People: Appointments and Awards

Chemical Heritage, the news magazine of the Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF, formerly the Center for the History of Chemistry), has a new Editor, Mary Virginia Orna. Mary Virginia, in accordance with the mission of CHF, is committed to furthering the cause of chemical education at every level, to the concept and practice of responsible care for the environment, and to furtherance of the public understanding of chemistry. She welcomes from the Journal readership suggestions for full-length articles, book reviews, short sketches and anecdotes of personal experiences, or any other information that falls within the purview of Chemical Heritage. If you are not already on CHF's mailing list, you can become a free subscriber to Chemical Heritage, provided you are a U.S. resident, by contacting Mary Virginia Orna, Chemical Heritage Foundation, 315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2702; email: mvorna@chemheritage.org.

Anna Wilson, who is in the Biochemistry Department of Purdue University, has been elected President-elect for July 1996 to June 1997 (at which time she will become President) of the Association for Biology Laboratory Education (ABLE). ABLE is an international organization that Wilson helped to found 18 years ago; it has a membership of about 500 people.

The Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) will be held November 18-21, 1996 in Somerset, New Jersey. In conjunction with this meeting, James Winefordner of the University of Florida will receive the 1996 EAS Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Fields of Analytical Chemistry. At this meeting he will also receive the Robert Boyle Medal in Analytical Chemistry from the Royal Society of Chemists.

EAS will also honor John R. Ferraro, who will review his scientific accomplishments since 1970 when he received a Gold Medal from the New York Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy.

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 1996 was awarded jointly to:

• Robert F. Curl, Jr., Rice University
• Sir Harold W. Kroto, The University of Sussex
• Richard E. Smalley, Rice University

for their discovery of fullerenes. The award was made by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The Nobel Prize Internet Archive has a very useful presentation of background information about fullerenes, the collaborative efforts of the winners, graphics of carbon clusters and models of the structures of C₆₀, a photograph of the Nobel medal, and suggestions for further reading. The address of this Worldwide Web site is: http://www.almaz.com/nobel/nobel/html/.

Nobel molecule of the year: "buckyball" C₆₀

The Tetrahedron Prize for outstanding creativity in organic chemistry was awarded to:

• Samuel Danishefsky, Columbia University

for his work in carbohydrate chemistry. Specifically, he has developed a building-block approach to carbohydrate synthesis using glycals (carbon rings with one oxygen atom) as the basic unit to build oligosaccharides (complex carbohydrates) and glycopeptides (carbohydrates attached to peptides). Danishefsky has also received the 1997 ACS Claude S. Hudson Award in Carbohydrate Chemistry, to be presented at the Spring National Meeting in San Francisco.

The POLYED Committee of the American Chemical Society announce the winners of their 1996 Award for Excellence in Polymer Education by a High School or Junior High Science Teacher:

• Regina Watkiss, The Heritage School, Newnan, Georgia
• Douglas Malloy, Madison Area Memorial High School, Madison, Maine
• Patricia Strawbridge, Portage High School, Portage, Indiana received Honorable Mention

Awards Programs

1997 Polymer Teaching Award Competition

The Polymer Education Committee (POLYED) of the American Chemical Society has announced details of the 1997 Award for Excellence in Polymer Education by a High School or Junior High Science Teacher. The award is sponsored by the Dow Chemical Co. Foundation.

This award recognizes the efforts of high school and junior high school teachers who help students meet the challenges and responsibilities of living in a technological age and who encourage students to consider careers in science and engineering. Awards are based on the applicants' innovative use of classroom and laboratory activities to promote understanding of polymer chemistry and its role in the everyday lives of students, and the applicants' outreach activities to encourage other teachers to explore polymers with their students.

POLYED will recognize the national award winner at an ACS national meeting. Award winners receive a travel grant to attend national chemistry and teacher conferences, a plaque, a cash prize, and a set of teaching materials for use in the classroom. Applications for the 1997 award are available from David M. Collard, School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332-0400 and will be accepted until April 1, 1997.

Continuing Education Grants for College Teachers

The ACS Division of Chemical Education invites chemistry teachers in two-year colleges and in undergraduate-only four-year colleges to apply for grant awards from its Passer Education Fund to support continuing education activities that will enhance their classroom teaching. Typical examples of such activities include, but are not limited to, enrollment in an advanced course in a nearby university, or in an ACS short course, or in an instrumentation workshop. A proposal should include: a brief statement about your institution and its faculty development plan; the amount of support you need; and what your personal investment will be in the project. Note that the Passer Fund cannot support sabbaticals.

All proposals should be sent to Larry Peck, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-5000; email: peck@chemvx.tamu.edu; telephone: 409/ 845-2356; FAX 409/845-4719.

Westinghouse Science Talent Search

Applications for the 56th Annual Science Talent Search sponsored by Science Service Inc. and the Westinghouse Foundation are now available for high school seniors. The Science Talent Search is a national scholarship competition designed to showcase youth whose scientific ability, skills, and talent indicate a high potential for creative originality. There will be 300 of the applicants selected as Semifinalists; 40 will be selected as Finalists. They will be vying for a share of $205,000.

To enter, students must submit a written report on an independent research project in the physical sciences, behavioral and social sciences, engineering, mathematics, or biological sciences, excluding live vertebrate experimentation; a variety of forms and recommendations are also required. To obtain a copy of full directions and an official entry form, contact Science Service's Youth Department, 1719 N Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; phone: 202/785-2255; WWW: http://westinghouse.com. All entries must reach Science Service by 11:50 p.m. on Friday, November 29, 1996.

