Three hundred high school seniors from 168 high schools across the United States were named today as semifinalists in the 57th Annual Science Talent Search (STS). These students were selected from an applicant pool of 1,581 entries, representing 594 schools in 44 states, DC, Puerto Rico, and overseas American schools in Canada, Germany, Korea, and Taiwan. The semifinalists range in age from 16 to 19 years and include 171 men and 129 women. The semifinalists are now eligible to compete fro 40 scholarship awards worth $205,000.

The 57th STS is sponsored by the Westinghouse Foundation and Science Service. Science Service is a not for profit international science education and news organization whose mission is to advance the understanding and appreciation of science among people of all ages through publications and educational programs.

American Oil Chemists' Society Award Winners

The American Oil Chemists' Society (AOCS) announces the winners of two awards, both of which will be presented at the AOCS Annual Meeting and Expo to be held in Chicago, Illinois, on May 10-13, 1998. M. Thomas Clandinin has been awarded the 1998 Stephen S. Chang Award. Robert Jensen has been awarded the 1998 Supelco/Nicholas Pelick Research Award.

Call For Papers - Planck Centennial

To commemorate the centennial anniversary of Planck's historic paper of 1900 that introduced quantization of energy, the Journal of Chemical Education will allocate a portion of the January 2000 issue to papers associated with Planck and quantum mechanics. Contributions are invited. The deadline for receipt of papers is December 1, 1998. Papers should be sent to Sydney Bluestone, Planck 2000, Department of Chemistry MS#70, California State University, Fresno, Fresno, CA 93740. For more information contact syd_bluestone@csufresno.edu.

Eastern Analytical Symposium

The deadline for receipt of preliminary abstracts for the 1998 Eastern Analytical Symposium (EAS) is April 15, 1998. Papers in all areas of the analytical and allied sciences are welcome. The meeting will be held November 15-20, 1998 at the Garden State convention Center in Somerset, New Jersey.

Those interested in presenting a paper at EAS should submit a 200- to 250-word abstract of the proposed paper, including preference for oral or poster form. The abstract should be sent to Program Committee, P.O. Box 633, Montchanin, DE 18710-0633. If the paper is accepted, the title and author(s) will be considered final. A special form is not required, but submissions must be typed. For additional information, contact the EAS Hotline at 302/738-6218 or the EAS Faxline at 302/738-5275 or easinfo@aol.com.

Proposal Deadline Alert!

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
• Advanced Technological Education (ATE)
  Preliminary proposals April 15, 1998
  Formal proposals October 15, 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.

• New Faculty Awards Program; May 15, 1998
• Faculty Start-Up Grants for Undergraduate Institutions; May 15, 1998

Further information may be obtained from The Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc., 555 Madison Avenue, Suite 1305, New York, New York 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
• Research Innovation Awards; May 1, 1998
• Cottrell College Science Awards; May 15, 1998 and November 15, 1998
• Cottrell Scholars; first regular business day in September

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

Teleconferencing and Distance Learning Conference

TeleCon East, the 8th Annual IDLCON Conference, will be held April 15-17, 1998, at the Sheraton Washington Hotel, Washington, DC. There will be sessions on topics including Internet and Intranet; Desktop Videoconferencing; Distance Learning; Dataconferencing; Collaborative Workgroups; Audioconferencing. For information and registration in the U.S. and Canada call 800/829-3400; International call +1-510/606-5150. Register online at www.abctelecon.com.

RACI Chemical Education Conference

The Royal Australian Chemical Institute is holding its National Chemical Education Division Conference at Rockhampton in Central Queensland, Australia, from July 2-6, 1998. The theme is Bridging the Gap. The conference will focus on the central role that chemical education plays in providing and serving as a link to theory and practice, to industry, to the community, and to education at the secondary/tertiary interface. Conference information including the conference brochure containing a registration form is available at http://science.cqu.edu.au/chemistry/RACI_chem_ed_conf/ or from Greg Klease, School of Chemical and Biomedical Sciences, Central Queensland University, Rockhampton, Q4702, Australia; fax (int): +61 7 49309209; email: g.klease@cqu.edu.au.

Academic Conference on Microscale Laboratory

The Chinese Chemical Society, Hangzhou Teachers College, and the Editorial Board of Education in Chemistry of East China Normal University are sponsoring an Academic Conference on Microscale Lab, to be held April 22-26, 1998 in Hangzhou, China. The official languages of the conference will be English and Chinese. The registration fee is $250, companion fee $80. For further information contact Ning-Hua Zhou, Department of Chemistry, Hangzhou Teachers College, Hangzhou, 310012, P. R. China; phone: (++86571) 8051852; fax: (++86571) 8081082.

National Association of Chemical Hygiene Officers

The National Association of Chemical Hygiene Officers is a new professional organization for CHO's. Affiliate membership is open to anyone interested in CHO/CHP/Lab safety issues. Membership is free. Members who are interested in the discussion of lab safety, CHO/CHP, and organizational issues will be able to share ideas and information on the LABSAFETY-L list. To become a member or affiliate member, subscribe to LABSAFETY-L. Send a message to LISTSERV@SIU.EDU. In the body of the message say ADD LABSAFETY-L Your email address Your Name

The first public meeting of the organization is planned for Wednesday, June 24, 1998 from 6-9 p.m., in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, in conjunction with LS&EM'98. All people interested in the growth and development of the organization are welcome to attend. For further information contact James A. Kaufman, President, The Laboratory Safety Workshop, 192 Worcester Road, Natick, MA 01760; 508/647-1900; fax: 508/647-0062; email: LabSafe@aol.com. LABSAFETY-L is owned by The Laboratory Safety Workshop. It is a discussion list for members of LSW and NACHO interested in lab health and safety/cho/chp issues.

