Summer/Fall 1998

Many Thanks

...to Dave Gushee, who served the I&EC Division as Newsletter editor for many years. We are grateful to Dave for all his contributions to the Division and wish him luck in his future endeavors. As the new I&EC Newsletter editor, I want to remind everyone that we encourage membership input to the newsletter. Please feel free to contact me regarding:

Nancy B. Jackson
Editor, I&EC Newsletter
nbjacks@sandia.gov
FAX 505-845-9500

CONTENTS

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Message from the Chair

I received a wonderfully insightful correspondence from a member who was disturbed by the lack of industrial representation in our officer nominees last year. My corespondent, an industrial chemist, felt that I&EC leadership should be dominated by venerable, experienced industrial chemists & chemical engineers. What I most appreciated in his thoughtful letter was his analysis, despite his preferences, of all the reasons why that was a nearly impossible goal to achieve. The author, himself, was unable to get his company support to attend two ACS meeting a year (a necessity for Division leadership). His company did not appreciate the benefits of professional society activity. He suggested we try to educate industry in order to facilitate their support. Well... I have two responses...

  1. ACS is already working hard to educate chemical companies to the benefits of ACS membership and involvement for its employees. It is one of the Society's stated goals. However, it is a difficult task, and we could all use advise and suggestions to help address this effort. In this day and age of "streamlined" companies, the concept of an employee being supported to do anything that does not contribute directly and immediately to the bottom line, is a rarity. I encourage our memberships to provide I&EC and ACS with advice and direction in this respect.

  2. The Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Division is also the Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Division. Just like you will find industrial chemists in the organic, inorganic, and polymer divisions attending sessions primarily given by academic chemists, you will also find industrial chemists attending I&EC symposia given by academic and government chemical engineers and applied chemists. The majority of speakers at ACS meetings are academics. But isn't that what most industrial chemists come to ACS meetings for? To catch up on the latest and newest ideas in their field so that they can think of ways to incorporate the latest developments into commercial enterprises? I&EC is no different than any of the other ACS divisions. It attempts to report the latest in applied chemistry and engineering chemistry - including, but not limited to, separations, green chemistry, materials chemistry (non-polymeric), novel applications for boron chemistry, robotics in chemistry, and catalytic chemistry.
My hope is that members will remember that I&EC is an engineering chemistry division as well as an industrial one, focussing on the leading edge of applied chemistry, bringing the forefront of applied chemical research into easy reach of the industrial and engineering chemists.

Nancy Jackson, Chair

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The Role of the Division: A Sense of Identity

By Spiro Alexandratos

A question that I and others in the Executive Committee often find ourselves discussing is this: what is the optimum role of the Division in the professional life of its members? In other words, what makes it worthwhile for an ACS member to join a Division?

I suppose what we are proudest of in our Division is the outstanding technical program we put together at each national meeting as well as special meetings such as the Fifth North American Chemical Congress. Through this program, the Division also brings together an outstanding group of people to mingle socially, making both small talk and planning collaborations.

But is this enough? I wonder whether the biggest role that divisions play is in enhancing a member's identity of who he or she is as a chemist. The divisions that are clearly tied in to a course of study (Organic, Polymer, Inorganic, etc.) have a built-in constituency with a clear focus. This Division is unique in being interdisciplinary (its constituency comes from all sections of chemistry and engineering) but with a unifying theme that all involved are interested in basic science as well as the end result of that science in its applications to society.

This diversity can be our greatest strength and we recognize this through the importance this division attaches to our subdivisions. I invite you to consider why this Division is important to you and what can make it still more important. Is the role of the Division to enhance your professional identity? If so, how well is it doing and what can it do to be better?

Let us know what you think, whether you have general feelings in this area or concrete suggestions. One thing I have found is that this Division is responsive to the needs of its members. Contact me directly (alexsd@utk.edu) or any member of the Executive Committee with your ideas and suggestions.

S. D. Alexandratos
Hoechst-Celanese Professor of Polymer Science
Department of Chemistry
University of Tennessee at Knoxville
Knoxville, TN 37996-1600

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VISION 2020

I&EC Takes the Lead for ACS on Vision 2020

On March 29th of this year, the Executive Committee of the Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry voted to take the lead for the ACS on Vision 2020 activities. The Vision 2020 report is an overarching description of the general research and technology needs the chemical industry perceives must be met in order to help lead the chemical industry to continue its success through to the year 2020. To better understand the research needs in more detail, individual technologies are being roadmapped. The roadmapping process usually begins with a workshop made up of industry, academic and government experts in the technology field. The goal of the roadmap is to chart specific R&D needs over the short-, mid-, and longterm that are necessary to achieve the Technology Vision 2020. The roadmaps themselves are being written with input from the workshops, but separately from the workshops themselves. The roadmap will help government funding agencies and industrial firms to help map future research needs and lay the groundwork for the interdisciplinary collaborations which will be necessary to meet the long term vision of success for the chemical industry.

