Vice President's critical Assessment - 1999
> Introduction
> Chemical Industry
> National Adhering Organizations
(NAOs)
> Standing Committees
> UN Agencies
> Conclusions
> Recommendations
Standing Committees
It has been pointed out that the presently designated "Standing Committees"
fall broadly into two separate categories according to their functions
and responsibilities, viz. Those such as Finance, Interdivisional Committee
on Nomenclature and Symbols (IDCNS), Committee on Printed and Electronic
Publications (CPEP), Project Committee, and Evaluation Committee which
advise either the Bureau or the Executive Committee on various issues,
together with the Executive Committee which provides advice on the Management
of the Union and on policy. Then there are those committees such as
Committee on Chemical Research Applied to World Needs (CHEMRAWN), Committee
on Chemistry and Industry (COCI), and Committee on the teaching of Chemistry
(CTC), which have operational responsibilities for specific aspects
of the Union's scientific and technical work. They develop their own
programs in much the same way that Divisions do, they differ in that
their responsibilities are interdisciplinary, and are essentially directed
to the service of chemistry to society.
Thus it may help in the clarification of the different functions of
these committees from the others, to have them grouped under a different
generic name vide infra.
Alphabetically:
CHEMRAWN
It is obvious that I will be regarded as a biased observer and so I
have made great efforts to be objective. The CHEMRAWN Committee has
arranged for the organization of 10 conferences since it was formed
in 1976, and it has one in active preparation and two more on the stocks.
By and large, the conferences have been judged successful, although
there is obvious difficulty in judging this on an objective, measurable
basis, with only one really falling well below the standards set. The
question of the avoidance of financial liability to the Union has been
successfully managed since CHEMRAWN III, although the gaining of funding
still represents the largest barrier to the mounting of conferences.
Much more effective work could be done in the way of training scientists
from developing countries on the conference topics if funds were available.
In this way, the profile of IUPAC could be maximized where there is
little IUPAC representation so far.
One distinctive feature of CHEMRAWN Conferences is the Future Actions
Program (FAP). Almost all the conferences have formulated Future Actions,
but in only two cases - CHEMRAWN II and VII - have any been carried
out (as a result of CHEMRAWN VIII a new journal was produced in Russia).
This is only partly due to lack of funds, although this has played a
part. One other factor that may have diluted the impact of the FAP is
that on several occasions, so many issues have been displayed in the
main conference that the FAP has had a long list of recommendations.
A short list of, perhaps, two or three actions which are judged to have
a reasonable probability of achieving something significant would be
more practical.
The effect of the lack of funding does inhibit the whole of the CHEMRAWN
program. Obviously the Union does not have the resources to pour money
into any particular individual area, but the Committee should address
the issue of how to gain access to funding for the mounting of Conferences
and carrying through the FAPs, from the many Trusts, Aid Foundations,
etc which exist. This may entail recruiting some members who have the
relevant experience.
The Committee has now produced a Strategic Plan and this is a good
start in the process of addressing the challenges of the future. It
will be interesting to see the outcome of the debate on their Strategic
Plan at the Berlin GA.
The various issues to be addressed include the impact of the Internet-is
it possible to plan an Internet CHEMRAWN? Is there a more effective
way of convincing various members of the UN agencies that the CHEMRAWN
format offers a highly effective way of addressing problems which require
scientific / governmental / regulatory / funding and logistical factors?
Is it likely that the CHEMRAWN process could help generate ideas, and
proposals for scientific projects that address public concern? How often
is the difficulty in raising sufficient funds for a proposed conference
due to the lack of sufficient interest or urgency?
Overall, the CHEMRAWN program is seen by many as the activity which
gives IUPAC good recognition, especially among those who are not aware
of the Union's many other activities.
Committee on Chemistry and Industry - COCI
This Committee has gone from strength to strength in the past 10 years.
The seminars it has arranged on Safety in Chemical Plants have been
highly successful and again generated great credit for IUPAC.
Also, the production and publication of the Special Issues of Pure
and Applied Chemistry on Chlorine (1996) and Environmental Oestrogens
(jointly with IUPHAR and IUTOX), have been seen as valuable contributions
to laying a sound scientific base upon which debate can take place.
This has been excellent for the image of IUPAC.
The Committee makes little charge on IUPAC funds as its members provide
their own expenses, and this enables them to meet in various locations
around the globe and tap into local circumstances.
