From: "Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety" <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**DCHAS.ORG>
Subject: [DCHAS-L] A Message from the ACS President
Date: January 1, 2013 10:55:32 AM EST
Reply-To: DCHAS-L <DCHAS-L**At_Symbol_Here**MED.CORNELL.EDU>
Message-ID: <FC929AF1-4D9E-40F5-B772-BFCDEF49E5AE**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org>

December 31, 2012

I am pleased to call your attention to excellent progress by the ACS Presidential Commission on Graduate Education in the Chemical Sciences and the ACS Presidential Working Group on Climate Science. Please take a moment to review both outcomes and further assist in their dissemination as you deem appropriate.

The Commission report was unanimously approved by twenty two outstanding national leaders who are dedicated to enhancing the quality of graduate education in America. The Commission Report is rich with findings and actionable recommendations. My charge to the Commission was explicit and I find the Commission Report to be remarkably responsive to every aspect of my charge. I must say proudly how pleased I am to have worked with the Commission and its seven working groups in meetings, telephone conferences, and via electronic means. At the ACS web site you will find a 20-page Summary Report, the full 60-page report, and a link to the video of the press conference we held on December 10 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC when I released the report www.acs.org/gradcommission On behalf of ACS I express deep gratitude to each member and in particular to Dr. Larry Faulkner who served as Commission Chair and to Dr. Paul Houston who served as Commission Executive Director.

The ACS Presidential Working Group on Climate Science was given two tasks: One was to develop a tool kit that ACS members could use for self-education to understand the fundamental chemical and physical processes that determine Earth's climate. The second was to develop strategies for ACS members to use in disseminating climate science information to the public in ways that expand upon the ACS policy statement. I am delighted that the first task of this major initiative is complete and that these resources are now available at www.acs.org/climatescience I am grateful to the members of the Working Group with whom I have worked closely in meetings, telephone conferences, and via electronic means. I express deep appreciation to Dr. Jerry Bell who served as chair of the Working Group and principal author of the Toolkit and to the ACS electronic media staff for their technical support.

Dissemination activities for the Commission Report and for the ACS Climate Science Toolkit are already underway.

Thank you and Best Wishes for the New Year.

Bassam Z. Shakhashiri
ACS President
Professor of Chemistry
University of Wisconsin-Madison
bassam**At_Symbol_Here**chem.wisc.edu

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