Opportunities

Chemistry Olympiad Mentor Applications Invited

College/university chemistry educators are invited to apply for a position as mentor for the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad program, sponsored by the American Chemical Society. Duties during the three-year term include helping to plan and conduct the national study camp for high school students held at the U.S. Air Force Academy in mid-June of 1997, 1998, and 1999. Generally, in their second and third year, mentors accompany four U.S. student competitors to the International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) and then serve as members of the IChO Jury.

Interested individuals may get more information from or may apply by requesting an application form from Vernita Frazier, U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad Program, American Chemical Society, 1155 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone: 202-872-6328. The deadline for completed applications is January 3, 1997.

Summer Schools in Nuclear and Radiochemistry

The ACS Division of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology will award 24 fellowships to undergraduates for attending its intensive six-week summer schools in nuclear and radiochemistry, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The summer schools will be held at Brookhaven National Laboratory and at San Jose State University during the period June 16 through July 25, 1997; there will be 12 students at each institution. The course will consist of both lecture and lab work on the fundamentals of nuclear theory, nuclear instrumentation, radiological safety, radiochemistry, and applications in research, medicine, and industry. Guest lectures, seminars, and field trips will broaden the scope of nuclear science presented to the participants.

For complete information and application forms, contact: Joseph R. Peterson, National Director of the Summer Schools, Department of Chemistry, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-1600; phone: 423/974-3434; fax: 423/974-3454; email: JoePete@utk.edu; WWW info at http://www.cofc.edu/~nuclear/. Completed applications must be received by January 31, 1997.

Meetings and Symposia

2nd Industrial Energy Efficiency Symposium & Expo

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies is holding its Second Industrial Energy Efficiency Symposium & Expo on February 25-27, 1997, at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. The theme is Turning Industry Visions Into Reality and is focused on seven basic industries, customers, and suppliers: aluminum, chemicals, glass, forest products, metal casting, petroleum refining, and steel. Attendees include industry, academia, and government representatives, with nearly 100 exhibits on display. For more information contact: Energetics, Inc., 7164 Gateway Drive, Columbia, MD 21046; Fax 301/621-3329; email OIT.EXPO97@hq.doe.gov or http://www.oit.doe.gov/News/expo97.htm.

MUACC Celebrates Its 50th Year

MUACC, the Midwest University Analytical Chemistry Conference, is celebrating its 50th anniversary. According to longtime MUACC attendee Carl Moore from Loyola University, the organization "started out with Hobart Willard, an analytical chemistry professor from the University of Michigan and two of his very precocious students, G. Frederick Smith and Harvey Diehl. After Smith and Diehl earned their doctorates, the three kept a close, almost family relationship. Somehow, they got the idea to get together about once a year, visit, talk chemistry, talk about ongoing work, talk `blue sky' work, "

Today the meetings continue to be informal discussions on research in progress, with no slides or formal final workjust "chalk talks", which focus on significant ideas rather than extensive details.

Dragonfly, For Young Investigators

The National Science Teachers Association and Project Dragonfly at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, announce the publication of Dragonfly, a science magazine for grades three to six. In addition to the bimonthly magazine, there is a home companion for parents to join in their children's explorations, a teacher's companion, and supplemental student activities on DragonflyNet: http://www.MUOhio.edu/Dragonfly/. For further information about subscriptions or sample issues, call 1-800-722-NSTA. For submission guidelines, contact Lynne Myers, Project Dragonfly, Miami University, Oxford, OH 45056; 513-529-8573; myerslb@muohio.edu.

Correction

In the Letters section of the August 1996 issue (page 826) there was a contribution by I. A. Leenson of Moscow State University, titled "Additional Kinetic Information". We regret that the equation in the third paragraph was not correctly represented. It should have appeared as follows:

The second addendum is more accurate kinetic data for the reactions

Survey of Technology Expenditures in Schools

Quality Education Data (QED) has released data about technology expenditures in U.S. school districts in its 1996-97 Technology Purchasing Forecast. The report indicates that U. S. school districts will spend an estimated $4.1 billion on educational technology during the 1996-97 school year, up from $3.9 billion in 1995-96.

Examining the data, this translates into an expenditure of $92.70 per student on technology in 1996-97, up from actual spending of $90.17 in 1995-96. Hardware purchases will make up 62% of the technology expenditures, up from 58% in 1994-95. Perhaps surprisingly, less than 3% of technology expenditures will be targeted for on-line services.

Also found in the report was information about both installed and the intent to purchase of both hardware and software. More than half of the computers to be shipped will be Macintoshes. The report indicated that 55% of districts' planned purchases are Macintosh computers while 39% of purchases are Windows-ready machines. This is a slight decline for Macintosh from a 61% share during the previous school year.

Another major finding in QED's report is an anticipated drop in spending for software and an increase for hardware. Total spending for computer hardware will increase strongly this year. For the first time since QED's Report for the 1987-88 school year, 65% of districts report increased spending for hardware. On the other hand, spending for software was expected to drop substantially, with only one-third of districts projecting an increase in spending for content. "The emphasis on networks and the need for modern multimedia-capable computers appear to be shifting the purchasing toward hardware and away from software", said Jeanne Hayes, QED President.

QED has a range of educational data available, much of which can be accessed from their Worldwide Web site: http://www.qeddata.com.

About Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor may be submitted to the editorial office by regular mail (JCE, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Chemistry, 209 North Brooks, Madison, WI 53715-1116), by FAX (608-262-7145), or by email (jce@chem.wisc.edu.). Be sure to include your complete address, your daytime phone number, and your signature. Your letter should be brief (400 words or less) and to the point; it may be edited for style, consistency, clarity, or for space considerations.