Volume 15, Number 2, June 1999       Editor Debra R. Rolison Surface Chemistry, Code 6170 Naval Research Laboratory Washington, D.C. 20375-5342 rolison(at)nrl.navy.mil Regional Editors Alan Bond  Monash University  Clayton, Victoria  3168 Australia  a.bond(at)sci.monash.edu.au Karl Cammann  Westfälische Wihelms Unversität  D-4400 Münster, Germany cammann(at)uni-muenster.de Yoshio Umezawa  University of Tokyo  Tokyo (Hongo) 113 Japan umezawa(at)chem.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp SEAC Web Editor Samuel Kounaves  Department of Chemistry  Tufts University  Medford, MA 02155  skounave(at)tufts.edu

Greetings again from Chapel Hill. The summer has started and I am trying to complete all of those projects that were tabled during the activities of the spring semester. One spring activity that was very enjoyable was a small meeting sponsored by Elsevier in the Netherlands that was entitled "Analytical Chemistry for the Next Millennium". The proceedings will be published by Analytica Chimica Acta next year. SEAC was well represented at the meeting with members Bob Kennedy, Craig Lunte, and SEAC Communications Regional Editor Alan Bond in attendance. In the WETS tradition, Faradays of electrons flowed in scientific discussions both in the bar and the meeting rooms. While predicting the future for a discipline such as ours is always difficult, several challenging ideas were set forth. Ten years from now it will be interesting to read the proceedings to see if any of us were able to make accurate predictions.

From all that I hear from the committee chairs and the board of this organization, SEAC is Y2K ready and anxious for the millennium to start. For me, it is time to turn over the reins to the next president, Steve Weber. My term in office has certainly gone rapidly. It seems like only yesterday that Rick McCreery, then outgoing president of SEAC, was turning the files over to me so that I could start my term. In reality it was the summer of 1997. This was quickly followed by Pittcon ’98 in New Orleans. I always feel that electroanalytical chemistry is at its best when celebrated on Bourbon Street. That year we celebrated with award winners Larry Faulkner and Greg Swain and were treated to exploits into nanosecond electrochemistry and diamonds as electrodes. Was there a dry eye in the house when Larry said it might be his last scientific talk?

A short year later we all brushed off our Mickey Mouse ears in anticipation of Pittcon ’99 in Orlando. The SEAC celebrations for Reilley Award winner Janet Osteryoung and Young Investigator Dan Feldheim were festive. Again, the science was exciting with the demonstration that electroanalytical approaches could unravel the mysteries of both polyelectrolytes and nanomaterials. With Fred Anson as master of ceremonies (that should read session chair) we stayed on schedule, had glimpses of the past, as well as an introduction to chemistry in nanovolumes.

The Society has moved forward and changed over these two years. New board members were elected and a number of committee chairs changed hands. Thanks to all that have helped keep the Society moving. I would like to give special thanks to a few who were extremely important to the Society. For example, Joe Maloy stepped down as secretary after serving in this capacity for more than a decade (believe it or not, I was his predecessor in that job a very long time ago). However, instead of retiring, Joe agreed to be treasurer and so he is still making sure that the Society runs smoothly. Debra Rolison has done an outstanding job of modernizing the Newsletter, and with help from Sam Kounaves, has made it a net-based document. Sam has also established and maintains our ever useful website. Our sponsor for the Young Investigator Award, Ensman Instrumentation, has been replaced by Cypress Systems. Thanks for the support from the folks in Lawrence. Ensman Instrumentation decided to yield the sponsorship when the president (and only permanent employee), Bob Ensman, decided to retire and enjoy a little more travel and a little less science. We look forward to seeing you at future Society events, Bob. EG&G Instruments initiated the successful graduate student travel grant program. BAS and Pittcon both continued their longstanding support of this organization.

