Council selected two candidates from among four nominees to run for election by mail ballot in October for President-Elect (2000) of the Society. The selected candidates are I&EC member Attila E. Pavlath, ACS Director at Large, and lead scientist, Process Chemistry and Engineering, USDA Western Regional Research Center, Calif. and Alan Schriesheim, emeritus director, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL. Two I&EC members, Valerie Kuck, Lucent Technologies and incumbent Lura Powell, National Institute of Standards and Technology are among the four candidates for two Directors-at-Large positions. Election by the entire Council will take place by mail ballot in October.

We also approved an ACS bylaw petition revising the duties of the Divisional Activities Committee to include the additional responsibility of recommending to Council, not only the creation, but also the combination or dissolution of a Division(s). Also approved was a bylaw petition that removed the stipulation that a person whose membership has lapsed for nonpayment of dues must pay a $10 reinstatement fee to be reinstated.

The Department of Career Services (DCS), along with volunteer Career Consultants (CCs), conducted 90 mock interview sessions and reviewed 223 resumes. There were 56 additional member requests for reviews that could not be accommodated at the meeting. These were divided up among the CCs and completed by late April. Almost 19% of the total meeting registrants (2135) took advantage of the many professional services offered by DCS at the Anaheim Meeting, a somewhat astounding figure.

The I&EC Executive Committee, as well as other standing Committees, are undergoing changes in the way we conduct business between the semi-annual National Meetings. Under the leadership of Chairman Robin Rogers, most of us are committed to achieving goals set at the last meeting and, according to a reasonable time frame, reporting to others on the list-serve what our progress has been as we go along. Everyone should be better informed at the upcoming meeting and we will be able to spend more time setting goals for the next meeting. It is agonizing but I believe it will become easier as we grow more accustomed to it.

I had a chance to hear former ACS President Ron Breslow deliver his Priestly Medal address. He acknowledged that being a superstar in a large research university and having his work funded largely by Federal grants was, along with teaching a pretty good life and he highly recommended it. It was truly an inspirational talk and I cannot do it justice in a short paraphrase. He came out strongly for convincing the public, Congress and the Administration that such research was in the National interest and should receive Federal support. He said that fully half of his students went into industry. I noted, however, that he had the same high regard for the importance of their work as for those who chose a career in Academe, i.e., not tainted because it was goal oriented (applied), rather than being curiosity driven (basic). The address can be found in C&EN, March 22, 1999, page 37.

HELLO out there! Every once in awhile someone responds to these efforts to bring the highlights of the National Meeting to you and to the expressions of my take on sometimes controversial subjects. Thanks a lot - it warms my heart. Let me hear from you. What is your definition of an Industrial Chemist or Engineer? I'll tell you mine next time. (New e-mail address: rstow@northlink.net. New phone area code: (231) 526-5078. Mail address: Box 173, 5680 Chippewa Dr., Cross Village, MI 49723).

Robert A. Stowe
Councilor

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Updated 16 September 2002