IYC Bulletin

Join the Movement

Pennies for PUR™ Water – You Can Help
As part of the IYC 2011 celebration, ACS has launched the "Pennies for PUR™ Water" initiative, to raise funds that will be donated to the Children's Safe Drinking Water (CSDW) program. The CSDW program, sponsored by Procter & Gamble, provides communities in need with PUR™ water-purification sachets (developed by P&G and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) that can purify even heavily contaminated water so that it meets World Health Organization standards for safe drinking water. Through the Pennies for PUR™ Water effort, ACS hopes to raise sufficient funds to be able to provide more than 1.5 million gallons of safe water before the end of 2011 – a powerful demonstration of ACS’ Vision, "Improving people's lives through the transforming power of chemistry." We are asking all members to participate by raising or donating funds. Visit the Pennies for PUR™ Water web page to find out how you can help.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Holds a Chemistry Day
The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) within the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will be celebrating IYC 2011 at the White Oak Campus in Silver Spring, Maryland on Thursday, November 17, 2011. The celebration will include a plenary presentation by CDER Director, Dr. Janet Woodcock, M.D. highlighting the role of chemistry in protecting and promoting public health within the Center. FDA employees will participate in a chemistry Jeopardy game, chemistry demonstrations, and a scientific poster session.

ACS IYC Partner Program
Is your organization an ACS IYC Partner? If not, consider joining the growing number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics organizations that have partnered with ACS to promote and celebrate the IYC. Find out how to participate by visiting our IYC website.

New IYC Partners
We welcome our newest ACS IYC Partners:

HPS Logo IYC Partner Highlight – Health Physics Society (HPS)
The Health Physics Society is a scientific organization of professionals who specialize in radiation safety. Its mission is to support its members in the practice of their profession and to promote excellence in the science and practice of radiation safety. Today its nearly 5,000 members represent all scientific and technical areas related to radiation safety including academia, government, medicine, research and development, analytical services, consulting, and industry in the United States. Visit the HPS website to learn more.

Spread the Word

Chemical & Engineering News Features Essays by Prominent Figures in Chemistry to Commemorate IYC 2011
C&EN asked five prominent figures in the chemistry enterprise to contribute essays about the achievements of chemistry and how chemistry is improving the lives of human beings around the world. The essays examine a few of the many ways chemistry is being harnessed to meet the challenges humanity faces. The essay on Marie Curie by science historian and biographer Naomi Pasachoff, a research associate at Williams College, reflects on this great scientist’s career and legacy. Visit C&EN to learn more.

ACS IYC Virtual Journal – New Issue Now Available!
We’ve celebrated the International Year of Chemistry (IYC) for ten months, and we’re getting ready to celebrate two more. The newest issue of the ACS IYC Virtual Journal gets in on the act by highlighting more of the ways that chemistry improves everyday life for people around the world. Read about a blood protein in lung cancer that could improve diagnosis and treatment; the battle against the bedbug epidemic; a “green” process for biodiesel from feather meal; and the IYC Virtual Journal’s other vignettes on chemistry. Free access is available to the full text of the selected content in the ACS IYC Virtual Journal throughout 2011.

U.S. Senate Approves Resolution Designating 2011 the International Year of Chemistry
By unanimous consent, the U.S. Senate adopted a resolution designating 2011 as the IYC. Senate Resolution 283 “recognizes the achievements made in the field of chemistry and the contributions of those achievements to the well-being of humankind and recognizes chemistry’s ability to provide solutions that successfully address global challenges involving safe food and water, alternate sources of energy, improved health and a healthy and sustainable environment.”

Read about iLASER, a Traveling Educational Project Covering the Entire Length of the U.S.-Mexico Border
In May, David Brown, professor of chemistry at Southwestern College in Chula Vista, California, began a journey from the Pacific Ocean to the Gulf Coast to inspire children at border schools with hands-on lessons in science. Dr. Brown came up with Project iLASER (investigations with Light and Sustainable Energy Resources), a project devoted to demonstrations using light and sustainable energy resources. This project was funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation Division of Chemistry.

Resources for Outreach Projects on Pesticide Detection
Quantitative Analysis students from North Carolina A&T State University (NC A&T) led an outreach project on pesticide detection in the water system using activities developed by NC A&T and field tested with 5th graders from Rankin Elementary School in Greensboro, North Carolina. NC A&T’s CHEM 432 class is leading a semester-long service learning project with the help of 5th grade classes at Rankin Elementary School to introduce the students to the water cycle, pesticides, and their effects on ecosystems. Contact Dr. Michelle Kovarik for more details about the project.

Find Out More about the Global Celebration of IYC 2011
Visit the global IYC website, the primary source of information on the IYC created and maintained by the IUPAC with the guidance and sponsorship of the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Get Connected

Learn More about the Benefits of ACS Membership
ACS is working to advance chemistry around the world, and is dedicated to supporting the global chemical science community and collaborating with scientists and engineers worldwide through a broad range of activities and events. Find more information at Worldwide.ACS.org.

Network Your Way to IYC 2011
Join the IYC group within the ACS Network and share your plans and activities for this historic year. The ACS Network is a professional networking platform for the global chemistry community hosted by the American Chemical Society. Signing up is easy and quick. We look forward to seeing you there!