The next millennium will certainly see our Society and the importance of electroanalytical chemistry continue to grow and to prosper. Difficult issues such as an increase in dues will have to be discussed. However, as Steve initiates the Society into this new era, he will start at Pittcon 2000 with two well deserving award winners. The fact that Henry White’s high school picture was in this newsletter earlier apparently did not affect the judges’ decision to recognize his science. His outstanding chemical research served to overcome the bad publicity. Congratulations to Merlin L. Bruening who will be the Young Investigator awardee.

Mark Wightman

This is it! This really is it—the very first, web-only version of SEAC Communications. Farewell to paper cuts! I'm hoping that replacing the snail-mailed newsletter with an electronic one will make interaction and feedback from SEAC members (and should-be members) more immediate and more common in the years ahead...especially for our non-US membership.

As we move into the electron-dominated future of SEAC, some members may find an occasional complication arising when they use SEAC’s website as their main form of societal information. In this issue, Bernd Speiser discusses in "From the (E-)Mail Bag" some of the problems he encountered when hitting the "printer" icon to make a hard copy of the web-version of the February 1999 issue.

I would ask those members who do run into problems with how they use the newsletter (whether as-read on the web or when creating a hard copy) to contact either me (Your Editor: rolison(at)nrl.navy.mil) or Sam Kounaves (Your Web Master: skounave(at)tufts.edu). We will do what we can to help minimize annoyances. Sam and I have not experienced translation problems when printing the HMTL or PDF versions of the newsletter, but problems do seem to be lurking out there—so, don’t suffer in silence! And if you have a color printer attached to your computer, enjoy in hard copy the increasing number of color photographs that appear in SEAC Communications.

I have been receiving a gratifying number of e-messages over the past few months updating members’ e-addresses. Thank you all—part of what will keep SEAC in touch on a communal and timely basis is e-notification of postings of the latest issue of the newsletter as well as any other breaking information added to the website [http://seac.tufts.edu — though if you had to read it here, how *did* you read it???].

An accurate list of the members’ electronic addresses is vital to SEAC’s future—remember: our electronic fate is in your hands! Please keep either myself or SEAC Secretary, Andy Ewing [age(at)psu.edu] informed of any changes to your various addresses.

To close this very first electron-only editorial, I want to extend, yet again, SEAC-wide (and my personal) thanks to Bioanalytical Systems, Inc. and especially to Candace and Peter Kissinger for the critical role played by BAS in the newsletter’s publication since Day 1 of SEAC. Our electrons thank yours!

It is already sweltering here in Washington, DC in early June, so Stay Cool!!

Debra Rolison

John-Bruce Green, a survivor of the Porter gulag at Iowa State where he received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, has recently finished his postdoctoral appointment in Rich Colton’s branch at the Naval Research Laboratory. He has accepted a position as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where he hopes to continue having fun by tormenting single molecules with a probe microscope, once he makes a niche at the communal trough.

—as though single molecules don’t have enough problems, John-Bruce!—

Susan M. Hendrickson continues to retrace the steps of her graduate advisor, Mike Elliott, in reverse order. First, graduate school at Colorado State, then two postdoctoral years at UNC-Chapel Hill working with Royce Murray, and now on to Davidson College as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry. She reports that currently there are no future plans to move to Georgia or Vermont.

—but do keep us informed if you do, Susan!—

L. Andrew Lyon (Ph.D. '96, Northwestern U. with Joe Hupp) recently accepted and began an appointment as an Assistant Professor of the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Immediately prior to this appointment he spent two years as a Postdoctoral Associate with Mike Natan at Penn State (where he occasionally managed to sneak away to do some electrochemistry).

—we promise, Andrew, not to tell on you to Mike!—

In keeping with his strict academic calendar (nine years at Texas A&M, nine years at Colorado State University), Charles R. Martin is leaving Fort Collins and the foothills of the Rockies, for Gator-Centrale. Chuck will be joining the University of Florida's Department of Chemistry in July 1999. To wish him a bon voyage, you can reach Charles/Chuck/Moondoggie, for a limited time only, at crmartin(at)lamar.colostate.edu

—so noted, Chuck—and remember: don’t feed the gators!!—

Mary Elizabeth Williams recently completed her Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill with Royce Murray, and is taking a short beach vacation before beginning a postdoc position in Joe Hupp's lab at Northwestern University in August. Mary Beth is attempting to master human solar energy storage in preparation for the long, cold Chicago winter. Send fleece!

