American Chemical Society
Division of Physical Chemistry
(PHYS)

Remarks from the Division Chair

Laurie J. Butler

Fall 2009

In response to the advice of the young scientists on our strategic planning committee, the PHYS Division established a new subdivision on energy in August 2010, joining our theoretical chemistry and biophysical chemistry subdivisions. Research of PHYS members in the fundamental physical chemistry of energy sources has been represented in several symposia in recent meetings; the new subdivision provides important input for mounting future symposia. Please forward your suggestions for new officers to Sharon Hammes-Schiffer, who chairs the committee establishing the subdivision.

At the Fall National Meeting in DC, Martin Head-Gordon and I initiated a new yearly event to highlight leading research by postdoctoral fellows in physical chemistry. Ten postdocs, drawn from nominations worldwide, presented their work in invited talks in two dedicated sessions.

Mark Johnson, the 2010 program chair for PHYS, has put together an exciting selection of PHYS symposia for the spring 2010 national meeting in San Francisco (http://phys-acs.org/spring2010.html): Multiscale nanomaterials, polymer, and biomolecular dynamics; Dynamics in clusters and floppy systems; Optical science and emerging energy technologies; Recent advances in observational and experimental astrochemistry; Fluorescent probes in biophysics and chemistry; Measuring and manipulating condensed phase chemistry in time and frequency; and Physical chemistry of ionic liquids. The abstract submission deadline is October 19.

In DC, Prof. Tom Stephenson (Swarthmore) put together a wonderful workshop for undergraduate researchers. The symposium, initiated in 2008, begins with a series of talks on Sunday by leading scientists to introduce our younger colleagues to some of the research areas in the PHYS technical symposia and continues with dinners with invited speakers and organizers. Next year Prof. Will Polik (Hope) is organizing the program, so please nominate your most talented undergraduate researcher for this opportunity; details may be found at http://phys-acs.org/UGworkshop09.html. I'd like to thank Tom for leading this effort for its inaugural two years, his work on behalf of these young researchers was exceptional.

The Physical Chemistry Division also gives awards for the best student posters at each meeting. The awardees for the Spring 2009 meeting in Washington DC are listed, with photos, on http://phys-acs.org/PosterAwardWinnersF09.html. The awards were augmented this fall by a new student poster award in honor of renowned kineticist Sid Benson. The special poster award, continuing for four years, was made possible by a donation from Bill Kaiser, who worked extensively in the field of chemical kinetics at Ford. If you would like to make a contribution for a dedicated award of this kind, please contact the PHYS treasurer, Anne McCoy.

The scientific and educational quality of the PHYS Division's activities depends on the voluntary involvement of our scientific colleagues. We invite all PHYS members to become more active in our Division, as officers, executive committee members, or as symposium organizers. If you are interested in being an officer or being on the Executive Committee, please write acspchem@chemistry.ohio-state.edu and we'll forward your name to the Nominating Committee. If you would like to organize a symposium, Sharon Hammes-Schiffer is the Program Chair for 2011.

Finally, I invite your nominations for the annual ACS Physical Chemistry Division Award in Theoretical Chemistry. Peter Rossky, the awardee last year, gave the plenary talk at the Telluride School on Theoretical Chemistry. Details on nominating a brilliant theorist for this award may be found at http://phys-acs.org/theoryAward.htm.

I would like to thank the present officers and executive committee members of the PHYS Division for their time and scientific expertise.