15th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education

Instructive and entertaining chemical demonstrations for the whole family, a 75th Birthday Party for the Journal, and a conference-closing Signature Demonstrations session are special features of the 15th Biennial Conference on Chemical Education, August 9-13, 1998. Registration materials are now available. If you have access to the WWW, go to http://sciborg.uwaterloo.ca/bcce or request a paper copy by email from bcce@waterloo.ca. Requests sent by postal service should be addressed to 15-BCCE, Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.

ACS Abstract Deadline

The deadline for submission of abstracts for symposia of the Division of Chemical Education at the Fall 1998 ACS Meeting in Boston is April 1, 1998. For further information contact the CHED Program Chair: Tom Wildeman, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401; phone: 303/273-3642; fax: 303/273-3629; email: twildema@slate.mines.edu

Research Corp. - Overview of Available Awards

Research Corporation announces the programs listed below. Deadlines will appear in Proposal Deadline Alert! as they approach. Guidelines are available by contacting 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

Partners In Science. December 1 deadline. Awards of $14,000 to college and university faculty with active research in chemistry, physics, or astronomybiology in some areasto pay a high school science teacher a stipend to participate during two summers. The program is available only in selected states and localities, which change from year to year.

Cottrell College Science Awards. May 15 and November 15 target dates. These awards support research in physics, chemistry, and astronomy at public and private undergraduate institutions. The involvement of students is encouraged.

Research Opportunity Awards

May 1 and October 1 target dates for nominations. Requires a nomination by department chair; assists midcareer chemists, astronomers, and physicists in doctoral departments to pursue new areas of research.

Research Innovation Awards. May 1 deadline. A new program of grants of up to $35,000 for innovative work in chemistry, physics, and astronomy at research universities; for faculty members whose first tenure-track position began in either the preceding or current calendar year. Potential applicants who will take a faculty post after the deadline are encouraged to apply before they officially begin.

Cottrell Scholars. Deadline is the first regular business day in September. Awards of $50,000 to support excellence in both university research and teaching. Applicants must be in the third calendar year of a first tenure track position, and are asked to provide both research and teaching proposals for peer review.

ACS Petroleum Research Fund - Overview of Awards

The ACS Petroleum Research Fund (PRF) has several types of awards, described briefly below. Details of specific grants as well as general guidelines are available from the PRF office: The Petroleum Research Fund, American Chemical Society, 1155 Sixteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036; phone: 202/872-6091; fax: 202/872-6319; email: prfinfo@acs.org. Joseph E. Rogers, Jr. is the Program Administrator. While most grants begin September 1, an earlier start can be negotiated. Applications for research grants may be submitted throughout the year with no deadlines. The PRF Advisory Board normally meets to review proposals three times a year, in February, May, and November. Prospective applicants should call the PRF office for current information on dates of submission and consideration.

ACS-PRF Type AC Grants. This program usually funds proposals from graduate departments, but undergraduate faculty may apply. Beginning in 1998, the maximum amount is $90,000 over three years, but most will provide $60,000 over two years. Budget may include stipends for graduate students, undergraduates, or postdoctoral fellows, faculty summer salary, research supplies, travel costs, and a $500 annual departmental allocation. In 1997, 588 applications results in 182 grants totaling $9,034,830.

ACS-PRF Type B Grants. Type B grants are restricted to departments that do not award the Ph.D. The fundamental research proposed must include participation by undergraduate students. Beginning in 1998, the maximum amount is $30,000 over two years. Graduate students may not be supported; budget may include undergraduate student stipends, faculty summer salary, supplies and equipment, travel costs, and a $500 annual departmental allocation. In 1997, 120 applications resulted in 55 Type B grants with a total value of $1,370,195.

ACS-PRF Type B "Starter" Grants.

Intended for new faculty within the first three years of a regular appointment and without "extensive" postdoctoral research experience. The amount is $20,000 over two years, and a detailed budget is not required. Type G grants may fund student stipends, faculty summer salary, supplies and equipment, and travel. Only faculty at U.S. institutions may apply. In 1997, 336 applications from faculty in graduate and undergraduate departments resulted in 116 grants totaling $2,320,000.

Summer Research Fellowships.

Awarded as supplements to active ACS-PRF grants, these fellowships are intended to support faculty guest researchers from non-doctoral institutions. A Fellowship of $5,000 is provided to support a faculty visitor; application is made by the host ACS-PRF grant holder. The deadline is October 1, for fellowships which are to be effective the following summer.

ACS-PRF Scientific Education Grants.

A variety of projects designed to enhance "...advanced scientific education and fundamental research in the 'petroleum field'..." may be considered. Most awards provide partial funding for foreign speakers at major symposia in the U.S. or Canada with a limit of $1,000 per speaker or $2,000 per symposium.