—Chicago and Evanston will never be the same!—
 

Dear Debra—I can inform you that as of May 1999 I will retire as the editor-in-chief of the Elsevier journal Sensors & Actuators because my burden as a teacher and head of an applied research institute (ICB), which is one of the largest in Europe on this topic, no longer allows time for this side-job. My successor is Prof. Koudelka-Hep (University of Neuchâtel). I hope that at least then I find more time to contribute to the SEAC Newsletter as the European Editor. Best regards.

Dear Debra—I know that you have my new mailing address [Electropolymerization Technologies; 1496 Johnson Road; Garrett, PA 15542-8604, USA], but I am not sure if you have my new e-mail address. All the information is listed below. Thanks.

Thanks, Debra. It's entertaining to say the least! Glad you tracked me down. Greetings from the Bay Area.

New Directions in Electroanalytical Chemistry II
Johna Leddy, Marc Porter, and Petr Vanysek, Editors
Proceedings Volume 99-5 from the Electrochemical Society (Pennington, NJ; http://www.ecs.org) 1999

Recently, while attending a fascinating conference on Globalization of Air and Space, I had the opportunity to read "New Directions in Electroanalytical Chemistry II" from cover-to-cover with the aid of only one cup of Starbucks. This compendium, derived from a symposium of the same name at the 195^th Electrochemical Society in Seattle in May 1999 (organized by SEAC stalwarts: Johna Leddy, Marc Porter, and Petr Vanysek) is the second in this series and is worthy of addition to any serious electrochemical library. The volume serves to capture several of the "hot" areas of interest within the electroanalytical community, including manipulation of ions trapped within a magnetic field, electron transfer kinetics at a native oxide film, electrochemical sensors for environmental and biological applications, and the combination of electroanalytical techniques with both spectroscopic and microscopic techniques.

The series of articles, focused on the combination of electroanalytical chemistry with other analytical techniques, emphasizes the continuing need to blend analytical tools as new capabilities emerge. In addition, the articles directed to sensor applications further illustrate the multidisciplinary nature inherent to electroanalytical chemistry. And, if there was ever doubt that electroanalytical chemistry wasn’t relevant, let me suggest the article on fish freshness—I know I will never view fish the same way again.

Congratulations to Henry S. White, recipient of SEAC’s Y2K Reilley Award. White has been a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Utah since 1993. Prior to that, he was on faculty in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota.

White received his Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina in 1978, where he was introduced to electroanalytical chemistry as an undergraduate research assistant in Royce Murray’s lab. White obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry at the University of Texas in 1983, generating photons with electrons (and vice versa) with Allen J Bard. He was a Postdoctoral Associate with Mark S. Wrighton at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was instrumental in developing molecule-based diodes and transistors.

White’s research group pioneered the study of electrodes of nanometer dimensions in the mid-1980s. Their early studies were spurred by a curiosity about the nature of electron transfer reactions when the electrode dimensions are comparable to that of the redox molecule. This research led to White’s research interests in the interaction of electrical fields with molecular transport and chemical reactivity at nano- and micro-electrodes. White’s group is also widely known for their seminal theoretical treatment of the influence of the electrical potential distribution on the voltammetric response of electrodes coated by redox-active monolayers.

White and his students have been actively studying transdermal drug delivery for over a decade, and they have made key fundamental contributions to understanding the mechanism of molecular transport across skin. They have also played a major role in developing analytical methodologies employing the scanning electrochemical microscope to study corrosion and membrane transport. Recent investigations in his laboratory concerning magnetic field effects on electrochemical reactions has led to the demonstration of miniaturized solution-based ion focusing devices, including ion-beams and cyclotrons.

