See the Sponsor-A-Student note below.

Deadline for Reservations: Friday, April 12 at noon.

Contact: John Bonte at (563) 244-7138 or jbonte@eiccd.cc.ia.us.

Our next meeting is May 21 at GPC in Muscatine.

 

“The Tragedy of the Commons”

Garret Harden presented his discussion in Science, vol. 162 (3859) p. 1243 (1968). He first reminded us of the capitalistic ideal: that the wealth of nations comes from the labor of the common man, and his spending of his income according to his own selfish best interest leads the economy to great success, as though by an “invisible hand.” (Paraphrased from Adam Smith, “The Wealth of Nations,” (1776)) He then added the cautionary critique of this work by William Forster Lloyd (Oxford, 1833) that the “common man” lacks long range vision, so in hi greed will overuse any commons within his range, and destroy it.

Mr. Rogers feels that it is a mistake to tie this problem to the common man, as it may tend to make us think that these destructions are somehow fated to occur, being tied to human nature. But we have an ancient history of preserving Spirit in men: generations of farmers who have tilled the land for centuries, and who feel that the preservation of the land is a sacred trust, craftsmen to whom shoddy work would be considered damaging to their own spirit, and an insult to those that come after. Also, frequently the damage comes not from the “common man” but the leaders of the society. Isn’t it time to consider how changes can be made?

For his approach to the Tragedy of the Commons, Mr. Rogers starts with the work of Professor Ian McHarg and his book “Design With Nature” (1969, reprinted 1994) in which he insists that in anything we do, we must incorporate all knowledge. Of course, we don’t have all knowledge, but he does not mean for this to freeze us into inaction. He refers to the work of “Capability” Brown, in England, and a collection of similar actors who in the 18th century remade the landscape of a great deal of that country, which still remains one of its great attractions.

A few examples of the true tragedies that have occurred in the recent past, and are still occurring, including a few that we are still inflicting on our part of the world are presented. In none of these cases is it the “common man” who is at fault, but instead those in positions of leadership who are destroyers.

Biographical Sketch

Ed Rogers graduated from Wilson Junior College in 1947 and the University of Illinois-Chicago (Navy Pier) in 1948, majoring in Mathematics. He then attended the University of Chicago from 1949 to 1951, studying Music. Next he took a job in chemistry and finished his BS at Roosevelt University in 1956.

            He has considerable work experience in industry: Sinclair Research (1956-1966), UOP (1966-1983), Carus Chemical Co. (1983-1990). He is the author or co-author of 26 US patents, mostly related to environmental improvement in the petroleum industry. He is also a member of the Illinois-Iowa Section of the American Chemical Society.

 

Sponsor a Student

We are again looking for volunteers to sponsor a college student at the April meeting.  Your part is to pay the meal cost of one student - or ask your employer to pay the cost - and spend the social and dinnertime visiting with the student you are matched with.  Whether you are currently employed, retired, or between jobs, you have much to offer to a student planning a science-based career.  Additionally, after this brief mentoring experience you will likely find that you too have gained a lot.  Just listening to what a student has to say can be an enlightening experience!  Please take part by signing up when you make your dinner reservation with John Bonte.

 

Message from the Chair

We had another good tour speaker last Month. Dr. Garber spoke to us about the use of electron microscopy to investigate the effects of various products on the skin and hair. It introduced me to a field I was not at all familiar with. Thanks to Dr. Wanke and Augustana for hosting the meeting. 

This month’s meeting will be in Clinton, presented by Ed Rogers, a member of the Section. He will be speaking on “The Tragedy of the Commons”; see his abstract in the meeting notice. I became interested in the problem of “The Commons” when I was involved in a DOE Energy Workshop in 1979 and 1980. The author of the original Nature article, Garrett Hardin pointed out that people in society will not care for their common property such as the air, water or natural resources out of some form of moral obligation. If they do care for their common property, people who have no moral obligation will take advantage of them by over-exploiting the common property. Nothing would be left for the non-exploiters of future generations. I will be very interested to hear what Ed has to say about this in the context of our current concerns about air and water pollution and government regulation.