In April, I&EC cosponsored its first roadmapping workshop this year in Santa Fe, NM, covering "Dense Phase Fluids and other Alternative Reaction Media" a technology falling under the Chemical Sciences/Synthesis section of the Vision. This workshop was the first of four jointly sponsored with the Green Chemistry Institute, a not for profit organization affiliated with EPA's "Green Chemistry Program." The second workshop was on selected areas of polymer synthesis and was held at the National Environmental Technology for Waste Prevention Institute at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Reports from both workshops are given below. Two other workshops covering alternative conditions and raw materials are planned for early and mid fall of 1998.

Support for Vision 2020 by the I&EC Division provides formal channels within the ACS for periodic updates on the progress of Vision 2020 roadmaps, workshops, solicitations and technical projects before the entire ACS membership. Currently, a panel discussion reporting the status of the technology roadmaps will be held at the ACS 217th National Meeting in Boston August 24th. Session participants were drawn from roadmap leaders and the workshops more active participants. The special event will be held on Monday evening from 8:00 - 10:00 PM in the Convention Center (check program for exact location). The title is Vision 2020 Roadmaps: A Status Report on Industry's National Research Agenda. For our Anaheim meeting in April 1999, several industrial I&EC members will conduct poster exhibits reviewing the most recent Vision 2020 awardees from DOE's Office of Industrial Technologies, Commerce's Advanced Technology Program, and NSF's and EPA's Green Chemistry Program.

As more opportunities arise I&EC looks forward to actively supporting other workshops and the development of much needed Vision 2020 roadmaps.

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Workshop Reports

Dense Phase Fluid and Alternative Reaction Media

The workshop began with a welcome by and an overview of the process and goals with presentations by Tom Baca (LANL), Joe Carras (EPA), and Louis Devone (DOE/OIT) and me (I&EC). Two panels then discussed industry needs and recent research results (primarily supercritical C02 and room temperature ionic liquids). Three breakout sessions followed, meeting for one and a half days in the areas of Alternative Cleaning/Dissolution Methods and two sessions on Improved Synthetic Pathways. The major topics of discussion seemed to center around the new technologies now coming on-line for using sc-C02 in dry cleaning (e.g., the Dry Wash system) and the potential uses of room temperature ionic liquids in organic synthesis. A major need which seem to reverberate through all sessions was the need to enable cooperative government/industry/academic research activities.

The Division was prominent at the workshop with the Division's wall and table mounted posters displayed and our inclusion in all literature as a workshop sponsor. We were also mentioned in the Chemical & Engineering News article (June 8, 1998; p. 31) entitled 'Virtually Green.' The article also contains further details about the workshop and the Green Chemistry Institute.

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Separations: Crystallization, Distillation and Extraction

I&EC was also represented at the May 11th workshop on separations at Oak Ridge National Lab which was also sponsored by DOE's Office of Industrial Technologies. This separations workshop focused on crystallization, distillation, and extraction; other separations workshops have studied different separations technologies.I&EC has supported the Separations workshops by providing mailings to members and has offered to take an organizational role in helping with the workshop series. However, probably since we did not provide any monetary support, I&EC was not listed as a workshop sponsor at the meeting or in the Chemical & Engineering News article (June 8, 1998; p. 47) entitled 'Coming Together on Separations' which summarized the meeting.

Interestingly, many of the issues raised in these two workshops (and indeed also in the most recent workshop on polymers reported below) are similar. Most center around the need for hard comparative data and models and the need for university/industry/ government cooperation. Public databases and curriculum improvements were also cited as major objectives.

Robin Rogers

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The Role of Polymer Research in Green Chemistry and Engineering

The workshop on the Role of Polymer Research in Green Chemistry and Engineering was held June 10-12 at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Three simultaneous sessions were held and selections of the outcome are described below. Needs which were identified by all three groups included the need for interdisciplinary approach to solve problems, the importance of consortia of industry, government and academia to conduct research, and a general desire to understand better the fundamental structure-property relationships of polymer materials.