White has co-authored over 150 refereed journal articles and book chapters on many topics in electroanalytical chemistry. He has received the Gilbert H. Ayres Award (1983, University of Texas), the Shell Faculty Career Initiation Award (1985), the McKnight Land-Grant Professorship (1987, The University of Minnesota), and the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award in Chemistry (1987). He held the Shell Chair of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science at the University of Minnesota prior to moving to Utah. He is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry.

…The celebrations will commence (continue? conclude??) in New Orleans at Pittcon Y2K (12-17 March 2000)—Be There!…for more on Merlin, check out: http://www.cem.msu.edu/~bruening and for the last word on the White universe, we suggest you turn to the HSW Group Page: http://www.chem.utah.edu/chemistry/faculty/white/groupweb.htm [which includes the "Top Ten Things Not to Say at a HSW Group Meeting"…and even though this page is currently under construction, it should be completed by the 2002 Olympics!!]…
 

SEAC is responsible for the establishment and the administration of the Charles N. Reilley Memorial Award and the SEAC Young Investigator Award. Sponsored by Bioanalytical Systems, Inc. and administered entirely by SEAC, the Reilley Award recognizes an active researcher who has made a major contribution to the theory, instrumentation, or applications of electroanalysis. The Young Investigator Award, sponsored by Cypress Systems, recognizes accomplishments by a researcher who is within the first seven years of his or her career. In conjunction with the presentation of these awards, SEAC arranges an Award Symposium and an informal reception in honor of the Awardees at Pittcon. In this way, SEAC serves as the focal point for analytical chemists who wish to exchange ideas about electroanalytical chemistry at the conference. All nomination materials for the Reilley or Young Investigator Awards will be retained by SEAC. Once nominated, an individual will be considered for three years without being renominated. The submission of any additional supporting information or a renomination is welcome at any time, but the decision on the 2001 Awards will be based upon the material that is available to the Award Committee by 1 March 2000.

—Charles N. Reilley Award—

Nominations for the Y2k+1 (2001) Reilley Award should include a letter of nomination describing the individual's significant contributions to electroanalytical chemistry, at least two seconding letters of support, and a curriculum vitae for the individual.

—Young Investigator Award—

For the 2001 SEAC Young Investigator Award, nominees must be within seven years of obtaining their Ph.D. or other terminal degree at the time of nomination. Candidates may be nominated by any member of SEAC. Nominations should include a letter describing the individual's promise in the area of electroanalytical chemistry, at least one seconding letter of support, and a curriculum vitae for the individual.

—Graduate Student Travel Award—

The SEAC Graduate Student Travel Grant, sponsored by EG&G Instruments, Princeton Applied Research, is awarded to promising graduate students to offset the cost of travel to the Pittsburgh Conference to deliver an oral presentation in a Conference symposium on an electroanalytical topic related to their Dissertation or Thesis. Nominations for travel grants are due to the SEAC awards committee chairperson by the same date as the deadline for Pittcon abstract submission, which this year is the 28th of July 1999. The nomination shall consist of the student's current graduate transcript, a copy of the abstract submitted to the Pittsburgh Conference, a complete resume including publication list, and a letter of recommendation from the student's research advisor. The advisor's letter should include a statement of approximate graduation date and a short description of the student's speaking ability. A candidate shall be considered for an award for travel to Pittcon meetings occurring up to one year after the student's Ph.D. defense. Previous awardees will not be eligible for further consideration.

Requests for further information or submissions of nominations for all awards should be directed to:

Professor Richard M. Crooks
SEAC Awards Committee
Department of Chemistry
Texas A&M University
P.O. Box 30012
College Station, TX 77842-3012

Tel: 409-845-5629
FAX: 409-845-1399
E-mail: crooks(at)tamu.edu

Kudos to Joe Wang!!

