John A. Pople, a professor of chemistry at Northwestern University and emeritus professor at Carnegie-Mellon University, has been named winner of the 1998 Silicon Graphics Information Technology Leadership Award for Breakthrough Science. The award recognizes unique and important uses of supercomputing centering on the development of the Gaussian 70/80 computer program that enhances the ability to predict how different molecules would interact by simulating chemical reactions on high-performance computers.

Fellowships Available for New Americans

Applications for the 1999 Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans will be accepted until November 30, 1998. In this second year of the Soros Fellowships, 30 Fellows will be chosen. Applicants must be between the ages of 20 and 30; must have earned a bachelor's degree or be in the final year of undergraduate study; and must hold a Green Card or be naturalized as a U.S. citizen, or be the child of two parents who are both naturalized citizens. The fellowships provide support for up to three years, and each Fellow will receive one-half of the tuition cost of graduate study at any institution of higher education in the United States, as well as a maintenance grant of $20,000 a year.

Proposal Deadlines

National Science Foundation
Division of Undergraduate Education (DUE)

• Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement (CCLI) November 16, 1998

• NSF Collaboratives for Excellence in Teacher Preparation (CETP)
  Preliminary proposals, Track 1 May 1, 1998
  Formal proposals, Track 1 September 1, 1998

Further information about NSF DUE programs can be obtained by consulting the DUE Website at http://www.ehr.nsf.gov/EHR/DUE/start.htm or by contacting the DUE Information Center; phone: 703/306-1666; email: undergrad@nsf.gov.

The Camille & Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.

• Henry Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards: July 1, 1998

• Scholar/Fellow Program for Undergraduate Institutions: July 1, 1998

• Special Grant Program in the Chemical Sciences: July15, 1998

• Camille Dreyfus Teacher-Scholar Awards Program: November 16, 1998

Further information may be obtained from The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., 555 Madison Avenue, Suite 1305, New York, NY 10022; phone: 212/753-1760; email: admin@dreyfus.org; http://www.dreyfus.org/.

Research Corporation

• Research Opportunity Awards: May 1, 1998 and
  October 1, 1998

• Cottrell College Science Awards: May 15, 1998
  and November 15, 1998

• Cottrell Scholars: First regular business day in
  September

• Partners in Science: December 1, 1998

Further information may be obtained from Research Corporation, 101 North Wilmot Road, Suite 250, Tucson, AZ 85711-3332; phone: 520/571-1111; fax: 520/571-1119; email: awards@rescorp.org; http://www.rescorp.org

Chemistry, Humankind, and Our Environment

Chemistry, Humankind, and Our Environment is a project undertaken by researchers and chemistry teachers at the INQUIMAE (Institute of Chemical Physics of Materials, Environment, and Energy), Faculty of Sciences, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and four schools in Argentina: Otto Krause and H. Yrigoyen in Buenos Aires, E. Civit in Mendoza, and EPET No. 10 in Misiones. The project was one of ten selected from nearly one thousand proposals presented at the Innovation in Education Contest 1997, organized by Fundación YPF. The project will receive two years of financial support from Fundación Bunge & Born.

The main goal of the project is to increase the number of students interested in chemistry or chemistry-related careers by improving the way chemistry is taught in high schools. In order to achieve this overall objective, it aims to:

1. Introduce environmental chemistry topics in the secondary school curricula.

2. Develop practical demonstrations that are easy to perform in school laboratories, even in those that are not well equipped.

3. Develop didactic materials, such as manuals, software, and videos, with an emphasis on environmental chemistry problems.

4. Create an electronic network, connecting the university with the schools, that permits fluid communication among teachers and students from each of the participating institutions.

5. Extend the use of the didactic tools and the electronic network to other schools in Argentina and other Spanish-speaking countries.

The project began in April 1998. Creation of the electronic network, the first task, has been completed. The project has a Web page at http://qhh.q1.fcen.uba.ar. This page contains information (in Spanish) on the project and a section called Subject of the Month, which is dedicated to a current topic in chemistry.

For further information, contact Horacio R. Corti at the address above or by email (hcorti@cnea.edu.ar).

Gordon Research Conference on Science Education

The 1998 Gordon Research Conference on Science Education, "New Developments and Visualization in Chemistry and Science Education," will be held at Queen's College, Oxford, UK, September 20-25, 1998. This international conference will include topics in science education with an emphasis on chemistry at the introductory, precollege, and university levels. Several main themes are: visualization including the use of multi-media technology in teaching; teacher training; recent innovative developments and research in science teaching. The complete program and application procedures can be found at the conference Web site http://www.chem.umn.edu/oxfordgrc/.

Online Conference

"Switching Students on to Science" is the theme of an online conference to be held during September and October 1998. This CONFCHEM conference is sponsored by the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society. The conference organizer and chair is Hugh Cartwright, Physical and Theoretical Chemistry Laboratory, Oxford University, Oxford, UK; email: Hugh.Cartwright@chemistry.oxford.ac.uk; http://physchem.ox.ac.uk/~hmc.

The focus of the conference will be "How do we develop and maintain interest in science among students?" It is a common observation that science is one of the most popular subjects with young school children. Nearly every child finds simple science experiments fascinating. Yet, by the age of 15 or 16, many children have lost enthusiasm for science, or developed a positive dislike for the subject. This session will deal with a number of issues related to turning students on to science, among them: •What are we doing wrong that turns teenagers off science? •What can we do to encourage students to pursue science careers and maintain their interest in the subject? •What can be learned from university science courses for non-scientists? •Does the success of these courses tell us about how to maintain interest at the school level? •Is science inherently and unavoidably dull? If not, why don't our students appreciate its fascination? •Are alternative teaching schemes and syllabi, such as the Salter's scheme in the UK, more successful at retaining interest in science? •Is a science education essential for all students? If so, can we provide that with the current approaches? •Would teaching science using the World Wide Web encourage more students to develop a scientific interest?