Benign Processing and Reaction Media
Performance targets for the year 2020 included becoming 30 percent more efficient in the use of raw materials with a 50 percent reduction in energy. Another goal was the elimination of all solvent emissions and the routine recycle of 75 percent of all polymers. High priority research needs included the study of the chemistry of alternative reaction media (supercritical fluids), development of new processing methods including bio-based materials, low emission high mobility continuous processing and methods to alter polymer properties. General data is needed for rheological properties of polymers at critical conditions and computational techniques for prediction of polymer properties.

Synthesis and Catalysis for Environmentally Benign Polymers
Improving energy efficiency in existing poIymerization by 40-50% by 2020 was one of the major goals of the synthesis group. Research identified as necessary to reach that goal included, but was not limited to, studies of natural polymer properties relative to structure, research into light-derived polymerization, better understanding of structural requirements for biodegradability, and new catalysts for C1 chemistry.

Modeling and Simulation of New Polymers and Processes
The goal in this group was to shift design of polymers and processing from purely experimental to a mix of modeling, design, and experiment. Research needs include developing benchmarking data, integrated models at multiple scales, hybrid models, and force fields from electronic structure calculations.

Nancy Jackson

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COUNCILOR'S REPORTS

From the Desk of Kathleen Schulz

Like all Councilors, I have three main duties: (1) attend Council meetings and cast votes in the best interest of I&EC Division members, (2) from the various opportunities available to Councilors at the national ACS level, seek opportunities to serve in ways that promote the interests and opportunities of I&EC members, and (3) serve as a Sr. advisor to the Division. In this newsletter, I'd like to briefly report some of my recent activities in the second area (service at the national level) which provide opportunities for I&EC Division members.

At the national level, I have served on the Committee on Committees (ConC), one of three elected committees of the Council, for the past three years. ConC oversees operation of all ~30 Council related committees, by providing a "liaison" who serves as advisor to the leadership of each committee. In the fall of each year, ConC recommends appointees for each committee to the ACS President-Elect, who makes final decisions on appointments for the coming year. In 1998, I have been the ConC liaison to International Activities Committee (IAC), which is now developing a new, broadened international agenda for ACS under leadership of Dr. Mary Good, who was newly appointed Chair of IAC in 1998.

Also on ConC, I Chair the Industrial Pipeline Task Force, which focuses on increasing the number of industrially employed chemical professionals in ACS governance (e.g. through service on national committees). This year, our task force completed a member-friendly pocket guide and companion brochure describing 27 opportunities to serve on committees. Prior to completion of the brochure, the only information available was by-law description of the committees ---- not exactly an enthralling read, or an effective recruitment tool!

The brochure includes testimonials from industrial members who have been active in ACS and gives information on scope, typical assignments and activities, time commitment and support available for each committee. Though it is an open invitation to industrial members to join committees, the information is useful to any ACS member. The focus on industrial members is an attempt to improve the current imbalance --- i.e. 60% of ACS members are employed in industry, but only 20% of those participating in governance are from industry.

INVITATION:

So....this is a special invitation to you industrial members to consider becoming active nationally. To learn more, request a copy of the brochure ("Get Active in ACS"---Industrial Pipeline brochure) by calling the Office of ACS Director of Membership at 202-872-6170 or by sending e-mail to: n_gray@acs.org. Also, if I can help you, please feel free to call (505-845-9879) or e-mail me (kmschul@sandia.gov).

OPPORTUNITY FOR INPUT:

On another note, I was recently appointed to a 12 member Board of Directors Task Force on Technical Programming, whose charter is to examine ways to improve future ACS programming, to keep ACS competitive with other venues and societies in the 21st century. The Task Force, which is Chaired by Hank Whalen-VP of PQ Corp., will report to the Board this fall. T would be most interested in hearing your suggestions and comments about how to improve ACS technical programming content or venues, to pass along to the Task Force. Our goal is to suggest improvements that would assure that ACS programs and meetings would be first-choice alternatives for you.

I look forward to hearing from you, on the above topics or any others, via e-mail (kmschul@sandia.gov) or by phone (505-845-9879). And, thanks so much for electing me to serve as one of your I&EC Councilors!

Kathleen Schulz

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From the Desk of Robert Stowe

The ACS national meeting in Dallas attracted 9126 registrants and a total attendance of 10,717 people. The results of last fall's election for 1998 president-elect were announced. Edel Wasserman was elected over Judith Giordan, 16,697 to 15,782. This is less than 21% of the membership, which now stands at a record 155,595 (Dec.'97). Council voted by a margin of 11/4 to approve a $3.00/yr. dues increase to a total of $105 for 1999. Also, by ballot vote, we chose two candidates from a field of four, for this fall's election by the membership of the 1999 President-elect. The candidates are Glenn A Crosby, professor of chemistry at Washington State University and Daryle H. Busch, professor of chemistry at the University of Kansas.