Joe Wang, Professor of Chemistry at the New Mexico State University and SEAC member, is the 1999 recipient of the American Chemical Society Award in Chemical Instrumentation. This award is presented by the Analytical Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society—Joe will receive his award during the National ACS Meeting in New Orleans in August 1999. He received the 1994 Heyrovsky Memorial Medal (of the Czech Republic) for his contributions to voltammetry and is also the Chief-Editor of the international journal Electroanalysis. Wang’s research includes the development of electrochemical sensing devices for environmental and clinical monitoring, the development and characterization of new surfaces and interfaces, sensor/recognition coatings, DNA probes, sol-gel-derived materials, remote sensing, microfabrication and miniaturization, miniaturized analytical systems, the development of techniques for ultratrace measurements, and the design of on-line flow detectors.

 
Kudos to Mike Weaver!!

Michael Weaver, Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University, is the 1999 recipient of the ACS Award in Electrochemistry. He is internationally renowned for his research on surface electrochemistry, electron-transfer chemistry, surface vibrational spectroscopies, adsorbates in electrochemical and ultrahigh vacuum environments, scanning tunneling microscopy, and electron-transfer kinetics in heterogeneous and homogeneous media. This award will also be presented by the Analytical Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society during the National ACS Meeting in New Orleans in August 1999.
 
Kudos to Charles R. Martin!!

...a.k.a. Chuck Martin, Professor of Chemistry at Colorado State University. Chuck has been named the recipient of the 1999 Carl Wagner Award, which is bestowed every two years by the Electrochemical Society to recognize "mid-career achievement and excellence in research areas of interest to the Electrochemical Society, and significant contributions in the teaching or guidance of students or colleagues in education, industry, or government." Chuck will present his award lecture in October in Honolulu as part of the symposium on "Electrochemistry at Ordered Interfaces" at the Fall Meeting of the ECS. The Carl Wagner Award was established by the ECS in 1980 and has already recognized such illustrious SEAC members as Al Bard (1981) and Royce Murray (1987). Martin’s research program is renowned for his development of template synthesis using mesoporous membranes. Some of the most recent work in the Martin group focuses on nanomaterials and lithium ion batteries, synthesis and characterization of conducting polymer nanotubules, molecular separations based upon chemical functionality, and molecular recognition membranes.

… great venue, Chuck! I’ll be there!! (PS: Chuck: you have beatles on your wall!)

Kudos to SEAC undercover agent Geri Richmond!!

Geraldine L. Richmond, Knight Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences of Chemistry at the University of Oregon (and yet another long-time friend, supporter, partner-in-fine-eating-and-shopping, and colleague of many of SEAC’s membership) has been nominated by Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber to the State Board of Higher Education. She will undergo the confirmation process by the Oregon State Legislature in the next few weeks.

Geri is renowned for her science in non-linear spectroscopy—especially as applied to the electrified interface—and for her work in education and mentoring. Her previous recognition includes the 1997 Presidential Award for Excellence in U.S. Science, Mathematics, Engineering Mentoring and the 1997 Francis P. Garvan-John M. Olin Medal in Chemistry from the American Chemical Society. She has received an NSF Presidential Young Investigator Award, the NSF Faculty Award for Women Scientists and Engineers, and an Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship. She currently serves as chair of the U.S. Department of Energy's Basic Sciences Advisory Committee and chair of the American Chemical Society, Physical Chemistry Division.

… *now* do you get a great parking space on campus, Geri?? Congratulations from your many friends in SEAC! and good luck with the politicos!!

PS: Geri wants her many friends and colleagues to know that this nomination is *NOT* a right turn into administration—she fully intends to remain a dedicated lab rat!

