The Chicago Section established a new mission in 2000: to encourage the advancement of chemical sciences and their practitioners. In addition to the Top and New Activities already highlighted, the Section accomplished its mission with a wide range of outreach activities.

Career Days are excellent opportunities to reach high school and college students considering careers in chemistry. The Section participated in Career Days on Feb. 12 at Northeastern Illinois University, Oct. 28 at Chicago State University (co-sponsored by the National Organization of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers), and April 9 at the Chicago Academy of Sciences. Career Days at Evanston Township High School in February and the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in April rounded out the Section’s busy Career Day schedule.

Support for under-represented minorities remained a top priority. The Section provided a travel stipend to an African-American student to present research at the National meeting in San Francisco. Minority Affairs Co-chair Darryl Prater served as guest speaker at National ACS Peer Mentoring Workshop Oct. 13-15, Washington, DC.

The Younger Chemists Committee participated in the Career Days, National Chemistry Week, and reported to the membership on its events in The Chemical Bulletin. The committee also co-sponsored a Topical Group meeting with Public Affairs, featuring Section member Catherine Woytowicz, who served this year as the Science and Public Policy Fellow with National’s Office of Legislative and Government Affairs. YCC also plans a Research Symposium for April 2001.

Project SEED recruited company and student involvement, with two students scheduled to participate in the Summer I experience in 2001.

The semi-annual Public Affairs Lecture featured Viscount David Samuel, Mount Carmel & Toxteth, with 175 people attending. The Section received the National ACS Lifetime Achievement Award for science and public policy work over the past 25 years, and expanded its Legislative Alert Network (LAN) to 250 members. Section member Lawrence Berman was selected by the State of Illinois Emergency Management Agency to serve on the Environment Committee of the North Cook County Local Emergency Planning Committee.

Members enjoyed nine membership meetings, six Topical Group programs, and four Job Club meetings. Polymers were the focus at three membership meetings to support the National theme. Other topics included imaging drug action in the brain, molecular photochemistry, memory and learning, and chemistry in the movies.

The Section published nine issues of The Chemical Bulletin and posted timely announcements on its web site. Through the Ipatieff Book Fund, the Section contributed $1,705 to the John Crerar Library, University of Chicago, which used the funds to order the book, Comprehensive Natural Products Chemistry. All 13 Section councilors attended both ACS National meetings in San Francisco and Washington, DC. Director James Shoffner was elected Director-at-Large of the National ACS. Director Marilyn Kouba represented the Section at the Great Lakes Regional Meeting.