There are two questions that come to mind in the context of COCI:
- Could they be even more effective if they had access to
more IUPAC central funds and, if so, how much to do what?
- If IUPAC forges a closer link with the Chemical Trade Associations,
how does COCI fit in with that linkage? How does the Union see the
recruitment of COCI members in the future?
The Vice President is in contact with the Chairman of COCI with a view
to arranging a discussion about the future relationship of IUPAC with
the industry.
Further consideration in the context of both COCI and CHEMRAWN is the
subject of their interaction/ co-operation. The Committees have held
a joint meeting for several years (since 1985 in my recollection) and
it has been agreed that the purpose and operation of this meeting should
be reviewed at the meeting in Berlin. There would appear to be several
areas for fruitful co-operation, for example by including COCI in the
planning and implementation of some CHEMRAWN Conferences, and vice versa
and in fact, this has already happened, but it could be that with more
active encouragement the Committees could achieve more.
Committee on Printed and Electronic Publications - CPEP
As a result of telephone conversation and perusal of a document produced
by CPEP, which reviewed the response of the CPEP to the Strategic Plan,
which was produced in draft form as early as August 1998, I have come
to the conclusion that this Committee is ready to serve the Union in
its new Strategy and Objectives. I believe that at its meeting in Berlin
it will produce an action plan for the following two years.
Committee on the Teaching of Chemistry - CTC
This is a Committee that should be radically affected by the new Strategic
Plan and the new way in which projects are evaluated, selected, and
funded.
The Committee Chairman provided a good paper after the Geneva Assembly
that sought to show the way forward in the light of the new IUPAC Strategy.
The Committee have sought to follow this up in attempting to relate
their proposed activities to the Strategic Plan, but this has proved
to be a slow process as the Committee itself is only funded to hold
one meeting every two years, and the Divisions and other Standing Committees
have to fit their responses within their own frequency of meetings.
The Committee is keen to promote the concept of a broad IUPAC effort
on education. Any initiative in this area will obviously have to depend
on effective collaboration between the CTC and the Divisions. Another
critical success factor will be the means and effectiveness of the communication
process used to convey the information to the target audience.
For example, if it is decided that the Union should attempt to help
the process of education in the developing world there are several factors
e.g.:
How does information get put together, i.e. who will be the people
with the knowledge and expertise?
Once that is decided, how is such material delivered?
One glib answer is to say "via the Internet." Until the new satellite
system is in place over Africa this is not a practical idea, but when
it is, then IUPAC would presumably allow the material to be downloaded
for local use.
The next snag would be the question "in which language?" and who would
translate it?
This is an exciting project, but it will need very careful thought and
planning and the full commitment of the Union together with good support
from the UN and Aid agencies, not to mention the local National Governments.
One other issue is how should the Union gear itself up to consider
such a project and how should it conduct it if it decides to do it?
The present CTC regard themselves as somewhat isolated from mainstream
IUPAC activities and decision making.
Finally, there is widespread support for a change of name for this
committee to "Committee on Chemistry Education."
Finance Committee - FC
In the past few years the Union has been excellently served by the Treasurer
so that it now enjoys a relatively stable state in its finances and
is able to fund its activities. The Treasurer (and the Union) has been
well supported by the Finance Committee in its management of the Union's
investments, which is its main role.
In discussion with members of the Committee, including the Treasurer,
they expressed the view that they were quite satisfied with their relationships
both with the Treasurer and the Union and had no proposals for any changes.
I heartily concur with those views----in summary, if it ain't broke,
don't try to fix it.
Interdivisional Committee on Nomenclature and Symbols - IDCNS
This Committee reviews all the draft papers that are meant to publish
the conclusions of all the work done on nomenclature and symbols. In
that sense, it performs the role of quality controller in the publication
of symbols and nomenclature. Thus, it is the guardian, in this area,
of the excellent reputation gained by the results of all the excellent
work done by colleagues in the various Divisions and Commissions.
This entails a lot of hard, not very glamorous work and is obviously
an important part of the Union.
When asked about the Committee's relationships with the Union, the
main feeling is that, like several other Committees, IDCNS does not
feel itself to be well integrated into the Union's decision making process.
There is also a feeling that with its relative lack of visibility, there
is a worry about succession, especially as it is well recognized that
so much does depend on the dedication and hard work of the Chairman
and Secretary.
MORE