Supported by the German Chemical Society, Working Group "Electrochemical Analysis" and AGEF (Association of Electrochemical Research Institutions)
 
 
 
 

Local Organizing Committee:   H. Emons (Jülich, Chairman)  H. Baltruschat (Bonn)  B. Krahl-Urban (Jülich)  P. Ostapczuk (Jülich)  E. Steckhan (Bonn)

International Scientific Committee:   K. Cammann (Münster, Chairman) C.M.A. Brett (Coimbra) C. Bruntlett (West Lafayette, IN) H.H. Girault (Lausanne) A. Ivaska (Turku) H. Kiesele (Lübeck) M.R. Smyth (Dublin) Z. Stojek (Warsaw) K. Stulik (Prague) J. Wang (Las Cruces, NM)

Scientific Program: Because of the "special year", invited plenary lectures will be dedicated to eminent scientists who contributed significantly to the progress of electroanalysis in the last 30 years. This will combine reviews of methods and areas of application with perspectives in these fields. The following colleagues have already agreed to present these plenary lectures:

"The I.M. Kolthoff Lecture"  by R.M. Murray, Chapel Hill
"The W. Simon Lecture"  by K. Cammann, Muenster
"The R.N. Adams Lecture"  by R.M. Wightman, Chapel Hill
"The H.-W. Nürnberg Lecture"  by J. Buffle, Geneva
"The V.G. Levich Lecture"  by A.G. Ewing, University Park
"The G.J. Patriarche Lecture"  by P.N. Bartlett, Southampton
Oral and poster contributions to all aspects of electroanalysis are welcome and will be selected by the international scientific committee according to the scientific quality of the submitted abstracts.

Social Program. An attractive social program will be arranged based on the cultural tradition and the bright future of this part of the famous Rhineland region.

Contact:

PD Dr. Hendrik Emons
Chairman of ESEAC 2000
Research Center Jülich
Institute of Applied Physical Chemistry
D-52425 Jülich GERMANY

Phone: +49-2461-61 5701   Fax: +49-2461-61 2493
e-mail: eseac2000(at)fz-juelich.de

…and be sure to check out http://www-upb.ipc.kfa-juelich.de/eseac2000.htm to plan your program attendance …

The first official correct guess (as determined by directly contacting the above Electrochemical Nerd, a.k.a. Dennis Johnson, Distinguished Professor at Iowa State University) was made by Ohio State’s Rick McCreery, who won an autographed copy of one of the EN’s latest reprints. In message Tue, 23 Feb 1999 08:52 -0500, Rick wrote: "Debra—as documented by my e-message to Dennis below, I win the "Nerd" prize. Does this mean I now become famous? p.s. pretty good trick to get people to look at the newsletter promptly, at least it worked with me." Thanks also to Marc Porter (Iowa State University), the winner of the inaugural "Name that Electrochemical Nerd", who provided that snapshot in time (of Dennis and of electrochemical data).

Pictured here is this issue’s entrant in "Name that Electrochemical Nerd". Again, the first correct guess (as determined by directly contacting the pictured-herein EN) will win an autographed copy of the EN’s latest reprint. —…Hint: focus on those eyes! (they will remind you of the man today)…and please send in your candidates (and mystery photographs) for next issue’s entrant in "Name That Electrochemical Nerd"!!—

In an e-message (Wed, 31 Mar 1999 14:03:32 -0600), Dennis Johnson comments on Marc’s role in his immortalization:

"This is pay-back time. For your entertainment, see the web page indicated below. Be sure to turn on your sound card and java script." http://www.public.iastate.edu/~echem1/pork.html

—Enjoy Dennis’ Loser-Electrochemist revenge!! (courtesy of Marc’s group)—

Daren Caruana (uccadjc(at)ucl.ac.uk)—Cartoonist and Electrochemist (and Post-doctoral Associate with Dave Williams at University College London)—returns with further adventures in the realm of electrochemical surreality and includes a tribute to the Reilley Awardee for 2000 (check out that cowboy hat!).

—You Want Me to *What*???—

PS: and remember: this issue will be the last-ever snail-mailed version

                   Debra—ARRRRGGGGG!!!

...if I've not heard from you by voice (202-767-3617), snail (6170; Naval Research Laboratory; Washington DC 20375), or e-mail (rolison(at)nrl.navy.mil) that you require (not just would like) a mailed copy of the future PDF versions

                   What is a "PDF" version?

of the newsletter, I will gladly assume that you have access to the World Wide Web,

                   I don't, but I think my students do—they tell me we have a net page.

that you surf the SEAC website,

                   Do what?

and that you are just as capable as am I of hitting the printer icon!!

