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President's Report on the State of the Union

5. SCIENTIFIC CORE ACTIVITIES

The scientific core activities of the Union should rest on the principles of quality, relevance, merging of science and technology, international dimension, impact on broad fields, openness, communication, and mission-oriented service. These policy principles are reflected in the recent organization of some core activities.

The biennial 37th IUPAC Congress, to be held from 14-19 August 1999, will be the first Congress to be guided fully by the policy decision approved by the 65th Bureau in 1994, based on the report of Prof. G. Modena and myself. IUPAC acted to make the Congress a central scientific international event by fulfilling the following goals: to present the most outstanding relevant developments in modern chemistry; to inspire high standards of excellence in pure and applied chemistry research; to attract outstanding scientists to present central lectures on modern chemical research; and to inspire the young generation of chemists in developed and developing countries.

The theme of the 37th Congress: The Molecular Basis of the Life Sciences has been realized in a program that demonstrates the vitality of the chemical sciences. The Frontiers of Chemistry refer both to the unexplored areas where pioneers search for new knowledge, but also to the boundaries between traditional disciplines where pioneers meet to create new knowledge by their interaction. Both these uses of the word Frontiers describe this Congress. The work that will be presented is from pioneers investigating new aspects of the chemical sciences and is also the result of the fruitful collaboration of chemists with cell biologists, neuroscientists, immunologists, geneticists, and others from the ever-expanding boundaries of chemistry.

Future development of the Chemical Sciences lies largely in the hands of the younger generation of scientists. It is a central goal of IUPAC to contribute to the development of human capital in academic and industrial chemistry. Participation in major scientific events such as the IUPAC Congress is imperative for young scientists to become familiar with the developments at the frontiers of chemistry. I am proud of the program jointly sponsored by the Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh), UNESCO, and IUPAC to bring 25 young scientists from developing countries to the Congress. These young scientists will participate by presenting posters in addition to attending the Congress events. This program is part of IUPAC's contribution to building capacity and strengthening the human capital of developing countries. On behalf of the entire world Chemistry community and myself, it is a privilege to extend deep thanks and appreciation to the GDCh, its Board of Directors, President, Director General, and enthusiastic staff for the superb organization of the Congress, and to the International Advisory Board and its Chairman, Professor Dr. R. Huber, for shaping the outstanding scientific program.

The 38th IUPAC Congress will be held in Brisbane, Australia in 2001. The International Advisory Board (IAB) has been appointed and has started, together with the National Committee, to shape the scientific program. I am indebted to the Chairman of the IAB, Professor Y. T. Lee for this important contribution.

New research fields, where the activity is truly international, are expected to contribute to high-quality, significant scientific developments and to constitute the cutting edge for new technologies. The identification of such new research fields is of considerable significance for the international research community, for chemical industry, and for national and regional bodies interested in the enhancement of international collaboration of their members. IUPAC became involved in the identification, characterization, and recommendation of novel research directions by the organization of Conferences, with the involvement of the scientific leadership, on New Directions in Chemistry. The first "Workshop on Advanced Materials: Nanostructured Systems" took place in July 1999 in Hong Kong, China. This workshop brought together about 150 leading scientists to discuss recent developments and future directions in this new field at the frontiers of chemistry. The proceedings of this workshop, supplemented with invited review articles, will be published as a special issue of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

Extensive disciplinary and interdisciplinary scientific and mission-oriented work conducted by the Divisions is presented in the Division Presidents' reports, which appear later in the Agenda.

The central issue of science education in general, and education in chemistry in particular, pertains to the preservation and advancement of global human capital. Meaningful contributions to this endeavor constitute a major challenge for the Union. IUPAC, as an international worldwide organization, must consider in this context the diversity of cultural approaches and the different conditions and needs in distant parts of the world. It should be emphasized that chemistry, due to its interdisciplinary nature, provides the basis for scientific training in the natural sciences.

The problems facing the global chemistry education system involve the erosion of scope and quality of science education, resulting in science illiteracy in the developed countries and the need for qualified scientific manpower in less developed countries. The Committee on Teaching of Chemistry (CTC) is involved in aspects of chemistry teaching on the secondary and undergraduate levels. A major focus of the Committee's activities for the past few years has been the development and distribution of information about low-cost laboratory equipment for secondary schools in developing countries.



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