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Vol.
26 No. 1
January-February 2004
From the Editor
This first issue of the New Year presents a perfect opportunity to briefly review what Chemistry International is, why it is what it is, and the dynamics involved in its production. Simply stated, CI is the newsmagazine of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. As such, for the last 25 years CI has been a medium for the Union, its numerous members, committees, and bodies at large, to share information about IUPAC activities. The key phrase here is “information about IUPAC activities.” This is what makes CI unique compared to other magazines published by various national or regional chemical societies.
When
I try to explain the dynamic of the newsmagazine I often think
of this quote from J. A. Rice: “What you do with what
you know is the important thing. To know is not enough.”
Rice, who was the founder of the Black Mountain College (North
Carolina, 1933 to 1957), used these words in Harper’s
Magazine in May 1937 to explain his theory that the arts
ought to be an educational activity rather than simply a subject
of study. In this respect, art and science are no different,
and scientists—including chemists—understand very
well that their research will only blossom and eventually
be relevant to the community if the findings of their research
are reported in the literature.
Since CI was created, it was intended that the pages of the newsmagazine be filled mostly with news from those directly involved in IUPAC activities. As a voluntary organization, IUPAC has a limited staff; there is no reporter working for CI and only a limited editorial service. CI depends mostly on your voluntary submissions. It is therefore up to You to let the readers know what you do. If you have been following IUPAC’s recent developments and the implementation of its more dynamic project systems, this should come as no surprise. For instance, task group chairmen are invited to contribute to CI a description of their project at its initiation and to submit progress reports at any time during the project. Those who recently completed a technical report and recommendations for publication in the IUPAC journal Pure and Applied Chemistry, have also been systematically invited to present their finding to CI readers.
My job is essentially to facilitate the process from submission to publication. So, to you, I will say again “to know is not enough . . . . ” An open invitation stands for those who want to report in CI about the many activities that IUPAC facilitates.
Fabienne Meyers
[email protected]
www.iupac.org/publications/ci
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last modified 5 January 2004.
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