By the time of our meeting, the Chemistry Olympiad will have been held in Dubuque. Thanks to Dr. Ed Maslowsky and Loras College for hosting this event.

Our next meeting will be in Muscatine on May 21. Dr. Charles Galloway will talk about Chemists in the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame.

See you on April 16, here in Clinton.

 John

 

Chemistry Olympiad

As noted above, the Chemistry Olympiad going to be held on Saturday, April 13, 2002 at Loras College from 8:00 AM - 12:30 PM.  Loras is located at 1450 Alta Vista, Dubuque, Iowa 52004-0178.

As in the past, we would like to have free textbooks in the areas of chemistry and physics that would be made available to participating high school teachers. Anyone able to make such contributions should contact Ed Maslowsky at emaslows@loras.edu.

 

Mark Your Calendars!

Here is a listing of the Section meetings for the rest of the year:

Date

Title

Speaker

Location

May 21

Chemists in the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame

Dr. E. Charles Galloway

GPC

Muscatine, IA

September 17

Disposal of Liquid Nuclear Waste

Stephen H. Stow

Monmouth College Monmouth, IL

October 15

Contamination of an Aquifer by Hazardous Waste

Thomas M. Spittler

Loras College

Dubuque, IA

November 12

Tour of BANDAG Laboratory

Dave Bender

BANDAG

Muscatine, IA

December (TBA)

Awards Ceremony and Social Event

 

TBA

Contact us:

Chair:  Dr. John Bonte                                 Audit Committee Chair                                        Public Relations Committee Chair

   (563) 244 – 7138                                           Mr. Richard Helms                                                  Mr. Richard Kissack

   FAX (563) 244 – 7107                                  (563) 264 – 4240                                                    (563) 242 – 4812

   jbonte@eiccd.cc.ia.us                                   FAX (563) 264 – 4216                                           rkissack@clinton.net

 

Chair Elect:  Dr. Alan Abbot                      Education/Grants and Awards                         Illinois State Capitol Day

  (309) 852-5671 ext. 253                            Committee Chair                                                    Representative 2002

  abbotta@eastadmin.bhc.edu                        Dr. Sally Rigeman                                                   Dr. Sally Rigeman

                                                                                (309) 797 – 4369

Secretary:  Dr. Todd Miller                            srigeman@netexpress.net                                  National Chemistry Week

  millertj@netins.net                                                                                                                           Coordinator 2002

  (563) 659 – 2394                                         Kiser Scholarship Committee Chair                  Dr. Alan Abbot

                                                                                Mr. Rich Craddick

Treasurer: Rich Rogers                                  (563) 264 – 4394                                                 Webmaster

   rickgpc@home.com                                       (FAX) (563) 264 – 4367                                        Dr. Tim Smith

                                                                                rich_craddick@kentfeeds.com                            (563) 288 – 6049

Counselors: Brian Mundell                                                                                                                tsmith@eiccd.com

   brian@bio-researchprod.com                  Mentoring Committee Chair

                                                                                                                                                            Dr. Lisa B. Fields

   Mel Peterson                                                    (563) 264 – 6039

   chpeterson@augustana.edu                        lmfields@muscanet.com

 

 

Map of the Area Around Clinton Community College

 

CCC
 

US 30
 

14th St.
 

US 30
 

US 67
 

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Tragedy of the Commons

Mr. Ed Rogers

 

 

 

April 16th, 2002

8:00 – 9:00 PM

 

 

Clinton Community College

Room 116

 

 

 

         Mr. Rogers approaches this Tragedy of the Commons beginning with the idea that in anything we do, we must incorporate all knowledge. Though we do not possess all knowledge, that does not mean that this should freeze us into inaction. Some examples of true tragedies that have occurred in the recent past, and are still occurring, including a few we are inflicting on our part of the world. In none of these cases is it the “common man” who is at fault, but instead it is those in positions of leadership who are the destroyers.

 

 

Contact John Bonte at (563) 244 – 7138 or jbonte@eiccd.cc.ia.us

 

 

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