At the I&EC luncheon Chair Nancy Jackson presented an award to Ms. Jamie Yang consisting of a one year membership in the ACS and a one year membership in the I&EC division, both beginning in 1999. Jamie has been participating in the Doctor ofIndustrial Chemistry program at UT-Dallas and will be getting her PhD this summer. Professor Lynn Melton, UTDallas and a principle developer of the program, which is aimed at producing industrial chemists, presented her to the group. Jamie was nominated for the award by the Chemistry Dept. at UT-Dallas.

Several big hitters came to Dallas for papers in special symposia and an award address. Richard N. Zare led off the special Presidential Event "Challenges for Chemistry in the 21st Century". Zare, a professor of chemistry at Stanford and until May, chairman of the National Science Board which oversees the National Science foundation pointed out the "dazzling advances" made through science and technology during the 20th century and wondered aloud if there was a public will to sustain this activity. He called for longterm investment in science. "Invest broadly and wisely rather than trying to pick winners," he advised."Winners flow naturally from the merit review process."

Representative Vernon Ehlers, (R-Mich) spoke at another Presidential Event "A Rising or a Setting Sun? - The Future for Federal Support for R&D". Ile is a fonner research physicist and chair of a I-Iouse task force that is developing a new science policy for the U.S. Ehlers says that we do not have a farsighted science policy but rather a budget policy abo-t science. His view is that the new post-cold war policy should include better math, science and engineering education, not only to train the people necessary but also to increase science literacy in the American public.

Albert Cotton, Texas A&M Professor of Chemistry, was presented the Priestly Medal, the ACS's highest award. His award address, "Science Today - What Follows the Golden Age?" was at times entertaining but frequently showed his disdain for anything other than "research on fundamental problems in pure science." Historically he got it right when he defined the Golden Age for Academia as that period from the "mid-50s to the mid 80s" during which "university professors in large numbers could cbtain very generous support" for unconstrained fundamental research "based only on the say-so of other university professors (the peer review process)." He implied that the dramatic rise in the American chemical enterprise during this period could be directly traced to the generous support of Academe by NSF.

My career as an industrial researcher spanned that same era, and I don't rernember it exactly that way. A large portion of the Federal support for science was directed toward the space program and national defense. In industry there was mLlch basic research done. I believe that the relationship between research and development is continuously iterative and each drives the other. Having been focused to help solve a problem does not necessarily taint the fundamental nature of the research nor does having been done in a National Lab or the labs of a chemical company taint it. The correlation between the success of the chemical enterprise and Federal support of unfocused pure research is not validated simply because they both occurred during the same era.

This stew (Federal support for R&D) has been warming up since the end ofthe cold war and it is now steaming pretty well. Official ACS policy favors increasing the Federal R&D budget substantially, although it would still be only a small fraction of the GNP. Back in the "Golden Age" at Dow Chemical the R&D budget was pegged annually at 5% of sales. I don't know what the amount should be but I think the American Public, for purposes of global competitiveness and National pride, would support a small but consistent percentage of the GNP for R&D. It is time for all of us to get into this debate because there will be an outcome that will affect all of us.

The ACS's Department of Career Services reported that the numbers from the Employment Clearing House were good --- 147 employers posted 1336 positions available with 1039 candidates registered. This ratio of jobs to candidates is the best in years and supports the notion that employment in the Chemical Industry may have bottomed out and is now on the increase. Career Consultants reviewed résumés for 291 members and conducted 101 "mock interviews" at the meeting. During 1997, 282 members made use of the one On one consulting service while 163 résumés were reviewed outside the National meetings. These numbers get larger each year as more members become aware of and make use of this free service. This program is highly regarded by those who have made use of it. If anyone is considering a mid-career change or needs help selecting a career path or faces a career crisis, dial 1-800-227-5558 and ask for Career Services.

There is a special need for people with backgrounds in the areas of biotechnology, biochemistry, pharmaceutical/lnedicinal, toxicology and computational chemistry to become Career Consultants. Personally, I have found this service to be extremely rewarding and recommend it as an important way to serve the profession. If you have an interest in becoming a Career Consultant you can contact me or Ms. Elaine Diggs at ACS Career Services.

HELLO OUT THERE. I hope to hear some comment as the result of this report in each Newsletter. e-mail me at rstow@NORTHLINK.NET. Or phone 616/526-5078 or Fax at the same number after calling first, or send snail mail to Robert A. Stowe, 5680 Chippewa Dr., Box 173, Cross Village, MI 49723.

Robert Stowe

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Updated 16 September 2002