The American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, announces that it is currently accepting applications for the 2001 James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public. Established in 1955, the award is designed "to recognize, encourage and stimulate outstanding reporting, which materially increases the public's knowledge and understanding of chemistry, chemical engineering and related fields." The annual award includes $3,000, a gold medal and a bronze replica of the medal. The nomination deadline is February 1, 2000.
Nominating procedures are detailed below:
2001 James T. Grady-James H. Stack Award for Interpreting Chemistry for the Public
Nominating Procedure
Purpose To recognize, encourage, and stimulate outstanding reporting directly to the public, which materially increases the public's knowledge and understanding of chemistry, chemical engineering, and related fields.
Establishment and Support The annual award was established in 1955 by the American Chemical Society. It consists of $3,000, a gold medal, and a bronze replica of the medal. Traveling expenses of the recipient to the meeting at which the award is presented will be paid.
Rules of Eligibility A nominee must have made noteworthy presentations through a medium of public communication to increase the American public's understanding of chemistry and chemical progress. This information must have been disseminated through the press, radio, television, films, the lecture platform, or books or pamphlets for the lay public.
Nomination Process Any individual may nominate a candidate for this award. The letter of nomination must include a biographical sketch of the nominee (including date of birth), a description of fewer than 1,000 words of the body of work on which the nomination is based, with examples (displayed on 81/2" x 11" pages) of published work, or standard audio or videotape cassettes, and an evaluation and appraisal of the nominee's accomplishments. No more than two seconding letters, containing factual information not given in the letter of nomination, may be included. Seconding letters must be included with the nominating document submitted by the nominator. Seconding letters will not be accepted separately from the nominating document except under the most extraordinary of circumstances. Six copies of the complete nominating document (including reprints or other supplementary material), letter-size and unbound, must be furnished for distribution to members of the Award Committee. The nomination and accompanying material for the 2001 Award must be postmarked no later than February 1, 2000. Address nominating documents or requests for further information to: Awards Office, American Chemical Society, 1155 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036. Information may be obtained by calling 800/227-5558, x2109, or from http://www.acs.org/awards.
JAMES T. GRADY (1879-1954), managing editor of the American Chemical Society News Service from 1923 to 1947, distinguished himself in the field of public relations as a masterful interpreter of science, engineering, and education. In addition to his long association with the ACS News Service, he was director of public information for Columbia University and associate professor of journalism. Born at Winsted, Conn., he attended Trinity College, Harvard University, and the Columbia Law School, and then entered the newspaper profession. He worked on several New England dailies and on the old New York Tribune, where at various times he was cable and telegraph editor, chief copy editor, head of the Tribune News Service, and night city editor. When Mr. Grady retired in 1947 from the ACS News Service, he was elected an honorary member of the National Association of Science Writers.
JAMES H. STACK (1908-1982) joined the ACS News Service in 1945 as assistant managing editor, succeeding James T. Grady as managing editor in 1947. Mr. Stack transferred to the headquarters staff in 1960 to head what was then the Department of Public and Member Relations, which included the ACS News Service. Under his leadership, ACS initiated the nation's longest-running science radio show, "Man and Molecules" (later renamed "Dimensions in Science"). A native of New York, he attended Cornell and New York Universities, and worked on the editorial staffs of several weekly and small daily newspapers. From 1939 to 1945, he was on the staff of the New York Herald Tribune, first as a copy reader and later as head of the day copy desk. Mr. Stack retired in 1972 as a special assistant to the executive director of the Society, but remained active in Society affairs, particularly in planning the ACS Centennial in 1976.
1957 David H. Killeffer
1958 William L. Laurence
1959 Alton L. Blakeslee
1960 Watson Davis
1961 David Dietz
1962 John F. Baxter
1963 Lawrence Lessing
1964 Nate Haseltine
1965 Isaac Asimov
1966 Frank E. Carey
1967 Irving S. Bengelsdorf
1968 Raymond A. Bruner
1969 Walter Sullivan
1970 Robert C. Cowen
1971 Victor Cohn
1972 Dan Q. Posin
1973 O. A. Battista
1974 Ronald Kotulak
1975 Jon Franklin
1976 Gene Bylinsky
1977 Patrick Young
1978 Michael Woods
1979 Peter Gwynne
1980 Edward Edelson
1981 Robert W. Cooke
1982 Albert Rosenfeld
1983 Matt Clark
1984 Cristine Russell
1985 Joe Alper
1986 Ben Patrusky
1987 Al Rossiter, Jr.
1988 Arthur Fisher
1989 Robert Kanigel
1990 Jerry E. Bishop
1991 Betty Debnam
1992 Malcolm W. Browne
1993 Tom Siegfried
1994 Don Herbert
1995 Ivan Amato
1996 Elizabeth Pennisi
1997 Richard Lipkin
1998 Joseph W. Palca
1999 Joseph A. Schwarcz
2000 Jeff Wheelwright
A nonprofit organization with a membership of nearly 159,000 chemists and chemical engineers, the American Chemical Society publishes scientific journals and databases, convenes major research conferences and provides educational, science policy and career programs in chemistry. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio. (www.acs.org)