The ACS Board of Directors completed a co mprehensive contingency plan in 2007. This two-year effort ensures that the Society will be able to respond effectively to a range of threats that may emerge in the coming years.

New manuscript submission system streamlines review process By the end of 2007, the Society had moved 33 of its 36 journals into ACS Paragon Plus, a new online system for manuscript submission and peer-review. This Web-based, real-time system provides editors, authors, and reviewers with robust new capabilities to simplify the review process and help to ensure the integrity of published information. The Society’s three other journals were added to ACS Paragon Plus in early 2008.

Society spotlights green chemistry, climate on Capitol Hill ACS efforts led to successful House passage of the Green Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2007 (H.R. 2850) and ACS worked closely with key senators in drafting the America Climate Security Act of 2007 (S. 2191) to incorporate ACS priorities, notably directing anticipated carbon auction revenues to fund advanced energy research programs. During 2007, ACS also reached out to the office of every freshman Congressional representative and senator with education al visits on science and competitiveness issues.

“For me, the chief benefit of being an ACS member
is the social network that slowly builds as one attends
more and more ACS events. It really does start to
become like a 160,000-member family.”

PRESTON MacDOUGALL Associate Professor of Chemistry, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tenn. He is a 13-year ACS member.