Papers will present research results or be personal reports of what does or does not work at the school or university level. Papers will be included from authors in both college and school environments.

The Conference timetable is:

• September 1-6, Keynote paper: Science literacy and the unfulfilled promises of science education reforms: Inertia on the grandest scale of all. Norman Lederman, Department of Science and Mathematics Education, Oregon State University.

• September 7-19: Can we teach enthusiasm? Innovation in curriculum and learning.

• September 21-October 3: Catching them youngscience at school.

• October 5-17: Broadening the appealscience for all.

• October 19-31: Switching students on to science-let's do it.

The conference is free to all Internet users. Those who are interested in obtaining further information on the session should send the message:

SUBSCRIBE CONFCHEM your-first-and-last-name to:
LISTSERV@CLVM.CLARKSON.EDU

This message must be sent from the email address to which you want conference messages sent and you must confirm your subscription by replying to
the message sent by CONFCHEM. CONFCHEM is managed by Donald Rosenthal, email: Rosen1@clvm.clarkson.edu.

International Olympiad

The 31st International Chemistry Olympiad will be held from July 4-July 11, 1999 in Bangkok, Thailand. Approximately sixty nations will participate. For further information contact the chair of the organizing committee, Bhinyo Panijpan by email: icho31@ku.ac.th or scbpn@mahidol.ac.th or by fax: (662) 942-8715.

Career Video from ACS

The Career Services office of the American Chemical Society can offer a new video, "Your Career in Chemistry: Measuring Your Skills, Weighing Your Options," produced by the Younger Chemists Committee. This 30-minute video takes a look at the abilities needed to be successful in different career paths. The video features three chemistsEllen Fisher (an assistant professor at Colorado State University), Chris Surratt (Senior Staff Fellow, National Institute on Drug Abuse), and Birdella Kenney (Research Associate, R. W. Johnson PRI). The three focus on the core non-chemistry skills they all use in their respective positions. Although the video is targeted to undergraduate students, graduate students and those considering career changes may also benefit from it. To order, telephone ACS Career Services at 1-800/227-5558, ext. 6153. The price is $20 plus tax.

New Brochures from ACS Committee on Professional Training

The ACS Committee on Professional Training (CPT) has two brochures available for undergraduates. Planning for a Career in Industry was prepared with the ACS Committee on Corporation Associates and is designed to provide advice for undergraduate chemistry students who plan to enter the work force upon graduation. It includes suggestions about curriculum planning as well as a broader discussion about career options and opportunities. The brochure concludes with a bibliography of resources on career planning available to undergraduates and their advisors.

The other brochure is the sixth edition of Planning for Graduate Work in Chemistry, which has been written for anyone considering graduate work in chemistry or chemically related disciplines. It offer suggestions on the preparation, selection, and application process for graduate school.

Requests for copies (free of charge) may be sent to the ACS Office of Professional Training, 1155 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036, by email to cpt@acs.org, or by phone to 202/872-4589. The brochures are also accessible via the World Wide Web at http://www.acs.org/cpt/hp.htm.

NSTA President,1998-99

The National Science Teachers Association announces its 1998-99 president, Steven J. Rakow, who is an associate professor of science education and program chair for curriculum and instruction at the University of Houston-Clear Lake. His term began June 1.

New Program Officer for Research Corporation

Humberto Campins, an astronomer at the University of Florida and director of the Florida Space Grant Consortium has joined Research Corporation as a program officer. Research Corporation, a foundation for the advancement of science, is located at 101 North Wilmot Road, Suite 250, Tucson, AZ 85711; phone: 520/571-1111; fax: 520/571-1119; email: rcbooks@rescorp.org; WWW: http://www.rescorp.org.

Materials Available: New ACS Publications

The American Chemical Society has announced plans for two new publications: Modern Drug Discovery, a controlled circulation magazine, and the Journal of Combinatorial Chemistry, a journal for the growing community of chemists involved in a revolutionary new field.

Modern Drug Discovery: Chemical Perspectives for Today's Scientist, is a new magazine aimed at scientists working in drug discovery and the life sciences. It will focus on the frontiers of drug discovery from a chemical perspective and feature comprehensive reports and news analysis of scientific and technical advances, industry and business developments, and the results of clinical trials and government regulation. Articles and features will be written so that they can be understood by any members of an interdisciplinary drug discover teams with a BS degree. MDD will be published as a supplement to Chemical & Engineering News and Today's Chemist at work. The first issue is expected in the fall of 1998.

The Journal of Combinatorial Chemistry will address the needs of the growing numbers of synthetic organic, medical/pharmaceutical, and analytical chemists in industry and academia working in combinatorial chemistry. The journal will promote the rapid dissemination of new ideas, techniques, synthesis protocols, and applications. A World Wide Web edition will feature added content and searchability. The first issue will be published in early 1999.

Emerging Directions in Combinatorial Chemistry

The 2nd Annual "Emerging Directions in Combinatorial Chemistry" conference sponsored by NMHCC Bio/Technology will be held September 14-16, 1998 at the San Diego Marriott in La Jolla, CA. For more information contact NMHCC Bio/Technology Conference Division, 71 Second Avenue, Third Floor, Waltham, MA 02154; phone: 888/670-8700; fax: 941/373-1638; email: biotech@nmhcc.com; WWW: http://www.biotech.nmhcc.org.