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Report of IUPAC Activities
2000

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. MEMBERSHIP
  3. VITAL STATISTICS
  4. ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS
    4.1. MEETINGS
    4.2. FINANCES
    4.3. SECRETARIAT
  5. ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING 2000
    5.1. SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS
    5.2. EDUCATION/TRAINING ACTIVITIES
    5.3. ACTIVITIES INVOLVING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVES
    5.4. JOINT ACTIVITIES WITH OTHER ICSU MEMBERS
    5.5. PUBLICATIONS
    5.6. SPECIAL PROJECTS AND NEW INITIATIVES
  6. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE PLANS

1. INTRODUCTION
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) was formed in 1919 by chemists from industry and academia. Over eight decades, the Union has succeeded in fostering worldwide communications in the chemical sciences and in uniting chemistry - academic, industrial and governmental - in a common language.
IUPAC has long been recognized as the world authority on chemical nomenclature, terminology, standardized methods for measurement, atomic weights, and many other critically evaluated data. The Union sponsors major international meetings that range from specialized scientific symposia to CHEMRAWN meetings with societal impact.

The year 2000 was a transitional period of assessment and planning. After 2001, the current structure of Commissions responsible for specific areas of chemistry will be replaced by Task Groups working on limited duration projects. This new organization will enable the scientific work of IUPAC to better address the needs of the global chemical community and to lead to more rapid completion of projects. The new structure will take effect after the next General Assembly in 2001. As a transitional period, the year 2000 has seen the implementation of the new project approval system, the assessment of activities including education, nomenclature, relations with industry, and the preparation within various Divisions of the implementation of a new working mode accommodating the foreseen replacement of permanent Commissions by temporal Task Groups.

2. MEMBERSHIP
The members of IUPAC are National Adhering Organizations. These are either National Academies of Science, National Chemical Societies, or associations of Chemical Societies. The NAOs pay National Subscriptions and can name delegates to the IUPAC Council, the Union's highest governing body. In addition, IUPAC has Associate National Adhering Organizations, Associated Organizations, Affiliate Members, and Company Associates. Members of IUPAC bodies who complete their service become IUPAC Fellows. Information about IUPAC activities will remain available to them via a free subscription to the newsmagazine, Chemistry International, and the IUPAC website.

3. VITAL STATISTICS
IUPAC has 45 National Adhering Organizations, 16 Associate National Adhering Organizations, 32 Associated Organizations, 4525 Affiliate Members, and 117 Company Associates.
IUPAC sponsored 27 scientific meetings in 2000.
IUPAC publishes a bimonthly newsmagazine, Chemistry International (CI), a monthly journal, Pure and Applied Chemistry (PAC), and books. The IUPAC web site can be found at <http://www.iupac.org>. IUPAC also has an electronic newsletter - see section 5.5 for description.

4. ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS

4.1. MEETINGS
The IUPAC General Assembly is held biennially, and the next General Assembly is scheduled for 29 June - 8 July 2001.

4.2. FINANCES
IUPAC's operating income for 2000 was approximately USD 1.3 million, operating expenses were approximately USD 1.3 million. Income is mainly derived from National Subscriptions paid by the NAOs and from publications. Expenses are for operation of the Secretariat, and expenses associated with the work of various IUPAC bodies.

4.3. SECRETARIAT
The IUPAC Secretariat is located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA. The staff of five provides support for the IUPAC officers, IUPAC bodies, and manages the Union's publication activities and its web site.

 

5. ACTIVITIES UNDERTAKEN DURING 2000

5.1. SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS
IUPAC-sponsored conferences have been mentioned above.
Meetings of the Union's bodies were held at various times and places, sometime in conjunction with an international conference of that specific field of interest. The results of the work of the Union's Commissions and Committees can be seen from the appended list of reports and recommendations published in PAC.

5.2. EDUCATION/TRAINING ACTIVITIES
In addition to the long-established programs of trying to improve the teaching of chemistry at the primary and secondary levels, particularly in developing countries, IUPAC bodies are engaged in educational activities at other levels.

At the General Assembly in 1999, Prof. Joshua Jortner (then IUPAC President) assumed responsibility for organizing an ad hoc IUPAC Education Strategy Development Committee (ESDC). Prof. Peter W. Atkins, who is internationally known in the field of chemical education, was recruited to be the Chairman of the ESDC. Following two meetings, the ESDC concluded its task by preparing a report that puts forth recommendations for possible future directions of IUPAC's activities in chemistry education and the public appreciation of chemistry.
IUPAC has long had educational programs, both in the scientific Divisions and in the Committee on Teaching of Chemistry, but they have been somewhat fragmented. The proposals by the ESDC now provide a framework for developing an overall strategy for ways in which IUPAC can contribute to chemistry education in a way that complements the programs of national chemistry organizations. A special Working Party of the Executive Committee is evaluating the recommendations of the ESDC for feasibility and implementation.

A proposal for a project to address issues of Chemical Education and Sustainable Development, was submitted, reviewed and approved under the new project approval system. Under the coordination of Prof. N. Tarasova, a major milestone of this project has already been accomplished, and resulted in a successful conference held at the Mendeleyev University of chemical technology of Russia in Moscow. A final report is expected shortly, and will be published in PAC and further disseminated in specialised journals.