                   Does this require that your computer have Windows installed on it? I think most of ours do.
                   P.S. I word process with WordStar 3.1—welcome to the 20^th Century (and I do mean 20^th).
 

Debra—I really enjoy the newsletter. It gives me the opportunity to keep up with old friends and acquaintances, and other developments in the field. I haven't worked in the field of electroanalytical chemistry for several years. I'm currently working in the field of analytical biotechnology, primarily DNA separation and detection, but I still cling to my electrochemistry roots.

—I have reformulated one of Faraday’s Lesser-Known Laws to hereby state: Once an electrochemist, always an electrochemist!! They certainly are good roots to which to cling!—
 

Debra—I do not remember receiving any notification about the web-newsletter. Please add my email address to the distribution list. SEAC Communications is SO much more fun to read than most of my society newsletters! Although I am not doing a great deal of electrochemistry anymore, I still dabble occasionally. Thanks!

Dear Dr. Rolison—Thanks for the note. I have a link from the ACS Division of Analytical Chemistry home pages to SEAC at http://www.acs-analytical.duq.edu/orgres.htm. This page is going to be reformatted soon, though my expertise is inadequate to make the DAC pages as attractive as the SEAC ones. Regards.

—Thanks for the kind words, Roland, on behalf of SEAC’s Web guru, Sam Kounaves—
 

Debra—as you may have noticed, I did not get my past editorial musings to you as you requested. What a surprise! However, glancing over the latest issue, it looks as though I am not alone :-) . It's been a hectic new year, but I shall endeavor to accomplish this task for one of the future e-issues. Now that I am on the other side of the fence, I can see why getting material from the members was soooo difficult—it's very easy to ignore the editor!!! Dick Durst

—I look forward to getting some musings from you Dick for e-archiving and to make future editors (and there will be one sooner rather than later ... we will let you have the tenure record!) grateful for the joys of electronic rather than snail-mailed communication—
 

EDITOR ROLISON:

1. SEAC Communications gets read because it is my night stand reading—please continue my snail mail copy.

2. If I am not in your electronic mail base, please put in my long-standing AOL address: tslight(at)aol.com

3. Your nostalgic mail bag set me off—having studied with Lingane and Kolthoff, I inaugurated the Instrumental Analysis Course at Boston College in 1949 and spent the whole departmental budget not only on the Sargent Model XII (photographic recorder) Polarograph, but also Beckman's DK Spectrophotometer, and the Model G pH Meter. Among others who succeeded me at BC was Dick Durst. And in 1999 in my semi-retirement years, I am now the oldest TA at BC, assisting in my old lab course given by Prof. David McFadden (who calls it Advanced Chem. Lab). Having shared the 1996 Jim Little Ion Selective Award with Jiri Janata, Martin Frant and C.C. Young, I noted Jiri's letter now from Georgia Tech, and having known Al Bard since his graduate student days at Harvard, his biography and birthday bash were tremendous.

—ah…is *that* the secret of getting back in the lab?? Semi-retirement, it is!—
 

It was good to see you in Seattle, Debra. Yes, I can click on "print", but I would much prefer to continue receiving SEAC Communications on cellulose, please, instead of electronically, though I know this is less convenient for you guys. Which reminds me—I must send in my $15 cellulosically.
Best wishes.

—Problems in Paradise—

Dear Debra—I just copied the postscript version of the most recent SEAC communications from your server and did send it to my printer. Very nice—and probably much faster than trans-atlantic surface mail. May also save a lot of postage.

There is only a slight problem: throughout the text I find a lot of question marks, mostly in places where I would expect an apostrophe (e.g., ` or ') or the like. For example, I read: President?s Message. Since I guess that electroanalytical chemistry is not a notoriously questionable part of science, there must be some problem in the file or in the transfer/printing process. Can you help me to track down the source of the error? Are your original files ok, are your printouts ok? Best regards.