Spring 2008

ACS Legislation: Informing Congress about Chemistry

by Bradley R. Smith

Less than 5 percent of the 535 members of Congress have backgrounds in science and engineering. Yet every day, legislators like yours are asked to make important decisions that affect our nation's scientific enterprise. You can help them make informed decisions by participating in the American Chemical Society's (ACS) government affairs programs. Read more

They Pay Me To Do This? Travels in Academia and Industrial Chemistry

by Kim Albizati

I was asked to pen an article about entrepreneurship in science. This is because I am a relatively rare example of an organic chemist who has not only traversed both the academic and industrial side of chemistry, but who has also co-founded a biotech startup company, BioVerdant, where I currently serve as the Chief Executive Officer. So I have done a lot of different things in chemistry and performed a variety of roles, which has given me a fairly broad view of the scientific–industrial complex. And therein lies a tale. Read more

The Academic Employment Initiative: Perspective from an Academic Job Seeker

by Ian F. Thorpe

Another session of the Academic Employment Initiative (AEI) was held August 20, 2007, at the 234th national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Boston, MA. First held in 2004, AEI has become an annual event at fall national meetings of the ACS. Read more

Webcast Short Courses and Young Chemists—An Ideal Match

by Stephanie Rizk

Professional development is a must-do activity for most young chemists. Keeping up-to-date with your skills or expanding into new areas of expertise shows your employer that you are serious about your career and can put you on the fast track to the opportunities you're looking for. Read more

40th Anniversary of Project SEED

Project SEED is the ACS program that places economically disadvantaged high school students in summer research positions in academic and industrial laboratories. Over the last four decades, the Project SEED program has maintained an exceptional record of positive impact on young people. Read more

From The Archives

How I Became a High School Teacher—And How You Can Too!

by Marci Harvey, West Forsyth High School, Clemmons, N.C.

When I finished my master's thesis in chemistry in 1994: I left graduate school without a job; was not sure what I wanted to do; was very tired of research; and was moving to a new state to get married. Read more (PDF)

The Chemistry of Wine

by Karrie M. Manes

It was Joseph Louis Guy-Lussac who discovered the overall reaction that converts glucose to alcohol and carbon dioxide, and it was Louis Pasteur who discovered that yeast was responsible for the transformation. Pasteur also determined that the metabolism of yeast was pH-dependent and that the acidity of the solution played a role in determining the wine’s properties. Read more (PDF)