In 2000, the IUPAC/UNESCO/UNIDO Safety Program trained two scientists in the United States. Ms. Esma Toprak (Bogazici University, Turkey) visited BP Amoco Chemicals; a side visit was also arranged to the Illinois Institute of Technology. Prof. Dr. El-Eman (Mansoura University, Egypt) was hosted by Bristol-Meyers Squibb. The concept of the fellowship program for safety and environmental protection in chemical, biotechnological and pharmaceutical production, involves "hands-on" training for several weeks in a facility in a developed country of plant safety personnel from a developing country. The program is coordinated by the Committee on Chemistry and Industry (COCI) whose role is to approve candidates identified by UNIDO and to identify host companies willing to bear local costs. Each scientist or engineer accepted into the program is assigned to an IUPAC Company Associate in an industrialized country. The period of training is typically one to three weeks. Accommodation, subsistence and travel expenses are provided for all trainees. The report of these two trainees' experience was published in March 2001 issue of CI.

5.3. ACTIVITIES INVOLVING DEVELOPING COUNTRIES AND CAPACITY BUILDING INITIATIVES
In 1999, the IUPAC Council approved a program [for a four-year trial period] of providing financial support of up to USD 10000 each to no more than two international conferences each year to be held in developing or economically disadvantaged countries that are full Members of IUPAC in good standing.
The first applications were due in August 2000 for conferences to be held in 2001. Eight applications were reviewed and financial support was granted to the International Symposium on Green Chemistry, organized in Delhi, India, from January 10th to 13th 2001. Eight applications have been received for the second round, for conferences to be held in 2002. These are currently under review. IUPAC funds are to be used to pay international travel expenses of eminent invited lecturers whose participation will be critical to the success of the conference.

5.4. JOINT ACTIVITIES WITH OTHER ICSU MEMBERS
IUPAC and the International Union of Physics (IUPAP) have collaborated to produce a report establishing priority claims for the discovery of elements 110-112.

IUPAC and the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUBMB) continue to collaborate in the area of biochemical nomenclature through the IUPAC-IUBMB Joint Commission on Biochemical Nomenclature (JCBN).

Under the initiative of the Commission on Bibliography and Documentation, Division of History of Science of the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science (IUHPS), IUPAC has participated to a Roundtable on the Preservation of the Archives of Contemporary Science. Historians, archivists, and representatives of other Unions and organizations discussed the need to permanently preserve the historically valuable records of the ICSU and its member organizations, and make them accessible to researchers. As a result of the meeting, the Commission plans to formulate guidelines for ICSU and its member organizations, encouraging them to recognize their responsibility for maintaining adequate records while transferring material to professional archives.

5.5. PUBLICATIONS
As reported in Section 3 above, IUPAC publishes a newsmagazine, Chemistry International, a journal, Pure and Applied Chemistry, and books. The newsmagazine is published bimonthly and is sent to approximately 6000 subscribers, including 400 free copies to chemists in developing and economically disadvantaged countries. It is available free on the IUPAC web site.

Starting in 2000, IUPAC assumed the role of publisher for the monthly journal, PAC. As a result, the Union was able to maintain the subscription prices at 1999 levels for its publications. PAC contains lectures from IUPAC-sponsored conferences and reports and recommendations from IUPAC bodies. Over 900 copies are printed each month. In 2000 the lectures of 8 conferences and 21 reports and recommendations were published in PAC (see 2000 index). Two special issues of the journal were devoted to the topics of Nanostructured Materials and Green Chemistry. A special topic article on 'Quantum chemistry in the 21st century' was published in August 2000; the authors were Barden and Schaefer. This was part of an initiative of the recently appointed IUPAC Special Topics Editor, Prof. J.R. Bull.

In addition, in 2000, one report in the Solubility Data Series was published in the Journal of Chemical and Physical Reference Data and three books were published. In June 2000, an electronic newsletter was launched, initially distributed to all members and bodies associated with the Union. IUPAC e-news is principally intended to inform members by e-mail of recent additions to the IUPAC website. The e-news membership list is open to whoever wishes to join, and has about 1380 subscribers. The union website is http://www.iupac.org.

5.6. SPECIAL PROJECTS AND NEW INITIATIVES
Following their creation in 1999, two ad hoc Committees have reviewed two areas of special interest. They are: the ad hoc Committee on IUPAC/Industry Relations and the Education Strategy Development Committee. In addition, an IUPAC Roundtable on Nomenclature was organized and held in March 2000. There were 41 participants representing diverse groups interested in nomenclature and the description of chemical structure.

The area of bio-science continues to be emphasized by, for instance, the new name of the Physical Chemistry Division as the Physical and Biophysical Chemistry Division. This follows the previous change in the name of the Division of Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry. Interdisciplinary project proposals are especially encouraged in the new project system.

As reported in Section 5.3 above, a new program offering financial support for symposia and conferences in developing and economically disadvantaged countries was initiated.

In 2000, the IUPAC Prize for Young Chemists was established to encourage outstanding young research scientists at the beginning of their careers. The prize is given for the most outstanding Ph.D. thesis in the general area of the chemical sciences, as described in a 1000-word essay. During the first year of the program, four Awards and four Honorable Mentions were chosen from the 59 applicants of 24 countries. The four winners will each receive a cash prize of USD 1000 and a free trip to the IUPAC Congress, 1-7 July 2001, Brisbane, Australia, where they will present a poster describing their award winning work.

6. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE PLANS
The Union is in the midst of major changes in the way it manages its scientific work as well as how it handles its publications. The effects of these changes are becoming apparent and will keep appearing over the next few years. It is expected that the result will be a more vibrant organization, better able to meet the needs of the global chemical community in both its traditional areas and in new areas of importance to developing and economically disadvantaged countries.

John W. Jost
IUPAC Executive Director

> View 2001 Report


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